The document describes a project that involved Irish pre-service science teachers in developing teaching resources for the TEMI (Teaching Enquiry with Mysteries Incorporated) project. TEMI aims to improve science teaching in Europe using an inquiry-based approach centered around "mysteries". For their final year research projects, four pre-service teachers created inquiry lessons, trialled them in schools, and evaluated their effectiveness. Their involvement provided resources for teachers and experience for the pre-service teachers. Both groups benefitted from the collaboration between pre-service and in-service teachers.
Involving Irish Pre-Service Science Teachers in the TEMI Project
1. Co-funded by
the Seventh Framework Programme
of the European Union
Involving Irish Pre-Service
Science Teachers in the TEMI
Project
Broggy,J., Childs, P.E., Dunne, P., Harley-Warnock, M., Kingston, S.,
McCormack, O., McManus, B., O’Dwyer, A., Ryan P.
University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
Beulah.Mcmanus@ul.ie
FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
2. What is TEMI?
• Teaching Enquiry with
Mysteries Incorporated
• Funded by the FP7
programme
• Professional
Development
Workshops
• 12 other European
partners
FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403 2
3. TEMI Goals
• Improve science and maths teaching
across Europe.
• Focus on pupil enquiry as a driving
force for learning.
• Teaching is organised around problems
and questions in a highly pupil-centred
enquiry process.
FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403 3
4. 5E Model of Enquiry
4FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
ENGAGE
EXPLORE
EXPLAINEXTEND
EVALUATE
5. Key Idea Behind TEMI
Use mysteries or discrepant events to
engage students in the enquiry
process.
5FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
6. Teacher Training
Workshops
• Explore the use of mysteries in teaching
science.
• Experience ‘TEMI’ lessons using 5E Model of
Enquiry.
• Generate TEMI lesson ideas collaboratively.
• Feedback from trialled lessons in schools.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the TEMI
approach.
6FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
8. Why Involve Pre-Service
Science Teachers (PSSTs)?
• Previous work has shown the value of collaboration between
pre-service and in-service teachers (Le Cornu 2005, Wray
2007, Abbott et al. 2012).
• To kick-start the project by having a bank of resources
prepared before involving teachers in the first teacher training
workshop.
• To influence both those in the pipeline and those in the future
pipeline of science education.
8FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
9. Involvement of Pre-Service
Science Teachers in TEMI
• Informed 3rd year science education students
in UL about TEMI project in May 2013.
• Provided 4 students with an opportunity to
complete required Final Year Research
Project (FYRP)on TEMI (Sept- May 2014).
9FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
10. What is a Final Year
Research Project?
• Compulsory requirement in most undergraduate
courses in UL.
• Typically accounts for 2 modules’ credits (12
credits).
• Students research a topic of their own choosing in
depth in their final year of study.
• Must write a thesis report on their
study.
10FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
11. 11FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
TEMI FYRP Brief
Research discrepant events and their relationship to IBSE.
Review IBSE in second-level science education.
Choose subject (biology/chemistry/physics/Transition Year
science) on which to focus TEMI lessons.
Source at least 10 discrepant event ideas in chosen subject and
develop TEMI lessons from these.
Trial a min. of 5 TEMI lessons while on final teaching placement
(Sept - Dec 2013).
Evaluate effectiveness of developed TEMI lessons
in motivating students, increasing understanding
and developing pupils’ enquiry skills.
13. 13FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
Bank of TEMI Lessons
Physics
• Junior &
Senior
Cycle
• 10 lesson
plans with
student
activity
sheets
Chemistry
• Junior &
Senior
Cycle
• 10 lesson
plans with
student
activity
sheets
Biology
• Junior &
Senior
Cycle
• 10 lesson
plans with
student
activity
sheets
All 3
Sciences
• Transition
Year
• 8 week
module
with 8
units on
phys,
chem &
bio
Transition Year is a one year optional
programme between Junior and Senior
Cycles with no set curriculum.
14. TEMI Lessons Developed by PSSTs
14
FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
Subject
(topic)
Lesson Name Brief Description
Biology
(Osmosis,
Diffusion)
The Leaking
Bag!
Osmosis and diffusion are explored by
immersing a fully sealed zip-lock bag (or
dialysis tubing) containing a starch
solution into a beaker of iodine
solution.
Chemistry
(Water,
Bonding,
Solutions)
Burly Bubbles Compare the properties of homemade
(water and washing up liquid) bubble
solution with burly (water, washing up
liquid and glycerol) bubble solution.
Physics
(Boyle’s Law,
Atmospheric
Pressure)
Boyle-ing
Point
Differential pressures cause water to be
‘sucked up’ into an upside-down wine
bottle.
Transition Year 8-week
module, Science Mysteries
15. PSSTs’ Role
• Developed, trialled and evaluated resources during teaching
placement.
• Attended and participated in TEMI workshops.
• Mentored and facilitated in-service teachers in sourcing and
developing TEMI lesson ideas.
• Provided feedback on experiences from teaching placement.
15FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
PSSTs mentoring during TEMI workshop
17. • Networked & collaborated with experienced science teachers.
• Developed skills of action research.
• Improved inquiry-based teaching knowledge & skills.
• Prepared themselves for new curriculum changes to Junior and
Senior science syllabi.
• Transformed their teaching practice – “I began to teach the
TEMI way in all of my science classes”.
• Created a bank of shared resources linked to curriculum.
• Experienced working in an EU FP7 project.
17FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
18. • Provided with a bank of TEMI teaching resources which are
closely linked to the science curricula.
• Informed about the do’s and don’ts from PSSTs’ experiences of
implementing TEMI.
• Received help in sourcing and developing TEMI lesson ideas.
18FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
Pre-service
teachers
TEMI
project
In-
Service
teachers
19. • Increased scope of TEMI in Ireland through FYRPs and
teaching placement – acted as TEMI ambassadors in teaching
placement schools.
• Created a huge bank of resources for project which will be built
upon by future PSSTs and in-service teachers.
• Provided baseline data on effectiveness of TEMI lessons in
motivating students,increasing understanding and developing
pupils’ enquiry skills.
19FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
Pre-service
teachers
TEMI
Project
In-service
teachers
20. Conclusions
The Irish TEMI team believes that involving PSSTs in the project
from the beginning has been a valuable part of the project, both
for the participating PSSTs and for the in-service teachers.
The UL team hopes to continue with the involvement of PSSTs in
TEMI in subsequent years and also to provide training
workshops on the TEMI approach and materials for a
wider group of PSSTs in UL.
20FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
21. Acknowledgements
• Cohort 1 pre-service science teachers.
• Cohort 1 in-service science teachers.
• TEMI project team in the University of Limerick:
Joanne Broggy, Peter Childs, Anne O’ Dwyer and Orla McCormack.
• All other TEMI partners.
21FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
22. Co-funded by
the Seventh Framework Programme
of the European Union
Thank you for listening!
FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 32140322
24. References
• Le Cornu, R. (2005), ‘Peer mentoring: engaging pre-service
teachers in mentoring one another’, Mentoring and Tutoring,
13(3), 355-366.
• Wray, S (2007), ‘Teaching portfolios, community, and pre-
service teachers’ professional development’, Teaching and
Teacher Education, 23, 1139-1152.
• Abbott, M. L., Dunn, W. and Aberdeen, T. (2012) ‘A boundary-
spanning ESL teacher education project: connecting campus
learning to in-service teacher needs’, Canadian Journal of
Action Research, 13(2), 3-16.
24FP7-Science-in-Society-2012-1, Grant Agreement N. 321403
Editor's Notes
The TEMI project focuses on the Engagement phase as an introduction to enquiry.
This first part of the lesson is crucial in motivating students and catching their interest by raising questions.
Teachers need to have an idea of what the TEMI lessons are like – need to provide them with some TEMI lesson plans that are closely linked to the science curricula.
Series of two one-day workshops with a gap in between the days where the teachers can put the TEMI ideas into practice.
Transformed their teaching practice – Breaking the Vicious Cycle – not repeating the vicious cycle of returning to the way that were taught themselves. Developing their own inquiry-based teaching practice.
Difficult to embed inquiry in schools. By involving the PSSTs, they impacted a greater number of teachers, students and schools through while completing their final teaching placement.