Presenter: Hanna Stammes
Examining PCK from the Perspective of Intellectual Virtues for 21st Century Science Education
Last year, I told you about the outcomes of our international Lorentz Workshop on the topic of '21st Century Science Education: What does it mean for Teachers?'. The summary report of the workshop can be found here. During the workshop, we reflected on what science teachers need to know and do to support student learning as society and science are changing. We paid specific attention to the usefulness (or not) of the PCK construct in 21st century science education. PCK refers to pedagogical content knowledge (or 'vakdidactische kennis'). We had discussions with PCK researchers from across the world, and with philosophers (who know a lot about the K in PCK).
Together with two colleagues, Ineke Henze and Marc de Vries, we spent last year investigating one of the suggestions from these philosophers: to focus on teachers' so-called (PC)Intellectual Virtues rather than their (PC)Knowledge. Possible benefits of a focus on intellectual virtues (like Open-mindedness, Humility and Empathy) include shifting our attention to teachers' (life-long) learning processes instead of their more static outcomes; avoiding epistemological confusion in PCK literature regarding - for instance - knowledge and beliefs; and, responding to long-standing PCK criticisms including a lack of attention to teachers' and students' affect. In this presentation, I will describe this perspective further and present our empirical findings into our own bachelor students' employments of pedagogical content intellectual virtues as they designed sustainability lesson materials. We will discuss the potential of a focus on intellectual virtues for fostering pre- and in-service teacher learning.
Presenter: Julian Schmidt
Understanding University Instructors’ Teaching in Introductory Organic Chemistry: Towards an Empirical Assessment
Organic Chemistry (OC) in higher education is often described as a ‘gatekeeper’ subject due to its demands on mechanistic reasoning, multiple representations, and conceptual complexity. Declining enrolments and increasing dropout rates further highlight the need for effective teaching. Despite its crucial role in shaping instruction and student learning, instructors’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), the integration of subject-matter and pedagogical knowledge, has received little systematic attention. This project addresses this gap by developing a proficiency-oriented assessment of university instructors’ PCK in OC through context-rich vignettes. Think-aloud data from OC instructors will inform the creation of a coding scheme for quantitative analysis using Item Response Theory (IRT). The results are expected to provide new insights into instructors’ PCK and inform targeted interventions to support teaching in higher education.