Teaching–learning sequences: aims and tools for science education research

Abstract

One notable line of inquiry, aspects of which date back to the early 1980s, involves the design and implementation not of long‐term curricula, but of topic‐oriented sequences for teaching science. One distinguishing characteristic of a teaching–learning sequence (TLS) is its inclusion in a gradual research‐based volutionary process aiming at interlacing the scientific and the student perspective. In the present paper, which is introductory to the special issue, we attempt to serve a double purpose: on the one hand, we provide an overview of developments and trends with regard to TLSs and their classroom validation, discussing empirical studies, theoretical proposals, methodological tools and approaches to describing the design of these sequences in ordinary language, while on the other the paper serves as an introduction to this volume, making it easier for the reader to apprehend the processes of development and validation of research on TLSs.

Notes

An International Symposium and a Workshop on TLSs recently took place. Several of the papers appearing in this volume were presented and discussed in an initial form during these meetings. The first took place in Paris (Méheut and Psillos 2000) and the second during ESERA 2001 (Psillos and Méheut 2001).