Mediating Artifact in Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

This article focuses on teacher professional development (TPD) in natural science through the 5E model as mediating artifact. The study was conducted in an upper secondary school, grounded in a school-based intervention research project. My contribution to the field of research on TPD is founded on the hypothesis that teachers would be best facilitated to make their practice more inquiry based if they are provided with a mediating artifact. In this study the artifact is a model 5E, which is a conceptual way of thinking, to help teachers reflect on their practice. The aim is to encourage teachers to make changes themselves, by applying extended use of inquiry into their practice. This mediated artifact could thus be used across different national contexts. The main research question is; how can the 5E model as a mediating artifact enhance TPD? The article addresses the processes of the use of the 5E model and its influence on teachers’ perception of the model. This is in order for teachers to conceptualize their goals related to inquiry and scientific thinking, and to solve the problems involved in achieving those goals in their own contexts.

The study concludes that, after the intervention, the teachers' approaches and strategies demonstrate greater emphasis on learning.

Keywords:

• CPD
• TPD
• IBST
• The 5E model
• Teacher collaboration

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank John Alexander Strømme (NTNU), May Britt Postholm (NTNU), Peter Gray (NTNU), and Yrjö Engeström (CRADLE) for guidance through the process of writing this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.