Using the Patchwork Text to develop a critical understanding of science

Abstract

This article describes the development of an elective module for final-year undergraduate primary school student teachers becoming specialists in science. It explains how the introduction of the Patchwork Text assignment format has made it possible to exploit more fully the advantages of collaborative learning by students in small groups. The theoretical dimensions of the study which are explored briefly here include: constructivist theories of learning, interactionist theories of teaching, aims and methods of science education curricula, and theories of educational assessment. The more general educational insight which has emerged from the discipline-specific work described is that a Patchwork Text approach to formal assessment, including what I regard as a cognate view of curriculum, stimulates strong interest, improves student's wholistic grasp of a broad field of knowledge and its professional application, and encourages an autonomous approach to collaborative learning.