Catching the moments – coteaching to stimulate science in the preschool context

Abstract

An important task for the preschool teacher is to create meaningful learning situations where children have opportunities to experience science. However, many teachers have both weak subject knowledge and a lack of confidence to teach science. The aim of the project presented in this article was to capture how nine preschool teachers developed their learning of and self-confidence in teaching science during a two-year professional development (PD) project while coplanning, coteaching, and coreflecting on their teaching activities. During the project, the preschool teachers’ self-confidence and attitudes played an important role for the their approach to science activities. Their collaborative learning and reflection became important for their PD and for the way science phenomena were included in the preschool context. As such, the project is based on opportunities for preschool teachers to develop their ideas about science and to reframe their work with the aim to stimulate children’s curiosity for science.

Keywords:

• coteaching
• preschool
• science
• teacher

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pernilla Nilsson

Pernilla Nilsson is a professor in science education at Halmstad University, Sweden. During the last decade she has focused her research on teachers’ and student teachers’ development of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in preschool, primary, and secondary science education. She has worked with different tools and activities such as Content Representations (CoRe), Learning Study, and video and digital portfolios to stimulate reflection and to help teachers and student teachers engage in their own professional learning.