Science Learning Doctors

This is a discussion group for science teachers who are interested in improving their diagnostic assessment skills by exploring the 'science learning doctor' approach in their teaching. This is a perspective on 'failures to learn': that when motivated students fail to learn science as committed teachers intend, this is due to a 'bug' in the teaching-learning system. Such bugs can in principle be identified and treated (http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/kst24/ScienceLearningDoctors.html).

This discussion group is seen as a mixture of a 'professional development' and a 'research and development' exercise. Hopefully the learning doctors approach will prove valauble to science teachers looking to improve teaching and learning in the classrooms. The discussion of learning 'bugs' and their diagnosis and 'treatment' can provide a useful context for teachers to share experiences and good practice, and will provide useful feedback to develop the model for the benefit of other teachers.

The criteria for membership are:
• being a classroom teacher of science (any science, any level)
• an interest in discussions about science learning - and overcoming learning bugs in science teaching
• being open to being part of a 'research and development' project (as it is intended that discussion on the group will help test and refine the model/approach).

Anyone wishing to join this discussion group should email me (kst24@cam.ac.uk), briefly outlining their teaching role



Keith Taber
University of Cambridge
http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/staff/taber.html
http://people.pwf.cam.ac.uk/kst24/

keywords: science, biology, chemistry, physics, education, teaching, learning, conceptual understanding, conceptual development, misconceptions, alternative conceptions, misunderstandings, learning impediments, intuitive thinking, life-world science, alternative frameworks, diagnostic assessment, pedagogy, individual differences, differentiation, remedial