Enhancing pedagogical content knowledge in a collaborative school-based professional development program for inquiry-based science teaching

In this study, the role of the TE was a multi-faceted one that varied with the different stages of the teaching process. In the planning stage, the TE acted as leader to set the direction and framework for teacher development and to orientate the teachers to connect the different forms of knowledge bases into PCK. The TE was also a mentor to clarify teachers’ misconceptions of the teaching topic, a co-researcher exploring with them students’ understanding and misconceptions of the topic, a facilitator who could facilitate collaboration among teachers, and a resource person to suggest alternative activities and help teachers to locate useful references or apparatus and materials for student investigation. During implementation, the TE supported the teachers, actively observed and listened to the students during activities, modeled the instructional strategies for eliciting student conceptions, and guided students in their inquiry. In the evaluation stage, the role involved leading teachers to share their reflections and learn from their experiences, and co-evaluating with them the outcomes of their professional development. Overall, the TE is a researcher who treats the entire process as an opportunity for continuous research on the improvement of the effectiveness of in-service professional development. There is a striking similarity between these roles and those assumed by the inquiry-based science teachers discussed by Crawford (2000). Thus, teacher development can be viewed as a constructive process that embraces the important elements of inquiry to build up essential knowledge bases for teaching.

There are obvious limitations in this study that need to be addressed in forthcoming research. For instance, the teachers’ ability to reflect on their classroom interactions or critical episodes was hindered by their limited experience of professional development of this kind, and by their rudimentary understanding of the nature and processes of scientific inquiry. Additional rounds of collaborative research and teaching are obviously needed to enhance their ability to reflect on the quality of teacher-student interactions, guide students to inquire, and, hence, enhance their own PCK for teaching through inquiry.