Influence of professional learning community (PLC) on learning a constructivist teaching approach (POE): A case of secondary science teachers in Bangladesh

Quality education, especially in science education at the secondary school level, remains a major concern (Ministry of Education, 2005) in Bangladesh. Throughout at least the last two decades, measures have been taken to change science teaching practice mainly through government and donor funded projects. However, no major change has occurred up until now with regard to the teaching-learning methods of science used in Bangladesh (Tapan, 2010). Teachers, in most cases, tend to teach the same things in the same ways they were taught when they were students. In most cases, teachers’ presentation style in science classrooms is unappealing to students (Choudhury, 2008). Moreover, according to Maleque, Begum and Hossain’s (2004) study, most of them (85%) are not confident about using appropriate teaching strategies in their science teaching and are very reluctant to use new methods of teaching due to a lack of motivation, interest and proper training and follow up (Tapan, 2010). Even now science is taught everywhere in Bangladesh using traditional teacher-centred methods with less importance paid to student participation and interest. Largely, teachers encourage students to rote learn and encourages students to memorise textbook material rather than understand science concepts or develop any kind of personal knowledge construction (Asian Development Bank [ADB], 1998; Tapan, 2010).

The above situation makes the classroom learning environment very likely to be dominated by a teacher centred approach thus minimising the likelihood that students’ interest in learning science will be aroused (Hossain, 1994). In most cases, teachers are not cognisant of the need to take into account students’ prior knowledge in terms of influencing their practice. It is also very rare to find teachers sharing ideas with each other to improve their practice. This situation triggered me to decide to ask science teachers to use a constructivist teaching approach, prediction-observation-explanation (POE), in their practice. My understanding about the use of POE was that it guides teachers in their thinking about subject knowledge and pedagogy and creates new ways of sharing and discussing with their colleagues. Moreover, from the ideas from Gunstone (1995) regarding the importance of genuine collaboration (teacher with teacher, teacher with researchers) in the development and use of constructivist teaching approaches, I found myself becoming more focused and guided in ways that supported my thinking and my plans for action. Therefore, in order to support their learning about this strategy I also designed teacher collaborations within and across nearby schools (described in detail in method section).