Developing pedagogical content knowledge for the teaching of meiosis: a self-study
Date
2015-03
Authors
Kaseke, David
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Abstract
In my Honours degree, I researched on learners’ understanding of meiosis after I had taught
them the topic. The study was done on three schools. The results of the study revealed that
the majority of learners from my school were unable to identify and explain some concepts in
meiosis. The failure of the learners to understand the topic prompted me to reflect on my
content knowledge of meiosis and its teaching. To investigate my own content knowledge in
this self-study, I used concept maps and CoRes. Concept maps were seeking to develop my
content knowledge and CoRes were seeking to develop both content knowledge and
pedagogy of teaching meiosis. The aim of the self-study was therefore to improve my content
knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of meiosis through the use of concept
maps and CoRes as planning tools. The development of content knowledge and pedagogy
was done with the help of collaborative friends.
Of the two planning tools I used (concept maps and CoRes), three concept maps and three
CoRes were constructed. Each of the concept maps was analysed using number of concepts
identified and the number of propositions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were
used to analyse the concept maps. The number of both concepts and propositions gave an
indication of the development of content knowledge from one concept map to the other.
CoRes were analysed qualitatively using a framework. The framework used focused on
curricular saliency, student prior knowledge, what makes the topic difficult or easy, teaching
strategies and representations. From these aspects of the framework, the teachers’ content
knowledge and pedagogy was identified to see whether there was development from one
CoRe to the other.
The study revealed that both concept maps and CoRes when used as planning tools can
develop the teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogy on meiosis. Concept maps helps to
indentify content gaps and misconceptions. CoRes helped me in the identification of the big
ideas for the teaching of meiosis, the content which learners need to know and the
identification of teaching strategies which can help the topic to be understood better.
Recommendations from the study were that teachers should read about what they teach to
improve content knowledge. Teachers should team up to produce teaching tools like CoRes.
Description
Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Science Education). 2015.