Browsing by Author "Herbert, Susan M."

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    The challenges of designing and implementing a cross-cultural unit of work
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2006) Herbert, Susan M.
    This paper reports on the challenges experienced during an action research project in Trinidad and Tobago, in which a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health" was designed and enacted. The intention was to improve teacher practice and facilitate students' access to conventional science concepts by having them build bridges between their traditional knowledge about health-related matters and conventional science concepts. The first action research cycle--plan, act and observe, reflect--was conducted with a group of Form 2 students (12-15 years) at an urban single-sex (female) secondary school. Reflections from this phase were recorded in a journal and the data from the classroom enactment were audio-taped and transcribed. These data were analysed quantitatively into themes by use of grounded theory methodology. Among the challenges that emerged were "resistance and doubt," "level of teacher control," and "communicative competence: the language of bridge building." Based on these findings, a second action research cycle was enacted with another group of Form 2 students at a rural co-educational secondary school. The results revealed evidence of the three themes as well as an overall improvement in the teacher-researcher's use of the language of bridge-building. This suggested that change occurs over time and is facilitated by the process of reflection on evidence gathered systematically.
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    Collaborating to reform science education in context: Issues, challenges, and benefits
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2009) Herbert, Susan M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn; George, June M.
    Within recent times, the call for collaboration among stakeholders in education has been made with increasing frequency. In current thinking, community building and collaboration are posited as critical elements in school reform. The literature reveals various models for initiating collaboration. There is the model that describes the initiative for collaboration as undertaken by "researchers"/university personnel. A second model describes the perspective in which schools as organizations invite researchers to collaborate on a project. The Reforming Science Education in Context (ReSEC) project is an example of the first model. This paper reports the issues that emerged in forging collaborative relationships among two lower secondary science teachers at a selected New Sector High School in Trinidad and three members of staff from the School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, during the period September 2005 to July 2006. It also presents the benefits and challenges associated with the process of collaboration, which aims to achieve a school-based agenda for education
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    Collaborating to reform science education in context: Issues, challenges, and benefits
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) Herbert, Susan M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn; George, June M.
    Within recent times, the call for collaboration among stakeholders in education is made with increasing frequency. In current thinking, community building and collaboration are posited as critical elements in school reform. The literature reveals various models for initiating collaboration. There is the model that describes the initiative for collaboration as undertaken by "researchers"/university personnel. A second model describes the perspective in which schools as organizations invite researchers to collaborate on a project. The Reforming Science Education in Context (ReSEC) project is an example of the first model. This paper reports the issues that emerged in forging collaborative relationships among two lower secondary science teachers at a selected New Sector High School in Trinidad and three members of staff from the School of Education, St. Augustine, during the period September 2005 to July 2006. It also presents the benefits and challenges associated with the process of collaboration, which aims to achieve a school-based agenda for education
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    Collateral learning in science: Students' responses to a cross-cultural unit of work
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2008) Herbert, Susan M.
    This study sought to investigate the nature of students' responses to a cross-cultural science unit entitled "Maintaining health." The unit was designed to help students to build bridges between their traditional practices and beliefs and western science concepts. This paper reports students' responses to a pre-test and post-test, and their reflections on their learning. The responses were analysed using the collateral learning model. there was evidence of parallel, dependent, and secured collateral learning. The implications for science teaching and for assessing science learning are discussed
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    Factors impacting on student learning: A preliminary look at the National Test of Trinidad and Tobago
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2009) Anderson, John O.; George, June M.; Herbert, Susan M.
    National assessments of student achievement in the basic skills or curricular domains of reading, writing, mathematics, and science are conducted in many countries with the aim of improving the quality of education. This paper presents an overview of the findings from a study conducted by a consortium of research staff from the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago, and university researchers from The University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago and the University of Victoria in Canada on data from such a national assessment programme in Trinidad and Tobago. Preliminary statistical analyses were conducted on data generated by the 2006 administration of the National Test, which included not only the administration of achievement tests in Language Arts and Mathematics, but also the administration of questionnaires to students, parents, teachers, and principals. The findings from this preliminary study suggest that student and parent traits and perceptions are substantially related to student achievement in the foundational skills of language arts and mathematics as measured by the National Test
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    Lessons from assessment: Experiences of a cross-cultural unit of work in science
    (Taylor and Francis Group, 2004) Herbert, Susan M.
    This study sought to investigate the responses of students in Trinidad and Tobago to a summative assessment of a cross-cultural unit of work. The unit was designed to help students learn Western science by building bridges between their traditional practices and beliefs in health-related matters and conventional science concepts. Students' responses to a summative test were analysed qualitatively by a process of coding and categorizing. The results indicated that: 1) students did not necessarily show that they had learned conventional science when personalized tasks were associated with contextualized stimuli, and 2) students' responses provided evidence of parallel collateral learning. These findings were deliberately explored during a second research cycle, and the initial findings were corroborated. In addition, examples of dependent and secured collateral learning emerged
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    Lower secondary science teaching and learning: A glimpse into the science classroom
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2003-12) Herbert, Susan M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn; Akinmade, Christopher; Maharaj-Sharma, Rawatee
    This is an exploratory study of a sample of 31 lower secondary science classrooms, representing the range of school types within the educational system in Trinidad and Tobago. It sought to answer the following questions: 1) What are teachers' intentions when they plan and implement science lessons? 2) Do teachers encounter any problems as they enact the curriculum? and 3) What strategies are being used to implement the lower secondary science curriculum? Specifically, the study sought to investigate the processes and activities that teachers engage in as they plan for and implement the lower secondary science curriculum, in order to document what was happening and to offer suggestions for improving practice in lower secondary science education
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    Lower secondary science teaching and learning: A glimpse into the science classroom: Summary report
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2004) Herbert, Susan M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn; Akinmade, Christopher; Maharaj-Sharma, Rawatee
    This is a summary of the results of an exploratory study of a sample of 31 lower secondary science classrooms, representing the range of school types within the educational system in Trinidad and Tobago. It sought to answer the following questions: 1) What are teachers' intentions when they plan and implement science lessons? 2) Do teachers encounter any problems as they enact the curriculum? and 3) What strategies are being used to implement the lower secondary science curriculum? Specifically, the study sought to investigate the processes and activities that teachers engage in as they plan for and implement the lower secondary science curriculum, in order to document what was happening and to offer suggestions for improving practice in lower secondary science education
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    Lower secondary science teaching and learning: An inventory of science apparatus and materials
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2003-12) Rampersad, Joycelyn; Herbert, Susan M.
    This is a survey of the apparatus and materials to support lower secondary science in 54 of the 115 schools that existed at the time the research was undertaken. The sample reflects approximately equal percentages of the various school types. The study sought to obtain an overall picture of the availability and adequacy of resources to support practical work, and to obtain some information about the challenges or problems faced by lower secondary science teachers in their attempts to use or access resources for practical work
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    Lower secondary science teaching and learning: An inventory of science apparatus and materials: Summary report
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2004) Rampersad, Joycelyn; Herbert, Susan M.
    This is a summary of the results of a survey of the apparatus and materials to support lower secondary science in 54 of the 115 schools that existed at the time the research was undertaken. The sample reflects approximately equal percentages of the various school types. The study sought to obtain an overall picture of the availability and adequacy of resources to support practical work, and to obtain some information about the challenges or problems faced by lower secondary science teachers in their attempts to use or access resources for practical work
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    The promotion of thinking in selected lower secondary science classrooms in Trinidad and Tobago: Implications for teachers' education
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2007) Herbert, Susan M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn
    This article reports on a study into the levels of thinking promoted in selected lower secondary science classrooms in Trinidad and Tobago. Twenty-seven teachers, 10 of whom were professionally certified, were observed twice. The levels of thinking were inferred from an analysis of teaching/learning strategies, teachers' and students' questions, the process skills used, and types of classroom interactions. The findings indicate that the teachers, both professionally certified and uncertified, were unable to promote higher-order thinking in their classrooms. There are implications for teacher education programmes
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    Reflections of science teachers in an in-service teacher education programme
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2005) Rampersad, Joycelyn; Herbert, Susan M.
    This instrumental case study was conducted to determine the nature and levels of science teachers' reflections during a year-long inservice postgraduate Diploma in Education programme. Four science teachers comprised the case. The data were analysed inductively through a process of open coding and categorizing to determine patterns and themes. Van Manen's (1977) framework was used to determine the levels of reflections. The following themes emerged: "Confronting fears/limitations/ insecurities;" "Students take centre stage;" Trying something new;" and "Breaking down barriers." The four teachers reflected at all levels--technical, practical, and emancipatory. However, only two teachers reflected at the emancipatory level. These findings have implications for the manner in which we, as science teacher educators, facilitate the development of the reflective habit
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    Secondary science teachers' metaphors: A case study, Part 1
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2009) Herbert, Susan M.
    This case study sought to gain insights into a group of secondary science teachers' conceptions of teaching through an analysis of their metaphors. In addition, lesson plans, classroom observations, and artifacts produced during the year-long Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed.) programme were analysed. The data were analysed by reading the metaphor in context and against its obvious meaning to allow multiple meanings to emerge, and by coding to determine patterns, themes, and significant events. The findings revealed the multiple interpretations of teachers' metaphors and also that teachers' metaphors were similar to and different from those reported in the literature. In addition, teachers' actions did not always match the behaviours implied by the initial interpretation of the metaphor. The mismatch was either positive or negative in relation to contemporary learning theories. The implications for teacher educators' actions are discussed
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    Secondary science teachers' metaphors: A case study, Part 2
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2009) Herbert, Susan M.
    Part 2 of this paper reports on a group of five science teachers' metaphors, their responses to the concepts presented on the Diploma in Education (Dip.Ed.) programme, and the changes in their selected metaphors at the end of the programme. The analysis reveals that all the teachers' metaphors accommodated the contemporary ideas, such as student-centredness, lesson planning, and the reflective habit, to which they were exposed. There were no changes in the teachers' selection of metaphor at the end of the programme
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    Sense of place and the teaching/learning of lower secondary science
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 2008) George, June M.; Rampersad, Joycelyn; Herbert, Susan M.
    This paper explores sense of place as it relates to the learning of science by Form 1 students in a rural, new-sector school in Trinidad. Lim and Calabrese Barton (2006) cite Cobb's (1977) definition of sense of place as an ecological relationship between a person and a place, where place includes physical, biological, social, cultural, and political factors. An ethnographic approach was used to observe several science teaching/learning episodes in this school over a period of one year. The predominantly qualitative data generated were analysed to determine how students and teachers leveraged their sense of place during these episodes and to investigate the consequences of this for the learning of school science
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    Urban students' ideas about the "heated" body: Implications for science education
    (School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine, 1999) Herbert, Susan M.
    This paper presents the results of an investigation into lower secondary urban students' traditional beliefs about, and practices in, health related matters. The students were between the ages of 11-15 years and attended a seven-year, single-sex school located in Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. The data were obtained through a written questionnaire, which was distributed to a class of 36 students, and semi-structured, focused interviews. The latter were conducted with a sample of 10 students, who gave at least 70 percent of the responses on the questionnaire in accordance with traditional practices and beliefs, and their parents. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyse the data, and the dominant traditional category that emerged was the concept of the "heated" body. The students and their parents gave consequences of inappropriate management of the heated body, and strategies that are recommended for the management of the heated body. The implications of this prior knowledge for the development of lower secondary science curricula in Trinidad and Tobago are discussed