Enhancing Science Education

Filling a gap where there has been a lack of theorised, accessible and discipline-sensitive publications to assist STEM educators, this book provides an introduction to Legitimation Code Theory and demonstrates how it can be used to improve teaching and learning in tertiary courses across the sciences.

This book helps meet an urgent need for theorized, accessible and discipline-sensitive publications to assist science, technology, engineering and mathematics educators. The book introduces Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) and demonstrates how it can be used to improve teaching and learning in tertiary courses across the sciences. LCT provides a suite of tools which science educators can employ in order to help their students grasp difficult and dense concepts. The chapters cover a broad range of subjects, including biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics, as well as different curriculum, pedagogy and assessment practices. This is a crucial resource for any science educator who wants to better understand and improve their teaching.

Autorentext

Margaret A.L. Blackie is Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Hanelie Adendorff is Senior Advisor, Faculty of Science, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Marnel Mouton is Senior Lecturer, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Inhalt

1. Enacting Legitimation Code Theory in science education, Part I - Academic Support in Science, 2. Becoming active and independent science learners: Using autonomy pathways to provide structured support, Part II - Physical Sciences, 3. Improving assessments in introductory Physics courses: Diving into Semantics, 4. Building complexity in Chemistry through images, 5. Using variation in classroom discourse: Making Chemistry more accessible, 6. Radiation physics in theory and practice: Using Specialization to understand 'threshold concepts', Part III - Biological Sciences, 7. Interdisciplinarity requires careful stewardship of powerful knowledge, 8. Advancing students' scientific discourse through collaborative pedagogy, 9. Using Autonomy to understand active teaching methods in undergraduate science classes, Part IV - Mathematical Sciences, 10. A conceptual tool for understanding the complexities of mathematical proficiency, 11. Supporting the transition from first to second-year Mathematics using Legitimation Code Theory, Part V - Science Education Research, 12. Navigating from science into education research