Modeling Various Teaching Methods In A Faculty Of Education In Science Education: Chalk And Talk, Virtual Labs Or Hovercrafts

Abstract

This research was conducted with 291 Junior/Intermediate (J/I) pre-service teachers in a ubiquitous laptop Bachelor of Education program at Nipissing University. The authors modeled a lesson using three different teaching styles using flight as the content medium, a specific expectation found in the Ontario Ministry of Education grade six Science curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1998). The three parts of the lesson were entitled:  1) “Chalk and Talk”, which followed a traditional teacher directed teaching style, 2) “A Virtual Lab” where pre-service teachers gather information about flight via an online website from their laptops, and 3) “A Hovercraft Lesson” which engaged the pre-service teachers in four learning stations about hovercrafts, one of which was to experience riding a home-made hovercraft from plywood and a leaf blower. The pre-service teachers participated in the lessons and then completed an online survey that enabled the rating each of the lessons for strengths and weaknesses, engagement, and their motivation toward the topic. Pre-service teachers rated and commented about the lessons in regard to teaching preference, preparation time, and perceived student engagement within a school setting.  The online survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative data. The survey informed the authors on the type of learning and teaching style the pre-service teachers preferred and why. It also provided information on the advantages and disadvantages of the three different teaching styles as perceived by the pre-service teachers. Analysis indicates that the pre-service teachers preferred the Hovercraft lesson regardless of the preparation time required or the safety hazards. Previous research indicates that pre-service teachers tend to teach in a style in the classroom as they were taught in a Faculty of Education; therefore, modeling and analyzing various teaching methods is an important component of teacher education.