Evidence-based teacher education: becoming a lifelong research-oriented chemistry teacher?

Abstract

A novel professional development curriculum model has been implemented for a chemistry teacher education programme. The aim of this five-year programme is to educate future chemistry teachers as lifelong learners and researchers, capable of following developments in both chemistry and its teaching, implementing up-to-date research findings in their work as teachers and engaging in research on chemistry teaching. All eight courses for chemical education on the programme are developed with regard to research findings on course instruction. As an example of the design of an evidence-based course, a case study is presented on the M.Sc. course ‘Central Areas of Chemical Education I’ which conveys students’ views of the characteristics of a teacher as researcher. Based on nine years of experience and some studies of students’ views, it can be concluded that this type of evidence-based teacher education emphasising inquiry-based learning can help future teachers to become lifelong research-oriented teachers.