Current expectations for school science in some Canadian jurisdictions include preparing students to critically understand and potentially address socio-scientific issues. Research detailing teachers’ motivation to enact these goals is increasing. However, research exploring the professional development conditions conducive to its actualization remains sparse. Designing professional development programs can be guided by understanding the processes by which teachers learn and develop. This seminar will present some of those processes. Based on a 30-week professional development approach called a ‘Learning study,’ four secondary science teachers’ learning experiences toward socially responsible science education (SRSE) will be explored. The teachers’ different approaches to SRSE and the growth networks that sustained each approach will be highlighted. These elucidate important structural patterns for the teachers in this study to learn about and enact SRSE in their classrooms. Implications and future research for SRSE and the use of Clarke and Hollingworth’s (2002) Interconnected Model will be presented as a base for continued conversations.

Speaker Bio
Travis T. Fuchs is a PhD candidate at the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy, University of British Columbia and a Visiting Doctoral Scholar at the University of Oxford. Travis does research in science, climate change, and teacher education. His current projects include teachers’ engagement in and with research as forms of professional development, teacher climate change education, and instructional approaches which promote socio-ecojustice in science learning contexts.