Teaching Nature of Science: A Pedagogy of Practice Framework for Teachers’ Professional Development

Abstract

Incorporating Nature of Science (NOS) into science instruction remains challenging for teachers, primarily due to time constraints, limited resources, misunderstandings about NOS, and limited knowledge of successful NOS teaching methods. As a result, there has been growing acknowledgment of the importance of specialized professional development programs in teacher education to prepare teachers to teach NOS in science classes. This study explored the impact of a professional development course based on the Pedagogy of Practice framework on teachers’ views of NOS instruction and their implementation of NOS teaching methods and strategies. A qualitative analysis of teachers’ lesson plans, reflections, and semi-structured interviews revealed that teachers adopted new teaching strategies or modified existing ones in ways that enhanced NOS instruction. Teachers showed a preference for storytelling-based methods. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of the Pedagogy of Practice framework as a valuable bridge between theory and practice in NOS teacher education, supporting teachers’ professional growth and the practical integration of NOS into science teaching.