Improving of Creative Teaching Skills for Science Teachers: A Program of Active Learning-Based Training

Abstract

This study aimed investigation the impact of implementing active learning-based training in developing creative teaching skills for biology teachers in the elementary stage. The study used the experimental method with one experimental group. The training program was applied to a group of biology teachers for the fifth and sixth grades in government schools affiliated with the Education Directorate in Zarqa, Jordan. The study sample consisted of (37) male and female teachers who were randomly selected from among the biology teachers for the fifth and sixth grades. The study aimed to build a proposed training program based on active learning strategies to develop creative teaching skills among biology teachers in the primary education stage. The researchers prepared a teaching performance observation card to measure the extent to which teachers acquired creative teaching skills. The findings showed that the biology teacher's practices of the skill of behaviors that facilitate creativity come in the first place according to the relative weights, while the skill of teaching for comprehension occupies the last place in these practices. The results also revealed that the program meets an urgent need for teachers because it links the program to the biology content, which many teachers find weak in students’ academic achievement in biology. The program facilitated the exchange of practical experiences among instructors and supplied them with reference materials and diverse research sources for reading and professional development.