• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.1028-1038
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• 2004

This study investigated how the 7th national elementary school science curriculum was implemented at science classrooms. Data from surveys with 140 elementary schools, 18 science classroom observations, and in-depth interviews with teachers were used to examine the characteristics of elementary school science instruction. Based on the data, I explored (1)how science curriculum is operated in terms of objectives, contents, methods and evaluation of school science, and (2)how student-centeredness and localization themes are reflected on the reconstructed school science curriculum. It was found that the degree of the reorganization of the national curriculum at the teacher level was minimal. And most of the elementary teachers followed the directions and contents of the science textbook and teacher's guidebook regardless of their own local situations. For most teachers, restructuring science curriculum meant reordering the sequences of the contents, and adding or deleting some units or topics. I also examined why elementary teachers have difficulty in reconstructing science curriculum at the classroom level. The necessity of curriculum reconstruction at the teacher level is also discussed.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.66-78
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• 2008

Since Environmental Education in Elementary School is taught separately in various subject area, a well-founded and organized curriculum in integrated Environmental Education is needed to educate teachers for professional development. In this research, a curriculum for elementary teacher in-service training program was developed in order to improve both environmental and educational competencies of elementary school teachers. The curriculum was based on the needs analysis on Environmental Education training for elementary school teachers. Also it was based on international and updated perspectives on Environmental Education, Education for Sustainable Development. The curriculum consists of the introduction and the particular perspectives. The particular is made of 60 hours, which covers 6 perspectives on environment. They are ecological perspective, environmental ethics perspective, social-cultural perspective, economic perspective, environmental hygienic perspective, and environmental policy. Environmental policies of Korea and the world were included so that teachers will understand efforts made at national level and participate more to environmental action in their schools. Lesson objectives were specified for teachers to apply this curriculum to their classroom easily. Related elementary curriculum and textbook were indicated at the end of each lesson so teachers can link their training setting with their classroom setting. Especially, in this curriculum various teaching and teaming methods for each lesson are introduced. Thus, this re- search is very practical for elementary school teachers who are planning to teach environment in their classroom.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.213-228
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the new introduction of elementary science experiment specialist is appropriate under the current situation of serious emphasis of the importance in science experiments in elementary science in Korea. For this study, the survey items were developed twice through the preliminary study. The results show that most elementary teachers consider the importance of experiment in elementary science and the critical role of science experiments to increase students' curiosity and scientific understanding. About 80% of the teachers stressed the professionalism in elementary science. Although 65% of the teachers believed their having basic professionalism, 53% of them appealed the difficulty in teaching science experiments to students. Nevertheless, 67.5% of the teachers opposed to the idea of teaching elementary science in separation between experiment and theory in science, and only 8% of them agreed the idea of induction or adoption of the college graduates majoring in science and engineering, or holding the secondary teacher's certificate. Further, over 60% of the teachers responded no necessity of inducing the new policy of elementary science specialist. Many numbers of teachers revealed their serious worries about the new policy because of their past experience to suffer from the side effects of inducing the teachers with secondary teacher certificate to the elementary school. In particular, they also made a proposal to make a good use of the current system of exclusive elementary science teacher in Korea. The educational implication and suggestions for policy making were discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association of Information Education
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2004

Due to the development of information communication technology, educational environment has undergone much change and various types of teaching and learning methods based on information communication technology has been suggested. Recently, remote education using the internet are also spreading. However, in current classrooms, students are asked to do an teacher-centered assignment, which they are required to collect and report some information using the internet. This method does not help students use the advantages of learning using the internet, which stimulate students-students interaction and teacher-students interaction.Thus, this study focused on the problem-based learning system based on video communication technology. The researcher designed the problem-based learning system based on video communication technology and applied the system to classes at elementary school. The results were analyzed in terms of students-students interaction and teacher-students interaction in the internet. This research found that the problem-based learning system stimulates teacher and students communication and has positive effects on students' attitude and interest in learning. This research proposes that the traditional teacher-centered teaching method can be supplemented with cyber space learning, which has the merit of problem-based learning model.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.296-308
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics and differences of gesture between career teachers and novice teachers in elementary science class. In order to analyze the gesture of elementary science teachers, gesture analysis framework was developed. The teachers who participated in the experiment were 2 beginner teachers and 2 career teachers. We analyzed 'bones and muscles', 'digestion', 'breathing', and 'excretion' of 'body' section in the second semester of 5th grade. The video recording of the class scene with the camcorder was recorded and analyzed by Observer XT. The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, the career teacher lessens unnecessary gestures than the novice teacher. During the class, the career teachers lessened the gestures not related to the context of the class. These differences were more prominent in the activities of the group with many unexpected situations than those of the teachers who prepared the class contents. Second, career teachers have more communication control act than novice teachers. Career teachers have often made adjustments to induce learner presentations or control unnecessary utterances. Third, career teachers efficiently interacted with learners using gestures that can enhance communication.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.61-80
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to develop case-based pedagogy in mathematics for elementary school teachers and to investigate how they participate in the course employing case-based pedagogy. The 13 cases were developed and employed in pre-service teacher education. As such, the cases covered all content areas across grades, and included detailed description of mathematics instruction, questions for discussion, theoretical review related to each case, focus analysis and additional analysis, etc. This paper describes in what ways the participant teachers discussed cases, how case-based pedagogy had an influence on the teachers' own instruction during the practicum period, and how they assessed case-based pedagogy. This paper provides issues and suggestions for the professional development of mathematics teachers on the basis of empirical background.

• Korean Journal of School Psychology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.197-220
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• 2021

This study examined the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and active coping on the relationship between elementary school teachers' adult attachment and their perceptions of teacher-student relationships. Questionnaires were given to 203 elementary school teachers in Gyeonggi-do that contained adult attachment, cognitive flexibility, coping, and teacher-student relationship scales. Collected data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and SPSS macros. There were three major results. First, cognitive flexibility fully mediated the relationship between adult attachment and perceptions of teacher-student relationships. Teachers who had secure adult attachment tended to positively perceive teacher-student relationships as a result of their cognitive flexibility. Second, active coping did not mediate the relationship between adult attachment and perceptions of teacher-student relationships when the mediating effects of both cognitive flexibility and active coping were considered. This result means that adult attachment indirectly affected active coping via cognitive flexibility. Third, cognitive flexibility and active coping fully mediated the relationship between adult attachment and perceptions of teacher-student relationships. Teachers who had secure adult attachment tended to perceive teacher-student relationships positively as a result of their cognitive flexibility and active coping. This paper presents the implications of these results, limitations of this study, and suggestions for future research.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.307-320
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• 2019

This study explores how an elementary school homeroom teacher who continued to lecture, can use diversified science teaching methods for learner-centered instruction. Using an auto-ethnographic approach over the course of a year, self-memory data, facebook diaries, class diaries, and interview data of an elementary teacher's day-to-day preparations and practice of elementary science, in the context of a Korean elementary school, were collected. The data was analyzed through cultural historical activity theory, examining how the interplay of key elements (i.e., the subject as a homeroom teacher with instructional expertise, norms, community, division of labor, tools, and goals) was characterized within and across distinct two-activity systems, and how these elements shaped the teacher's teaching methods into either lecture format or diversified teaching. The study revealed that a non-cooperative community, lack of division of labor, and norms that neglect preparation for science class were the elements that perpetuated the lecture format, and that a contradiction between goals and tools occurred in the activity system. However, these elements were able to be transformed into a cooperative community, shared labor, and norms that saved preparation time for both science class and diversified teaching methods, and those changed elements facilitated the teacher in using diversified teaching methods (e.g., experiments, subject-integrated classes, field work), thereby mitigating the contradiction. This study also discusses that diversified teaching methods can be facilitated when dealing with norms, community, and division of labor elements in an elementary school context as well as improving individual teachers' instructional expertise.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.241-251
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• 2024

Mathematics educators have examined mathematical modeling, where students tackle authentic real-life problems and develop problem-solving strategies with a sense of agency. However, few empirical studies have been conducted to illuminate the developmental process of teachers' competencies in mathematical modeling, particularly for elementary school teachers. Scholars have noted that elementary mathematics teachers can effectively teach mathematical modeling by designing tasks that consider students' abilities and preferences. In this vein, this review paper introduces a study conducted by Jung (2023), which examines the developmental process of an elementary school mathematics teacher's competencies in mathematical modeling and how she overcame related challenges.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.171-180
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• 2007

This study analyzed the effect of Human-oriented Alternative Science Activities(HASA) on a coaching teacher and the students who participated in this activity. Human-oriented alternative science activities were used in the experimental group and traditional teaching methods were used in the control group. In pretest and posttest sessions, both groups were evaluated using an academic achievement test, and an affective characteristics related science test. After the activity, questionaries regarding attitudes to science lessons were administered as well. The process of change (if any) which occurred in the science lessons of the experimental group teacher was also analyzed through the teacher's diaries. The results showed that application of HASA had a positive effect upon affective characteristics and attitudes to science classes held by the experimental group and teacher. However, the result of this study also showed that the variation between academic achievement of each group was statistically insignificant.