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Intentionality in a teacher’s actions during Elementary School Science classes

Abstract:

This article investigates the intentionality of a teacher’s actions in elementary school science classes. Assuming that intentionality has two components, an action plan, and an objective, we have analyzed three episodes in a science class on the subject of rocks taught by one teacher to sixth-year students in elementary school. The data demonstrate that the teacher’s overall objective in the three episodes corresponded to a diversified methodological approach that aimed to (i) find out how students think, (ii) present the content, and (iii) conduct a demonstrative experiment that would help to understand the subject. The overall action plan for those episodes, which we consider compatible with the teacher’s overall objective, involved: asking general and specific questions; seeking to understand students' ideas; managing student actions; explaining the subject and the experiment; writing the subject on a blackboard; and performing a demonstrative experiment.

Keywords:
Science teaching; Elementary school; Teaching in action (class); Intentionality

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