This text is part of the special Back to School notebook
The teaching of science in secondary schools has not changed in 30 years, concluded a report from the Conseil supérieur de l’éducation in 2013. “Many observers believe that the situation has deteriorated since then,” adds Patrice Potvin, professor of science and technology education at the Faculty of Education at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Overview of an initiative that aims to breathe new life into a neglected discipline.
In order to dust off science teaching methods, Patrice Potvin thought big. Thanks to funding totaling $3 million and collaborations with 12 school service centres in the greater Montreal area, 15 researchers from five universities and several associations and research chairs, he set up the Partnership for the Development and Success of Scientific Training in Secondary Schools, spanning seven years. Nothing less.
Its goal: to introduce teachers to the basics of scientific research. “Current professional enrichment methods don’t work,” he notes. Through the initiative launched in 2023, participants have the opportunity to become “teacher-researchers” in order to refine their knowledge of “students’ misconceptions about natural phenomena.”
What do teens know about the heart? Do they know whether clouds are made of vapor or water droplets? Do they understand how recycling works? “Before I teach a new concept, I want to check what my students know. Is this new, or do they already know everything?”
A teacher at the Arthur-Pigeon school in Huntingdon, Sophie de Montigny immediately saw the potential of the project: “We teach, but do the students retain the information?” Always ready to experiment, she became a member of the first cohort of participants in 2023.
Teaching the teachers
First stage of the project: equipping teachers. Two “professional learning communities” totaling 44 people were formed, depending on the location of their school, south or north of the city. Freed for five days during the year, the participants were given “research hardware,” says Patrice Potvin. “We explained to them how to create questionnaires and the method to follow to conduct interviews. We offered them workshops on research data processing and ethics.”
At the same time, teachers had to choose a research topic. What preconceived ideas do students have about density, electrical circuits, or the greenhouse effect? How can they be dispelled? Three research methods were proposed to participants. First, the diagnostic method is used to identify and study erroneous beliefs using a questionnaire and interviews. Then, the research-development approach assesses students’ knowledge before and after teaching a new teaching method. Finally, the comparative approach tests several types of teaching with separate groups, which makes it possible to see which method leads to better dispelling incorrect conceptions.
Once the data was compiled, participants could count on the help of experts to analyze it. “It all ended with a symposium where prestigious guests came to give lectures on their work,” emphasizes Patrice Potvin. “It was important for us to take the participants to beautiful places throughout the year, to treat them, to show them that they are doing important work.” At this symposium, teachers also had to present the results of their research—as university researchers would do.
Building critical minds
A year after the project began, Mr. Potvin is pleased to see that the majority of teachers want to repeat the experience. “We hope to keep them for the entire duration of the project,” he says. New places will also be opened, with the creation of a group west of Montreal.
Long-term contribution is at the heart of the research program, emphasizes the instigator of the initiative. “If we never give teachers the time to develop these skills, they will not be able to acquire the reflex to apply them in their work,” he believes. Because, although the goal of the initiative is not to train “full-time researchers,” Mr. Potvin hopes to eventually instill in teachers a “scientific spirit” in their work habits. “I would like them to no longer be satisfied with teaching traditions, hearsay or fashions,” he summarizes.
Once the research techniques have been well assimilated, participants will be invited in a second phase of the project to tackle much more complex concepts: vaccine safety, biological racism or climate change, for example. “Teachers are often hesitant to go in these directions because they don’t always have the tools to tackle these more controversial subjects,” notes the researcher.
Philippe Dorais, a science and technology teacher at Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry school in Saint-Léonard, is ready to take on this challenge. Concerned about the environmental crisis, he is trying to integrate concepts such as cognitive biases into his classes to help his students better interpret the information they are exposed to on a daily basis. His participation in Patrice Potvin’s initiative will give him the skills needed to refine his teaching, he hopes. “At school today, we train future workers,” he laments. “I prefer to train citizens, fulfilled human beings.”
Still in its infancy, the project is already attracting the attention of teachers across the province. If all goes well, Patrice Potvin hopes to influence the Ministry of Education. Who knows, maybe in the near future, science teachers will also be, to some extent, researchers.
This content was produced by the Special Publications Team of Dutyrelevant to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part in it.