Considering curriculum for elementary science methods courses

The preceding quotation (attributed to both Mark Twain and Will Rogers) exemplifies one of the fundamental challenges of elementary science teacher preparation. Literature from the nature of science, as well as research on human learning, indicates that new experiences are not viewed in an objective, detached manner, but are understood through the use of an existing mental framework (Freyberg & Osbourne, 1985; Kuhn, 1962). Preservice elementary teachers enter teacher education programs with well-formed views of teaching, learning and the purposes of schooling; unfortunately, these views too often are inconsistent with research on effective teaching and student learning (Kennison, 1990; Windshitl, 2003). Unless preservice teachers become dissatisfied with their naïve views, they will likely do what science students do: take those elements from instructional experiences that fit with their existing frameworks and reject those that do not fit, resulting in a piecemeal learning experience that maintains their prior ideas.