Teachers’ Perceptions of the Values that Underpin Science as a Way of Thinking and Acting

This chapter explore values held by teachers that underpin their ideas of science as a way of thinking and acting. The different ways that teachers think about, value and recognise the nature of science greatly influences how they represent science knowledge in the curriculum and the pedagogical emphases they place in their science teaching. Ultimately such decisions directly influence the type of science learning their students experience. Professional learning opportunities that frame science as a way of thinking and acting can create conditions to consider differences in teacher thinking about science, and how these differences influence the ways science is presented in the classroom.