ABSTRACT
The previous chapter spelt out in some detail how teaching can go wrong. The nature of the teaching process was analysed in terms of how effective teaching requires teachers to anticipate how instruction will interact with, and be interpreted through, students’ existing knowledge and understanding. The different perspectives on aspects of student thinking considered earlier in the book suggest a diversity of ways in which this process can break down because of how students make sense of instruction in terms of their actual knowledge and understanding. The present chapter considers how science teachers can respond to these challenges to teach more effectively in the light of what we can learn about learners’ thinking about scientific topics. In particular, the chapter discusses the ‘science-teacher-as-learning-doctor’ perspective.
