Disco Dancing and Kinetic Theory

Abstract

Many science educators see teachers' professional development as the most critical and complex variable in the science education reform movement (1, 2) (ref 3, as cited in ref 4). The National Research Council (NRC) standards (5) state,“since the current reform effort requires a substantial change in how science is taught, an equally substantive change is needed in professional development practices” (p 56 in ref 5). The goal of teacher education programs should not be to indoctrinate or train teachers to behave in prescribed ways, but to educate teachers to reason soundly and scientifically about their teaching as well as to perform skillfully (ref 6, as cited in ref 7).