Curriculum materials writing: an opportunity for innovative professional development

This paper describes the professional development provided by the Elementary Science and Technology (EST) Partnership in response to the emerging requirements of teachers engaged in writing curriculum materials. The paper begins with an overview of the literature describing crucial elements in effective professional development for teachers. It continues with a brief description of the EST partnership and its links to the Nuffield Design & Technology Project. The paper outlines the various professional development experiences provided by the EST partnership in response to the emerging requirements of teachers engaged in writing curriculum materials. Finally, the paper will describe a study in which six EST teachers adopted the role of students in a day-long sequence of activities in which a class of Grade 6 students were taught by two faculty members to design and make a product. The study addressed two research questions: (a) To what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire subject knowledge in elementary technology? (b) To what extent does in-service given in a classroom context help teachers acquire a pedagogy for elementary technology?