IMPROVING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF PRACTITIONERS BY CONSTRUCTING AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN SCIENCE TEACHING
ABSTRACT
This study has been made to construct a different effective approach in science teaching by implementing cooperative learning and discussion to increase achievement in science teaching/learning and improve professionals’ skills of practitioners in pre-service teacher education. This approach indicates that as teachers know their students well especially regarding cognitive skills, affective domain, and level of achievement, they can separate their students into three groups, the first of which is presenter responsible for discussing theoretical section, the second of which is project responsible for developing science activities related each unit, and the third of which is implementer responsible for practicing developed activities in front of all class and the evaluation of those activities by all practitioners regarding level of applicability, convenienceness, and efficiency. A valuable aspect of this approach was that it reflected an effective way to increase level of achievement in science teaching/learning by means of giving inspiration through developed activities and implementation and evaluation of them in interactional classroom atmosphere offering practititoners the chance to elicit ideas about effective science teaching/learning in their own practice in science teaching lesson before actual practice in school. This approach ensures the practitioners many kinds of opportunities thorough emerged specific references, regarding learner participation, learner relationships, teaching methods and the use of teaching aids by improving social skills participating cooperative learning groups and discussing and evaluating developed activities. The article concludes by discussing the contribution to presented approach with regard to increasing achievement in science teaching and improving professional skills of practitioners and by giving some suggestions for further research.