Personalizing and Contextualizing Multimedia CaseMethods in University-based Teacher Education:An Important Modification for Promoting TechnologicalDesign in School Science

摘要

Results of various studies suggest that multimedia 'case methods' (activitiesassociated with case documentaries) have many benefits in university-based teachereducation contexts. They can, for example, help to 'bridge the gap' between perspectivesand practices held by academic teacher educators and those held by student-teachers – whomay adhere to perspectives and practices commonly supported in schools. On the otherhand, some studies, along with theoretical arguments, suggest that there are limits to theeffectiveness of multimedia case methods – because, for example, they can never fullyrepresent realities of teaching and learning in schools. Furthermore, often missing frommultimedia case methods is the student-teacher in the role of teacher. To address theseconcerns, we modified an existing multimedia case method by associating it with a specialpractice teaching situation in a school context. Qualitative data analyzed using constantcomparative methods suggest that student-teachers engaged in this modified multimediacase method developed relatively deep commitments to encouraging students to conducttechnology design projects – a non-traditional practice in school science. Factors thatappeared to influence development of this motivation included student-teachers' pre-instructional perspectives about science and the personalization and contextualizationinherent to the modified multimedia case method.