Supporting beginning teachers in embedding scientific literacy

This chapter considers how mentors can introduce some pedagogical practices associated with developing scientific literacy to a beginning teacher. It considers how mentors can support them to embed scientific literacy in planning and teaching lessons by focusing on four dimensions – civic, personal, cultural and critical – of scientific literacy identified by N. W. Brickhouse. The chapter identifies some mentoring ideas, encompassing Brickhouse’s dimensions along with E. E Toth and M. S Graham’s scientific literacy elements. Once a beginning teacher is able to articulate the use of some pedagogical practices related to scientific literacy, the next step is to ask them to identify some scientific literacy-based teaching approaches from their own classroom practices and/or observed practices of other teachers. This could be achieved by asking beginning teacher to read, and then discussing with them, the article by Brickhouse. Learning outcomes need to exhibit a clear relationship with pupils learning. Mentors need to support beginning teacher in constructing specific, measurable and pupil-friendly learning outcomes.