UNI-Klasse Science (BMBF)

involved persons:

LMU: Prof. Dr. Birgit J. Neuhaus, Dr. Christian Förtsch, Franziska Behling

(Lehrerbildung@LMU, Lion-Feuchtwanger-Gymnasium München)

The UNI-Klasse is implemented in a seminar for pre-service teachers at the Institute for Biology Education. Within this seminar, lessons can be tired out and evaluated. The focus is on biology-specific features of instructional quality. Category systems for such instructional quality features have already been developed and used in earlier projects oft he Institute for Biology Education and will be used in the framework of the project UNI-Klasse for reflecting teaching. Such instructional quality feature are for example:

• Use of biology-specific working methods (experimenting, observing, comparing)
• Use of models
• Cognitive activation in biology lessons
• Teaching fostering conceptual knowledge (using core ideas)
• Use of technical terms in biology lessons
• Use of high complexity and high cognitive process instructional tasks
• Further gerneral features of instructional quality, e.g. classroom management, supportive climate

For videotaping the biology lessons, the classroom is equipped with video cameras. Additionally, the lessons can be live broadcasted into an observation room.
The main aims oft he project UNI-Klasse are:

• Fostering pre-service teachers‘ ability to reflect on their own and others lessons
• Fostering pre-service teachers‘ pedagogical content knowledge
• Supporting greater relevance to practical application within pre-service teacher education at the university