On Middle School Science Teacher Professional Development

Science, which is a newly set-up subject in the basic national curriculum reform, is made up of the original subjects of physics, chemistry, biology and natural geography. It belongs to comprehensive science. The new subject is a great challenge to the science teachers who are qualified only for unitary subject. Therefore, in order to make the teachers qualified for the new subject, it is necessary to research into the problems about how to foster comprehensive science teachers and how to help them make progress professionally.Chapter I : The Newly Set-up Subject-ComprehensiveScience (grade 7-9)A brief introduction of the comprehensive science in middle school, including the grounds, the features, value, basic theory, the structure feature and the goal of the new subject.Chapter II: Teachers of Comprehensive ScienceFirst, requirements for the qualified science teachers. Second, to find out the quality and level of the present middle school science teachers after a series of investigations into the existing state of the teachers. Finally, the challenge that the new subject has brought to the science teachers. Primary conclusion: considering the professional ideal, knowledge level, education idea, teaching control ability of the middle school science teachers, we do not have good reason to believe that the existing science teachers are qualified.Chapter III: Comparison of the Teacher-Cultivating Courses on International BasisComparing China' s teacher-cultivating courses with those of the developed countries in order to find out the reason whyChina' s science teachers are not qualified for the new comprehensive science subject.Chapter IV: Specialization of the TeachersMaking a study of the teachers' specialization in worldwide view. The worldwide tendency of teacher cultivation is specialization. Thus, the specialization of the middle school science teachers should keep up with the world tendency.Chapter V: Program to Improve the Middle School Science Teachers ProfessionallyThe long-range program to promote the professional development of China' s middle school science teachers and the crash program to promote the specialization of China' s existing middle school teachers.