Construction Of An Evaluation System For Biology Teaching Practice Of Normal Schools

Teaching practice, an essential part of practicum in biology teacher education, is the beginning of professional development for students in normal schools and plays an important role in their professional growth. Nowadays it is an important opportunity to reform normal schools. During the time, biology teacher education has a chance to develop and teaching practice is also concerned much. There hasn't been an effective evaluation system for teaching practicum for a long time and it is difficult to adapt to the requirements of the new period. The study attempted to establish a wide range of multiple evaluation system for biology teaching practice in normal schools, which on the one hand would improve student teachers' teaching, class management and scientific research skills and on the other hand would promote the reformation of teaching practice.By referring to the relevant literatures, we firstly described the existing state of teaching practice education home and abroad and documented related theory, especially the theory of multiple evaluation. Meanwhile, the status quo of biology teaching practice and evaluation of trainees was summarized through a nationwide survey, showing that the evaluation system needed reform urgently. Then, we interviewed the teachers in charge of teaching practice in normal schools to review the problems arise in the current evaluation process, and understand the trend of reform and their expectations of evaluation. The study investigated the supervising teachers and normal students' opinions, attitude and suggestions on evaluation of trainee teachers by means of questionnaire and data analysis. After rational analyzing the objectives, content, elements and characteristics of biology teaching practicum, we determined that the principles of evaluation system should be comprehensive, scientific and easy to operate, and the aim should be promoting the professional development of normal students, and the evaluation process should integrate qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis and use self-evaluation, peer evaluation and students' evaluation appropriately. Based on reconstruction and reflection, we set up a multiple evaluation system named "Evaluation Handbook for Biology Teaching Practice", including "teaching skills scale", "class management skills scale", "participation scale of teaching practice(research skills scale included)", "self-evaluation scale", "peer evaluation scale", "students' evaluation of teachers scale", "solo practice feedback scale", which covered comprehensively the trainees' lives in practice school. We used it in East China Normal University when undergraduates of School of Life Science went to practice, and investigated the users after the trial by questionnaire. The data analysis indicated that the evaluation system was recognizable and acceptable by the supervising teachers and trainee teachers. According to the users' opinions and some experts' recommendations, the evaluation handbook was simplified and revised to become a practical manual "Biology Teaching Practice Handbook" including a series of evaluation scales.According to the problems existing in teaching practice of normal schools, the research tried to make a useful exploration and reformed in evaluation field. We went deep into specific area of biology teacher education, and constructed a multiple evaluation system of teaching practice for normal students major in biology. The practicable system was operative and definite, but still needed improving in feedback of evaluation.