Table 2.

Guiding principles, science approaches and broad education approaches in PPSTE*

Groupings	Guiding principle or approach	Description
Guiding principles (more general orientations in PPSTE that are typically expressed through the selection of more specific approaches)	Constructivism (e.g. 5Es)	Learning that occurs when an individual constructs their knowledge through active participation (e.g. discussion). This also includes the 5Es’ framework underpinning the Primary Connections resources that are frequently used in Australian primary schools (e.g. Hume, 2012)
	Scientific literacy	Scientific literacy is multifaceted. While ‘nature of science’ instruction focuses on understanding science epistemology, scientific literacy is an individual’s capacity to relate scientific knowledge to the world beyond academic settings (e.g. Bybee, 1997; Collins, 1997; Mesci & Renee’S, 2017). It also encompasses the societal focus of science literacy (Roberts & Bybee, 2014)
	Reflective practices	Reflective practices occur through discussion or written reflections about PPTs’ past and current and future practices. Such reflection is commonly linked to other approaches (e.g. Dalvi & Wendell, 2017) in order to consolidate pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) (Loughran et al., 2001)
Science approaches (specific approaches commonly associated with science education practice)	Alternative conceptions	Learners’ alternative conceptions can inform the design and delivery of science learning experiences (e.g. McKinnon et al., 2017). Alternative conceptions can be sourced directly from learners or through scholarly material
	Problem-based learning	Problem-based learning uses real-world problems as a starting point for the acquisition and integration of new knowledge into existing schemas (e.g. Etherington, 2011). This approach helps students to develop transferrable skills which can be used in novel situations
	Inquiry learning	Inquiry learning is characterised by a focus on a specific outcome. It allows participants to apply skills and knowledge to seek the information needed to achieve the outcome. Learners can be afforded partial (guided) or complete (open) control of the inquiry process (e.g. Fitzgerald et al., 2019)
	Student-centred investigations	Student-centred investigations are characterised by affording agency to learners through hands on learning or simulations. In ITE, the academic staff would act as supporting facilitators (e.g. McKinnon et al., 2017; Palmer, 2006). Student-centred investigations can be more contained experiences where knowledge and skills can be developed for more extended inquiry sequences
	‘Nature of science’	The understanding that scientific knowledge is fluid and always subject to reasonable debate. Instruction in this area may orient the learner to the variety of scientific approaches beyond an experimental research design. Essentially, ‘nature of science’ instruction orients learners to science epistemology (e.g. Demirdöğen et al., 2016)
Broad education approaches (specific approaches commonly associated with ITE broadly)	Cross-curricular integration	An approach to teaching where two discreet disciplines are integrated to create deep learning outcomes. For example, allowing students to collect and graph data is an example of a deep integrative link between mathematics and science (e.g. Kim & Bolger, 2017)
	Teaching tasks	This term broadly encompasses ITE learning that accurately reflects the responsibilities and actions of inservice teachers. An example would be allowing preservice teachers to create science units of work for classroom use (e.g. Lewis, 2019)
	Internal** practical teaching experience	This occurs when a subject (or other educational intervention) is designed with imbedded opportunities to teach; preferably to students of the intended year levels (e.g. Deehan et al., 2019; Flores, 2015; Kahn & VanWynsberghe, 2020)
	Links to professional experience placements/partnerships	This occurs when preservice teachers receive opportunities to teach that are not formally connected to a subject via lectures, tutorials, workshops or assessments. Such links often occur at the course level through professional experience placements or through other institutional connections to schools. Links to professional experience placements and external partnerships are more likely to afford preservice teachers opportunities for multiple science teaching experiences (e.g. Hobbs et al., 2018)
	Cooperative learning	Cooperative learning occurs when preservice teachers work together to complete a task that would otherwise be impossible or unreasonable to complete individually (e.g. Deehan et al., 2017)
	Modelling	This approach entails the academic modelling desirable educational practices, such as reflection, student-centred teaching and investigations (e.g. Menon & Sadler, 2018; Watters & Diezmann, 2007)

*Adapted from Deehan (2017).

**Internal refers to experiences delivered within the delivery of a PPSTE subject.