Blended learning, a flexible approach for designing an in-service teacher training model in nanoscience and technology field of Iran

The aim of this study was to present a model for in-service teacher training in nanoscience and technology, based on the findings of the nanoscience and technology in-service teacher training programs in the United States of America, Australia, Taiwan, and material - human resources in Iran. It was a descriptive-analytic research. The results showed that in-service training model adopted in the tested samples has been influenced not only from the educated knowledge, the education process, changing attitudes and mentality of teachers, but also from the human-resources, the extent of the teacher community, the period of training program and educational policies. It was also found that although there has been a mutual relationship between the learning approaches and learning models, however, blended learning approach is the one which has a good fluidity and flexibility both for teachers (as opposed to two very important variables of time and location of courses) and for training course planners of in-service teacher training (as opposed to the variables of distribution of material and human resources). Based on the results, a two-stage model including introductory and advanced training for in-service teacher training of nanoscience and technology has been proposed. Within these stages, considering the role of ICT, knowledge-based models have been ICT-TPCK and ICTeTD models. Also, in both stages, considering the knowledge-based model, blended learning approach as the best approach has been adopted.