Learning to teach science in urban schools: Context as content

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how science teachers who persisted in urban schools interpreted and responded to the unique features of urban educational contexts. With 17 alumni who taught in metropolitan areas across seven states, the Science Educators for Urban Schools (SEUS) program provided a research setting that offered a unique view of science teachers’ development of knowledge of urban education contexts. Data sources included narratives of teaching experiences from interviews and open‐ended survey items. Findings were interpreted in light of context knowledge for urban educational settings. Findings indicated that science teaching in urban contexts was impacted by the education policy context, notably through accountability policies that narrowed and marginalized science instruction; community context, evident in teacher efforts to make science more relevant to students; and school contexts, notability their ability to creatively adjust for resource deficiencies and continue their own professional growth. Participants utilized this context knowledge to transform student opportunities to learn science. The study suggests that future science education research and teacher preparation efforts would benefit from further attention to the unique elements of urban contexts, specifically the out of classroom contexts that shape science teaching and learning.     

The examination of a vignette activity sequence in a secondary mathematics methods course

Because of their brief nature, vignettes are a strategic way to highlight or explore complex instructional practices. Using a qualitative approach, we examined how the use of vignettes in a Vignette Activity Sequence contributed to secondary mathematics preservice teachers’ understanding of the Mathematical Practices and the Mathematics Teaching Practices. By examining three vignettes used in two iterations of a secondary mathematics methods course, the researchers found that preservice teachers were able to draw connections between the vignettes and their own teaching experiences. However, some misconceptions or incomplete understandings related to the practices were revealed. Preservice teachers sometimes provided vague evidence when identifying particular practices in the vignettes that did not clearly indicate if they understood the practices. Taken together, the researchers found the Vignette Activity Sequence to be a valuable formative assessment that could be used to inform instruction in a secondary mathematics methods course. These findings have implications for teacher preparation programs and mathematics teacher educators.     

Envisioning my mathematics classroom: Validating the Draw-a-Mathematics-Teacher-Test Rubric

Teachers need the opportunity to reflect, rethink, and adapt as they continually develop their image of their role in their mathematics classrooms. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine how the Draw-a-Mathematics-Teacher-Test (DAMTT) and rubric can be used to assess preservice elementary teachers’ images of and beliefs about their future mathematics classrooms and validate the Draw-a-Math-TeacherTest-Rubric (DAMTT-R). Results suggest that the DAMTT-R is a valid measure and yields consistent results. Additionally, analysis of preservice elementary teachers’ (PETs) DAMTT revealed that only slightly more than one-third (36.9%) drew a picture and described their classroom in such a way that it reflected beliefs aligned with student-centered pedagogic practices. While mathematics educators may aim for the majority of PETs to leave their programs having developed beliefs aligned with and supportive of student-centered pedagogic practices, the results of this study revealed that 25% of PETs held beliefs that align with teacher-centered pedagogic practices. Lastly, 38.1% of the PETs reflected beliefs about their pedagogic practices, as measured by the DAMTT and the DAMTT-R, aligned with a transition between teacher-centered and student-centered.     

高中化学新手教师PCK水平调查研究*

基于美国Erikson学院的PCK量化测评工具设计以“离子反应”教学主题为内容载体的调查问卷,并对河北省32名在职高中化学新手教师的PCK水平及典型特征进行测查。结果表明:高中化学新手教师的整体水平及各维度PCK水平均处于“基本”水平层次,其中,KoC水平最高,KoL次之,KoIS最差;新手教师各维度能力水平存在明显不均衡性;在“离子反应”这一特定主题下,高中化学新手教师各维度PCK水平之间不存在显著相关性。根据研究结果,针对高中化学新手教师PCK目前存在的主要问题和不足,提出提升其PCK水平的相关建议,为促进高中化学新手教师的快速专业化成长提供借鉴和参考。     

高中化学新手熟手教师学科教学知识对比研究*

以“化学平衡”教学主题为载体自编调查问卷,选取河北省79位在职高中化学新手教师和81位高中化学熟手教师进行学科教学知识测查。应用独立样本t检验对调研数据进行比较和分析,重点从内容知识、课程知识、学生知识、教学策略知识、评价知识等5个维度探讨新手与熟手教师PCK差异及差异形成的原因,并据此提出相关建议,为促进高中化学新手教师的快速专业化成长提供借鉴和参考。     

高中化学教师教学观研究

首先用《化学教师教学观调查问卷》对广东省的103位高中化学教师进行调查, 然后根据调查结果选择教学观存有差异的7个高二化学教师作样本, 对他们进行课堂观察。经问卷调查发现, 不同类别高中的化学教师的教学观取向存在差异, 一类高中的化学教师更倾向于发展式教学观取向, 二类高中的化学教师更倾向于灌输式教学观取向。在课堂观察中发现, 化学教师的教学观会影响教学方式, 因此可以通过课堂观察判断化学教师的教学观类型;同种教学观类型的不同高中教师的各项观察指标并没有明显差异。     

中学化学骨干教师TPACK知识的实证研究

调查了85名接受“国培计划”的中学化学骨干教师的TPACK知识的结构与水平,同时探讨了TPACK 7因子与设计思维、设计能力的关系,并测查教师的TPACK是否存在显著性的性别差异。     

Influence of mentoring and professional communities on the professional development of a cohort of early career secondary mathematics and science teachers

A challenge for public schools is to successfully support and professionally develop early career teachers (ECTs) and thereby prepare them for long and successful careers in education. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe how the professional practices of early career science and mathematics teachers, some of whom are career changers, were influenced by their interactions with mentors and professional communities. Topics examined included the contextual elements that influenced the ECTs’ interactions with mentors and professional communities, how teachers positioned themselves within multiple professional communities, and how they perceived these experiences had influenced the development of their teaching practice. An extensive semi-structured interview of the ECTs generated data that were analyzed to identify emergent themes and patterns. The findings of this study indicated that navigating professional communities and interacting with mentors had influenced the ECTs’ decisions to adopt important components of a learner-centered approach to teaching that included engaging students in active learning processes, utilizing formative assessment, and responding to students' individual needs. These findings have implications for school policies and approaches related to supporting and professionally developing unique cohorts of ECTs.     

Preservice teachers learning to teach proof through classroom implementation: Successes and challenges

Proof and reasoning are central to learning mathematics with understanding. Yet proof is seen as challenging to teach and to learn. In a capstone course for preservice teachers, we developed instructional modules that guided prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs) through a cycle of learning about the logical aspects of proof, then planning and implementing lessons in secondary classrooms that integrate these aspects with traditional mathematics curriculum in the United States. In this paper we highlight our framework on mathematical knowledge for teaching proof and focus on some of the logical aspects of proof that are seen as particularly challenging (four proof themes). We analyze 60 lesson plans, video recordings of a subset of 13 enacted lessons, and the PSTs’ self- reported data to shed light on how the PSTs planned and enacted lessons that integrate these proof themes. The results provide insights into successes and challenges the PSTs encountered in this process and illustrate potential pathways for preparing PSTs to enact reasoning and proof in secondary classrooms. We also highlight the design principles for supporting the development of PSTs’ mathematical knowledge for teaching proof.     

职前理科教师学科教学知识发展策略研究

虽然学科教学知识（PCK）在教师教育和科学教育领域已经得到世界范围内的广泛关注,但在国内,仍然有许多教师教育者和中学理科教师并不知晓学科教学知识。学科教学知识研究尚未对国内中学理科教师的职前培养与职后培训产生实质影响。依据建构的职前理科教师PCK"四要素"结构模型,并在剖析借鉴国内外教师PCK发展经验的基础上,探索提出了包含四要素独立发展、四要素分别拓展、PCK形成、PCK整体拓展4个阶段性目标的"阶段式PCK发展策略"。