The Cumulative and Residual Impact of a Systemic Reform Program on Teacher Change and Student Learning of Science

This longitudinal, five‐year study of teachers and students who had participated in a systemic reform program in science explored if (1) teacher change in practice realized during a three‐year program is sustained one, two, and three years following the program, (2) student performance on state science assessments two years following studying with teachers at this school still demonstrated significant differences from students who attended the control school, and (3) student performance continued to be enhanced for both White and Minority students. Student achievement was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science during sixth through eighth grades and the Ohio Graduation Test was used in 10th grade. The same students completed the test in grades 6–8 and 10th grade. Students from the Program school significantly outperformed students who attended the control school on the 10th grade state assessment in science. Findings in this study revealed the ability for sustained, whole‐school, professional development programs to have a cumulative and residual impact on teacher change and student learning of science.     

Relationship Between Professional Development,Teachers' Instructional Practices,and the Achievement of Students in Science and Mathematics

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between different types of professional development, teachers' instructional practices, and the achievement of students in science and mathematics. The types of professional development studied included immersion, examining practice, curriculum implementation, curriculum development, and collaborative work. Data regarding teachers' instructional practices and the amount of professional development were collected using teacher surveys. Ninety‐four middle school science teachers and 104 middle school mathematics teachers participated in the study. Student achievement was measured using eighth grade state science and mathematics achievement test data. Regression analyses suggested that for both science and mathematics teachers, examining practice and curriculum development were significantly related to the use of standards‐based instructional practices. Only curriculum development for mathematics teachers was significantly related to student achievement. Implications of results for the professional development of science and mathematics teachers are discussed.     

A High‐Quality Professional Development for Teachers of Grades 3–6 for Implementing Engineering into Classrooms

With the increasing emphasis on integrating engineering into K‐12 classrooms to help meet the needs of our complex and multidisciplinary society, there is an urgent need to investigate teachers' engineering‐focused professional development experiences as they relate to teacher learning, implementation, and student achievement. This study addresses this need by examining the effects of a professional development program focused on engineering integration, and how teachers chose to implement engineering in their classrooms as a result of the professional development. 198 teachers in grades 3–6 from 43 schools in 17 districts participated in a yearlong professional development program designed to help integrate the new state science standards, with a focus on engineering, into their teaching. Posters including lesson plans and student artifacts were used to assess teachers' engineering practices and the implementation in their classrooms. Results indicated that the majority of the teachers who participated in the professional development were able to effectively implement engineering design lessons in their classrooms suggesting that the teachers' success in implementing engineering lessons in their classroom was closely related to the structure of the professional development program.     

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.     

Elementary school teachers’ growth in inquiry-based teaching of mathematics

This article reports on a self-directed, school-based, practice-based professional development (PD) experience aimed at helping elementary school teachers to develop knowledge and expertise in inquiry-based teaching of mathematics. It discusses the characteristics of the self-directed orientation of this PD that supported the teachers’ learning, the nature of the inquiry-based knowledge they constructed, and the impact on their teaching. It highlights the centrality of agency, practical knowledge, and situated learning in this PD approach. The findings suggest that this approach can help mathematics teachers who want to be the architect of their own learning to transform their classrooms in meaningful and desirable ways.     

The Transparent and the Invisible in Professional Pedagogical Vision for Science Teaching

Science teacher educators use examples of practice to support teacher candidates (TCs) learning to engage in new forms of science teaching. However, interpretation of these examples assumes a level of expertise about practice TCs lack. This article describes a study designed to determine some of the differences between expert teachers' and TCs' professional pedagogical vision for science teaching. Specifically, the study examines what each group attends to (highlights) in examples of science teaching and how they interpret the events they attend to (codes). Both groups were asked to analyze video of classroom science teaching. Differences were found between TCs and expert teachers in terms of both highlighting and coding of science teaching practice. Four key areas of difference are described in detail: actor focus, questions, grain size, and enactment. The implications for science teacher education are discussed, in particular a set of tools and teacher education practices to support acculturating TCs into more a sophisticated professional pedagogical vision for science teaching. This article features a Research to Practice Companion Article . Please click on the supporting information link below to access.     

Science as a Learner and as a Teacher: Measuring Science Self‐Efficacy of Elementary Preservice Teachers

Academic science achievement of U.S. students has raised concerns regarding our ability as a nation to compete in a global economy. Additionally, research has shown that many elementary teachers have weak science content backgrounds and had poor/negative experiences as students of science, resulting in a lack of confidence regarding teaching science. However, efforts to increase science self‐efficacy (SE) in preservice teachers can help to combat these issues. This study looked at a sample of preservice elementary teachers engaged in a semester‐long science content course, using Bandura's concept of SE as a conceptual framework. Our quantitative data showed significant increases in science SE on both subscales (personal efficacy and outcome expectancy). Our qualitative data showed that students communicated an increased sense of confidence with regard to the discipline of science. In addition, students reported learning science pedagogy through the instructor's modeling. Combining our findings resulted in several meta‐inferences, one of which showed students growing as both confident learners of science and teachers of science simultaneously. We created a construct new to the literature to describe this phenomenon: “teacher‐learner,” for students are both learning science and learning to teach science simultaneously through the content course experience, resulting in increased science SE.     

Teaching and learning of mathematics: what really matters to teachers and students?

The learner’s perspective study, motivated by a strong belief that the characterization of the practices of mathematics classrooms must attend to learner practice with at least the same priority as that accorded to teacher practice, is a comprehensive study that adopts a complementary accounts methodology to negotiate meanings in classrooms. In Singapore, three mathematics teachers recognized for their locally defined ‘teaching competence’ participated in the study. The comprehensive sets of data from the three classrooms have been used to explore several premises related to the teaching and learning of mathematics. In this paper the student interview data and the teacher interview data were examined to ascertain what do students attach importance to and what do teachers attach importance to in a mathematics lesson? The findings of the student interview data showed that they attached importance to several sub-aspects of the three main aspects, i.e., exposition, seatwork and review and feedback of their teachers’ pedagogical practices. The findings of the teacher interview data showed that they attached importance to student’s self assessment, teacher’s demonstration of procedures, review of prior knowledge and close monitoring of their student’s progress in learning and detailed feedback of their work. It was also found that teachers and students did attach importance to some common lesson events.     

Urban Third Grade Teachers' Practices and Perceptions in Science Instruction with English Language Learners

The study examined relationships among key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students based on teachers' perceptions of their classroom practices (i.e., what they think they do) and actual classroom practices (i.e., what they are observed doing). The four domains under investigation included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content; (2) teaching practices to support scientific understanding; (3) teaching practices to support scientific inquiry; and (4) teaching practices to support English language development during science instruction. The study involved 38 third‐grade teachers participating in the first‐year implementation of a professional development intervention aimed at improving science and literacy achievement of ELL students in urban elementary schools. Based on teachers' self‐reports, practices for understanding were related to practices for inquiry and practices for English language development. Based on classroom observations in the fall and spring, practices for understanding were related to practices for inquiry, practices for English language development, and teacher knowledge of science content. However, we found a weak to non‐existent relationship between teachers' self‐reports and observations of their practices.     

The Advantages of an STS Approach Over a Typical Textbook Dominated Approach in Middle School Science

Two sections of middle school science were taught by two longtime teachers where one used an STS approach and the other followed the more typical textbook approach closely. Pre‐ and post assessments were administered to one section of students for each teacher. The testing focused on student concept mastery, general science achievement, concept applications, use of concepts in new situations, and attitudes toward science. Videotapes of classroom actions were recorded and analyzed to determine the level of the use of STS teaching strategies in the two sections. Information was also be collected that gave evidence of and noted changes in student creativity and the continuation of student learning and the use of it beyond the classroom. Major findings indicate that students experiencing the STS format where constructivist teaching practices were used to (a) learn basic concepts as well as students who studied them directly from the textbook, (b) achieve as much in terms of general concept mastery as students who studied almost exclusively by using a textbook closely, (c) apply science concepts in new situations better than students who studied science in a more traditional way, (d) develop more positive attitudes about science, (e) exhibit creativity skills more often and more uniquely, and (f) learn and use science at home and in the community more than did students in the textbook dominated classroom.     

Science Talk: Preservice Teachers Facilitating Science Learning in Diverse Afterschool Environments

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact a community‐based service learning program might have on preservice teachers' science instruction during student teaching. Designed to promote science inquiry, preservice teachers learned how to offer students more opportunities to develop their own ways of thinking through utilization of an afterschool science program that provided them extended opportunities to practice their science teaching skills. Three preservice teachers were followed to examine and evaluate the transfer of this experience to their student teaching classroom. Investigation methods included field observations and semi‐structured, individual interviews. Findings indicate that preservice teachers expanded their ideas of science inquiry instruction to include multiple modes of formative assessment, while also struggling with the desire to give students the correct answer. While the participants' experiences are few in number, the potential of afterschool teaching experience serving as an effective learning experience in preservice teacher preparation is significant. With the constraints of high‐stakes testing, community‐based service learning teaching opportunities for elementary and middle‐school preservice teachers can support both the development and refinement of inquiry instruction skills.     

Supporting Middle School Teachers’ Implementation of STEM Design Challenges

We describe and analyze a professional development (PD) model that involved a partnership among science, mathematics and education university faculty, science and mathematics coordinators, and middle school administrators, teachers, and students. The overarching project goal involved the implementation of interdisciplinary STEM Design Challenges (DCs). The PD model targeted: (a) increasing teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics and science; (b) helping teachers integrate STEM practices into their lessons; and (c) addressing teachers’ beliefs about engaging underperforming students in challenging problems. A unique aspect involved low‐achieving students and their teachers learning alongside each other as they co‐participated in STEM design challenges for one week in the summer. Our analysis focused on what teachers came to value about STEM DCs, and the challenges in and affordances for implementing DCs. Two significant areas of value for the teachers were students’ use of scientific, mathematical, and engineering practices and motivation, engagement, and empowerment by all learners. Challenges associated with pedagogy, curriculum, and the traditional structures of the schools were identified. Finally, there were four key affordances: (a) opportunities to construct a vision of STEM education; (b) motivation to implement DCs; (c) ambitious pedagogical tools; and, (d) ongoing support for planning and implementation. This article features a Research to Practice Companion Article . Please click on the supporting information link below to access.     

Sociocultural perspectives in research on and with mathematics teachers: a zone theory approach

Sociocultural theories view teacher learning as changing participation in social practices that develop their professional identities rather than as acquisition of new knowledge or beliefs that are internal to the individual. Although sociocultural research on mathematics teacher education has tended to focus on understanding teachers’ learning, this article argues that sociocultural perspectives can also guide more interventionist research involving changing classroom practice. The approach illustrated here uses an adaptation of Valsiner’s zone theory to analyse teacher learning and development in two separate research studies. In one study the aim was to understand how teachers incorporated digital technologies into their practice, while the other study helped teachers implement an investigative approach to working mathematically consistent with a new syllabus. In both studies, productive tensions between teachers’ beliefs, contexts, and goals were a trigger for learning and development.     

Elementary Teachers: Concerns About Implementing a Science Program

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers’ science teaching concerns after participating in a two‐year extensive and sustained science professional development intervention. The intervention consisted of two types of teacher professional development across two years including: (a) summer institutes (60 hours across two years) which provided training on curriculum units, inquiry‐based instructional strategies, problem‐based learning, classroom management, and technology use in the classroom; and (b) coaching (60 hours across two years) which provided teachers support in establishing an investigative classroom and assistance in the implementation of inquiry/problem‐based science units. Teacher data were collected across four different time points: prior to the intervention, after one year of intervention, after two years of intervention, and one year after completion of the intervention. Results from quantitative data supported with qualitative interviews indicated concerns among teachers changed but they were not eliminated. The findings of this study provide evidence that teachers’ concerns may not be eliminated, but with extensive support––concerns become less focused on self and more focused on students.     

The Influence of an Internet‐Based Formative Assessment Tool on Primary Grades Students’ Number Sense Achievement

This study examined primary grades students’ achievement on number sense tasks administered through an Internet‐based formative assessment tool, Assessing Math Concepts Anywhere. Data were analyzed from 2,357 students in teachers’ classrooms who had participated in a year‐long professional development program on mathematics formative assessment, 1,427 students from teachers who had participated in the program in the year prior, and 9,783 students whose teachers had not participated at all. Analyses indicated that all students in the treatment group demonstrated growth, and that student achievement was influenced by the number of times the assessment was used to collect data and make instructional decisions. Further, there was a relationship between districts’ socioeconomic status and growth, meaning students from impoverished backgrounds grew more than their peers.     

Next Generation Science Standards: A National Mixed‐Methods Study on Teacher Readiness

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science and engineering practices are ways of eliciting the reasoning and applying foundational ideas in science. As research has revealed barriers to states and schools adopting the NGSS, this mixed‐methods study attempts to identify characteristics of professional development (PD) that will support NGSS adoption and to improve teacher readiness. In‐service science teachers from across the nation were targeted for the survey and responses represented 38 states. Research questions included: How motivated and prepared are in‐service 7–12 teachers to use NGSS science and engineering practices? What is the profile of 7–12 in‐service teachers who are motivated and feel prepared to use NGSS science and engineering practices? The study revealed that teachers identified engineering most frequently as a PD need to improve their NGSS readiness. High school teachers rated themselves as more prepared than middle school and all teachers who use Modeling Instruction expressed higher NGSS readiness. These findings and their specificity contribute to current knowledge, and can be utilized by districts in selecting PD to support teachers in preparing to implement the NGSS successfully.     

Knowing more than their students: Characterizing secondary science teachers’ subject matter knowledge

Despite agreement among teacher educators, scholars, and policymakers on the importance of teachers’ subject matter knowledge (SMK), existing models provide limited information about the nature of this foundational component of teacher knowledge. The common assumption is that teachers need to know more about the science subject matter than their students are expected to learn, but what and how much more is underspecified. In order to more characterize science teachers’ SMK, we present the science knowledge for teaching (SKT) model, which has been adapted from the mathematics education literature to apply to science education. The SKT model includes three domains: core content knowledge, specialized content knowledge, and linked content knowledge. We used this model to explore the SMK new secondary chemistry teachers in South Africa and the United States drew on when they explained the conservation of mass and analyzed a related teaching scenario, two important tasks of teaching. Findings indicated these new teachers drew on knowledge from all three SKT domains in order to engage in these tasks of teaching. This result suggests the potential of the SKT model to characterize the nature of science teachers’ SMK and thereby better inform teacher preparation and professional development programs.     

Cultivating Culture: Preparing Future Teachers for Diversity Through Family Science Learning Events

Preservice teachers (PSTs) participated in Family Science Learning Events (FSLEs) at a university designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. PSTs were required by the instructor to conceive and design culturally relevant science activities as well as implement these activities with K‐8 students and their families during three separate FSLEs each semester. After school venues included elementary and middle schools located in ethnically diverse school districts. Data collected from these future teachers included qualitative PST reflections, lesson plans, project board/activity evaluation by peers, and a quantitative survey instrument (modified SEBEST) to assess PSTs perceptions of teaching diverse learners. Results suggest that using FSLEs as an integral component of teacher preparation can be a powerful facilitator of learning for all involved, increasing excitement for learning, confidence in using culturally relevant activities and valuable experience in working with family members, particularly Hispanics. In addition, using culturally relevant science activities deepened content knowledge and gave PSTs the opportunity to use culturally responsive activities with Hispanic students and their families, increasing feelings of self‐efficacy in science teaching with diverse learners.     

Inventing Creativity: An Exploration of the Pedagogy of Ingenuity in Science Classrooms

Concerns with the ability of U.S. classrooms to develop learners who will become the next generation of innovators, particularly given the present climate of standardized testing, warrants a closer look at creativity in science classrooms. The present study explored these concerns associated with teachers' classroom practice by addressing the following research question: What pedagogical factors, and related teacher conceptions, are potentially related to the demonstration of creativity among science students? Seventeen middle‐level, high school, and introductory‐level college science teachers from a variety of school contexts participated in the study. A questionnaire developed for this study, interviews, and classroom observations were used in order to explore potential areas of relatedness between pedagogical factors and manifestations of student creativity in science. Five categories ultimately emerged and described potential areas in which teachers would have to explicitly plan for creativity. These areas could inform the pedagogical considerations that teachers would have to make within their lesson plans and activities in order to support its manifestation among students. These provide a starting point for science teachers and science teacher educators to consider how to develop supportive environments for student creative thinking.