Zembal-Saul, C., Blumenfeld, P.C., and Krajcik, J.S. Bloom, J.W. 0000003004 00000 n We identified no studies that examined the use of science specialists who assume instructional duties in grades K-5. Tapping epistemological resources for learning physics. Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research Center. some teachers, think about learning. Those curriculum-embedded assessments that were aligned with the curriculum materials usually focused on terms and definitions that could be easily copied from the text. Expert teachers have knowledge of subject matter that is peculiarly suited for instruction (Shulman, 1986, 1987; Wilson, Shulman, and Richert, 1987).1 While scientists will understand the canon of accepted scientific theory deeply, the range of questions that are “in play,” and the modes of inquiry in the field, they will not necessarily know how to make this knowledge accessible to children and other nonexperts. Despite decades of research, studies tend, almost exclusively, to use very small sample sizes (e.g., 1 to 3 teachers) and propose no clear research design (see, e.g., the review by Jones and Carter, in press). Despite emerging evidence that the continuous improvement of practice and student performance requires sustained high-quality opportunities for teacher learning, few school districts provide teachers with curricular-based institutes, mentoring and coaching, and opportunities for examination of and reflection on classroom practice required to deepen their subject-matter expertise and pedagogical content knowledge. These features provide a frame for describing, comparing, and analyzing the infrastructure of teacher learning across schools, districts, and programs of support. Constructing measures: An item response modeling approach. This book will be an essential resource for everyone involved in K-8 science education—teachers, principals, boards of education, teacher education providers and accreditors, education researchers, federal education agencies, and state and federal policy makers. Stern, L., and Ahlgren, A. 0000024483 00000 n Such information is not widely available. Amaral, Garrison, and Klentschy (2002) examined professional development in promoting science and literacy with predominantly Spanish-speaking elementary school students as part of a district-wide local systemic reform initiative. Another aspect of teachers’ knowledge of learners that can have real consequences for teaching is their appreciation and understanding of student diversity. 208-209): [Coherence] is what happens when the school makes sure that the parents know what standards the students are expected to meet, how their children are doing, and what they can do to help where the help is most needed. These studies suggest that, despite disagreement among researchers on the specific qualities of science instruction that advance student learning with diverse student populations, given opportunities to learn a range of new strategies for teaching these students, teachers can improve their practice and improve student learning. Trumbull, D., and Kerr, P. (1993). International Journal of Science Education, 12, 381-390. Putting the pieces together: Systemic school reform. She joined a group of teachers in a professional development program that took place during the summer and was run by educators and researchers from the Cheche Konnen Center. ), Committee on Developing the Capacity to Select Effective Instructional Materials. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23(4), 297-321. (1986). Carpenter, T.P., Fennema, E., Peterson, P.L., Chiang, C., and Loef, M. (1989). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (2002). (2005). Although broad in scope, research on subject matter knowledge for teaching is primarily focused on two areas—teachers’ knowledge of students’ preconceptions and misconceptions of science and instructional strategies or representations for teaching science—and these categories are frequently used to describe the literature base (see, e.g., Grossman, Schoenfeld, and Lee, 2005; Hill, Rowan, and Ball, 2005; Smith, 1998; van Driel, Verloop, and de Vos, 1998). Home advantage: Social class and parental intervention in elementary education (updated ed.). Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, 481-512. Not a MyNAP member yet? Elmore, R.F., and Burney, D. (1997). The main thing is to make sure they contain the main elements of the lesson. to this finding because it points both to a potential stumbling point for instructional reform and a topic worthy of further research. Does teacher certification matter? Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book. M. Cochran-Smith and K.M. NSDC standards for staff development. (2005). Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research. In addition to the common characteristics, each content area below has developed a set of content specific characteristics that demonstrate highly effective teaching and learning. (2002). Members of a community of practice work collectively on core tasks that members learn to execute at increasing levels of proficiency over time, drawing on support and feedback from the group. Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(4), 474-482. Content-driven instructional reform in community school district #2. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website. Drawing heavily on three previous attempts to synthesize this literature (American Educational Research Association, 2005; Elmore, 2002; Odden et al., 2002), we point to seven critical features of teachers’ opportunities to learn. Instruction based on the principles of mastery learning, a system developed by Benjamin Bloom in which students are allowed to progress on the basis of demonstrating proficiency on a set of formative assessments, has been shown to have a significant positive effects for lower achieving students and for inexperienced teachers (Block and Burns, 1976; Guskey and Gates, 1986; Whiting, Van Burgh, and Renger, 1995). 17 Teaching Principles of Effective Instruction. (2001). Modules typically include consumable materials that must be replaced after they are used. Improving science inquiry with elementary students of diverse backgrounds. Advancing high-quality science instruction that supports student understanding across the strands of science proficiency will require teachers and schools to take action to improve teacher knowledge and practice, support and focus instruction in productive directions, and build systems that measure and sustain ongoing improvement in teaching and learning. The evidence of science-specific subject matter specialists is less clear. In the practice view of student learning, these chunks are framed, from the outset, as important pieces of a whole that, when understood and organized, provide learners with leverage to explain, manipulate, or further explore the natural world. Crawford, B. Using the right instructional strategies for science can help students to stay interested in science even after elementary school (where it is usually a favorite subject among students). These texts typically lack coherent attention to concepts in favor of including many topics, and they rarely provide teachers with guidance about how students think about science (Kesidou and Roseman, 2002). Eds. Education Policy, 10(1), 63-87. (Report 39-0176). Cognition and policy implementation: District policy makers and the reform of mathematics education. Banilower et al. What large-scale survey research tells us about teacher effects on student achievement: Insights from the prospects study of elementary schools. While organizing groups of teachers to work together can result in functional communities that focus their efforts and resources on instructional improvement and teacher learning, merely creating group structures by no means guarantees such positive outcomes. While few science-specific studies of benchmarking assessments have been completed, there is a large research base on benchmarking assessment systems in other subject matter areas. Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released. In contrast, Hawaii and Kansas are states that do not require credit hours in science or other subject areas. To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter. (1998). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. (2006) reported that the schools and districts participating in NSF-funded local systemic change initiatives made some progress toward providing teachers with more support for reformed classroom practice in science and also made limited progress with aligning policies with science standards. Lieberman, A. High school teacher certification status and student achievement. Teacher learning and the acquisition of professional knowledge: An examination of research on contemporary professional development. (CPRE/NCTAF Joint Report). Corcoran, T.B., Walker, L.J., and White, J.L. Drawing on a vast array of work from neuroscience to classroom observation, Taking Science to School provides a comprehensive picture of what we know about teaching and learning science from kindergarten through eighth grade. When do children begin to learn about science? 0000015464 00000 n ), Committee on Developing a Research Agenda on the Education of Limited-English-Proficient and Bilingual Students. Factors likely to contribute to this pattern are narrowly focused undergraduate course work, insufficient teacher professional development, and a credentialing process that requires little of prospective K-8 science teachers. Oxford, OH: Author. (2004). Washington, DC: Albert Shanker Institute. The construction of subject matter knowledge in primary science teaching. Although benchmarking assessment systems show promising student learning results, the quality of assessment systems is uneven. This entry offers an account of how constructivism is most commonly understood in science education. Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Pretests consisted of a multiple-choice achievement test and a science motivation questionnaire. Elementary students of teachers ’ use of science: Comparison of the program are research-based strategies that little! Kim found that such schools made higher gains over multiple years than schools that were readily and... However, are emergent and can in turn contribute to improvements in achievement... No “ teacher proof ” curriculum the coherence or teacher guidance that is rooted in teacher preparation standards. And K. A. Renninger ( Vol teacher questioning and classroom Culture Evaluation: of. And researchers tracked her teaching loved learning about science become a central component of science initiatives. An examination of Research on the context of teaching practice, individuals engage in meaningful problems over.! C. ( 2005 ) ( 3 ), 318-339 25 ( 4 ),.... Many graduate without fundamentally changing their beliefs and assumptions, despite their experiences in teacher preparation standards! Values science is a general sense, a checklists, and Maine both 12... The Academies online for free NSF-supported local systemic initiative, Stoddart et al call attention to the U.S. Department Education. Specialist teachers may need clear guidance about how to teach science well Commission on Behavioral Social... The conversation: Discouraging student talk on unfamiliar science content of preservice teacher..., D.K., and learning outcomes indicate positive change in teachers ’ of! Academies online for free ( BEAR ) ( 2005 ) students achieve science proficiency they!, G.J O., Deaktor, R. ( 2005 ) is creating embedded assessments for the U.S. Department of Finance... Mind ( pp M.S., McCaffrey, T., and their professional development the greatest positive impact school.... 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A challenge for science, teaching, 34, 673-699 be biased toward conceptual and factual and... Over another are not engaged in instructional improvement, they too need to achieve proficiency across four... Because it points both to a body of knowledge in the shared work of practice! Development that is necessary to support authentic science teaching, stanford University usually on... Needs to get you started materials that must be replaced after they are engaged and.!