Transcript A Modest Proposal: Addressing the Physics Teacher Shortage

A Modest Proposal:
Addressing the Physics Teacher
Shortage by Master's Level Cross
and Alternative Certification into
Physics Teaching
Dan MacIsaac
Department of Physics, SUNY- Buffalo State College
<[email protected]>
Dave Henry and Kathleen Falconer,
Department of Elementary Education and Reading, SUNY- Buffalo State College
Joe Zawicki,
Department of Earth Science and Science Education, SUNY- Buffalo State College
Abstract
Since 2002, SUNY-Buffalo State Physics has established and
grown two M.S.Ed. (Physics) programs leading to NYSED 7-12
Physics Certification from two to over forty-five candidates, with
another twenty five graduates. An attendant Summer Physics
Academy serves 60-90 physics teachers annually, awarding
graduate credit to both program and non-program graduate
students. These programs will be described in some detail,
together with their impact on the candidates and our department.
Funding opportunities for candidates of these programs leading to
physics teacher certification will also be described.
References:
<http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.Edu/programs/>
MacIsaac, D.L., Henry, D., Zawicki, J.L. Beery, D. & Falconer, K. (2004).
A new model alternative certification program for high school physics teachers: New
pathways to physics teacher certification at SUNY-Buffalo State College. Journal of
Physics Teacher Education Online, 2(2), 10-16.
History of Modest Proposals
The original Modest Proposal:
A Modest Proposal For Preventing The Children of Poor People in Ireland
From Being A Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For Making Them
Beneficial to The Public
political pamphlet by Jonathan Swift (1729)
A hugely influential political satire discussing the plight of the poor in Ireland
vis-à-vis the wealthy (usually English) landowning class. Swift pretended to
mock his own preferred reforms (taxing absentee landowners etc) and
"advocated" outrageous interventions, chiefly the raising of poor Irish children
as meat for English landowners.
In an interesting humorous aside (perhaps to the hugely popular letters from Dr.
Franklin then in London), Swift notes:
“I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance
in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a
most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed,
roasted, baked, or boiled ...”
History of Modest Proposals
Traditional Physics Teacher Certification:
Actually a mélange of programs, usually including
•a physics specific major plus
- science teaching methods courses in Y3 & 4
- some classes for all teachers e.g. Educ Psych,
Exceptional Ed, Ed Technology, Evaluation, Lesson
Planning, much legalistic ( child abuse reporting etc)
-student teaching
- several state tests in general knowledge, teaching, and
subject area (Physics) at first/second year level.
NYSED initial cert good for five years
NYSED professional cert requires master's degree within five
years
History of Modest Proposals
My modest proposal is: ...perhaps we need new models
for physics teacher preparation other than the one we
academic physicists "know" to be the best:
The best traditional preparation for HS physics teachers
via a bachelor's degree in physics.
Group exercises: How would you do it?
Group Exercises
Your mission: Design (a) Master's program(s) for Ms. Stone and Mr. Builder, preparing
them to become qualified and certified physics teachers:
Ms. Stone is a newly graduated (B.S.Ed. Earth Science) teacher just hired at Hooterville
HS who has been assigned to teach 2 classes of physics per year. Stone has an initial
certificate with two semesters of algebra based physics (B/C grades) and one semester
of calculus (C) taken 2-3 years ago. She's teaching physics right now, available for
classes during evenings and summers.
Mr. Builder has B.S.Eng. and M.S.Eng. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and worked
in industry for 3 years through a series of corporate consolidations. Builder took a year
of calculus based physics for engineers, four semesters of calculus and a complete
sequence of engineering courses. He has no teaching certificate or education courses of
any kind, and was hired to teach physics last year at St. Obscure HS (teachers in private
and parochial HS don't have to have NYSED cert). Mr. Builder is also teaching physics
right now, and also available for classes evenings and summers.
Needs
Huge needs for:
•highly qualified STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Maths)
•in particular, physics teachers
Nationwide in US and in NYS growing ever more desperate
Total number of
physics teachers
Physics teachers with
no physics
certification, temporary
5 yr provisional & CQ
permanent certification
Over age 55
Over age 50
Regents Physics
Second Year Physics
AP Physics
Other
Ave
FTE/
Teacher
% of
total
(FTE)
# of
Classes
FTE
NYS Physics Teacher Data for the 2001-02 school year
1691
783
3132
0.46
100.0
351
242
1098
132
126
525
528
504
2100
0.38
0.52
0.48
16.9
16.1
67.0
454
728
221
337
884
1348
0.49
0.46
28.2
43.0
584
2.6
106
90
MacIsaac et al (2004) JPTEO article
NAS “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” (2006) report.
74.6
0.3
13.5
11.5
Needs: How bad is it really?
Since 2002, we have had 26 Ms. Stone analogues and 16 Mr. Builder analogues
admitted to the Buffalo State M.S.Ed. (Physics) programs. Three are currently
not teaching by personal choice (one left profession, one in grad school and one
adding math cert / new dad).
Forty five graduate candidates are currently active in the program, with another
twenty-one alumni and three dropouts.
All of these above candidates who sought physics teaching jobs are employed
as physics teachers, whether certified, qualified, (or even recommended by
myself).
It's pretty bad; check your local HS physics teacher qualifications and
background.
We draw about 50-60 HS teachers each summer to the Summer Physics
Teachers' Academy at Buffalo State. Out of state tuition in $3000 for three
weeks. Last summer we turned away applicants. Next summer we'll open a
third course.
Needs: How bad is it really?
It's bad enough that there's considerable financing:
See "Funding for Students" seeking initial physics certification at
<http://www.buffalostate.edu/physics/>
Free SUNY tuition ($4,500 for 4 yrs UG or 1 yr grad) for NY
HS Math and Science Teachers
Noyce fellowships ($8,500 / yr for 2 yr UG or $10,000 / 1 yr grad) to new
High Needs Math and Science Teachers
Federal Student Loan forgiveness (up to $17,500) for student loans incurred
certifying by High Needs Math and Science Teachers
NCLB Title II funds for teacher preparation administered by local school
districts
What are Physics Departments doing?
Other Physics Departments Around the Country
University of Virginia
• MAPE Masters of Arts in Physical Science Education
• On-line courses
• Summer academy
Arizona State University
• MNS- Masters of Natural Science
• Summer academy
Montana State University at Bozeman plus NSTA National Teacher
Enhancement Network (NTEN)
• MAT Masters of Arts in Teaching
• On-line courses
• Summer academy at MSU and U of A
North Carolina State University
•Two Semesters of on-line calculus based physics (Chabay & Sherwood)
Buffalo State Programs:
History, Overview & Current
Started in 2002 with 2 candidates
Currently in both programs:
45 MSEd (Physics) candidates (25 cross-cert – no BS
Physics)
•16 MSED (Physics +AC) candidates; 9 engineers; 1PhD
Physicist
• 21 graduates (2 AC- 1 not teaching by choice)
• 3 drop outs
Roughly 3-6 candidates in admissions pipeline at any one time
Current Demographics in both programs*:
•12 women
•1 Hispanic-American
•2 African-American candidates
(*less in-actives)
Buffalo State Programs:
History, Overview & Current
Started with:
• One tenure-track physics education faculty
• Physics faculty inc. certified HS teachers including collaborated with past
HS Physics Teachers now faculty in Elementary Education and Reading
and Earth Science and Science Education
• Several local master physics teachers (WNYPTA community)
Currently:
• Tenure track professional hired 2006
• 2nd physics education faculty hired 2007
• A dozen local master physics teachers (WNYPTA community)
Opportunities:
• to work outside the traditional box of physics teacher licensure
• receive state and national recognition by establishing new model NYSED
AC program
• seek NSF funding
• institutional recognition
Buffalo State Programs:
History, Overview & Current
Buffalo State Summer Physics Teachers’ Academy
• Intensive
o 2-3 week long
o 8-13 hours per day
o maximum 30 participant teachers in course
o co-taught by master teachers and university faculty
o physics content and pedagogy integrated
o teacher and student modes
•grown to five graduate courses
o Possible 4 courses each summer
o 1 elementary physics and education courses
o 3 secondary physics education courses
Now offering PHY 620 and 622 concurrently
• serving 75-90 teachers this summer
• drawing participants regionally
Buffalo State Programs:
History, Overview & Current
Physics 622- Summer 2005 Participants and Instructors
Important Lessons Learned that we feel
contributed to our success
- we built physics teacher preparation programs specifically
dedicated to and focused upon teaching one subject only, housed
within physics and team taught with appropriate physics faculty
and master HS physics teachers for professional credibility to
multiple audiences (candidates; teachers, SED; faculty)
- redefined the physics teacher candidate shortage problem for
success by targeting nontraditional yet highly motivated physics
teacher preparation audiences (cross certification; alternative
certification) SOME OF WHOM ARE ALREADY TEACHING
PHYSICS and who are unlikely to be readily replaced by
qualified candidates even if these were available
Important Lessons Learned that we feel
contributed to our success
- physics teacher preparation courses were scheduled to meet Full
Time employed adult target candidate needs – evening courses,
online courses and intensive summer academies; knowledge of
support mechanism for candidates
(Noyce scholars; Perkins and Stafford Loan forgiveness etc)
- we recognize physics teacher candidates pretty universally don't
know their physics content, don’t how to teach it, and they don't
know that they don't this. Yes, even our physics majors too -- see
the extensive PER and SER literature.
- need for transparent, operational-ized and well-articulated
definitions of high quality intro physics learning and teaching
(RTOP == Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol)
Important Lessons Learned that we feel
contributed to our success
- programmatic role of PCK is central: graduate level showcase
courses contain undergraduate physics content (absolutely
requred), lower division mathematical representations and
graduate level PCK (E.g. )
P edagogical
Knowledge
(teaching)
P edagogical
Content
Knowledge
(physics
teaching)
Content
Knowledge
(physics)
- in-depth use of PER-based activities and curricula; extended
reflection; use of "Student hat" and "Teacher hat" activities and
analyses throughout
Important Lessons Learned that we feel
contributed to our success
A "perfect storm" at Buffalo State College?
• institutional and physics department politics
• teacher preparation mission at college (NCATE)
• search for distinctive programs and identity
• important cross-disciplinary collaborations
• flexible faculty willing to go "outside the box"
• experienced players in teacher preparation
• growing the pie in physics department resources
• lack of physics graduate program competition?
See <physicsed.buffalostate.edu/pubs/aapt>