Transcript Document 7261709

A Longitudinal Study
of Science Teacher
Preparation

Charles W. (Andy) Anderson, Gail Richmond,
Ajay Sharma, Shinho Jang, Kelly Grindstaff, InYoung Cho

Michigan State University
Acknowledgement of Support

This work is made possible in part
by grants from the Knowles
Foundation and the U.S. Department
of Education
Overview of Secondary
Teacher Preparation Program

Five-year program
 Application/admission in sophomore year
 BA/BS degree in 4 years
 Fifth-year internship w/certification
 Field- and university-based experiences
 Diverse placements
Overview of Courses

TE 150 (pre-admission)
 TE 250 (pre-admission)
 TE 301 (Junior year)
 TE 401, 402 (Senior or Pre-internship year)
 TE 501, 502, 801, 802, 803, 804 (Internship year)
Identity & Core Values

Respect
 Interest and motivation
 Connection to students
 Science learning
Problems of Practice


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
Relearning science content & developing goals
for students’ content understanding
Understanding students & assessing their
learning
Developing teaching strategies
Accessing/managing resources & relationships
Transforming Scientists’
Science into School Science

Ajay Sharma and Charles W. Anderson
Purpose of the Study


To examine the transformation of science from a
scientist’s lab to a classroom.
To explore the implications of this
transformation for teacher candidates.
Science as Practiced by
Scientists


“Science” should not be seen as a sharply defined
concept, but should be considered as denoting a series of
paradigmatic examples including other closely similar
activities.
Two major common strands that run through the different
paradigmatic examples associated with doing science:
1. Engagement in two dialogic relationships - with nature and
with scientific community - that go hand-in-hand, deeply and
inalienably intertwined, each enriching and building upon
the other.
2. Scientific discourse as an organ of persuasion.
Scientific research from a
dialogic perspective

Scientists while collecting data engage in
a dialogue with nature.
 This dialogue provides them an
experiential base from which they seek
patterns, and draw explanations.
 Doing science also involves engagement
in dialogic discursive relationships with
other researchers for rhetorical purposes.
Science from a rhetorical
perspective

Communicating scientific research is a
big part of a scientist’s work.
 Research communication as an act of
persuasion.
 The influence of rhetoric on how
scientific knowledge is presented and
communicated.
Scientific Communication


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Genre of scientific communication - effective in
persuading those who share experience and
discourse.
Empirical evidence as a rhetorical tool in
research communication.
Rhetorical demands on a scientific text act to
present an edited, even distorted, image of
scientific inquiry.
Increasing nominalization in scientific texts.
Research communication as dialogic interaction.
School Science


Recontextualization of the scientific discourse.
Effects of recontextualization on how science is presented
and taught in classrooms:
– Transformation of scientific knowledge into a
crystallized, secure, fixed, body of knowledge.
– Increasing nominalization in textbooks.
– The change in the nature of dialogic relations.
– Scientific authority replaces empirical experience as
the preferred means of persuasion.
– Students lack a meta-level awareness of the role and
power of empirical evidence as a legitimate means of
persuasion.
– Performance for grade exchange: students reproduce
authoritative knowledge in exchange for grades.
The nature of tensions
between educator and
teacher candidate beliefs
about science teaching
practice
Gail Richmond & Charles (Andy) Anderson
Assignments/Data Sources

Teaching cycles (5)
– Clarifying goals


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Big ideas (patterns, models, theories)
Examples of real-world systems, phenomena
Objectives for student learning (practices relating
big ideas to examples through application and
inquiry
– Planning and teaching classroom activities
– Assessment, revision, reflection

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Analysis of 3 students’ learning
Assessments for multiple purposes
Analytically derived claims for learning
Reflection on experiences & rationale for revisions
Results
Relearning science content/Developing
goals for student understanding
What we value
Helping students make sense out of the world
by engaging them in application (making
sense of patterns in experience) and inquiry
(using scientific models and theories to solve
practical problems or understand the material
world)
What teacher candidates
value

Application & inquiry

Facts, definitions, & algorithms

Science appreciation
Angelyn: Application and
Inquiry
Objectives were focused on application/inquiry and how students
could demonstrate their understanding (e.g., Students will explain
how the cell cycle helps living things maintain a stable internal
environment; Students will evaluate claims regarding potential
agents that lead to mutations in the DNA that may lead to cancer)
…it is very easy to teach science as discrete units of information and
this is a dangerous way to teach. In order to truly learn and love
science the students must see how it all works in concert and be
able to connect one idea to the next. Even if a lesson is well
planned and potentially great it must lie in the correct sequence
with the other lessons for the students to get the most out of it.
(TE 401 Lesson 1 Paper)
After teaching this topic I have come to better
understanding of how this topic fits into the bigger
picture. …I realized that the students needed to
connect cancer to replication, translation,
transcription, the cell cycle, and homeostasis. I
was approaching this topic (cancer) with blinders
on. I wanted the students to understand cancer, but
what I never really realized was that this topic was
an example or platform, in which to connect the
topics mentioned above all together. (TE 402
Lesson paper)
It’s more than facts. To learn any unit in
science really should go through the whole:
What’s the question? What are we seeing?
What do we think? What’s our proof? Like
that. And I think it should be infused in every
lesson….(Interview, 21-April-02)
Jared: Facts, definitions, &
algorithms
Objectives had fact- or list-generating
orientation (e.g., List the factors that affect
climate; Name the inner & outer planets) or
were not directed at what students can do
(e.g., Understand how we measure
earthquakes; Understand how you can be
safe during an earthquake and what you can
do)
My assessment task for this lesson was a
worksheet that had vocabulary and section
questions. As I went through my lesson I was
able to ask questions about ideas from the
lesson and see if the students understood them
and when I thought they did I would tell them to
look at the worksheet and fill it in so that as they
went along they would be able to follow what
was happening and so they could go back and
refer to past information if I asked them a
question. (TE 402 Lesson 2 Paper)
The handouts I usually go over with them, so that
they understand what they got wrong and what is
right, ‘cause I do not like them to leave their
classroom and know that granite forms from gneiss
rocks, marble forms limestone. If they screw that up, I
like them to know before they leave the classroom.
…. They had to define what is sedimentary rock. The
good definition is important for them. And another
one was the classification of sedimentary rocks. That
in the book gives secondary headings or subsecondary headings….(Interview , 12 April)
Sheila: Science appreciation
Objectives were vague & not focused on concrete ways students
could demonstrate understanding (e.g., Relate motion of objects
to unbalanced forces in two dimensions), although ability to
construct appropriate objectives improved over time.
So for the most part this 3-day lesson was good. The activities
were fun and kept the kids entertained while learning….I liked
the activity that I did with the scientists and their views of the
solar system. This got them thinking of the different views and
how they looked and it allowed them a little fun time with cut,
paste, and color. I also liked the activity where they drew the
planets, colored them the way that they actually looked, and
found facts on each planet. (TE 402, Three-Day Lesson Paper)
I had a hard time, at the beginning, to think what I already
know. Like what experiences they brought in, coming up
with examples, real world examples..…I was having a real
tough time with that. Patterns were (a) big thing in my
planning. Cause I wanted them to see those. The whole
inner and outer and you know. What the atmospheres, they
are different and similar to earth. So that was as big thing.
And then explaining why that happened. That was really
what I want them to say—why? (Interview, 19 April 02)
Results (continued)
Understanding students & assessing their
learning
What we value

The goal of helping students develop a
deep understanding of science, which
requires using what you know about
students to:
– Identify barriers to their understanding
– Create situations that motivate them to learn
– Develop fair assessments that address core
concepts in meaningful ways
What Teacher Candidates
Value

Understanding students for assessment
of learning

Grading fairly: Quantitative approach

Grading fairly: Qualitative approach
Angelyn: Assessing student
understanding
Although Stan’s first 3 responses are lacking this connection, his
last three begin to demonstrate this pattern in his thinking. For
example he states that the function of a nerve cell “is to carry
messages to the brain” and that for its shape “it connects to other
cells.” I (am) assuming that he understand(s) that nerve cells
connect to other cells to pass this message along. Again his
example of function doesn’t match exactly to the shape, but at
least the main idea of sending a message is present in both
examples… He seemed to finally make the connection on this last
example and this might be due to his prior knowledge. He wrote
that its function is to “destroy antigens” and it helps it “identify the
antigen.” Although I can assume that he (is) referring to
antibodies on the outside of the picture of the cell he never really
says that, so I’m not entirely sure he grasped the pattern. I think
that he is close to making the connection, but he needs more
coaching and fading. (TE 401 Lesson report)
Jared: Grading
Fairly/Quantitative
I don’t like pre-assessment. I think pre-assessment is a pain.
When you give them (a) pre-assessment, they can’t write
anything because they did not learn it yet. (Interview, 12 April
2002)
The answers that they gave me to the same questions when I
asked them were not the same ones on the assessment. It is
like in the few minutes before they got the handout they forgot
everything. Most of the answer were not to (sic) completely
wrong they just seemed to get confused with the question or
mixed up the names of the scientists….I believe they learned
but I just think that they have just confused a few things. (TE
401 Lesson 2 Paper)
Sheila: Grading
Fairly/Qualitative
During class she gave correct answers to questions that I
posed to the class, and she seemed to really understand
it…she even said she got it, which she never does. When I
handed out the quick-write she was right up at the desk
asking me if what she was thinking was right….(Rob) is a
very quiet boy and doesn’t really get involved in class. I need
to try to get him more involved. I forget about the students
that don’t raise their hands…..Kelli’s response was the best
out of the three of them….She was the one that was paying
attention during the lesson and gave answers to questions
that were asked. Kelli seems to try pretty hard when doing
her work. She doesn’t always do real well, but she seems to
give all of herself to her work. (TE401 Lesson 2 Paper)
Tensions between Values
and Practices in Learning to
Teach Elementary Science
Shinho Jang, Gail Richmond, and Charles
W. Anderson
Background of the Four
Elementary Candidates

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Amy: B.A. in Outdoor and Environmental Recreation; A
State Park Naturalist; a yearlong internship at an outdoor
science school.
Ken: B.A. in Elementary Education; not enjoyed learning
chemistry and physics.
Steve: Pre-medicine major; took many science courses ;
two years of laboratory experience in the Medical Center.
Leigh: B.A. in Botany and Plant Pathology; worked at the
Plant Research Lab helping with a research project for
more than 12 years.
Core values and concerns

Two goals: Student Interest & Science Learning
Amy: I found that many of the students have negative
associations with science, or really don’t know much
about it. I have worked hard to prepare a lesson that is
both fun and engaging (Journal, 05/26/2002).
Steve: I want to make sure that I’m not just playing games
or doing fun experiments without getting the points
across that they’re trying to discover through the
experiments like the laws or whatever… (Interview,
07/19/2002).
Understanding and teaching
science content

Made different choices to reconciling their
desires

Contrast in their approaches
– Some candidates saw their dual goals as
inherently in conflict—not seeing science
content as intrinsically interesting.
– Other candidates saw their dual goals as
inherently in connection—seeking activities
that would make science intrinsically
interesting to students
Understanding and teaching
science content

Ken: hands-on activities that were interesting for his
students
I believe that science can almost teach itself to students as long as it
is set up properly for the students to discover and explore. That is
how I learn best and how a lot of children learn best. … The role of
the teacher is to set up situations where students can learn best and
then get out of the way (Autobiography, 05/23/2002).

Steve: essential facts and definitions, even if that required
a more didactic style of teaching.
What I’m trying to do in the classroom is to transfer knowledge, and
transfer true knowledge, that’s the ideal (Interview, 07/19/2002).
Understanding and teaching
science content

Amy: the intrinsic interest of science lay in developing
students’ appreciation of nature and empathy for animals
and plants in our natural environment.
This (lesson) will be accomplished through student involvement with
a hands-on activity in which they pretend they are black bears in a
forest gathering food (Lesson plan, 06/10/02).

Leigh: the intrinsic interest of science lay in the power of
model-based reasoning
When given a range of different liquids students will be able to
calculate, compare, and describe the viscosities of the liquids based
on their use of a viscometer (Lesson Plan, 06/10/2002).
Understanding student
thinking

Their ways of understanding students varied
– Some candidates saw the goals of student
interest and student learning as separate
– Other candidates sought to connect intrinsic
student interest in science with student
learning.
Understanding student
thinking

Ken: finding evidence of students’ motivation,
enthusiasm, and enjoyment
I think its imperative that I can keep the kids interested,
because if they’re just following my instructions and they’re
not learning anything and, its really not any fun for them. The
kids are going to pull a lot more out of it if the kids are excited
and interested in what you are talking about (Interview,
06/20/2002).

Steve: finding evidence of students acquired
certain facts and correct definitions
I just wanted to see if they actually knew the things that were
actually taught them. For that one we had the blanks of the life
cycle, and they filled in the blanks… I think that they were able
to distinguish between physical traits of the animals. I mean
they could tell what was related, they knew that in the life
cycle stage, they both started out as eggs (Interview,
07/19/2002).
Understanding student
thinking

Amy: for conceptual understanding through students’
personal experience in interactions with nature and
environment
I would ask them those questions about why they chose to do this
and just talk to me a little bit about your black bear, to see if they
understood (Interview, 06/21/2002).

Leigh: for model-based reasoning for inquiry and
application
Remember last week in our density-measuring device we had corn
syrup, water, and oil. This means a liquid, which is more viscous than
another one doesn’t always have a higher density, too. Which two
liquids from our experiment last week are an example of this? Why?
(Laboratory Worksheet, 06/10/2002)
Discussion

Comparison with Secondary candidates
– Steve and Leigh: similar to the more and less
successful secondary candidates
: Textbook knowledge or Model-based reasoning
– Ken and Amy: different from secondary
candidates
: Science appreciation & Activity oriented
practice
Discussion

Ken and Amy: Rhetorical similarities but
important differences in practice
Ken – having very limited fact-oriented view of
scientific knowledge, leading him to reject facts
as worthwhile goal
Amy – having naturalist’s view, emphasis on
experience with nature, but with clearer goals
and ideas about student development
Discussion

Key difference among candidates: ability to
reconcile goals of learning and motivation
 Leigh and Amy: looking for ways to help students
see intrinsic interest of science
 Ken and Steve: pursuing one goal at the expense
of the other
 Possible causes
– the different levels of scientific knowledge
– ways of thinking about science that the
candidates brought with them to the program.
Learning from Field
Experiences: Teacher
Candidates’ Goals and
Practices
Kelly Grindstaff, In-Young Cho, and Charles
W. Anderson
Looking at Classroom
Practice: Data Sources

Lesson Plan and Reports from four one-day
lessons, and one three-day lesson
 included goals for student learning, teaching
activities, assessment of student learning, and
reflections on what they would do differently
 Observations of classroom teaching
 Interviews about teaching
 Statements of teaching philosophy
Foci of Case Studies
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Personal background: experience with
science
Teaching situation
Ideas about what students should learn
and how students learn
Ideas about student and teacher roles in
classrooms
Classroom practice and judgments about
classroom practice
Jared: what and how students
(should) learn - reproducing
fact

The assessment for this section was the two
page handout that reviewed what the students
should have learned in the lecture - Lesson 1 Report,
fall semester

The first big idea of the solar system is the Earthcentered Model …..The second big idea is the
Sun-Centered Model ….
- Lesson 2 Report,
fall semester

They (the students) had to define what is
sedimentary rock. A good definition is important
for them.
Jared: roles of teachers and
students - participation
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If they feel bored, they won’t try to learn
I look at participation as the biggest thing ….
Because it (matters) more that they actually did
the work, they took the time to sit down, be quiet,
follow the directions ….
- Interview, spring semester
When students are given a chance for hands-on
work, they are more likely to do their work and
participate more in class
- Lesson Plan and Report,
spring semester
Jared: perceptions of practice unmotivated students
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Summer is a student who can understand if she
wants to pay attention in class. For the most part
she does not ….
I have to get them more involved and not just
filling out worksheets. This will be hard with so
many students who like to talk and not get any
work done.
It is like in the few minutes before they got the
handout they forgot everything.
They (the students) were having a hard time
following the chart and linking what they learned
in the lesson the day before to the lab.
Jared: background & situation
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Earth science major and history minor
Senior year placement (4 hours per week)
in a lower track earth science class in an
urban school
Dissatisfied with mentor teacher
Had attended a Catholic high school
High academic achievement
Thought he would like to get a job in a
suburban middle school
Jeff - what and how students
(should) learn - relevant facts

My biggest concern in teaching is being able to
relate this information, or any information for that
matter, to my students’ lives. I believe that if
students cannot see the things that we are
talking about in class in the “real world” then
they will be far less likely to retain or even reuse
this information. - Lesson 1 Plan & Report, fall semester
Jeff: roles of teachers and
students - transmit facts


We have pacing guides of things we need to
cover in each unit, and these are more specific
scientific principles than a general understanding
of science as a whole.
I decided on notes rather than a demo since I am
trying to get used to “putting things out.” … So I
am limited by what information she (his mentor)
wants me to transmit.
- interview, fall semester
Jeff: perceptions of practice success = relevant & fun


I was very pleased with the students’ response to
the lesson. I got satisfaction out of hearing the
students point out parks that they had played in
before ….The student really took to the map
exercise. …They said things like,”can we color in
all the things or should we only do gravel mines
for now?”
- 3-day Lesson Report, semester spring
Maybe there isn’t a much better way than I did it
today but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep
searching for it.
- interview, fall semester
Jeff: background & situation
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Biology major and chemistry minor
Senior year placement (4 hours per week)
in an urban middle school science
classroom teaching earth science
Felt experience was the best teacher
Average academic achievement
Thought he would like to get a job
teaching high school biology
Educational philosophy

Lisa Barab – everyone can learn science
I strongly believe that all students can learn science.
Therefore, I must find a way to teach it in a way that
incorporates this belief. I plan to accomplish it by guiding
students through the process needed to develop a sound
conceptual understanding of science. This process begins
with activating the students’ existing knowledge to link new
knowledge to what they already know and understand well.
Educational philosophy

Mike Barker - importance of educational career in
individual life
As a student and teacher, I have discovered the
tremendous value education has in a person’s life. My goal
is to identify the students who have overlooked the
importance of learning and give them access to all the
opportunities education offers. If I can do this for just a
handful of students, my teaching career will be a complete
success.
Educational goals for
science teaching

Lisa Barab - conceptual understanding
Constructing conceptual understanding through
scientific inquiry, incorporating students’ prior
knowledge and life experiences
- My teaching of science will incorporate
application of scientific knowledge to practical
life experiences and employ the significance of
science inquiry…Altogether, these will make
learning science exciting and interesting, and
more importantly understandable.
Educational goals for
science teaching

Mike Baker – transfer of knowledge and
problem solving skills
Make students become successful citizens in the
future by providing students with useful tools of
correct understanding of procedures and
mathematical relationships
- In some circumstances, the best explanation
may occur once the foundation is established,
which may take more than one lesson. On the
other hand, offering a rudimentary explanation
will assist the students in remembering a set of
patterns.
Perception of teacher’s and
students’ roles

Lisa Barab – facilitator and critical thinker
engaged in scientific inquiry
- provoke students’ interest in classroom
activities
- careful analysis of students’ reasoning
skills and understanding
- participate fun and plausible scientific
inquiry process
Perception of teacher’s and
students’ roles

Mike Baker – transmitter and user of
algorithmic tools
- help students to accomplish their
academic potential
- provide students with key problemsolving skills
- transfer of knowledge in a procedural
form
Personal background and
teaching situation

Lisa Barab
- Physical chemist father
- High academic achievement
- Science research experience
- Great interest in science
- Teaching chemistry in suburban high
school
Personal background and
teaching situation

Mike Baker
- A manager of R& D technology in chemical
engineering company
- High academic achievement
- Strong self-confidence in science content
knowledge and teaching strategy
- Positive attitude about science teaching
- Teaching chemistry in suburban high school
What shapes practical
knowledge and performance in
science teaching ?

Educational philosophy
 Educational goals for science teaching
 Perceptions of teachers’ role in science
classroom
 Classroom teaching situation
 Personal prior knowledge and experiences
Conclusion
Expectancy X Value Model
The likelihood that an individual will expend
effort on a task is proportional to the product
of two factors:
1) the degree to which they value both the
outcome of and engagement with the task
(i.e., the product and the process)
2) the degree to which they expect to be able
to perform that task successfully, provided
they apply themselves
Zone of Proximal
Development
Practices a newcomer can carry out only with
the support of more knowledgeable
individuals
(e.g., Vygotsky, Lave; Wenger)
Combined Framework
Those practices that appear within an
individual’s ZPD are those that she may not
be able to successfully carry out
independently, but they are practices she
both values highly and has a high expectancy
of success with support from us or others
P
Practices cand idate va lues and can
engag e in with help
Z
Practices
cand idate can
engag e in
independen tly
D
Implications
We try to convince candidates of the importance of
our values by
--designing assignments consonant with our
values
--assigning grades for successful completion of
these assignments
We help increase expectancy for success by
providing scaffolded opportunities to learn more
about:
--the learning process
--their content understanding
--the students they teach
Implications (continued)
Our goals may not have been reached because we may not
have sufficiently understood our candidates’ ZPDs
--For candidates who hold values consistent with our own, no
problems arise (practices are within their ZPDs)
--For other candidates, problems arise because the practices
are outside their ZPDs. They may reinterpret our assignments
to focus on practices that they valued more highly or for which
they had a greater expectancy of success
Conclusion
What we hope to do:
--modify our expectations of the candidates
--try to modify their values and expectancies of success
Target goals:
--create assignments that more consistently engage them in the
practices that are within their ZPDs
--help candidate develop more sophisticated teaching practices
Factors Affecting
Candidates’ Practice

Personal resources and values: Science
knowledge and experience, insights into
students, core values and priorities, etc.
 Culture of school and classroom:
Resources, opportunities, values
 Culture of teacher preparation program:
Resources, assignments, opportunities,
values
Implications

Importance of school placements and
experiences in schools
 Importance of experiences with science
and resulting knowledge and ideas about
the nature of science
 Conceptual change problems in teacher
preparation: We know better what we need
to work on
Please visit our website:
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