Observed Implementation of a Science Professional Development Program for K-8 Classrooms

Sinclair, Becky; Naizer, Gilbert; Ledbetter, Cynthia

doi:10.1007/s10972-010-9206-z

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the primary benefit from the content knowledge courses was a deeper understanding of science subject matter, an important benefit gained from participation in professional learning communities was increased self‐efficacy. This supports the existing literature in this area that illustrates the importance of teacher collaboration on teacher efficacy (Bruce et al, 2010; Cowley & Meehan, 2001; Edwards et al, 1998; Sinclair et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Edwards, Green, Lyons, Rogers, and Swords (1998) found that a professional development program that involved instruction in implementing standards‐based instruction, training in nonverbal classroom management and cognitive coaching, and had participants meet as a group on a monthly basis with teachers from other schools to discuss the implementation of standards showed a significant increase in self‐efficacy. Other recent studies also illustrate the importance of teacher collaboration in any form on teacher efficacy (Bruce et al, 2010; Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, 2010).…”

Section: Prior Researchmentioning

confidence: 91%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The impact of science content and professional learning communities on science teaching efficacy and standards‐based instruction

Lakshmanan¹,

Heath²,

Perlmutter³

et al. 2010

J Res Sci Teach

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines the impact of standards-based professional development on teacher efficacy and instructional practice of elementary and middle school science teachers. Professional development activities were conducted over a period of 3 years and included content courses as well as teacher involvement in professional learning communities. Teacher efficacy was assessed at five time points using the Science Teacher Efficacy Beliefs Instrument (STEBI), and instructional practice was evaluated at four time points with classroom observations using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). Results indicate that there was significant growth in teacher self-efficacy but not in outcome expectancy. There was also significant growth in the extent to which teachers implemented inquiry-based instruction in the classroom. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between changes in self-efficacy and changes in the use of inquiry-based instructional practice. These results are discussed in terms of a model of teacher learning wherein changes in teacher beliefs and changes in classroom practice mutually influence each other, and also in terms of the impact of collaboration on teacher efficacy and practice. ß

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Prior Researchmentioning

confidence: 91%

The impact of science content and professional learning communities on science teaching efficacy and standards‐based instruction

Lakshmanan¹,

Heath²,

Perlmutter³

et al. 2010

J Res Sci Teach

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…When implementing a quality science program, teachers face multiple self and task‐related concerns including time constraints for instruction and preparation (Sandholtz & Ringstaff, ), availability of resources to conduct scientific investigations (Johnson, ), a lack of teacher science content and pedagogical knowledge (Choi & Ramsey, ; Peers, Diezmann, & Watters, ), and low science teaching confidence (Jarvis & Pell, ; Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, ). To address these concerns, researchers suggested school districts schedule a time for science instruction, acquire needed materials for science investigations, and provide teachers with sustained professional development that focuses on content knowledge, pedagogical skills, and confidence in teaching science (Brand & Moore, ; Buczynski & Hansen, ; Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, ; NSB, 2010; Robinson, Shore, & Enerson, ).…”

Section: Professional Development Intervention Across Two Yearsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elementary Teachers: Concerns About Implementing a Science Program

Dailey

Robinson

2016

School Sci & Mathematics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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/problembased 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.

show abstract

“…Although teachers and designers often work together to design computersupported inquiry curricula, how these tools are enacted by individual teachers may be very different (Puntambekar et al, 2007). Researchers have found that when teachers were more comfortable with teaching a particular topic, they are more likely to encourage students to question, investigate, and discuss around core scientific concepts (Copur-Gencturk, Hug, & Lubienski, 2014;Sinclair, Naizer, & Ledbetter, 2011;Van Duzor, 2011). In addition, longitudinal professional development programs with ongoing support throughout the academic years appear to help teachers enhance the quality of classroom discourse (Copur-Gencturk, Papakonstantinou, & Parr, 2013), use more open-ended questions, and encourage students to consider alternative explanations (Sandholtz & Ringstaff, 2013).…”

Section: Computer-supported Inquiry and Classroom Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Using representational tools to learn about complex systems: A tale of two classrooms

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Orchestrating inquiry‐based science learning in the classroom is a complex undertaking. It requires fitting the culture of the classroom with the teacher's teaching and inquiry practices. To understand the interactions between these variables in relation to student learning, we conducted an investigation in two different classroom settings to understand how different teachers use and appropriate the same physical and computer‐based tools into their teaching practices. Each worked with physical aquaria, function‐oriented hypermedia for background information and reference, and NetLogo (Evanston, IL) simulations for computer‐supported collaborative inquiry learning. The students engaged in inquiry as they used the NetLogo models in small groups. Because of distinct teaching styles and varying levels of comfort with the materials and content, these two enactments were extraordinarily different between the two classrooms. We present a contrasting case analysis to examine how each teacher's practices set the stage for the kinds of interactions that occurred during students' computer‐supported inquiry learning. We suggest that one teacher worked from a cognitive‐elaboration perspective whereas the other teacher took an approach to teaching that incorporated socio‐cultural perspectives. Both of the approaches to teaching supported the active engagement of learners and may account for the similar learning outcomes measured. In light of the current move toward standards‐based public education, it may seem that there is only one pathway for teaching to support of student learning. However, our results do not support this notion and we provide evidence that different instructional models, classroom norms, and appropriation of tools can support similar student learning outcomes with respect to content knowledge. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 6–35, 2015

show abstract

Observed Implementation of a Science Professional Development Program for K-8 Classrooms

Cited by 23 publications

References 18 publications

The impact of science content and professional learning communities on science teaching efficacy and standards‐based instruction

The impact of science content and professional learning communities on science teaching efficacy and standards‐based instruction

Elementary Teachers: Concerns About Implementing a Science Program

Using representational tools to learn about complex systems: A tale of two classrooms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About