Challenges New Science Teachers Face

Davis, Elizabeth A.; Petish, Debra; Smithey, Julie

doi:10.3102/00346543076004607

Cited by 418 publications

(348 citation statements)

References 177 publications

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“…To identify a research-base for characterizing these challenges, we reviewed the literature on beginning science teachers (Davis, Petish, & Smithey, 2006). We summarize some findings of our review, as related to beginning elementary teachers of science, to position the importance of our goals.…”

Section: Overcoming Challenges Through Addressing Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching

2009

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ABSTRACT:We use a 10-year program of research centered on iterations of one elementary science methods course as a vehicle for exploring three important and interrelated goals for the learning of beginning elementary teachers. These include learning about inquiryoriented science teaching, using science curriculum materials effectively, and anticipating and working with students' ideas in instruction. For each goal we discuss how the literature informs our thinking, describe relevant aspects of our design of the course, and present findings of our research with regard to preservice teachers' experiences in and learning from aspects of the course. For each goal, we also highlight examples from our longitudinal work following the preservice teachers into their early years as elementary teachers, to provide a glimpse of teachers' trajectories related to each of the themes. We close with a discussion of implications for research and practice in elementary science teacher education.

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Section: Overcoming Challenges Through Addressing Goalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching

2009

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“…In particular, research has suggested the importance of ensuring that science teachers can fluently discern which instructional resources to use to target specific learning goals, to provide insight into student thinking, and to address specific student challenges (Carlsen, 1991;Schneider & Plasman, 2011). One of the most important aspects of this practice for a science teacher is being able to use one's subject matter knowledge to determine whether and how specific instructional strategies and resources can be employed to engage students productively with scientific phenomena, although this can be challenging, especially for novice teachers (Carlsen, 1991;Davis, Petish, & Smithey, 2006;Schneider & Plasman, 2011). It is important that science teachers understand the different ways in which scientific phenomena can be represented, for example, through a wide array of models, examples, or simulations, and be able to use these various representations to challenge student ideas (Clermont, Borko, & Krajcik, 1994;Schwarz et al, 2009).…”

Section: Conceptualizing Practice-based Measures Of Content Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Practice‐Based Measures of Elementary Science Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching: Initial Item Development and Validity Evidence

Mikeska

Phelps

Croft

2017

ETS Research Report Series

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Since its 1947 founding, ETS has conducted and disseminated scientific research to support its products and services, and to advance the measurement and education fields. In keeping with these goals, ETS is committed to making its research freely available to the professional community and to the general public. Published accounts of ETS research, including papers in the ETS Research Report series, undergo a formal peer-review process by ETS staff to ensure that they meet established scientific and professional standards. All such ETS-conducted peer reviews are in addition to any reviews that outside organizations may provide as part of their own publication processes. Peer review notwithstanding, the positions expressed in the ETS Research Report series and other published accounts of ETS research are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Officers and Trustees of Educational Testing Service.The Daniel Eignor Editorship is named in honor of Dr. Daniel R. Eignor, who from 2001 until 2011 served the Research and Development division as Editor for the ETS Research Report series. The Eignor Editorship has been created to recognize the pivotal leadership role that Dr. Eignor played in the research publication process at ETS. This report describes efforts by a group of science teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and content specialists to conceptualize, develop, and pilot practice-based assessment items designed to measure elementary science teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT). The report documents the framework used to specify the content-specific teaching practices and instructional tools that are critical to the work that elementary science teachers engage in with students, curriculum, and instruction. Drawing on this framework, the report details the development process for practice-based assessment items designed to measure CKT elementary science in three content areas: (a) structure and properties of matter, (b) ecosystems, and (c) Earth's place in the universe. These practice-based assessment items address the various content challenges elementary science teachers face in their work and were designed to be used as a foundation for building large-scale assessments of elementary science teachers' CKT science. This report presents initial validity evidence examining the practice-based CKT science item characteristics using results from online administrations of these items to 250 upper elementary science teachers. Findings reveal that the majority of these new assessment items capture variability in elementary science teachers' performance and that a large proportion of the items differentiate moderately well, supporting a beginning proof-of-concept for the conceptualization and design of these practice-based CKT elementary science assessment items. Keywords Science; assessment; content knowledge for teaching; specialized content knowledge; pedagogical content knowledge; subject matter knowledge; elementary teachers doi:10.1002/ets2.12168 Enhancing the capacity of K-12 teachers ...

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“…Beginning teachers need to learn how to address problems of practice such as engaging students in science, organizing instruction and developing productive learning communities-and in doing so, develop their knowledge, teaching practices, and dispositions. Preservice teachers recognize these problems of practice as important, though from a somewhat different perspective (Abell, Bryan, & Anderson, 1998;Davis et al, 2006;Howes, 2002;Schwarz et al, 2008). They want to engage their own students in interesting and real-world science information, teach science in a manner that is more fun, exciting and relevant than it frequently was for them as former students, and fix science misconceptions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Preservice and beginning teachers face a number of challenges in learning how to teach science effectively (Appleton, 2006;Davis, Petish, & Smithey, 2006). These challenges include developing their professional knowledge about science content, scientific practices and discourses, and the nature of science (National Research Council [NRC], 2007) as well as their knowledge about learners' strengths, needs, and ways of knowing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any effective approach must be strategic as there is limited time and capacity for helping them become well-started beginners 1 for their own classrooms after completing their certification. Prior research offers some strategies for effectively preparing preservice teachers for teaching science (Appleton, 2006;Davis et al, 2006). Effective teacher education generally involves helping preservice teachers analyze teaching and learning within particular contexts such as their placement classrooms or with video and written cases, and giving preservice teachers opportunities to teach and reflect on their teaching with microteaching and field experiences that make use of performance assessments and portfolios .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Developing preservice elementary teachers' knowledge and practices through modeling‐centered scientific inquiry

Schwarz

2009

Science Education

130

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Preservice elementary teachers face many challenges in learning how to teach science effectively, such as engaging students in science, organizing instruction, and developing a productive learning community. This paper reports on several iterative cycles of design-based research aimed at fostering preservice teachers' principled reasoning around these problems of practice through modeling-centered scientific inquiry. The first design cycle introduced preservice teachers to modeling and simulation software tools in an effort to advance their understanding of science and technology; the second used an instructional framework embodying modeling-centered inquiry to advance their views of effective science teaching and their lesson-planning practices; the third engaged preservice teachers in analyzing and modifying curriculum materials using reform-based criteria to foster effective curriculum materials use. Outcomes from these iterations indicate that the preservice teachers were most likely to advance their knowledge and practices within a coherent approach that focused on a core scientific practice such as modeling-centered inquiry, provided opportunities to unpack and apply robust tools such as reform-based instructional frameworks, and addressed their perceived problems of practice. The findings from this set of approaches are compared to others in an effort to point toward promising future directions for effective science teacher education.

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Challenges New Science Teachers Face

Cited by 418 publications

References 177 publications

Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching

Beginning teachers moving toward effective elementary science teaching

Practice‐Based Measures of Elementary Science Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching: Initial Item Development and Validity Evidence

Developing preservice elementary teachers' knowledge and practices through modeling‐centered scientific inquiry

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