Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Whitworth, Brooke A.

doi:10.18130/v3q529

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The individuals responsible for science in small districts are typically generalists who may actually be responsible for all curriculum and instruction within their district, while science coordinators with a degree in science are more likely to be employed in urban districts and have more professional responsibilities. Similar to Whitworth (), the results of the present investigation suggest coordinators in smaller districts may need more content‐specific PD to provide the best support for science teachers and students, while science coordinators in large districts might need more administrative‐specific PD.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Differences observed in how elementary and secondary teachers approach science instruction (Schneider & Plasman, ) may require coordinators who have not taught at multiple grade levels to develop new expertise in order to support their teachers. The results of the present investigation and the Whitworth () study suggest districts may need to consider how to structure their administration and/or provide PD for leaders working with teachers outside of their content‐area or grade level expertise. This is also supported by what we know of how expertise develops and manifests (Bransford, ; Bransford et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Criteria used to select participants for interviews included district locale (as defined by http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/commonfiles/glossary.asp), degree, responsible for only science, and desire for more science coordinator specific PD. These characteristics were selected to provide diverse perspectives across characteristics that may influence coordinator practice (Whitworth, ). A representative sample of participants along these criteria was selected (Table ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A more recent study suggests that district structure and background experience may play a role in the effectiveness of coordinators. In a case study of three science coordinators, Whitworth () found that a coordinator with an elementary teaching background responsible for working with teachers of grades PK‐12 students perceived she was less effective when working with secondary teachers. In contrast, the two coordinators with secondary teaching backgrounds and more science content expertise were perceived by teachers as effective across grade levels.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating the role of a district science coordinator

et al. 2017

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This study explored the professional responsibilities of district science coordinators, their professional development (PD) experiences, the relationship between their role, responsibilities, district context, and background, and barriers encountered in their work. A national sample (n = 122) of self‐identified science coordinators completed a Science Coordinator Role Survey. Participants’ responses were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics. Following analysis of survey data, 16 participants (13.1%) were purposefully selected for semi‐structured follow‐up interviews. Results indicated the majority of respondents identified themselves as Caucasian, female, and had served in their position for less than 10 years. The typical science coordinator held a degree in a science content area and was a former science teacher. Respondents without science degrees tended to hold positions at small, remote, or rural school districts with responsibilities in multiple content areas. Participants also reported barriers of not having enough PD opportunities, lack of time, lack of emphasis on science instruction, and a lack of power to enforce policies within a district. Results characterize the professional responsibilities of coordinators, provide insight into the role of a science coordinator, and into how to create targeted PD for coordinators. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 914–936, 2017

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigating the role of a district science coordinator

et al. 2017

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“…Often these individuals serve in an administrative role and develop strategic plans for science education within their contexts. In the United States, for example, an individual in this type of role may hold the title of a district science coordinator, science supervisor, or science curriculum specialist (Whitworth, 2014). Table 2 shows the results of an initial review of articles focusing on individuals in this type of position and the knowledge, practices, and attributes needed for this position.…”

Section: Science Coordinatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Science Education Trajectories: Charting the Course for Teachers, Educators, Researchers, and Policymakers

Luft

Whitworth

Berry

et al. 2018

Journal of Science Teacher Education

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The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.

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Teaching assistants' perceptions of a training to support an inquiry-based general chemistry laboratory course

Wheeler

Maeng

Whitworth

2015

Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.

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The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to better understand teaching assistants' (TAs') perceptions of training in a guided inquiry undergraduate general chemistry laboratory context. The training was developed using existing TA training literature and informed by situated learning theory. TAs engaged in training prior to teaching (B25 hours) and attended weekly meetings throughout the year (B60 hours). Assessment of training utilized a constructivist framework to understand TAs' perceptions of training in supporting their implementation of guided inquiry in the laboratory. Participants included 20 graduate TAs and 8 undergraduate TAs of varying teaching experience. Data collection included three open-ended surveys across the academic year and two semi-structured interviews with a purposefully sampled subset of TAs. Data were analyzed using systematic data analysis (Miles and Huberman, 1994). Results indicated different aspects of the training were helpful for different subgroups of participants. For example, going over logistics and completing the experiments were most helpful for TAs with no previous teaching experience while discussing learning theory was least helpful for TAs whose future career goals were research-focused. Analyzing participants' experiences and perceptions through a situated learning theory lens suggested TAs with little prior teaching experience appreciated the authentic experiences (e.g., experiments and grading) provided by the training. The results of the study suggest TA training should address prior experiences, particularly language and teaching, as well as the larger context of research and future careers. Future research will focus on examining how TAs learn within a situated training and how that impacts TA beliefs, practices, and student learning.

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Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Cited by 3 publications

References 54 publications

Investigating the role of a district science coordinator

Investigating the role of a district science coordinator

Science Education Trajectories: Charting the Course for Teachers, Educators, Researchers, and Policymakers

Teaching assistants' perceptions of a training to support an inquiry-based general chemistry laboratory course

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