Science Teaching Reform Through Professional Development: Teachers’ Use of a Scientific Classroom Discourse Community Model

Abstract

This report outlines a 2-year investigation into how secondary science teachers used professional development (PD) to build scientific classroom discourse communities (SCDCs). Observation data, teacher, student, and school demographic information were used to build a hierarchical linear model. The length of time that teachers received PD was the exclusive predictor of change over time, whereas a schools' percentage of low socioeconomic students predicted how PD concepts was initially implemented. Prior to PD teachers expressed a desire to increase opportunities for students to engage in SCDCs, but found some aspects more challenging than others to implement. Generally, there were three categories of the teachers' frequency of use of SCDC strategies: (a) most observed that required teachers to change their own communication, classroom management, and direct instruction; (b) occasionally observed that provided opportunities for greater oral and written discourse to facilitate students' meaning making of science; and (c) least observed that encouraged students' executive control of their learning and teachers' use of formative assessment in response to students' diverse learning needs. Teachers identified administrative support, PD strategies, and teacher collaboration as supports for implementation. However, they rated students' science knowledge, diverse language skills, and discourse abilities as the greatest barriers to implementing a SCDC.

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“…The professional knowledge of these teachers was reinforced by their past experiences. The easiest path for the teacher was adopted first rather than a harder path requiring more professional knowledge (Lewis et al, 2015). Reflection from past experiences changed teachers' behavior toward producing items that asked a single and simple answer of the students.…”

“…Middle school teachers tend to think negatively about their students (Lewis et al, 2015). Teacher B in Community 1 and the teachers of Community 2 tended to have lower expectations for the students' abilities, while Teacher A had higher expectations for student achievement.…”

“…In particular, we wanted to explore the teachers' complex social relationships (Erickson, 1986;Lave & Wenger, 1991;Lewis et al, 2015). Since all teachers' PD experiences are unique (Lewis et al, 2015), it will be difficult to draw general conclusions from this study. However, it is useful to have an understanding of how a teacher's PD is actively applied, implemented, or rejected in a CoP.…”

“…Teachers' professional knowledge is more influenced by collaborative interactions with colleagues than by independent practice in the classroom (Akerson et al, 2009;Flint, Zisook, & Fisher, 2011;Fultak & Heredia, 2014;Gao & Wang, 2014;Jones et al, 2013;Lewis et al, 2015;So, 2013;Rytivaara & Kershner, 2012;van Driel, 2010). Therefore, it is essential to study teacher communities of practice (CoPs) in order to understand their influence on teachers' PD.…”

Elaboración y validación de un cuestionario de Preocupaciones Profesionales sobre la Enseñanza de la Biología (PPEB)

“…En ese sentido, el desarrollo profesional debe ser entendido como un proceso intencional, en marcha y sistemático (Guskey, 2000) que busque cambios individuales que transformen el conocimiento del profesor para una nueva práctica (Loucks-Horsley et al, 2010), y donde el aprendizaje profesional se conciba como una construcción activa (Lewis, Baker y Helding, 2015), situada (Belland et al, 2015), contextual (Borko, 2004;Paulsen, 2015) y con sentido para el profesor.…”