Supporting the Supporters: Professional Development for Science Coordinators

Whitworth, Brooke A.; Bell, Randy L.; Maeng, Jennifer L.; Gonczi, Amanda L.

doi:10.1080/1046560x.2017.1404814

Cited by 4 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Providing professional development specifically tailored to science coordinators may help change coordinators' practices and understandings. For example, Whitworth, Bell, Maeng, & Gonczi (2014) found coordinators' understandings about pedagogy and their job responsibilities improved significantly after participating in science coordinator professional development. Furthermore, many important practices including writing and implementing a strategic plan, using data to support their practice, and implementing professional development around inquiry were incorporated into their practices after attending the professional development.…”

Section: District Science Coordinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Whitworth

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Section: District Science Coordinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Whitworth

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“…To our knowledge, only one study has focused on outcomes following professional development designed specifically to meet science coordinator needs (Whitworth, Bell, Maeng, & Gonczi, ). Whitworth and colleagues () reported coordinators’ understandings of research‐based science instruction (e.g., problem‐based learning (PBL), nature of science (NOS), and scientific inquiry) and job responsibilities improved significantly following the professional development. Further, they reported writing and implementing a strategic plan, using data to support their practice, and implementing professional development to develop teachers’ inquiry teaching and learning following the professional development.…”

Section: Science Coordinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although this study provides some evidence that professional development designed specifically for science coordinators can change coordinator understandings about research‐based science instruction and their responsibilities, researchers concluded science coordinators may need more support in applying their understandings in their districts. The present study builds on Whitworth and colleagues () by providing a detailed description of how three coordinators supported high‐quality science instruction in their districts following a science coordinator‐specific professional development.…”

Section: Science Coordinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…District science leaders have the potential to be an integral part of supporting changes in science teacher beliefs, practices, and student achievement (Whitworth & Chiu, ; Figure ). Results of prior studies suggest that science coordinator‐specific professional development can improve science coordinators’ understandings of research‐based science instruction and their responsibilities (e.g., Whitworth et al., ). However, little research investigates the support science coordinators provide to facilitate teachers’ high‐quality science instruction (Kennedy, ; Luft & Hewson, ).…”

Section: Purposementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Professional Development and Science Coordinatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring practices of science coordinators participating in targeted professional development

2018

Self Cite

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This study describes how district science coordinators supported teachers and implemented professional development in their districts following participation in the Science Coordinator Academy. This qualitative descriptive case study comprised three district science coordinators from three districts in a mid‐Atlantic state, as well as principals and teachers from those districts. Data sources, including observations, surveys, artifacts, and interviews, were analyzed using the framework method (Gale, Heath, Cameron, Rashid, & Redwood, 2013). District context, science coordinator background, and collaboration were salient factors that influenced coordinator practices and coordinators’ abilities to impact teacher change. We hypothesize that the development of a coaching relationship, facilitating collaboration among teachers, utilizing the characteristics of effective professional development, and promoting reflection through modeling and feedback may be the most important reflection‐growth model of instructional leadership (Blase & Blase, 1999) practices for science coordinators to enact when working with teachers.

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Exploring how museums can support science teacher leaders as boundary spanners

Porter,

Phillips,

Stallings

et al. 2024

Science Education

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Local implementation of science reform efforts in part relies on science teacher leaders (STLs) to improve science instruction in classrooms and beyond. The lack of science‐specific professional learning resources drives STLs to act as boundary spanners to locate resources outside their local context to fill that gap. Museums and other informal science education centers are examples of external entities that STLs might leverage to locate resources for local science education improvement. While we know how museums support pre‐ and in‐service science teachers, there is a gap in our understanding related to museum support for STLs. Here, we used case study research methods to analyze how a museum‐based professional learning programme supported STLs, as boundary spanners to access and adapt resources for local science education reform efforts. We found that each STL reported benefiting from shared resources from the museum, as well as from their peers in their working groups. We also found that STLs reported on different elements of the professional learning programme related to their area of influence (classroom or district) and the problem of practice their group worked on. We discuss how each of the named features of the museum‐based professional learning programme supported boundary spanning of STLs and end with implications and recommendations for the design of professional learning experiences to support their leadership work.

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Supporting the Supporters: Professional Development for Science Coordinators

Cited by 4 publications

References 32 publications

Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Exploring the Critical Role of a District Science Coordinator

Exploring practices of science coordinators participating in targeted professional development

Exploring how museums can support science teacher leaders as boundary spanners

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