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1. Analytical Framework of Influences on Science Teachers’ Formative Assessment (FA) Practices

   Caspari, I.; Sevian, H. (March 2020, NARST 2020)

   null (Ed.)

   In a time of increasing globalization, it is crucial that students are prepared to use their science knowledge to reason, solve problems, and practice socially responsible decision-making. Thus, teachers need to develop assessment strategies that monitor and enhance these competencies. Research suggests that teachers can enact formative assessment (FA) in this way, however, they often focus on how students’ answers compare to the canon as represented by the curriculum. When shifting toward FA enactment that is more responsive to student reasoning, teachers encounter various conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political dilemmas. Here, we present an analytical framework that can be used to analyze influences on the development of teacher FA practices and strategies teachers use to overcome dilemmas. Our development of this analytical framework is based on cultural-historical activity theory and is comprised of two stages. First, we present an initial analytical framework developed using activity theory to interpret and combine Windschitl’s (2002) dilemma categories and Dini et al.’s (2020) FA enactment model. Second, we present the refinement of this initial framework through a case study of two teacher cases. The impact of this novel analytical framework on research and practice is discussed. 

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2. Automated feedback on discourse moves: Teachers’ perceived utility of a big data tool.

   https://doi.org/10.3102/1887987  

   Scornavacco, K.; Jacobs, J.; Clevenger, C. (March 2022, Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association)

   Using new technology to provide automated feedback on classroom discourse offers a unique opportunity for educators to engage in self-reflection on their teaching, in particular to ensure that the instructional environment is equitable and productive for all students. More information is needed about how teachers experience automated data tools, including what they perceive as relevant and helpful for their everyday teaching. This mixed-methods study explored the perceptions and engagement of 21 math teachers over two years with a big data tool that analyzes classroom recordings and generates information about their discourse practices in near real-time. Findings revealed that teachers perceived the tool as having utility, yet the specific feedback that teachers perceived as most useful changed over time. In addition, teachers who used the tool throughout both years increased their use of talk moves over time, suggesting that they were making changes due to their review of the personalized feedback. These findings speak to promising directions for the development of AI-based, big data tools that help shape teacher learning and instruction, particularly tools that have strong perceived utility. 

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3. Exploring the noticing of science teachers: What teachers' notice and using video to capture teacher knowledge

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ssm.12623  

   Luft, Julie_A; Huang, Yuxi; Singh, Harleen; Ozen‐Tasdemir, Hatice; DeLuca, Joe; Watson, Shelby; Ayano, Elizabeth; Whitworth, Brooke_A (November 2023, School Science and Mathematics)

   Abstract Knowing how science teachers develop their professional knowledge has been a challenge. One potential way to determine the professional knowledge of teachers is through videos. In the study described here, the authors recruited 60 elementary and secondary science teachers, showed them one of two 10‐min videos, and recorded and analyzed their comments when watching the videos. The coding focused on their noticing of student learning, teacher's teaching, types of teaching practices, and the use of interpretative frames. The noticing data were collected and analyzed to determine the differences between groups of teachers. The findings from the analysis indicated that most science teachers noticed the instruction of teachers rather than the learning of students, and these noticing events were often focused on general instructional practices as opposed to the science practices emphasized in theNext Generation Science Standards(National Research Council, 2013). The only difference between the teachers was in the area of evaluating the videos. Secondary science teachers and experienced elementary teachers were more likely to evaluate the videos than were novice elementary teachers. This may be a result of the knowledge base of the teachers. These results suggest a need for explicit reform‐based instruction and a revision of this research process. 

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4. Teachers’ Beliefs in Enacting an Interdisciplinary Engineering Project in Inclusive and General Classroom Contexts

   Lilly, Sarah; McAlister, Anne M.; Chiu, Jennifer (January 2022, Annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education.)

   In this study, we examine the reported beliefs of two elementary science teachers who co-taught a four-week engineering project in which students used a computational model to design engineering solutions to reduce water runoff at their school (Lilly et al., 2020). Specifically, we explore the beliefs that elementary science teachers report while enacting an engineering project in two different classroom contexts and how they report that their beliefs may have affected instructional decisions. Classroom contexts included one general class with a larger proportion of students in advanced mathematics and one inclusive class with a larger proportion of students with individualized educational programs. During project implementation, we collected daily surveys and weekly interviews to consider teachers’ beliefs of the class sections, classroom activities, and curriculum. Two researchers performed a thematic analysis of the surveys and interviews to code reflections on teachers’ perceived differences between students in the class sections and their experiences teaching engineering in the class sections. Results suggest that teachers’ beliefs about students in these two different classroom contexts may have influenced opportunities that students had to understand and engage in disciplinary practices. The teachers reported making changes to activities based on their perceptions of student understanding and engagement and to save time which led to different experiences for students in each class section, specifically a more teacher-centered implementation for the inclusive class. Teachers also suggested specific professional development and educative supports to help teachers to support all students to engage in engineering tasks. Thus, it is important to understand teachers’ beliefs to build support for teachers in their implementation of engineering projects that meet the needs of their students and ensure that students have access and support to engage in engineering practices. 

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5. Exploring teachers’ learning to support rigorous science learning through collaborative design

   https://doi.org/10.3102/IP.22.1884509  

   Coker, R.; Akcil-Okan, O.; Rhemer, D. M.; Morandi, S.; Schellinger, J.; Tekkumru-Kisa, M.; Southerland, S.A. (April 2022, Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association)

   Reform efforts targeting science instruction emphasize that students should develop scientific proficiency that empowers them to collaboratively negotiate science ideas as they develop meaningful understandings about science phenomena through science practices. The lessons teachers design and enact play a critical role in engaging students in rigorous science learning. Collaborative design, in which teachers work together to design, enact, and reflect on their teaching, holds potential to support teachers’ learning, but scarce research examines the pathways by which collaborative design can influence teachers’ instructional practices. Examining the teaching and reflective thinking of two science teachers who engaged in collaborative design activities over two years, we found that their enactment practices became more supportive of students’ rigorous learning over time, and that they identified collaborative efforts with teacher educators and partner teachers to plan lessons and analyze videos of instruction as supportive of their learning to enact rigorous instruction. 

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