With the increased attention on integrating computer science concepts into K-12
curricula, there has been a growing investment into professional development
opportunities that prepare teachers to teach computer science principles. Yet, little
research exists on design features of professional development that help teachers gain the
computer science content, skills and teaching pedagogy that ultimately make an impact
on student learning and participation in the classroom. In this work we present a
professional development model for helping K-12 teachers integrate computer science
principles across the curriculum in a variety of content areas. We subsequently
investigate the ways in which the design features of the model promoted teacher learning
of computer science content and pedagogy.
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Science Teachers’ Negotiation of Professional Vision around Dilemmas of Science Teaching in a Professional Development Context
Learning to teach is a culturally situated activity. As teachers learn, it is important to understand not only what teachers learn, but how they learn. This article describes a qualitative case study of a subset of four teachers’ learning during a professional development surrounding a plate tectonics curriculum. Using qualitative methods, this study tells the story of how the four teachers negotiated professional vision for science teaching around dilemmas that emerged throughout the professional development. By taking a sociocultural perspective on professional vision, researchers can gain insight into how and what teachers learn in professional develop- ment settings because it renders teacher learning complex and nuanced. Additionally, we argue negotiating professional vision parallels sensemak- ing. Sensemaking around science teaching includes grappling with epis- temic issues of science in addition to pedagogy and curriculum. Implications for science teacher education are discussed. Specifically, we argue learning to teach requires teachers to engage in conversations that create opportunities to “get somewhere” in relation to dilemmas they have about teaching. In this way, professional vision is an ongoing process of learning that has no endpoint or ideal articulation of teaching or science. Therefore, by framing professional vision as a process of learning we are able to push back on simplistic descriptions of teaching and science.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2006144
- PAR ID:
- 10422570
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Science Teacher Education
- ISSN:
- 1046-560X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 18
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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null (Ed.)New computer science standards are being rapidly introduced at the elementary level but little is known about how to prepare teachers to learn and teach the content of these standards, or how to support students with disabilities in learning computer science. Accordingly, we designed and studied the Inclusive Computer Science Model of Professional Development to prepare teachers to integrate computer science for students with disabilities. This paper presents results from this design-based study to understand the factors that inhibited and enhanced teachers’ participation in the professional development and how participation in the professional development influenced teachers’ instruction and perceptions about teaching computer science to students with disabilities. Results revealed two inhibiting factors and one enhancing factor for participation. Further, although teachers did increase their integration of computer science for students with disabilities, it was challenging for teachers to learn and apply new computer science content and approaches for supporting students with disabilities at the same time. Future professional development efforts should focus on careful scaffolding and release of responsibility when preparing teachers to support students with disabilities in learning computer science.more » « less
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In an era of high-stakes accountability and widespread calls for improved student performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (National Research Council, 2002), it is critical that we also focus on how to support and enhance teachers’ learning. Teachers have long been understood to play a key role in the performance of students (e.g., Nye, Konstantopoulos, & Hedges, 2004). Educational policymakers have become increasingly focused on “value-added” approaches to gauging teacher performance (McCaffrey, Lockwood, Koretz, Louis, & Hamilton, 2004), which attempt to directly link the contribution of individual teachers to their students’ subsequent test performance, in both the near and far term. We take the position that, no matter what one thinks about the current testing and evaluation regime, it makes sense to conduct research to improve our understanding of how to support teachers’ ongoing learning and efforts to improve their practice related to student outcomes. This paper reports on a study of teacher learning in a context that is especially apt in the current policy climate – how teachers learn to teach a curriculum associated with a recently-revised high stakes examination. In particular, we report early results from a study of high school teachers learning to teach the revised Advanced Placement Biology curriculum as they prepare students for a high-stakes examination. We examine the role of professional development in supporting teachers’ learning to use the revised Advanced Placement Biology curriculum and the relationship between teachers’ professional development choices and subsequent student performance on the Advanced Placement Biology examination.more » « less
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Teacher self-efficacy (SE) has been observed to be an 'important construct for Computer Science (CS) teachers' professional development because it can predict both teaching behaviors as well as student outcomes" [1]. The purpose of the present study was to investigate teacher CS SE during a two-year federally funded professional development (PD) and curriculum development project for middle school teachers incorporating game-design and the Unity development platform. The research question investigated is: How does teacher self-efficacy for teaching computer science via game design with the Unity game development platform change during a year-long PD program? Investigations of teacher SE for teaching CS have resulted in some surprising results. For example, it has been reported that - There were no differences in self-efficacy based on teachers' overall level of experience, despite previous findings that teacher self-efficacy is related to amount of experience" and "no differences in self-efficacy related to the teachers' own level of experience with CS" [2], thus further study of CS teacher SE is warranted. Participants in this study were six middle school teachers from four middle schools in the southeastern United States. They participated in a year-long PD program learning the Unity game development platform, elements of game design, and foundations of learner motivation. Guided reflective journaling was used to track the teachers' SE during the first year of the project. Teachers completed journal prompts at four intervals. Prompts consisted of questions like "How do you currently feel about your ability to facilitate student learning with Unity?" and "Are you confident that you can implement the materials the way the project team has planned for them to be implemented?" Prior to beginning the project participants expressed confidence in being able to facilitate student learning after participating in the planned professional development, but there was some uneasiness about learning and using Unity. From a SE perspective their responses make sense, as all of the participants are experienced teachers and should have confidence in their general ability to teach. However, since Unity is a new programming environment for all of the teachers, they did not have the prior experience necessary to have a high degree of confidence that they could successfully use it with their students.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2022.2136052
