Showing papers in "School Science and Mathematics in 2002"

Measuring Reform Practices in Science and Mathematics Classrooms: The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol

Abstract: The National Science Foundation has funded 22 Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation. Despite the remarkable allocation of resources to this effort, it has proven exceptionally difficult to demonstrate the effectiveness of collaborative reform. In large part, this has resulted because of the difficulty of defining and measuring reform. The Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) was designed by the Evaluation Facilitation Group of the Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (ACEPT). It is a 25-item classroom observation protocol that is (a) standards based, (b) inquiry oriented, and (c) student centered. This instrument has provided the definition for reform and the basis for evaluation of the ACEPT collaborative. The data upon which this report is based were collected over a period of more than 2 years from 153 public school, college, and university mathematics and science classrooms. A trained team of observers consisting of two faculty members and seven graduate students was able to achieve exceptionally high levels of interrater reliability. Internal consistency, as estimated by Cronbach's alpha, was also remarkably high. Correlation coefficients ranging from 0.88 to 0.97 between RTOP scores for classrooms, and mean normalized gain scores for students in those classrooms on achievement measures demonstrate that reform, as defined by ACEPT and measured by the RTOP, has been effective.

Drawing a Scientist: What We Do and Do Not Know After Fifty Years of Drawings

Abstract: Since 1957, there has been a growing body of research dealing with the perceptions students have of scientists. Typically, the research studies in this area have utilized students' drawings in efforts to discern what those perceptions are. Emergent from this research has been what one would call a stereotypical perception of scientists, and strong evidence exists that such a stereotypical perception is persistent and pervasive across grade levels, gender, racial groups, and national borders. This manuscript provides a review of the more salient studies done on students' drawings of scientists and the perceptions therein revealed since Mead and Metraux's seminal study in 1957. In addition, the manuscript summarizes what this body of research has and has not revealed thus far, and what seems to lie ahead, including implications for science education.

Preservice Teachers' Beliefs and Practice After Participating in an Integrated Content/Methods Course

Abstract: There is substantial evidence that teachers' beliefs about mathematics impact their teaching of mathematics. Given this evidence, it is appropriate that teacher education programs assess their effectiveness, at least in part, on how well they nurture beliefs that are consistent with their philosophy of learning and teaching. To explore this perspective a study was conducted with preservice elementary teachers participating in an alternative certification program for teaching in an urban setting. Students were required to take 6 hours of mathematics and 6 hours of mathematics education taught as a seamless course over three semesters. Before and after the program students completed a Mathematics Belief Instrument. Descriptive statistics were used to study trends across the group (n=14). Higher mean scores were found in all three parts of the post survey. Qualitative data were collected over the year in the form of weekly teaching logs. Results suggest that the program was successful in changing preservice teacher beliefs.

Mathematics Anxiety and Learning Styles: What Is the Relationship in Elementary Preservice Teachers?

Abstract: The study investigated the relationship between elementary preservice teachers' mathematics anxiety levels and learning style preferences. Subjects included 72 preservice teachers at a midsized southeastern U.S. university who were at the end of their third year of study. The subjects completed the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale and the Style Analysis Survey (SAS). Scores obtained on the two instruments were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlations. Eleven of the SAS subscales were examined. The global subscale was the only one related to mathematics anxiety at the p < .05 level of significance. Findings revealed a low (r= .28) but significant (p < .05) positive correlation between mathematics anxiety and a global (right-brain dominant) learning style. As global orientation scores increased, mathematics anxiety scores increased as well. This study indicated that there is tendency for global learners to possess higher levels of mathematics anxiety.

Children's Ideas About Weather: A Review of the Literature

Abstract: It is generally accepted that children have their own understanding of how the world works prior to receiving formal science instruction. A great deal of research has been done to determine students' misconceptions related to the physical sciences; less has been done to understand children's ideas in the Earth sciences. This paper reports a synthesis of the existing research about children's misconceptions relating to weather, climate and the atmosphere. The scientifically accepted interpretations are presented in tandem with the children's naive ideas. When possible, a source of the misconception is also presented. In many cases, students' misconceptions are not addressed in the curriculum, allowing them to exist unchallenged.

Integrated Science and Mathematics Professional Development Programs

Abstract: Over the past 5 years, integrated science and mathematics professional development programs for grades 4-10 science and mathematics teachers have been designed and implemented at Wright State University. The primary goals of the programs were to enhance the science and mathematics content understanding and pedagogical knowledge of the participant teachers in order to increase teacher confidence and promote the implementation of standards-based teaching practices in precollege classrooms. In this article, the general program structure developed and implemented over the years is discussed. Focusing on the 1999 program, evidence is presented of enhanced participant content understanding and pedagogical preparation, and specific examples of modified teacher practices are discussed.

Scoring Concept Maps: An Expert Map-Based Scheme Weighted for Relationships

Abstract: The use of student-constructed concept maps in assessment is congruent with the changing emphases set forth by the National Science Education Standards. Authorities have expressed concern about concept map scoring systems and their associated validity and reliability. They favor methods that employ expert/criterion maps as referents and emphasize the use of accurate concept relationships in deriving scores, which have been found to correlate with performance on standardized tests. In this study, student constructed concept maps (n= 17) that emerged from post-instructional interviews about chlorofluorocarbons were scored against a teacher-expert map using a scheme weighted for relationships. Interrater reliability for the scoring scheme was high (r= .959). Students' map scores correlated highly with their scores on the California Achievement Test component total (r= .729) and moderately with their Pathfinder index (r= .474), the latter believed to be an excellent measure of structural knowledge. A revised map score, derived only from relationships containing one or more of the concepts employed in Pathfinder analysis, was a statistically significant (p= .031) predictor of the Pathfinder index. The findings of this study support the recommendations of others to use expert referents and emphasize concept relationships in assessing concept maps.

Construction of Teacher Knowledge in Context: Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics and Science

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to further the understanding of how preservice teachers construct teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of elementary mathematics and science in a school-based setting and the extent of knowledge construction. Evidence of knowledge construction (its acquisition, its dimensions, and the social context) was collected through the use of a qualitative methodology. The methods course was content-specific with instruction in elementary mathematics and science. Learning experiences were based on national standards with a constructivist instructional approach and immediate access to field experiences. Analysis and synthesis of data revealed an extensive acquisition of teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Learning venues were discovered to be the conduits of learning in a situated learning context. As in this study, content-specific, school-based experiences may afford preservice teachers greater opportunities to focus on content and instructional strategies at deeper levels; to address anxieties typically associated with the teaching of elementary mathematics and science; and to become more confident and competent teachers. Gains in positive attitudes and confidence in teaching mathematics and science were identified as direct results of this experience.

Taiwanese Gifted Students' Views of Nature of Science

Abstract: This study examined the conceptions of nature of science (NOS) possessed by a group of gifted seventh-grade students from Taiwan. The students were engaged in a 1-week science camp with emphasis on scientific inquiry and NOS. A Chinese version of a NOS questionnaire was developed, specifically addressing the context of Chinese culture, to assess students' views on the development of scientific knowledge. Pretest results indicated that the majority of participants had a basic understanding of the tentative, subjective, empirical, and socially and culturally embedded aspects of NOS. Some conflicting views and misconceptions held by the participants are discussed. There were no significant changes in students' views of NOS after instruction, possibly due to time limitations and a ceiling effect. The relationship between students' cultural values and development of NOS conceptions and the impact of NOS knowledge on students' science learning are worth further investigation.

Using Emerging Technologies to Help Bridge the Gap Between University Theory and Classroom Practice: Challenges and Successes

Abstract: This article describes and illuminates the challenges that the authors faced as we integrated a web-supported professional development system into elementary science methods courses housed at three different universities. Using a design experiment framework, the challenges and difficulties encountered while attempting to develop and sustain effective discussions about inquiry-based teaching are discussed. Three main issues were identified through this analysis: (a) creating meaningful interactions for preservice teachers, (b) supporting preservice teacher reflection and articulation of their belief systems, and (c) technical, social, and institutional challenges of using a World Wide Web based professional development system. The article closes with recommendations concerning the implementation of a web-based professional development system into elementary methods science courses and describes what appear to be successful strategies for fostering a collaborative atmosphere between teacher educators, preservice teachers, and in-service teachers.

Intended Treatments of Arithmetic Average in U.S. and Asian School Mathematics Textbooks.

Abstract: This study examined how selected U.S. and Asian mathematics curricula are designed to facilitate students' understanding of the arithmetic average. There is a consistency regarding the learning goals among these curriculum series, but the focuses are different between the Asian series and the U.S. reform series. The Asian series and the U.S. commercial series focus the arithmetic average more on conceptual and procedural understanding of the concept as a computational algorithm than on understanding the concept as a representative of a data set; however, the two U.S. reform series focus the concept more on the latter. Because of the different focuses, the Asian and the U.S. curriculum series treat the concept differently. In the Asian series, the concept is first introduced in the context of “equal-sharing” or “per-unit-quantity,” and the averaging formula is formally introduced at a very early stage. In the U.S. reform series, the concept is discussed as a measure of central tendency, and after students have some intuitive ideas of the statistical aspect of the concept, the averaging algorithm is briefly introduced.

Reforming and Assessing Undergraduate Science Instruction Using Collaborative Action-Based Research Teams.

Abstract: Faculty members at Purdue University in the departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry conducted a reform effort for the undergraduate curriculum utilizing action-based research teams. These action-based research teams developed, implemented, and assessed constructivist approaches to teaching undergraduate science content in each department. This effort utilized a partnership of scientists, science educators, master teachers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Results indicated that the project partners were able to (a) implement more inquiry-based teaching that emphasized conceptual understanding, (b) provide opportunities for cooperative learning experiences, (c) use models as an ongoing theme, (d) link concepts and models to real-world situations, e.g., field trips, (e) provide a more diverse range of assessment strategies, and (f) have students present their understandings in a variety of different forms. Further, we found that we were able to (a) involve graduate and undergraduate students, classroom teachers, scientists, and science educators together to work on the reform in a collaborative manner, (b) bring multiple perspectives for teaching and for science to support instruction and, (c) provide scientists and graduate science students (who will become university professors) with more effective teaching models. We also found that the collaborative action-based research process was effective for contributing to the reform of undergraduate teaching.

Building Bridges and Crossing Borders: Using Service Learning To Overcome Cultural Barriers to Collaboration between Science and Education Departments.

Abstract: Powerful preparation of elementary educators in teaching science involves significant contributions from both scientists and teacher educators. Ironically, faculty and students in science and teacher education departments are often isolated from one another not only across the physical boundaries of the university, but across the cultural boundaries of academe. Coordination and collaboration between science and education faculty and students requires a careful negotiation of these cultural boundaries. This paper presents several illustrations of both successful and unsuccessful collaborative episodes documented during the creation of an interdepartmental service learning project, Science Outreach. The illustrations are interpreted in terms of a cultural difference model, and recommendations are made for successful interdepartmental collaboration.

Exploring the Link Between Preservice Teachers' Conception of Proof and the Use of Dynamic Geometry Software

Abstract: This case study investigated how secondary preservice mathematics teachers perceive the need for and the benefits of formal proof when given geometric tasks in the context of dynamic geometry software. Results indicate that preservice teachers are concerned that after using dynamic software high school students will not see the need for proofs. The participants stated that multiple examples are not equivalent to a proof but, nonetheless, questioned the value of formal proof for high school students. Finally, preservice teachers found the greatest value of geometric software to be in helping students understand key relationships within a problem or theorem. Participants also tended to study a problem more deeply with the software than without it.

Exploring Graduate-Level Scientists' Participation in a Sustained K-12 Teaching Collaboration

Abstract: To increase scientific literacy in America, the National Science Foundation has implemented the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Initiative (GK-12). In these programs graduate level scientists, known as Graduate Teaching Fellows (GTFs), act as resources for science teachers (Partner Teachers). This research examines the influence of participation in this program on the GTFs involved in one GK-12 sustained collaboration that emphasizes the codevelopment and co-implementation of hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Qualitative data in the form of interviews and observations were collected from a single cohort of Partner Teachers, GTFs, and the academic advisors of the GTFs for one academic year. The GTFs identified three benefits they received from working in the GK-12 program: enhanced understanding of science content, fuller understanding of the complexities of teaching science, and understanding of inquiry-based science teaching and its value. At the same time the GTFs experienced tensions related to differing views of science and science teaching held by the GTFs and the Partner Teachers. The GTFs also experienced professional risks in at least two ways due to their involvement in this program. One risk was the result of the time commitment required to be a GTF. The other was the result of what was termed competing foci. Illustrated in this case by the difficulties encountered as GTFs attempted to learn how to teach in a secondary science classroom while still learning to become research scientists.

Implementing the Standards: Keys to Establishing Positive Professional Inertia in Preservice Mathematics Teachers.

Abstract: This paper summarizes and integrates the lessons learned from the last decade of professional development efforts based on the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989, 1991, 1995). The fundamental challenges to such reform are identified, then the rest of the paper is dedicated to strategies that have been helpful in overcoming these obstacles. The challenges include both the teachers' views of mathematics and their image of teaching. The Immerse and Instill approach describes strategies that encourage teachers to implement standards-based teaching upon entering the teaching field (Immerse) as well as instilling some of the professional habits necessary to keep teachers and their students actively engaged (Instill).

The Effect of Calculator‐Based Ranger Activities on Students' Graphing Ability

Abstract: Middle school students can learn to communicate with graphs in the context of appropriate Calculator-Based Ranger (CBR) activities. Three issues about CBR activities on graphing abilities were addressed in this study: (a) the effect of CBR activities on graphing abilities; (b) the extent to which prior knowledge about graphing skills affects graphing ability; (c) the influence of instructional styles on students' graphing abilities. Following the use of CBR activities, students' graphing abilities were significantly more developed in three components _ interpreting, modeling, and transforming. Prior knowledge of graphing skills on the Cartesian coordinate plane had little effect on students' understanding of graphs. Significant differences, however, were found in students' achievement, depending on instructional styles related to differentiation, which is closely connected to transforming distance-time graphs to velocity-time graphs. The result of this study indicates that the CBR activities are pedagogically promising for enhancing graphing ability of physical phenomena.

The Mathematics Writer's Checklist: The Development of a Preliminary Assessment Tool for Writing in Mathematics.

Abstract: The use of writing as a pedagogical tool to help students learn mathematics is receiving increased attention at the college level (Meier & Rishel, 1998), and the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) built a strong case for including writing in school mathematics, suggesting that writing enhances students' mathematical thinking. Yet, classroom experience indicates that not all students are able to write well about mathematics. This study examines the writing of a two groups of students in a college-level calculus class in order to identify criteria that discriminate “;successful” vs. “;unsuccessful” writers in mathematics. Results indicate that “;successful” writers are more likely than “;unsuccessful” writers to use appropriate mathematical language, build a context for their writing, use a variety of examples for elaboration, include multiple modes of representation (algebraic, graphical, numeric) for their ideas, use appropriate mathematical notation, and address all topics specified in the assignment. These six criteria result in The Mathematics Writer's Checklist, and methods for its use as an instructional and assessment tool in the mathematics classroom are discussed.

Aligning General Chemistry Laboratory With Lecture at a Large University

Abstract: The laboratory and lecture components of general chemistry are commonly offered as two separate courses, with lecture typically meeting two or three times per week and laboratory scheduled to meet only once per week. The concepts, content, and relationships presented in lecture may be disjointed and asynchronous with respect to those encountered in laboratory experiments. In addition, traditional laboratory experiments tend to be confirmation labs, in which students are aware of the “right” answer before beginning the lab. Students enrolled in a specific lecture section do not necessarily meet for the same laboratory section. As such, learning experiences in laboratory do little to help the students construct an understanding of chemical concepts, content, or relationships. The goal of this project was to develop an inquiry-based approach to curriculum and instruction in first-semester general chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A major objective of the project was to develop a laboratory curriculum that meshes intimately with lecture. This objective was accomplished by (a) creating a laboratory course that met for 80-minutes twice a week immediately following the lecture, (b) involving students in laboratory experiments that related to the material presented during lecture, and (c) using laboratory observations and data in lecture to help students construct an understanding of chemical phenomena.

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Use of Mathematics in a Project‐Based Science Approach

Abstract: The use of a project-based science (PBS) approach to teaching encourages students to integrate mathematics and science in meaningful ways as they create projects. As a beginning study of how students use mathematics in such an approach, an analysis of 23 projects developed by preservice elementary teachers enrolled in an elementary science course was conducted. Findings showed that students made a number of different types of mathematical errors and underutilized data representation and summary forms. Implications included the importance of developing methods for supporting the use of mathematical tools in utilizing a project-based approach and considering ways that such tools mediate scientific thinking.

Teaching and Learning Number Sense: One Successful Process‐Oriented Activity With Sixth Grade Students in Taiwan

Abstract: The aim of this article was to (a) describe how a teacher helped his students develop fractional number sense through a process-oriented activity, and (b) illustrate how a teacher included a worthwhile, interesting, and challenging mathematics question in his class to create a good learning environment for children. The results indicate that students' fractional number sense can be promoted through a process-oriented activity, effective teaching, and good learning environment. It also illustrates how teachers can help children promote their understanding of number sense from a pictorial representation to a symbolic representation.

Barriers and Pathways: A Reflection on the Implementation of an Induction Program for Secondary Science Teachers

Abstract: Induction programs play a critical role in the development of professional educators. While induction programs are a necessity for all beginning teachers, science teachers need carefully crafted programs that meet their unique needs. This paper reports the barriers and pathways that were experienced during a 3-year period when an induction program was developed and implemented for secondary science teachers. This information is provided to assist future university, college, or school district induction program developers.

Changes in Students' Science Ability Produced by Multimedia Learning Environments: Application of the Linear Logistic Model for Change

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to measure changes in students' science proficiency produced by a multimedia learning environment, Astronomy Village: Investigating the Solar System, developed at Wheeling Jesuit University's Center for Educational Technologies with funding from the National Science Foundation. The inquiry-based design of Astronomy Village supports middle school students in learning fundamental concepts in life, earth, and physical science. Astronomy Village was compared to an alternative treatment that simulated elements of traditional science instruction using web site access to background materials and content in Astronomy Village. The results indicate sizable treatment effects for two groups of Astronomy Village students, as well as for the alternative treatment group. Differences in the treatment effect sizes among the three treatment groups reveal the relative merits of different approaches to using technology. The Linear Logistic Model for Change applied in this study is beneficial for comparing alternative uses of technology, since it separates effects due to treatments from natural trend effects and eliminates drawbacks of traditional statistical designs for pretest-posttest changes.

A Collaborative Effort To Improve University Engineering Instruction.

Abstract: This study focused on the instructional development of an assistant professor of environmental engineering in collaboration with science education and higher education faculty members. One semester of data was collected in the assistant professor's environmental engineering laboratory class as he endeavored to address his teaching goals. Data collection included pre and post interviews with the assistant professor, students, and program coordinator, and collection of course documents, such as the course syllabus and assignments. In addition, all of the classroom sessions were observed and videotaped, and a midsemester video stimulated-recall interview was conducted. Results show the assistant professor made growth in the areas of questioning strategies, “think time” for students, increased class participation, and the implementation of a student-designed field research project. Implications include that new professors can benefit from peer faculty support, and they and their students can benefit when the new professors recognize the complementary nature of research and teaching.

Improper Use of Physics-Related Context in High School Mathematics Problems: Implications for Learning and Teaching.

Abstract: This article discusses potential pedagogical difficulties arising from using physics-related contexts in high-school mathematics problems. It is suggested that such problems should not require any external knowledge of physics by the students; meanwhile, the problems should not contradict the physics knowledge that the students may already have. Several examples of recently published textbook problems are presented along with the discussion of the context pitfalls. A simple technique (SCAN list) is proposed for evaluating the physics-related mathematics problems.

Understandings of Solutions to Differential Equations through Contexts, Web-Based Simulations, and Student Discussion

Abstract: As in the case of elementary mathematics, the instruction of high-level mathematical concepts can often be sacrificed at the expense of a focus on algorithmic procedures. Computer-based simulations can expand an undergraduate mathematics instructor's opportunity to explore high-level mathematical concepts in an applied environment. This study describes one instructor's approach to incorporating simulations and classroom discussions in a differential equations course and the subsequent effects on student learning attitudes and outcomes. Students made modest gains in the area of conceptualizing and applying ideas regarding solutions to differential equations in this learning environment. Implications of the study include the identification of specific gains relative to computer-mediated learning environments and recommendations for using simulations to support conceptual development.

The Role Knowledge Frameworks Play in the Ability of Preservice Elementary Teachers to Explain the Operation of a St. Louis Motor

Abstract: Preservice elementary teachers (n= 30) described the operation of a St. Louis motor before and after studying a laboratory unit on magnetism and electricity. Knowledge frameworks were identified using the flow map method, and the data were further analyzed for quality of the content. The results show that knowledge framework interconnectedness of the post-unit interview was positively correlated (r= 0.36, p < 0.10) with higher quality descriptions of the St. Louis motor. This article describes an in-depth analysis of the lowest and highest performing students and compares their performance to the mean of the larger sample. The research provides insights into the roles that knowledge frameworks play in students' ability to explain abstract scientific phenomena.

Building a Network to Empower Teachers for School Reform

Abstract: Reform efforts in college mathematics teaching are often hindered by the fact that many instructors have never experienced instructional delivery methods other than lecture. Building a network of college mathematics faculty interested in reform has provided the impetus for faculty members to incorporate problem solving, cooperative learning, technology, manipulatives, writing, and alternative means of assessment into courses for preservice elementary teachers. Suggestions for setting up a network are intended to provide guidance for other departments wishing to stimulate reform movements.