The program was designed in part to address weakness in science teachers understanding of the nature of science, which was documented in earlier research (Khalic and Lederman, 2000; Schwartz and Lederman, 2002). 1 Introduction, History, and Definition of Laboratories, 3 Laboratory Experiences and Student Learning, 5 Teacher and School Readiness for Laboratory Experiences, 7 Laboratory Experiences for the 21st Century, APPENDIX A Agendas of Fact-Finding Meetings, APPENDIX B Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff. This course is developed to improve the effectiveness of laboratory classes in higher education. The laboratory has been given a central and distinctive role in science education, and science educators have suggested that there are rich benefits in learning from using laboratory activities. a deeper understanding of abstract concepts and theories gained by experiencing and visualising them as authentic phenomena the skills of scientific enquiry and problem-solving, including: recognising and defining a problem formulating hypotheses designing experiments collecting data through observation and/or experimentation interpreting data Zip. In addition to the many programs to increase teachers knowledge and abilities discussed above, the scientific community sometimes engages scientists to work directly with students. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Some school and school district officials may be reluctant to invest in sustained professional development for science teachers because they fear losing their investments if trained teachers leave for other jobs. People working in the clinical laboratory are responsible for conducting tests that provide crucial information for detecting, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disease. (2001). Tushnet, N.C., Millsap, M.A., Noraini, A., Brigham, N., Cooley, E., Elliott, J., Johnston, K., Martinez, A., Nierenberg, M., and Rosenblum, S. (2000). Review of Educational Research, 52(2), 201-217. When asked whether they had time during the regular school week to work with colleagues on the curriculum and teaching, 69 percent of high school teachers disagreed and 4 percent had no opinion, leaving only 28 percent who agreed. Davis, and P. Bell (Eds. Science Education, 85(3), 263-278. The design of this professional development program incorporated the principle of integrating laboratory experiences into the stream of instruction and the goal of providing a full range of laboratory experiences, including opportunities for students to participate in developing research questions and procedures. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Arrangements must be made with Instructor to cover unavoidable absences or planned breaks. Report equipment problems in writing to the Lab Staff. Forty-seven percent completed and returned the questionnaire. Catley (2004) reports that having gone through the process of frustration, false starts and the elation of completion, [the teachers] came away with a deeper understanding of how inquiry works and a sense of empowerment. ReviewLiterature review: The role of the teacher in inquiry-based education. Educational Policy, 17(5), 613-649. Results of the study also confirmed the effectiveness of providing active learning opportunities. The role of the laboratory in science learning. During the school year, teachers may access kits of materials supporting laboratory experiences that use biomedical research tools. (2004). Bayer facts of science education 2004: Are the nations colleges adequately preparing elementary schoolteachers of tomorrow to teach science? Professional development opportunities for science teachers are limited in quality, availability, and scope and place little emphasis on laboratory instruction. Gamoran, A., Anderson, C.W., Quiroz, P.A., Seceda, W.G., Williams, T., and Ashmann, S. (2003). Gess-Newsome, J., and Lederman, N. (1993). Requirements for professional development of in-service science teachers differ widely from state to state. Qualifications of the public school teacher workforce: Prevalence of out-of-field teaching 1987-88 to 1999-2000. A study of a much smaller sample of teachers yielded similar findings (Catley, 2004). School districts, teachers, and others may want to consider these examples, but further research is needed to determine their scope and effectiveness. In a case study of his experience, this professor called for reducing science teachers class loads so they have more time to reflect on and improve their own practice. International Journal of Science Education 22(7), 665-701. Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics. Improving science teachers conceptions of nature of science: A critical review of the literature. One study illustrates undergraduate students lack of exposure to the full range of scientists activities, and the potential benefits of engaging them in a broader range of experiences. In addition, some researchers argue that, although professional development expends resources (time, money, supplies), it also creates new human and social resources (Gamoran et al., 2003, p. 28). Active learning opportunities focused on analysis of teaching and learning. Deep disciplinary expertise is necessary to help students learn to use laboratory tools and procedures and to make observations and gather data. (2002). Student outcomes and the professional preparation of eighth-grade teachers in science and mathematics: NSF/NELS. U.S. Department of Energy. It is unclear whether these and other ad hoc efforts to provide summer research experiences reach the majority of high school science teachers. The research comprised both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In response to surveys conducted in the mid-1990s, teachers indicated that, among the reasons they left their positionsincluding retirement, layoffs, and family reasonsdissatisfaction was one of the most important. Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks. Promoting inquiry-based instructional practice: The longitudinal impact of professional development in the context of systemic reform. Gamoran and colleagues found that, although the educational researchers provided an infusion of expertise from outside each of the six school sites, the professional development created in collaboration with the local schools had its greatest impact in supporting local teachers in developing their own communities. This body of knowledge addressed the kind of laboratory instruction given to students, consideration of students with special needs, supportive teaching behaviors, models to engage students working in small groups, the sequencing of instruction, and modes of assessment (p. 121). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Physics Department. Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. In the Seattle program, teachers attend a 13-day summer workshop in which they work closely with each other, master teachers, and program staff to develop expertise in molecular biology. Other duties include reinforcing laboratory housekeeping and safety protocol, coordinating with other engineering departments, and receiving, installing, and maintaining laboratory supplies and equipment. Millar, R., and Driver, R. (1987). In reviewing the state of biology education in 1990, an NRC committee concluded that few teachers had the knowledge or skill to lead effective laboratory experiences and recommended that major new programs should be developed for providing in-service education on laboratory activities (National Research Council, 1990, p. 34). It may also be because teachers lack the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of assessment required to lead such discussions (Maienschein, 2004; Windschitl, 2004). They further report (Lederman, 2004, p. 8): By observing practicing scientists and writing up their reflections, teachers gained insight into what scientists do in various research areas, such as crystallization, vascular tissue engineering, thermal processing of materials, nutrition, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, protein purification and genetics. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum. Anderson, C., Sheldon, T., and Dubay, J. Even teachers who have majored in science may be limited in their ability to lead effective laboratory experiences, because their undergraduate science preparation provided only weak knowledge of science content and included only weak laboratory experiences. Few professional development programs for science teachers emphasize laboratory instruction. He enrolled at the University of the Free State in 1980 and obtained a BSc degree in Mathematics and Physics, as well as a Higher Education Diploma. Teachers lacking a science major may be less likely to engage students in any type of laboratory experience and may be less likely to provide more advanced laboratory experiences, such as those that engage the students in posing research questions, in formulating and revising scientific models, and in making scientific arguments. For example, Northeastern University has established a program called RE-SEED (Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstration), which arranges for engineers, scientists, and other individuals with science backgrounds to assist middle school teachers with leading students in laboratory experiences. Gitomer, D.H., and Duschl, R.A. (1998). Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed Oct. 2004]. Hegarty-Hazel, E. (1990). Equity for linguistically and culturally diverse students in science education. In a guided-inquiry laboratory (GIL), the teacher provides the students with a question, or set of questions, and the students design an experiment to address the question(s). . Boys and girls in the performance-based classroom: Whos doing the performing? Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name. However, their study was criticized for being conducted in laboratory environment (Taylor, Ntoumanis, . However, the undergraduate education of future science teachers does not currently prepare them for effective laboratory teaching. Catley, K. (2004). The elementary level science methods course: Breeding ground of an apprehension toward science? ), Proceedings of the Conference on K-12 Outreach from University Science Departments. Familiarity with the evidence or principles of a complex theory does not ensure that a teacher has a sound understanding of concepts that are meaningful to high school students and that she or he will be capable of leading students to change their ideas by critiquing each others investigations as they make sense of phenomena in their everyday lives. thus expanding the teaching or training role; sometimes they are excluded purposely, such as in the case of France, where teachers are only responsible for the actual instruction and the remainder of . Lynch, S., Kuipers, J., Pike, C., and Szeze, M. (in press). Ferguson, R. (1998). Science Education, 77, 261-278. However, several types of inflexible scheduling may discourage effective laboratory experiences, including (a) limits on teacher planning time, (b) limits on teacher setup and cleanup time, and (c) limits on time for laboratory experiences. It appears that the uneven quality of current high school laboratory experiences is due in part to the preparation of science teachers to lead these experiences. Hammer, D. (1997). The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. Other studies have also found that most teachers do not experience sustained professional development and that they view it as ineffective (Windschitl, 2004). Teachers play a critical role in leading laboratory experiences in ways that support student learning. Enforcing laboratory rules . Slotta, J.D. Westbrook, S., and Marek, E. (1992). However, many high school teachers currently lack strong academic preparation in a science discipline. Laboratory Demonstrations: Do start class by demonstrating key techniques or equipment operation or describing the location and handling of special materials. The contents of the institute were developed on the basis of in-depth field interviews and literature reviews to tap the practical knowledge of experienced science teachers. Paper presented at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching meeting, March 23, Chicago, IL. To lead effective laboratory experiences, science teachers should know how to use data from all of these assessment methods in order to reflect on student progress and make informed decisions about which laboratory activities and teaching approaches to change, retain, or discard (National Research Council, 2001b; Volkman and Abell, 2003). In reviewing the state of biology education in 1990, an NRC committee concluded that few teachers had the knowledge or skill to lead effective laboratory experiences and recommended that "major new programs should be developed for providing in-service education on laboratory activities" (National Research Council, 1990, p. 34). The laboratory has been given a central and distinctive role in science education, and science educators have suggested that there are rich benefits in learning from using laboratory activities. Science Educator, 12(1), 1-9. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 6(2), 120-124. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, April, St. Louis, MO. Hofstein, A., and Lunetta, V.N. Chemistry laboratories play an essential role in the education of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. In addition to science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, teachers also need general pedagogical knowledge in order to moderate ongoing discussion and reflection on laboratory activities, and supervise group work. Evaluating the effect of teacher degree level on educational performance. A three-way error components analysis of educational productivity. Data from a 2000 survey of science and mathematics education indicate that most current science teachers participate infrequently in professional development activities, and that many teachers view these activities as ineffective (Hudson, McMahon, and Overstreet, 2002). What can they contribute to science learning? or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one. The laboratory has been given a central and distinctive role in science education, and science educators have suggested that there are rich benefits in learning from using laboratory activities. Although the time frame of the study prevented analysis of whether the teacher communities were sustained over time, the results suggest that school districts can use focused professional development as a way to create strong teaching communities with the potential to support continued improvement in laboratory teaching and learning. For example, HHMI has funded summer teacher training workshops at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for many years, and also supports an ongoing partnership between the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Seattle, Washington, public schools (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2003). Laboratory experiences as a part of most U.S. high school science curricula have been taken for granted for decades, but they have rarely been carefully examined. How should student learning in laboratory experiences be assessed? Bayer Corporation. The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Lee, O., and Fradd, S.H. The arts and science as preparation for teaching. (1997). These limits, in turn, could contribute to lower science achievement, especially among poor and minority students. Lee, O. Lederman, N.G. Paper prepared for the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Pedagogical content knowledge may include knowing what theories of natural phenomena students may hold and how their ideas may differ from scientific explanations, knowledge of the ideas appropriate for children to explore at different ages, and knowledge of ideas that are prerequisites for their understanding of target concepts. Atkin, P. Black, and J. Coffey (Eds.). MyNAP members SAVE 10% off online. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. This timely book investigates factors that influence a high school laboratory experience, looking closely at what currently takes place and what the goals of those experiences are and should be. East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research in Teacher Education. Available at: http://www.nsta.org/positionstatementandpsid=16 [accessed Oct. 2004]. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31, 621-637. Reynolds (Ed. The laboratory science teacher professional development program. The research described above indicates that undergraduate laboratory experiences do not integrate learning of science content and science processes in ways that lead to deep conceptual understanding of science subject matter. The group employs a variety of long-term strategies, such as engaging teachers in curriculum development and adaptation, action research, and providing on-site support by lead teachers (Linn, 1997; Lederman, 2004). In B.J. The organization and structure of most high schools impede teachers and administrators ongoing learning about science instruction and the implementation of quality laboratory experiences. In many cases teachers ranked in-service training as their least effective source of learning (Windschitl, 2004, p. 16; emphasis in original). McComas, W.F., and Colburn, A.I. High school science laboratories. A study package for examining and tracking changes in teachers knowledge. To lead laboratory experiences that incorporate ongoing student discussion and reflection and that focus on clear, attainable learning goals, teachers require pedagogical content knowledge. It examined the role of laboratory method of teaching in improving the quality of education, strategies for effective use of laboratory method and the problems facing the effective use of laboratory method in teaching science. Rockville, MD: Westat. The National Science Teachers Association takes a slightly different position, suggesting that administrators provide teachers with a competent paraprofessional. At this time, however, some educators have begun to question seriously the effectiveness and the role of laboratory Helping students attain the learning goals of laboratory experiences requires their teachers to have broad and deep understanding of both the processes and outcomes of scientific research. Key words: Laboratory, chemistry, teaching, achievement, students. It aims to support teachers to improve their teaching skills for active learning in university science laboratory courses. Most current professional development for science teachers, such as the activities that had little impact on the teaching strategies among teachers responding to the 2000 survey, is ad hoc. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218, Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory Class, 2021Regents of the University of Michigan. Linn, M.C. Science Teacher (October), 40-43. Ingersoll, R. (2003). In N.M. Lambert and B.L. (1996). Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Reston, VA: Association of Teacher Educators. laboratory notebooks, essays, and portfolios (Hein and Price, 1994; Gitomer and Duschl, 1998; Harlen, 2000, 2001). Teachers need to listen in a way that goes well beyond an immediate right or wrong judgment. Zahopoulos, C. (2003). Specifically, it challenges the assumption that having a college degree in science, by itself, is sufficient to teach high school science. In this section, we describe the types of teacher knowledge and skills that may be required to lead a range of laboratory experiences aligned with our design principles, comparing the required skills with evidence about the current state of teachers knowledge and skills. The authors concluded that professional development activities that are short-term interventions have virtually no effect on teachers behaviors in leading laboratory experiences. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/June_3-4_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Not a MyNAP member yet? Javonovic, J., and King, S.S. (1998). Loucks-Horsley, Love, Stiles, Mundry, and Hewson (2003) provide a detailed design framework for professional development and descriptions of case studies, identifying strategies for improving science teaching that may be applicable to improving laboratory teaching.
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