http://www.ptec.org/ The latest material additions to the PTEC. en-US Copyright 2010, ComPADRE.org editor@ptec.org editor@ptec.org Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:00:26 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.compadre.org/portal/services/images/LogoSmallPTEC.gif http://www.ptec.org/ 125 35 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=7793 Perceptions of mentors' practices related to primary science teaching were obtained from final year preservice teachers after a 4-week practicum. Responses to a survey (n=59), constructed through literature-based practices and attributes of effective mentors, identified perceived strengths and weaknesses in the area of mentoring pre-service teachers of primary science. Through exploratory factor analysis, this pilot study also tested the unidimensionality of mentoring practices and attributes assigned to categories (factors) that may characterize mentoring in primary science teaching. These suggested factors, namely, personal attributes, system requirements, pedagogical knowledge, modeling, and feedback had Cronbach alpha coefficients of internal consistency reliability of 0.93, 0.78, 0.94, 0.90, and 0.81 respectively. Survey responses indicated that mentors generally do not provide specific mentoring in primary science teaching. It is argued that science education reform requires the identification of factors and associated attributes and practices of mentoring primary science in order to effectively develop pre-service teachers in primary science teaching. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7793 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:00:26 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=7793 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9763 NCATE examines the potential of Professional Development Schools (PDS) to support new teacher induction through a survey designed to capture the current programs and practices of colleges and universities. In fall 2006, NCATE sent a survey to its accredited institutions to provide answers to the following questions: (1)Which universities are engaged in new teacher induction? (2) What are the most important components of these induction programs? (3) What differences exist between PDS- and non-PDS-supported induction programs? The survey drew replies from 205 institutions. Education Practices/Professional Development http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9763 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:39:59 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9763 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8022 This study is an exploratory research project to: (1) identify the concerns that beginning science and mathematics teachers have about being a new teacher; and (2) identify the perceptions that these teachers have about the effectiveness of their preservice program in relation to their concerns. Program, in this context, is defined as pedagogy coursework, content coursework, and undergraduate experiences relevant to teaching. The participants for this study consisted of 11 beginning secondary and middle school science and mathematics teachers who were involved in the Salish Project at Purdue University, a research project designed to study secondary science and mathematics preservice programs across the nation. The new teacher concerns that emerged were: class assignments, curriculum development, time management, classroom management, and presentation of the content. Curriculum development, class assignments, and presentation of content have significant implications for the secondary science and mathematics preservice program. The perceptions that emerged about the preservice program were: content course work is too specific; some of the pedagogical coursework has limited usefulness; there is a need for more field experiences; and being an undergraduate teaching assistant eases the transition in becoming a teacher. All four of these perceptions have implications for the improvement of a secondary science preservice program. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8022 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:22:54 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8022 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=7794 This article analyzes literature on mentored learning to teach in ways consistent with the standards reform movement. It suggests that although reformers encourage mentoring for standards-based teaching, the assumptions underlying mentoring programs are often focused not on standards but on emotional and technical support. Mentoring practices are consistent with program assumptions rather than with the assumptions underlying standards-based teaching. Mentoring practices promote novices’ retention but may not support their learning to teach. Although mentoring practices alone cannot be expected to reform teaching, case studies can illustrate practices for novices learning to teach in reform-minded ways. We argue that policymakers need to find effective ways to educate mentoring program developers and that mentors and researchers need to explore the content and process of reform-minded mentoring. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=7794 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:32:38 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=7794 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8020 Drawing on literature since 1997, this review explores the effects of teacher induction on beginning teachers' conceptions and practice of teaching, and it identifies three approaches to understanding such effects, as found in the literature. The first approach addresses the assumed effects of teacher induction components on beginning teachers' teaching using theoretical assumptions as a base. The second approach analyzes the effects through teachers' self-reports. The third explores the effects of using multiple data sources. Although teacher induction affects beginning teachers' ideas about teaching, few studies capture its effects on teaching practice and student achievement. Thus, this review suggests directions for future research. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8020 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:26:27 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8020 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9695 Over the past decade, alternative teacher preparation programs have proliferated across the nation—and in Massachusetts—in response to projected teacher shortages and in an effort to better prepare teachers for the challenges of today’s classrooms. While the vast majority of Massachusetts teachers are trained through traditional teacher preparation programs, both the number of alternative route programs and the number of teachers completing them has grown significantly. The project provides a detailed analysis of alternate paths to teaching in Massachusetts. Research for this project included a review of relevant literature, websites and online documents, and interviews with directors of 26 alternative teacher preparation programs in Massachusetts. Fourteen interviews were conducted with directors of alternative teacher preparation programs operated by school districts, charter schools, private schools, education collaboratives and private organizations. Twelve interviews were conducted with directors of alternative teacher preparation programs operated by institutions of higher education. Participating college and university programs included two undergraduate programs, two 5th year programs and eight post-baccalaureate programs. This report summarizes key findings from the project and lays a foundation for discussion on the future role that alternative teacher preparation programs might play in Massachusetts, as well as their potential role as a catalyst for the reform of traditional university-based teacher education. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Teacher Certification http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9695 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:19:16 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9695 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8023 There is considerable interest in preparing science teachers who can implement reform-based practices in schools. However, there are relatively few research programs that have systematically studied the implementation of this teaching innovation over extended time (i.e., the entire undergraduate experience and the first few years of full time teaching practice). One extended research program since 1993 that has examined this critical issue in teacher preparation has been carried out in a National Science Foundation funded project in the Collaboratives for the Excellence in Teacher Preparation Program (CETP), the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP). This session synthesizes and reflects on the key research insights coming from over twenty separate studies conducted within the MCTP Research Program over nine years. A significant finding is that the MCTP new teachers maintain their reform-based orientation over time even as they report that they find many school environments resistant to reform-based practices. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8023 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:09:00 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8023 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8024 The Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Teaching (TRC) is a sustained professional development program serving over 700 teachers in Texas. The teacher participants receive over 105 contact hours of professional development each year. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the TRC professional development program in science teacher renewal and retention. Sixty current and former members of the TRC were intentionally selected and surveyed to determine the impact of the program on science teacher renewal. One-on-one interviews were also conducted with selected participants to verify and describe their respective TRC experiences. Study participants averaged 13.4 years of teaching experience and 3.3 years participating in the TRC program. Findings revealed teachers joined the TRC program to enhance the learning of their students, remained in the program for the classroom lessons and materials and left the program due to family reasons. Findings also revealed six factors impacting science teacher renewal: Building confidence in teaching ability; creating professional environments; providing classroom materials; providing current information on statewide issues; providing leadership opportunities; and providing networking opportunities. These factors impacting renewal are supported in literature on science teacher retention and renewal and are all important for science teacher renewal to occur. Education Practices/Professional Development http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8024 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:05:15 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8024 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8026 The purpose of this empirical study was to present a detailed description and interpretation of what happens in schools to beginning teachers who are prepared to enact reform-based practices in mathematics and science. The focus was on a select sample of graduates from the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation [MCTP], a statewide reform-based undergraduate teacher preparation program funded by the National Science Foundation. Interpretative research methodology was used to conduct a cultural case study of the beginning teachers' first 2 years of practice (first year, N = 5; second year, N = 3). We documented differential experiences and perceptions of the beginning teachers from both inside (emic) and outside (etic) perspectives. Documented discussion centered on an analytical framework suggested elsewhere. Findings were framed in two components: the individual's intentions, needs, and capabilities; and the institutional demands, affordances, and constraints. The major insight was that the beginning teachers' perception of their school culture was a major factor in whether reform-aligned mathematics and science teaching was regularly implemented by the beginning teachers. In instances where the beginning teachers' perceived that their school cultures offered a lack of support for their intent to implement reform-based practices the beginning teachers exhibited differing social strategies (resistance, moving on, and exit). Therefore, to sustain reform (and, by extension, to retain beginning mathematics and science teachers), a key implication is to place additional attention on the use of the school culture perspective to improve teacher preparation and induction experiences. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8026 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:28:30 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8026 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9641 Improving teacher quality entails policies concerning recruitment, early preparation, retention (including attention to working conditions), as well as professional development. The National Academy of Education provide recommendations that address each of these domains. Education Practices/Professional Development http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9641 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:21:25 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9641 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8025 U.S. schools face a growing and critical shortage of qualified teachers, especially in mathematics and science, where the workforce is plagued with an insufficient supply of qualified teachers and retention difficulties. After five years, between 40 and 50 percent of teachers leave teaching altogether. The most common reasons given for job dissatisfaction are low salaries, a lack of support from the administration, student discipline problems, lack of student motivation, and lack of influence over school decision-making; teachers who lack adequate initial preparation are even more likely to leave the profession. As a result of the striking statistics related to teacher attrition, states and districts have established policies such as teacher induction and mentoring programs to address the problem. New teachers, however, often feel uncomfortable imposing on their peers or mentors and asking for assistance. The authors feel it is the responsibility both of those responsible for teacher preparation programs to prepare teachers for what to expect within their first years of teaching, and of more experienced teachers to reach out to newcomers. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Induction and Mentoring http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8025 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:36:32 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8025 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9297 This presentation was a part of the "Taste of Technology" Workshop held July 26, 2009 as part of the AAPT Summer Meeting at the University of Michigan. Many students today are already comfortable using common web-based tools -- uploading and linking files, downloading music, images, video, etc.. Students communicate electronically not only through email but also in web-based social communities such as Facebook and Second Life. Physics instruction infused with second as well as first generation web tools -- blogs, wikis, forums, cafes, web seminars, digital libraries and many other web-based tools could provide conduits for students-to-student and student-to-instructor communication and course application. No knowledge of HTML (or of Web authoring in general) is needed for blogging. Students’ blogs, linked to a course wiki functions as an electronic portfolio, showcasing concept development over time, capturing questions, connections and supplying feedback from sources outside the traditional one-instructor assessment model. Wikis (wiki wiki is Hawaiian for "quick") can afford the opportunity for a class “learning community” where ideas could be shared, edited and the construction of a “living document” profiling and recording the proceedings of a particular class or course. Web seminars are commonly used within and external to educational contexts where participants can interactively learn through scheduled “net meetings” or presentations by experts in a field. A second generation tool, similar to web seminars but less formal are science cafes where experts can meet online at a predetermined time with participants. Digital libraries can provide a wealth of vetted resources and advice with many targeting and representing a specific topic or user group. Education Practices/Technology/Computers http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9297 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:50 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9297 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8842 Methods of physics education research were applied to find what kinds of changes in 4th, 6th, and 8th grade student understanding of motion can occur and at what age. Such findings are necessary for the physics community to effectively discharge its role in advising and assisting pre-college physics education. Prior to and after instruction the students were asked to carefully describe several demonstrated accelerated motions. Most pre-instruction descriptions were of the direction of motion only. After instruction, many more of the students gave descriptions of the motion as continuously changing. Student responses to the diagnostic and to the activity materials revealed the presence of a third “snapshot” view of motion not discussed in the literature. The 4th and 6th grade students gave similar pre-instructional descriptions of the motion, but the 4th grade students did not exhibit the same degree of change in descriptions after instruction. Our findings suggest that students as early as 6th grade can develop changes in ideas about motion needed to construct Newtonian-like ideas about force. Students' conceptions about motion change little under traditional physics instruction from these grade levels through college level. Education Foundations/Student Populations/Early Childhood http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=8842 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:06:39 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=8842 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2922 This paper compares the responses of university physics students on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and on open-ended examination questions. The Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) is another multiple choice test. It contains a greater range of topics than the FCI and is intended for use after instruction. General Physics/Physics Education Research http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2922 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:07:31 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2922 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2813 High school principals, guidance counselors, and physics teachers in the state of Wisconsin have been surveyed to determine their respective attitudes toward physics in the high school curriculum. The techniques for determining these attitudes are given. For comparison, attitudes toward biology and chemistry are also determined. The results indicate that the physics community should make a greater effort to inform principals and guidance counselors as to the value of physics in the high school curriculum. Education Practices/School Improvement http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2813 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:03:58 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2813 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2711 This paper describes results of an ongoing investigation into the understanding of sound, mainly among preservice K-12 teachers. Recent work has focused on identifying difficulties in understanding sound propagation and resonance phenomena. We have found that within this population the concept of propagation, especially from one solid object to another, is not well understood. General Physics/Physics Education Research http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2711 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:29:45 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2711 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2641 This article reports the rationale, design, validation, and uses of the "Force Concept Inventory," an instrument to assess students' beliefs on force. Results and implications of two studies that compared the inventory with the "Mechanics Baseline" are included. The article includes a copy of the instrument. General Physics/Physics Education Research http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2641 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:27:12 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2641 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9447 Candidates for secondary school physics teaching positions may be drawn from a variety of sources. Some may have completed an accredited physics or physics teaching program, others may have training in other educational, science, engineering, or business disciplines. Still others may be entering the profession as an alternative or second career. The purpose of this document is to provide some guidance for administrators to gauge a candidate’s qualifications to teach physics. Education Practices/Teacher Preparation/Teacher Assessment http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=9447 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:24:12 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9447 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2364 This paper reports an exploration of the conceptions of quality learning held by two samples of physics teachers – final year, high school physics teachers and academics teaching first year university physics. We begin by outlining our view of quality learning, that is a view of learning in which learners take control of their own learning and engage with active construction and reconstruction of their own meanings for concepts and phenomena. This view of quality learning recognises the crucial role of the affective dimension of learning on the extent to which students engage with and maintain such constructivist and metacognitive approaches to learning. The study explored the qualitatively different ways in which individuals conceptualise quality learning in physics, using semi structured interviews that explored aspects of learning that the respondents regarded as worth fostering in their classrooms. The interview approach was a modification of the Interview-About-Instances approach that allowed the possibility of interviewees suggesting instances of particular relevance to their view of quality learning. This process resulted in a considerable quantity of rich and complex data related to a large range of aspects of physics learning. These data are summarised here, and the qualitatively different conceptions of the respondents with respect to four significant aspects of physics learning are discussed. These aspects are: doing experimental work; linking physics to the real world; students taking responsibility for their own learning and being confident/feeling proud of what you can do. Education Foundations/Teacher Characteristics http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2364 Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:52:14 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2364 http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2978 Do students in pre-service training programs for elementary school teachers hold the correct scientific views, which will eventually allow them to plan and implement instructional strategies, which, in turn, will lead their future pupils to achieve scientific conceptions of basic astronomy concepts? The results of a cross-college age study of this issue are presented and discussed in this paper. The students’ astronomy conceptions were analyzed by means of a written questionnaire presented to them during the first part of the year. The most important findings of this study will be of interest to many elementary-school teacher educators. Astronomy/Astronomy Education/Education Research http://www.ptec.org/bulletinboard/Thread.cfm?ID=2978 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:53:44 EST http://www.ptec.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=2978