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). The mystery of good teaching: Surveying the evidence on student achievement and teachers characteristics. Do all student have access to laboratory experiences? 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. East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research in Teacher Education. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/July_12-13_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html [accessed May 2005]. Only a few high school students are sufficiently advanced in their knowledge of science to serve as an effective scientific community in formulating such questions. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched its Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development Program in 2004. on specific instructional practices increased teachers use of these practices in the classroom. Laboratory learning: Addressing a neglected dimension of science teacher education. Slotta, J.D. Glagovich, N., and Swierczynski, A. (1997). Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/KTobin_71204_HSLabs_Mtg.pdf [accessed August 2005]. People working in the clinical laboratory are responsible for conducting tests that provide crucial information for detecting, diagnosing, treating, and monitoring disease. As The research comprised both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2218, Strategies for Effective Teaching in the Laboratory Class, 2021Regents of the University of Michigan. Student outcomes and the professional preparation of eighth-grade teachers in science and mathematics: NSF/NELS. International Journal of Science Education 22(7), 665-701. National Center for Education Statistics. University researchers inchoate critiques of science teaching: Implications for the content of pre-service science teacher education. 1. (2003). Coherence (consistency with teachers goals, state standards, and assessments). It is unclear whether these and other ad hoc efforts to provide summer research experiences reach the majority of high school science teachers. Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics. Currently, most schools are designed to support teaching that follows predictable routines and schedules (Gamoran, 2004). The extent of student learning in any educational environment depends largely on the effectiveness of the instructors. These limits, in turn, could contribute to lower science achievement, especially among poor and minority students. (2002). Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website. Further research is needed to evaluate these and other efforts to link scientists with K-12 education. The guidelines note that simply maintaining the laboratory requires at least one class period per day, and, if schools will not provide teachers with that time, they suggest that those schools either employ laboratory technicians or obtain student help. 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. To date, however, few high schools have adopted such research-based science curricula, and many teachers and school administrators are unaware of them (Tushnet et al., 2000; Baumgartner, 2004). However, experts do not agree on which aspects of teacher qualitysuch as having an academic major in the subject taught, holding a state teaching certificate, having a certain number of years of teaching experience, or other unknown factorscontribute to their students academic achievement (Darling-Hammond, Berry, and Thoreson, 2001; Goldhaber and Brewer, 2001). Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30, 919-934. Hofstein, A., and Lunetta, V.N. Gitomer, D.H., and Duschl, R.A. (1998). They must address the challenge of helping students to simultaneously develop scientific reasoning, master science subject matter and progress toward the other goals of laboratory experiences. DeSimone and others conducted a three-year longitudinal study of professional development in science and mathematics provided by school districts. London, England: Kluwer Academic. Review of Educational Research, 52 (2), 201-217. They knew little about how various ideas were related to each other, nor could they readily explain the overall content and character of biology. 6. How do teachers work and learnspecifically related to labs. (2002). Journal of College Science Teaching, 33(6). Final report on the evaluation of the National Science Foundations Instructional Materials Development Program. In this program, faculty modeled lower-level inquiry-oriented instruction focused on short laboratory sessions with limited lecturing and no definitions of terms. in a limited range of laboratory experiences that do not follow the principles of instructional design identified in Chapter 3. Teaching for understanding was defined as including a focus on student thinking, attention to powerful scientific ideas, and the development of equitable classroom learning communities. 791-810). In another approach, schools can schedule science classes for double periods to allow more time for both carrying out investigations and reflecting on the meaning of those investigations. Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. Science Education, 77(1), 25-46. Assistants show the students how to handle chemical spills, dispose of broken glassware and get rid of non-hazardous and chemical waste . (1995). (2002). The investigators found that professional development focused. Results of the study also confirmed the effectiveness of providing active learning opportunities. Rethinking laboratories. fessional development aligned with the curricula leads to increases in students progress toward the goals of laboratory experiences (Slotta, 2004). Fulfilling the promise: Biology education in the nations schools. In addition, they found that commercially available laboratory manuals failed to provide cognitively challenging activities that might help to bridge the gap between teachers lack of knowledge and improved laboratory experiences (McComas and Colburn, 1995, p. 120). 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). As we have discussed, teachers face an ongoing tension between allowing students greater autonomy in the laboratory and guiding them toward accepted scientific knowledge. For example, Western science promotes a critical and questioning stance, and these values and attitudes may be discontinuous with the norms of cultures that favor cooperation, social and emotional support, consensus building, and acceptance of the authority (p. 470). As teachers move beyond laboratory experiences focusing on tools, procedures, and observations to those that engage students in posing a research question or in building and revising models to explain their observations, they require still deeper levels of science content knowledge (Windschitl, 2004; Catley, 2004). Knoxville: University of Tennessee Value-Added Research and Assessment Center. Gather people close to focus them on what you are doing and consider the range of visual and auditory needs among your students to provide equitable access to the demonstration. 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. The. A science methodology course for middle and high school teachers offered experience in using the findings from laboratory investigations as the driving force for further instruction (Priestley, Priestly, and Schmuckler, 1997). (2000). The traditional didactic pedagogy to which teacher candidates are exposed in university science courses equips learners with only minimal conceptual understandings of their science disciplines (Duschl, 1983; Gallagher, 1991; Pomeroy, 1993, cited in Windschitl, 2004). They are relevant for new lab instructors in a wide range of disciplines. Learning in the laboratory: Some thoughts from the literature. Chapel Hill, NC : Horizon Research. Available at: http://www.fhcrc.org/education/sep/ [accessed Feb. 2005]. location_onUniversity of Michigan Henderson, A.T., and Mapp, K.L. It often consists mostly of one-day (or shorter) workshops focusing on how-to activities that are unlikely to challenge teachers beliefs about teaching and learning that support their current practice (DeSimone, Garet, Birman, Porter, and Yoon, 2003). Qualified high school teachers will have opportunities to work and learn at the Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories and at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. CrossRef Google Scholar Johnstone, A. H., & Al-Shuaili, A. Educational Policy, 14(3), 331-356. (1999). Time constraints can also discourage teachers from the challenges of setting up and testing laboratory equipment and materials. This would require both a major changes in undergraduate science education, including provision of a range of effective laboratory experiences for future teachers, and developing more comprehensive systems of support for teachers. Before its too late: A report to the nation from the national commission on mathematics and science teaching for the 21st century. Program faculty report that many teachers tend to dwell on hands-on activities with their students at the expense of linking them with the nature of science and with abilities associated with scientific inquiry. They must guide and focus ongoing discussion and reflection with individuals, laboratory groups, and the entire class. The California Institute of Technology has a program to help scientists and graduate students work with teachers in elementary school classrooms in the Pasadena school district. Millar, R., and Driver, R. (1987). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. 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 a year-long study of prospective biology teachers (Gess-Newsome and Lederman, 1993), the participants reported never having thought about the central ideas of biology or the interrelationships among the topics. Active learning opportunities focused on analysis of teaching and learning. Available at: http://www.nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2004/section4/indicator24.asp [accessed Feb. 2005]. Sanders, M. (1993). Pre-service education and in-service professional development for science teachers rarely address laboratory experiences and do not provide teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to lead laboratory experiences. Duschl, R. (1983). The literature provides an overview of a range of factors motivating and demotivating pre-service and in-service teachers, and the role teacher motivation plays in possible links with other areas. 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. For example, teachers realized that there is no unique method called the scientific method, after comparing the methods used in different labs, such as a biochemistry lab, engineering lab, and zoos. Other duties include reinforcing laboratory housekeeping and safety protocol, coordinating with other engineering departments, and receiving, installing, and maintaining laboratory supplies and equipment. The changing nature of work: Implications for occupational analysis. The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, a science curriculum development organization, has long been engaged in the preservice education of science teachers and also offers professional development for inservice teachers. The role of the laboratory in science learning. But those connections are not enough: science sense-making discourse must also help students to develop understanding of a given science concept and create links between theory and observable phenomena. (2003). Moreover, the teacher console (keyboard) is usually fitted with a tape recorder to monitoring each compartment in the class by the teacher headset and an intercom facility to enable 2-way communication between the teacher and his/her students individually. Another analysis of the data from the National Center for Education Statistics found that students in high schools with higher concentrations of minority students and poor students were more likely than students in other high schools to be taught science by a teacher without a major or minor in the subject being taught (U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Although no national information is available about high school teachers participation in laboratory internship programs, a recent survey found that only 1 in 10 novice elementary school teachers had participated in internship programs in which they worked directly with scientists or engineers. Use these dos and donts to help you think about what you can do to be a successful new instructor: Allen, D., OConnell, R., Percha, B., Erickson, B., Nord, B., Harper, D., Bialek, J., & Nam E. (2009). (Working Paper No. (2004). The teachers skills in posing questions and leading discussions affect students ability to build meaning from their laboratory experiences. 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). Examining the effects of a highly rated curriculum unit on diverse students: Results from a planning grant. Administrators who take a more flexible approach can support effective laboratory teaching by providing teachers with adequate time and space for ongoing professional development and shared lesson planning. Improving science teachers conceptions of nature of science: A critical review of the literature. Using questioning to guide student thinking. Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, July 12-13, National Research Council, Washington, DC. surveys defined poor administrative support as including a lack of recognition and support from administration and a lack of resources and material and equipment for the classroom. instructors and laboratory assistants working in school or college settings in vocational . They found that a heat-flow model was better able to connect to middle school students knowledge about heat and temperature than a molecular-kinetic model (Linn, Davis, and Bell, 2004). Lee, O. Schwartz, R., and Lederman, N. (2002). The main role of a teaching assistant is to provide support to the course instructor to ensure the effective delivery of the required materials and to foster a positive learning environment. Summer research experiences that may enhance science teachers laboratory teaching need not take place in a laboratory facility. Primary science: Taking the plunge. (1990). The main purpose of laboratory work in science education is to provide students with conceptual and theoretical knowledge to help them learn scientific concepts, and through scientific methods, to understand the nature of science. Available at: http://www.bayerus.com/msms/news/facts.cfm?mode=detailandid-survey04 [accessed Dec. 2004]. Over the course of a years worth of pedagogical preparation and field experiences, the new teachers began to reorganize their knowledge of biology according to how they thought it should be taught. (2003). The role of teacher in the acquisition of scientific knowledge in Secondary School Science class cannot be underestimated. This professional development institute also incorporated ongoing opportunities for discussion and reflection. Linn, M.C., Davis, E.A., and Bell, P. (2004). 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. (2001a). Teachers help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources. 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. The teachers skills in posing questions and leading discussions also help students to effectively and accurately communicate their laboratory activities and the science sense they make from them, using appropriate language, scientific knowledge, mathematics, and other intellectual modes of communication associated with a particular science discipline. (ED 409-634.) Teachers College Record, 105(3), 465-489. (1990). U.S. Department of Energy. With the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), several medical colleges and research institutions provide laboratory-based science experiences for science teachers and their students. 1071 Palmer Commons This is not a simple task (National Research Council, 2001b, p. 79): To accurately gauge student understanding requires that teachers engage in questioning and listen carefully to student responses. teacher is teaching both chemistry and physics, requiring more preparation time (American Association of Physics Teachers, 2002). Science teachers behavior in the classroom is influenced by the science curriculum, educational standards, and other factors, such as time constraints and the availability of facilities and supplies. It aims to support teachers to improve their teaching skills for active learning in university science laboratory courses. Teachers and teacher aides should lead by example and wear personal protective equipment (PPE); follow and enforce safety rules, procedures, and practices; and demonstrate safety behavior to promote a culture of safety. Effects of professional development on teachers instruction: Results from a three-year longitudinal study. Laboratory work also gives the students the opportunity to experience science by using scientific research procedures. The laboratory in science education: Foundations for the twenty-first century. Goldhaber, D.D., and Brewer, D.J. To make these choices, they must be aware not only of their own capabilities, but also of students needs and readiness to engage in the various types of laboratory experiences. Studies focusing specifically on science teacher quality and student achievement are somewhat more conclusive. Westbrook, S., and Marek, E. (1992). Few professional development programs for science teachers emphasize laboratory instruction. When one college physics professor taught a high school physics class, he struggled with uncertainty about how to respond to students ideas about the phenomena they encountered, particularly when their findings contradicted accepted scientific principles (Hammer, 1997). Synergy research and knowledge integration. Science for all, including students from non-English-language backgrounds. Gallagher, J. The research also indicates that undergraduate laboratory work, like the laboratory experiences of high school students, often focuses on detailed procedures rather than clear learning goals (Hegarty-Hazel, 1990; Sutman, Schmuckler, Hilosky, Priestley, and Priestley, 1996). When students have more freedom to pose questions or to identify and carry out procedures, they require greater guidance to ensure that their laboratory activities help them to master science subject matter and progress toward the other goals of laboratory experiences. Evaluating the evidence. Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks. The organization and structure of most high schools impede teachers and administrators ongoing learning about science instruction and the implementation of quality laboratory experiences. Bayer facts of science education 2004: Are the nations colleges adequately preparing elementary schoolteachers of tomorrow to teach science? 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 . McComs (Eds. Page 111 Share Cite. However, compared with other types of professionals, a higher proportion of teachers leave their positions each year. Teachers do not have sole responsibility for carrying out laboratory experiences that are designed with clear learning outcomes in mind, thoughtfully sequenced into the flow of classroom science instruction, integrating the learning of science content and process, and incorporating ongoing student reflection and discussion, as suggested by the research. Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Current professional development for science teachers is uneven in quantity and quality and places little emphasis on laboratory teaching. Fraser and K.G. Earn CE Get Involved Advocate/Support Your Profession London, England: Kluwer Academic. ), International handbook of science education (pp. Periodic checks indicated that the science internship helped teachers improve their understanding of [the nature of science] and [science inquiry]. Designing computer learning environments for engineering and computer science: The scaffolded knowledge integration framework. At Vanderbilt University, Catley conducts a summer-long course on research in organismal biology. Presentation to the Committee on High School Science Laboratories: Role and Vision, June 3-4, National Research Council, Washington, DC. You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Mortimer, E., and Scott, P. (2003). 7082.) A teacher knows how to work well as part of a team. little information is available on the effectiveness of these efforts. Between sessions, teacher participants reflected on what they were learning and applied some of it in their classrooms, following the active learning approach suggested by the research on professional development for science teachers. Goldhaber, D.D. To date, over 400 RE-SEED volunteers have worked with schools in 10 states. Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free? The role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science. In the ICAN program, teachers participate in science internships with working scientists as one element in a larger program of instruction that includes an initial orientation and monthly workshops. Science Teacher, September, 38-41. (1998). Gess-Newsome, J., and Lederman, N. (1993). To determine the current role of laboratory schools in the United States, the 123 existing laboratory schools were surveyed. It means focusing the students own questions. In N.M. Lambert and B.L. Committee on High School Biology Education, Commission on Life Sciences. 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. Associations of science teachers have taken differing positions on how administrators can best support teachers in preparing for and cleaning up after laboratory experiences. A teachers academic science preparation appears to affect student science achievement generally. Can schools narrow the black-white test score gap? They must consider how to clearly communicate the learning goals of the laboratory experience to their students. 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. Teacher awareness of students science needs and capabilities may be enhanced through ongoing formative assessment. Washington, DC: Author. Administrators allocate time, like other resources, as a way to support teachers in carrying out these routines. Science Education, 85(3), 263-278. 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. Prospective and practicing secondary school science teachers knowledge and beliefs about the philosophy of science. Hein, G.E., and Price, S. (1994). The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has provided professional development programs for science teachers for several years (Javonovic and King, 1998). Other studies have also found that most teachers do not experience sustained professional development and that they view it as ineffective (Windschitl, 2004). Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 23(1), 57-77. These findings confirm those from a substantial literature on arts and sciences teaching in colleges and universities, which has clearly documented that both elementary and secondary teachers lack a deep and connected conceptual understanding of the subject matter they are expected to teach (Kennedy, Ball, McDiarmid, and Schmidt, 1991; McDiarmid, 1994). Implications of teachers beliefs about the nature of science: Comparisons of the beliefs of scientists, secondary science teachers, and elementary science teachers. Available at: http://www7.nationalacademies.org/bose/July_1213_2004_High_School_Labs_Meeting_Agenda.html. Because many current science teachers have demographic backgrounds different from their students (Lee, 2002; Lynch, Kuipers, Pyke, and Szeze, in press), the ability to communicate across barriers of language and culture is. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Resource Provider. NSTA position statement: Laboratory science. Education Economics, 7(3), 199-208. What changes need to be made to improve laboratory experiences for high school students? 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). These strategies included arranging seating to facilitate student discussion, requiring students to supply evidence to support their claims, encouraging students to explain concepts to one another, and having students work in cooperative groups. Requirements for professional development of in-service science teachers differ widely from state to state. Chemistry laboratories play an essential role in the education of undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM students. Younger workers in a variety of occupations change jobs more frequently than their older counterparts (National Research Council, 1999). Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of Teachers need to listen in a way that goes well beyond an immediate right or wrong judgment. New York: City College Workshop Center. Tushnet, N.C., Millsap, M.A., Noraini, A., Brigham, N., Cooley, E., Elliott, J., Johnston, K., Martinez, A., Nierenberg, M., and Rosenblum, S. (2000). 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. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. This is a culminating project for a Forensics course or unit.
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