Urban Elementary Science Teacher Leaders: Responsibilities, Supports, and Needs

The challenge of science achievement gaps is one that scholars have struggled to solve. Teacher leadership holds great promise in closing those gaps. Therefore, the purpose of the research reported here was to explore the responsibilities and supports of formally designated science teacher leaders (STLs) in urban elementary schools that have been successful in closing science achievement gaps. Using York-Barr and Duke’s (2004) review on teacher leadership as a framework, findings from this study indicate that urban elementary STLs emphasize certain dimensions of practice (e.g., building partnerships) while deemphasizing or even omitting others (e.g., working with preservice teachers). Findings also indicate that a positive culture that supports STEM education, a principal that works with the STL yet encourages autonomy, control over scheduling, and training for the STLs seem to best support STLs. Finally, it appears that STLs would benefit from more targeted training and evaluation measures, and an STL network. Given that this study took place in schools that have been successful in closing science achievement gaps, these findings have implications for schools that wish to employ STLs to promote more equitable science achievement

Focused Video Reflections in Concert with Practice-Based Structures to Support Elementary Teacher Candidates in Learning to Teach Science

Recommendations for science education, including elementary education, highlight instructional practices such as using discussion to promote deep understandings of science. A task facing science teacher educators is to craft instruction to support teacher candidates (TCs) to develop skills that will encourage such practices in classrooms. In 2011, we developed and implemented a class activity —the Supported, Collaborative Teaching Model (SCTM)—to focus TCs’ attention on key aspects of science teaching. The SCTM, which is designed around the idea that practical experience is critically important to teacher education, involves having TCs teach science to elementary students in three different grade levels three different times throughout the semester. In this study, we examine the outcomes related to two newly added components of the SCTM: focused video reflections and the use of the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching (FfT; Danielson, 2013). In this study we asked: In what ways do the SCTM and focused video reflections support TCs in crafting opportunities for students to develop deep understandings of science? Interviews and reflections from eight TCs were analyzed to examine the impact of the SCTM. Our analysis indicated that the focused video reflections based on the FfT coupled with the SCTM provided tools for growth and for documenting this growth. We describe areas in which TCs indicated they had developed as teachers, as well as the structures that contributed to shifts in practice in these different areas

Thick and Thin: Variations in Teacher Leader Identity

Recently, there has been more focus on issues related to the professional development of teacher leaders (TLs), but there is still much to learn. Situated within a larger study, the purpose of this research was to understand the ways in which individuals participated in teacher leadership and how participation and identities shaped and were shaped by communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Specifically, this study focuses on two TLs and the manifestation of what we are describing as ‘thick’ and ‘thin’ TL identities. Based on our findings, we see thick identity – that is, a TL identity that is deeply rooted in who the person is – as possibly more desirable than a thin TL identity, or a TL identity in which one might see themselves occasionally as a TL when they are called on to lead. This has implications for the theorizing of and professional development for teacher leadership

The Theoretical and Empirical Basis of Teacher Leadership: A Review of the Literature

The current review examined teacher leadership research completed since York-Barr and Duke published the seminal review on teacher leadership in 2004. The review was undertaken to examine how teacher leadership is defined, how teacher leaders are prepared, their impact, and those factors that facilitate or inhibit teacher leaders’ work. Beyond this, the review considered theories informing teacher leadership, teacher leadership within disciplinary contexts, and the roles of teacher leaders in social justice and equity issues. Within this review, the most salient findings were (a) teacher leadership, although rarely defined, focused on roles beyond the classroom, supporting the professional learning of peers, influencing policy/decision making, and ultimately targeting student learning, (b) the research was only somewhat theoretical, (c) principals, school structures, and norms are important factors that empower or marginalize the roles of teacher leaders, and (d) very little teacher leadership research exists to examine issues of social justice and equity

Science Packs: Take-Home STEM-Themed Backpacks Provide Opportunities for Engaging Family Fun!

Families play a vital role in shaping students’ interest and engagement in science (Archer et al. 2012; Dabney, Chakraverty, and Tai 2013), yet are often left out of the loop. To encourage family involvement in science that is sustained over time, we took a cue from Freudenberg’s (2012) Science Sacks article and created science backpacks that students can take home over the weekends and share with their family members. We created three different activities for each grade level K–6, for a total of 21 different backpack activities throughout the school. Each classroom has duplicates of each activity, so it takes approximately 15 weeks (longer in reality, due to shortened weeks, holidays, and so on) for each child/family to complete each of the three activities

Two Departments, Two Models of Interdisciplinary Peer Learning

On graduation, teacher candidates (TCs) are typically underprepared to teach science, particularly physical science, whereas physics graduates frequently lack training in teaching or effective communication. In response, we created two models for interdisciplinary peer learning where TCs were paired with either graduate or undergraduate physics students. In both models, physics students teach TCs content knowledge relevant to a given area of either classical or quantum physics, which TCs then use to design and implement a short lesson for K-5 students. Overall, both models were successful, with the two sets of students reporting benefits in each case. Affordances for TCs included increased confidence to teach physical science and an appreciation for collaboration with experts. Physics students described increased awareness of the complexities of communicating science to general audiences and stronger community with their classmates. Students from both groups cited insufficient project time as a constraint, whereas physics students found it challenging to align their project and coursework. In moving away from traditional lecture, these interdisciplinary collaborations also benefitted us as instructors, giving us new perspectives on teaching. In light of our findings we propose improvements to these proof-of-concept models to enable their future scale-up and replication in other disciplines

It’s a Balancing Act: A Self-Study of Teacher Educators’ Feedback Practices and the Underlying Tensions

While there are documented benefits of full-time faculty participating in clinical supervision, challenges, such as conflicting time demands, personal bias, adherence to common evaluation forms, and power differentials, can create impediments to effective practicum supervision (Ciuffetelli Parker & Volante, 2009). We, as teacher educators, turned to reflection through self-study to investigate our professional practice with the aim of better understanding and overcoming those challenges. Like Bullock (2017), we utilized teacher candidates’ perspectives to disrupt, confirm, and extend our narratives. We focused on the practice of giving teacher candidates feedback on their developing teaching during their clinical placement in elementary schools. Feedback is central to our work as liaisons (i.e., university-based supervisors) with teacher candidates in the field and critical to their learning and improvement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Through this self-study, we sought to answer the following research question: What underlying tensions constrain our feedback, as liaisons, to our teacher candidates in clinical placements? How can we better negotiate those tensions to make this work sustainable for full-time faculty

An Exploration of Supports for Increasing Classroom Physical Activity within Elementary Schools

Classroom-based physical activity (CBPA) can significantly benefit students’ health and educational outcomes, but many teachers do not utilize CBPA. This study examined teachers’ perceptions about the value and impact of several approaches to support CBPA implementation, and teachers’ weekly self-reported CBPA use. Interviews were conducted with 35 classroom teachers (including those using and not using CBPA) at two public elementary schools, and CBPA tracking logs were collected on a weekly basis. Interview transcripts were interpreted through key domains within implementation science. On average, teachers reported using one activity every other day. Interview data revealed that utilizing professional collaboration time for peer-to-peer feedback and getting informal support from the school’s physical education teacher both have some promise for increasing implementation of CBPA. However, teachers largely felt these strategies were unnecessary. Explicit administrator support was reported by teachers as the most promising mechanism for increasing their CBPA implementation

The Effects of Completing PREP Academy: A University-Based Transition Project for Students with Disabilities (Practice Brief)

This practice brief provides an overview of a project designed to support students with disabilities considering postsecondary education. Postsecondary Rewarding Education is Possible (PREP) Academy was developed by individuals from a state vocational rehabilitation agency and a public research university. PREP Academy is a campus-based, weeklong experience in which students participate in activities designed to mirror the “college experience.” In an evaluation of the project’s second year, a total of 23 students and six parents/guardians completed a pre- and post-survey to examine how attending the project affected students’ perceptions related to students attending college. Interview data from three student and parent/guardian pairs were collected to further explore students’ perceptions and to learn what components of the project were most beneficial. Results provided evidence both students and parents/guardians believe students are better prepared to attend college after participating. An emerging theme related to increasing the project’s emphasis on mirroring aspects of college was identified

“I Will Fight. I Will Advocate. I Will Tell Others”: The Impacts of the Deliberate Attention to Caring about Effective Elementary Science Instruction in a Methods Course

Given the myriad mandates and policies related to math and language arts education, U.S. public elementary teachers must care about teaching science for it to actually happen. Consequently, this study sought to explore the impacts of assignments in a science methods course supporting teacher candidates (TCs) in caring about effective elementary science instruction (EESI). Different from other teacher dispositions, this study defines caring about elementary EESI as having the ability to articulate the value it provides to students and society and internalize the importance such that one is driven to teach science at a high level, even if they must overcome obstacles. Data were collected via two care-focused assignments, a pre/post-survey, and an interview. Findings indicate that a) for many, this course was the first time they realized the value of EESI; b) the care-focused assignments in the course allowed TCs to flesh out arguments as to why elementary science is important; and c) TCs were more assertive and specific about actions they will take in the future to support and/or advocate for EESI. Explicitly attending to the notion of caring about EESI in a science methods course is necessary if instructors are to support TCs in teaching EESI