Content is Not Enough: A History of Secondary Earth Science Teacher Preparation with Recommendations for Today

Secondary geoscience education has its roots in geography and physiographic education from the turn of the 20th century. High school Earth science reached a peak during the late 1960s and 1970s, after plate tectonic theory revolutionized geology. The production of Earth science teachers, unlike biology teachers, has never reached full capacity, which has likely contributed to the lesser presence and status of Earth and space science in U.S. high schools today. Historically, the geoscience community has focused on enriching teachers\u27 geoscience content knowledge, but modern Earth and space science teachers need more than just content knowledge. Based on current science education research, today\u27s Earth and space science teacher education programs should also include: a) science methods that embrace authentic inquiry and state-of-the-art technology and visualization resources, b) an exploration of formative assessment and how to modify instruction to meet students\u27 learning needs, c) awareness of common misconceptions and strategies to affect conceptual change, and d) how to establish scientific classroom discourse communities to promote scientific literacy. However, geoscience education researchers should prioritize investigations of Earth and space science teacher preparation programs as very little is known about the relationship between such programs, teacher implementation, and student learning

Conflict of allegiance: Professional development challenges in transforming science teachers\u27 identities and practices

Case studies of two biology teachers, Cathy and David, from the same minority-majority, urban U.S. high school, provide insights into their instructional practices while they engaged in long-term professional development (PD). Findings suggest why science teachers engaged with PD may, or may not, adopt more adaptive pedagogical approaches in the service of reform-based teaching. Gee’s institution- and affinity-identity constructs were used as analytic lenses regarding teachers’ perceptions of teaching, learning, and agency in the dual contexts of their school’s institutional environment and PD community. Over time, Cathy adopted more inquiry-based instructional practices she learned through PD seminars in building a scientific classroom discourse community with her majority Latinx students. Her professional identity and teaching became more aligned with the more progressive teaching philosophy and instructional practices promoted by the PD affinity group. While David understood and enjoyed the PD, ultimately, he minimally adopted new strategies, adhering mainly to his pre-PD mode of direct instruction, staying within the strict culture of accountability of his school’s administrative priorities to raise state test scores. These cases demonstrate why some teachers of diverse students are adaptive adopters of reform-based instruction through new affinity group membership, while others demonstrate greater allegiance to their institution-aligned identities

Letters of concern, condolences, and sympathy from friends and relatives upon the illness and subsequent death of Mr. Fleming on December 20, 1908.

Correspondents include; Mrs. Elizabeth B. Lewis. Letters with accompanying envelopes have written answered on them, 1908-12-16 - 1909-02-1

Supporting representation-rich problem-solving in high school physics

Findings from physics education research strongly point to the critical need for teachers’ use of multiple representations in their instructional practices such as pictures, diagrams, written explanations, and mathematical expressions to enhance students\u27 problem‐solving ability. In this study, we explored use of problem‐solving tasks for generating multiple representations as a scaffolding strategy in a high school modeling physics class. Through problem‐solving cognitive interviews with students, we investigated how a group of students responded to the tasks and how their use of such strategies affected their problem‐solving performance and use of representations as compared to students who did not receive explicit, scaffolded guidance to generate representations in solving similar problems. Aggregated data on students\u27 problem-solving performance and use of representations were collected from a set of 14 mechanics problems and triangulated with cognitive interviews. A higher percentage of students from the scaffolding group constructed visual representations in their problem‐ solving solutions, while their use of other representations and problem‐solving performance did not differ with that of the comparison group. In addition, interviews revealed that students did not think that writing down physics concepts was necessary despite being encouraged to do so as a support strategy

Noyce Science, 2012-2021 Ten Cohorts of Teachers, Master of Arts for Science Teaching Brings Science to Life, UNL Noyce Track 1, Phase 2 Grant Activity Brochure

Summary of UNL NSF Robert Noyce Track 1, Phase 2 grant (2015-2020) to recruit and prepare new secondary science teachers and associated research activities. The perennial drive to recruit and prepare science professionals to become science teachers requires an enormous, collaborative effort. At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, we have pledged ourselves to that worthy cause of educating new science teachers. This report summarizes the accomplishments of and celebrates those science teachers who have dedicated themselves to educating diverse youth and fostering a love of science in a world of STEM possibilities. They are the new generation of educators who face, and will continue to overcome, the challenges of education with perseverance and purpose. From 2011–2016, our first UNL National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Science Teacher grant supported 60 individuals in six cohorts who sought to become science teachers across Nebraska and many other states in high-need school districts. Many of these graduates also have graciously served as outstanding cooperating teachers to individuals in more recent cohorts. Our second Noyce grant made it possible to support 31 more pre-service science teachers with undergraduate degrees in an area of science across four cohorts. Like the six cohorts before them, they enrolled in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education’s Master of Arts with emphasis in science teaching (MAst) program. And like their predecessors, they are proving themselves dedicated professionals at a time when we need them in classrooms more than ever

Meeting the Vision of the NGSS: Critical Factors of Effective Science Teaching (Poster)

With new national science education standards, we must understand how to prepare science teachers capable of advancing reform initiatives. In a 3-year longitudinal study we adopted a multi-method approach to investigate beginning science teachers’ instructional practices. We analyzed transcripts, observed science lessons, and documented weeks of lessons. Using this large dataset we posed research questions about the use of NGSS scientific practices in teachers’ science lessons (Project #1) and classroom diversity as it relates to teachers’ use of inquiry (Project #2). In order to expand our coding capability of science teaching data for use in our structural equation modelling efforts (Project #4) we also completed an initial validation of the DiISC instrument (Project #3). Findings included: (a) differential use of scientific practices by physical and life science teachers in their lessons; (b) beginning teachers used lower levels of inquiry, as well as teachers with only a minor in a science, and classrooms that had more female students, however there was no significant difference in the amount of inquiry used in low versus high diversity; (c) there is a strong body of evidence for the validity of the DiISC across standard aspects of a modern validity argument; and (d) a SEM showed that master’s level teachers exhibited greater initial use of inquiry-based instruction and growth over time than undergraduate certified teachers when combined with professional development over time

Measuring and Modelling How and When Effective Science Teaching Occurs

With new national science education standards, we must understand how to prepare science teachers capable of advancing reform initiatives. In a 3-year longitudinal study we adopted a multi-method approach to investigate beginning science teachers’ instructional practices. We analyzed transcripts, administered a teaching self-efficacy survey, observed science lessons, and documented weeks of lessons. Using this large dataset, we posed research questions about the use of NGSS scientific practices in teachers’ science lessons (Paper #1) and teacher- and student-level characteristics as it relates to teachers’ use of inquiry in the classroom (Paper #2). In order to expand our coding capability of science teaching data for use in our structural equation modelling efforts (Paper #4) we also completed an initial validation of the DiISC instrument (Paper #3). Findings included: (a) differential use of scientific practices by physical and life science teachers in their lessons; (b) beginning teachers had lower levels of assessment use and there was little evidence to suggest that assessment varied greatly by classroom diversity; (c) evidence for the validity of the DiISC with factor analyses, correlations with the EQUIP instrument, and think-aloud and semi-structured interviews with DiISC raters; and (d) an SEM showed master’s level teachers exhibited greater initial use of inquiry-based instruction and growth over time than undergraduate certified teachers with many contributing factors

Beginning Science Teachers\u27 Subject Matter Knowledge, Misconceptions, and Emerging Inquiry-based Teaching Practices (Poster)

When we investigated the relationship of science subject matter knowledge with subsequent inquiry-based instruction, we found on average that over the induction period the MAT teachers taught lessons using more inquiry-based instruction at twice the rate of the average teacher prepared in the undergraduate program without an undergraduate degree in science. Specifically, new science teachers from the MAT program with an undergraduate degree in chemistry were better prepared to use an inquiry-based approach to teaching chemistry. Our research of our two teacher preparation programs contribute a reliable design for producing highly-qualified teachers who can provide active, engaging, constructivist learning opportunities for diverse students while addressing rigorous national science education standards. Our work has provided evidence that factors such as science content area credit hours, science GPA, and test scores are indicative of teachers’ content knowledge and possible misconceptions. Policy makers can look at these and other findings to refine state guidelines for teacher certification to ensure that teachers are strongly prepared. State departments of education that set teacher certification policy should consider making a careful distinction among specific science disciplines, as all sciences are not the same in their learning progressions, degree of linear accumulation of knowledge, and diversity of topics. The project has informed other teacher preparation designs and the findings have been presented at various stages at NARST and ASTE conferences along with a new book chapter in press (2018)

Integration of HIV Care with Primary Health Care Services: Effect on Patient Satisfaction and Stigma in Rural Kenya.

HIV departments within Kenyan health facilities are usually better staffed and equipped than departments offering non-HIV services. Integration of HIV services into primary care may address this issue of skewed resource allocation. Between 2008 and 2010, we piloted a system of integrating HIV services into primary care in rural Kenya. Before integration, we conducted a survey among returning adults ≥18-year old attending the HIV clinic. We then integrated HIV and primary care services. Three and twelve months after integration, we administered the same questionnaires to a sample of returning adults attending the integrated clinic. Changes in patient responses were assessed using truncated linear regression and logistic regression. At 12 months after integration, respondents were more likely to be satisfied with reception services (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.32-5.56), HIV education (aOR 3.28, 95% CI 1.92-6.83), and wait time (aOR 1.97 95% CI 1.03-3.76). Men's comfort with receiving care at an integrated clinic did not change (aOR = 0.46 95% CI 0.06-3.86). Women were more likely to express discomfort after integration (aOR 3.37 95% CI 1.33-8.52). Integration of HIV services into primary care services was associated with significant increases in patient satisfaction in certain domains, with no negative effect on satisfaction

Discourse in Inquiry Science Classrooms, DiISC Version 2.0 (User’s manual for an observation research instrument)

This is a user\u27s manual for the externally validated Version 2.0 of the Discourse in Science Inquiry Classrooms (DiISC) instrument. The instrument is best suited for use in conducting research in secondary (grades 6-12) science classrooms that focuses on teachers\u27 instructional practices, but can also be used as a professional development tool for teacher self-reflection and identifying goals for instructional change. The DiISC Version 2.0 is aligned with a model of a scientific classroom discourse community and articulated characteristics of social constructivist lessons in the categories of inquiry, oral and written discourse, and academic language development and essential learning principles