The Role of the Practicum in Supporting Preservice Teachers Learning to Evaluate, modify and Use Science Curriculum Mate

1. The Role of the Practicum in Supporting Preservice Teachers Learning to Evaluate, modify and Use Science Curriculum Materials • Organizers: Ed Smith and Jim Gallagher with Kristin Gunckel, Chris Wilson and Dean Grosshandler

2. CLT Center Goals • Capacity building • Research • Teacher Development

3. Project 2061 Curriculum Evaluation Criteria Elementary Curriculum Materials Evaluation Module Secondary Curriculum Materials Evaluation Module

4. Facilitating TE goals Community of mentors intern mentor TE Courses Field Instruction PD sessions TEprogram

5. Pilot Professional Development Problems • Pre-service teachers often perceive the theory that forms part of the content of the TE methods courses as being disconnected from the practicum and their teaching. • Mentors are often unaware of the theory and the perspectives on teaching and learning that the pre-service teachers work on in their TE classes. • Teacher candidates often view evaluation of curriculum materials as an academic task, removed from the real world of teaching.

6. Elementary Workshop Goals • Introduce cooperating teachers to frameworks for evaluating, modifying, and using curriculum materials in planning and teaching particular students (considering sociocultural backgrounds, student resources, and special needs). • Provide space for cooperating teachers and teacher candidates to work together. • Help make cooperating teachers’ work with curriculum materials and planning visible to teacher candidates.

7. Elementary Workshop Structure Three--Day Workshops • Cooperating Teachers Only – Intro to Frameworks • Cooperating Teachers & Teacher Candidates – Intro to working with Learning Goals • Cooperating Teachers & Teacher Candidates – Intro to Instructional Sequences

8. Elementary Workshop Frameworks • Experiences-Patterns-Explanations model of science (Anderson, 2002) • Inquiry and Application Instructional Model (IAIM) integrating: • EPE • 5 E instructional model (BSCS) • Conceptual change instructional model • Curriculum materials evaluation and planning cycle (Criteria for curriculum materials analysis and planning embedded in IAIM)

9. A few explanations Dozens of patterns in experience Millions of experiences in the material world Scientists’ Knowledge: From Anderson C.W. (2002) Learning to Teach for Motivation and Understanding. http://SciRes.educ.msu.edu/TEScience/Index.htm. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University

10. Scientists’ Practices From Anderson C.W. (2002) Learning to Teach for Motivation and Understanding. http://SciRes.educ.msu.edu/TEScience/Index.htm. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University

11. Local School Curriculum Framework (Specifies learning goals to be achieved) Learning Goals for a given grade level Curriculum materials adopted for targeted learning goals Instructional approach for an activity sequence or unit Field Assignments in the context of:

13. Example analysis • Divide into two groups for example units (BSCS TRACKS) • Testing Materials (Grade 1) • Investigating Electrical Systems (Grade 3) • Pairs share a teacher guide • Assign a CM question to each pair • Pairs review teacher guide for your question • Reconvene small groups to share results and reactions to the experience and approach

14. Facilitating TE goals Community of mentors intern mentor TE Courses Field Instruction PD sessions TEprogram

15. Secondary Proposed Solutions Professional development workshops with the mentor teachers designed to: • increase their awareness and familiarity with the program theory and goals. • share experiences working with pre-service teachers. • develop an active long-term community of mentor teachers. • help them mentor teacher candidates in analysis and adaptation of the curriculum materials they themselves use

16. Secondary Program: Fall 05 and Spring 06 Workshops Three workshops in Fall 05, across 2.5 days. Discussions and small group activities on: • selecting and adapting curriculum materials, • use of instructional models, • planning, • assessment strategies, • mentoring Survey and reflection meeting in Spring 06.

17. Findings • Learning about the MSU Program • Improving Mentoring Practices • The Interns’ Use of Curriculum Materials • Developing a Community of Mentors

18. Findings: Learning about the MSU Program First-time mentors found the workshops essential in supplementing previous training: • “I was able to get a better handle on the goals/intentions of the program from the University perspective.” • The workshops helped me “view the development of an intern’s progress into teaching from an instructor’s point of view.”

19. Findings: On Improving Mentoring Practices Having a greater understanding of the program’s philosophy and goals empowered the mentors to support their interns in meeting the demands of both their students and the MSU program: • “After a workshop I would take time to debrief with [my intern] the events of the meeting. The mere fact that we discussed the workshops is evidence that learning and growth had taken place.” • “I was able to provide the intern with clarification / explanations regarding the program.” • “It was encouraging to know that the struggles encountered were not unique to me or my intern. The workshops helped me keep clear and open communication with my intern.”

20. Findings: The Interns’ Use of Curriculum Materials The mentors made a number of encouraging comments regarding their interns’ developing increasingly more sophisticated models of curriculum material use throughout the internship: • “I felt better equipped to engage in conversations [with my intern] about MSU’s philosophy towards teacher education and how we look at curriculum development” • The intern “started out the year almost exclusively using their mentor’s curricular materials. . .Once they felt comfortable in their teaching role [they] moved into using a combination of their mentor’s materials, adaptations of those materials, and materials from their own research.” [From a field supervisor]

21. Findings: On Developing a Community of Mentors The professional development sessions as serving as a community building activity was valued by all the mentors: • “Sharing my experiences with my intern with other mentors boosted my confidence” • “It was nice to find that we share many of the same struggles and were able to give each other suggestions on how to overcome those struggles.” • “We were able to do a little networking on a professional level which is rare in the area of secondary education.”

22. Identifying Challenges (Secondary) • Involve More Teachers • More Emphasis on Curriculum Materials • Involve Pre-service Teachers (Interns)

23. Challenges • Requirements and expectations of Mentor Teachers: What minimum requirements should be placed on who is selected as mentors? • Finding enough mentors: Short and long-term • Institutionalization: How might at least a minimal level of staffed professional development be provided for all mentors? • Scaffolding: Print and Info. Technology to supplement staffed PD • Bridging the School-University Divide • Logistics: Coverage, scale, and infrastructure

24. Challenges (Continued) • Scaffolding: What kind of support can be provided for mentors through print materials and information technology to supplement staffed professional development? • Bridging the school and university cultures: How can the collaboration and professional development be conducted so as to bridge or minimize the gap between the two cultures? (So that both the teacher candidates and mentors experience the field assignments as authentic and mutually beneficial?

25. Toward a solution Contextualized Lesson Planning

26. Small group Tasks • Address one or two “challenges” • Construct research questions • Identify similar/alternative approaches to preparing preservice teachers to make more effective use of curriculum materials • RECORD IDEAS IN WRITING

27. Requirements and expectations of Mentor Teachers • Finding enough mentors • Institutionalization • Logistics: Infrastructure and Funding