The Expert Blind Spot and Implications for the Teaching and Learning of K-12 Engineering

• In Event: Sustaining Interest in and Preparing Students for Successful Transitions to Professional Programs of Study: Insights From NSF (National Science Foundation)-Supported Engineering Education Initiatives

Abstract

It is widely believed that subject-matter expertise is a crucial component of successful teaching. However, few studies have considered the potential negative impacts subject-matter expertise might have on pedagogy. For example, subject-matter expertise may cause teachers to overlook the learning needs of novice students. In this study, we investigate whether teaching experience impacts Expert Blind Spot (EBS) in engineering problem solving. Experts and novices perceive problems differently, have varied ways of organizing information, and take diverse processes for solving problems (Chi, Feltovich, and Glaser; Simon and Chase, 1973). Nathan and Petrosino (2003; 2002), Nathan, Koedinger, and Alibali (2001), Nathan and Koedinger (2000) and Koedinger and Nathan (1999) found that teachers with high subject-matter expertise often think that students have more difficulty solving word problems than symbolic problems, which “stands in contrast to empirical data on student performance showing that verbal reasoning tends to developmentally precede symbolic reasoning” (Nathan, Koedinger, and Alibali, 2001, p. 21). Petrosino and others refer to this phenomenon of content knowledge of teachers with well-developed subject-matter knowledge eclipsing pedagogical knowledge as the Expert Blind Spot. In other words, “expertise in a subject area may make educators blind to the learning processes and instructional needs of novice students” (Nathan and Petrosino, 2003, p. 906). This study goes beyond previous studies on Expert Blind Spot by comparing preservice and inservice teachers and integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to gain further insight into preservice and inservice teachers’ assumptions and explanations. The research question of the present study is as follows: Does teaching experience impact Expert Blind Spot in Engineering problem-solving?
Preservice (n=82) and inservice (n=39) secondary teachers ranked six problems that are representative of a broader set of problems that are typically given to public school students at the end of an Algebra 1 course. The problems were categorized as being a story problem, word equation, or symbolic equation. For each of these three categories, there was an example of an arithmetic problem and an algebraic problem. We compared three cohorts of preservice teachers with three cohorts of inservice teachers. All participants were enrolled in a nationally acclaimed teacher education program at a research and teaching university. In addition to teacher certification, the preservice teachers were concurrently earning degrees in math or science.
The overall pattern of these results are consistent with the empirical findings described in Nathan, Koedinger, and Alibali (2001), Nathan and Koedinger (2000), and Koedinger and Nathan (1999), who found that teachers often think that students have more difficulty solving word problems than symbolic problems. Nathan and Petrosino’s (2003) findings revealed the average difficulty rankings of preservice math and science secondary teachers with high mathematics knowledge, ordered from easiest to solve to most difficult. Awareness of potential Expert Blind Spots can help educators with subject-matter expertise overcome the tendency to overlook the learning needs of novice students. Future research and policies regarding teacher preparation and certification should take into consideration potential negative impacts of subject-matter expertise, particularly when subject-matter expertise is emphasized over pedagogical knowledge.

Authors

• Anthony Petrosino, The University of Texas - Austin

• Sara Hawkins, The University of Texas - Austin

• Wonsoon Park, The University of Texas - Austin