Cordoning Off Student Ideas: Unintended Consequences of Policies-as-Practiced in Schools

• In Event: 35.081 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 35.081-23 - Teacher Attitudes and Instruction

Abstract

Student-generated ideas anchor science education in current standards – a welcome departure from knowledge-acquisition goals often emphasized in science classrooms. Dissonance can arise when policies meet local initiatives especially for science teaching as a focus of some reform efforts but peripheral to others. We examined instruction and perspectives of 36 science teachers at 3 secondary schools for 1 year during district-wide data-driven improvement initiatives. We found students repeatedly expressed ideas during science learning activities. However, teachers cordoned off student-generated ideas emphasizing factual recall with authoritative, didactic teaching. We highlight an alarming problem for science teaching – sidelining student ideas – as an unintended consequence of local interpretation of CCSS, inattention to science during data-centric accountability practices, and emerging policy tensions.

Authors

• Melissa Lee Braaten, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Sadie Fox Barocas, Partners Healthcare

• Chris Bradford, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Kathryn Lewkowicz Kirchgasler, University of Wisconsin - Madison