A Museum-Based Foundations of Next Generation Science Standards Course Impact on In-Service Teachers

• In Event: 77.050 - Museums and Teacher Professional Development: Illuminating the "Invisible Infrastructure" of Science Institutions in Teacher Learning

Abstract

Objectives. This research investigates whether an NGSS-focused informal professional development opportunity enhances teachers’ understandings of NGSS aligned practices.

Research context. The studied teacher PD program occurred at a large urban science museum for six daylong sessions spread across an academic school year. This cohort consists of 3-4 teachers and one school administrator from 12 primary schools in the USA, chosen according to school need. The PD focused on unpacking learning standards and then rebuilding domain and practical knowledge into three-dimensional, conceptually coherent unit and lesson plans.

Theoretical framework. The national shift towards three-dimensional teaching and learning (NGSS Lead States, 2013), requires using and applying knowledge, skills, and abilities to make sense of scientific phenomena and/or design solutions to problems (National Research Council, 2012). Accordingly, teachers need guidance to (re)develop their classroom pedagogy to better align with the newer demands of teaching science (Reiser, 2013). Providing teachers a space to construct knowledge and develop skills and abilities that align with these reforms is important for achieving successful student outcomes and to develop a strong understanding of the scientific ideas and practices they are expected to teach (Banilower, Heck, & Weiss, 2007). Studies have shown lower entering anxiety for teachers in informal settings like museums (van Aalderen-Smeets & Walma van der Molen, 2015; Korur, Vargas & Serrano, 2016; Rouweler, 2016), which may be important for reaching teachers already worried about NGSS.

Data sources and analysis. We had 33 individuals who took both pre and post surveys. The first two sections of the survey measured changes in teachers’ attitudes and behaviors related to science instruction using a science teacher PD attitude instrument by van Aalderen-Smeets & van der Molen (2013). The next two sections of the survey included questions on how frequently teachers used NGSS aligned practices in their instruction using an instrument from Hayes et al. (2016). A paired samples t-test with p set at the .05 level was conducted to look for change between the surveys.

Results. Overall we found that teachers’ behaviors changed more than their attitudes, which showed positive change mostly related to anxiety and nervousness. Furthermore, we noticed no overall significant changes in teachers’ frequency of using NGSS aligned practices in their classroom. However, we did see a significant change in how frequently teachers engaged in two particular areas of instruction including: traditional instruction and critique, explanation and argumentation.

Significance. The main behavior change we found was related to two aspects that were heavily modeled by Museum staff in the PD sessions, suggesting modeling as an effective tool for PD involving complex topics such as NGSS implementation. Also, we found that teachers increased reporting of direct instruction was likely due to better understanding of what NGSS was at the end of the course. For practitioners, we suggest a focus on modeling in the PD classroom. For researchers, we suggest the use of a backwards longitudinal measure, to see what teachers think they knew at the start of the course, using definitions they learned at the end.

Authors

• Gauri Vaishampayan

• C. Aaron Price, Museum of Science and Industry - Chicago