Case Study of a Veteran Elementary Science Teacher's Acquisition and Evolution of Engineering Teaching Skills

• In Event: Teaching and Learning for Adult Skill Acquisition: Application of the Dreyfus and Dreyfus Model

Abstract

Objective
The current K-12 science education reforms (NRC, 2012) that call for engineering to be taught alongside other disciplines in K-12 classrooms pose specific challenges for veteran teachers. The new expectations ask veteran teachers to move from an achieved state of stability and expertise in teaching to embrace a new teaching challenge that involves a completely new discipline. This paper presents the case of Mrs. K., a veteran elementary school teacher with 20 years science teaching experience trying to adjust her teaching to incorporate engineering into her classroom. I examined Mrs. K.’s trajectory of engineering teaching skill development and explored how her established skill levels in science teaching impacted her budding skills in engineering teaching.
Theoretical Frameworks
The study draws from the Adult Skill Acquisition Model (Dreyfus and Dreyfus, 1986) and its application to teaching (Berliner, 2004) and the role of reflection in professional learning (Finlay, 2008).
Methodology
Mrs. K taught three different engineering modules during one academic year. For each module, her lesson plans, classroom videos, observation notes, and end of module reflections were documented. The data sources were qualitatively analyzed using micro-genetic analysis (Calais, 2008). First, the classroom data and lesson plans were studied to identify specific planning and teaching engineering characteristics for each module, which were compared with Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ model skill levels, as well as studied for any shift and its extent. The analysis answered the research question: How can we characterize an expert elementary science teacher’s evolution of engineering teaching skills based on Dreyfus and Dreyfus’s model?
An analysis of the post-module reflections provided insight of the teacher’s rationale behind planning and facilitation decisions. The information and analysis was used to answer the research question: In what ways does previously achieved level of skill in science teaching influence the development of a new set of engineering teaching skills for an elementary teacher?
Results
Results highlight that the teacher’s attained skill levels in one domain (science) may not get translated while teaching another domain. This inequality, in Mrs. K.’s case, was due to her insufficient engineering content and pedagogical content knowledge. With increased teaching experience followed by reflection, she was able to attend to shortcomings and better her skills. It was, however, her previously gained expertise in teaching that allowed her to identify and focus on relevant problems. A combination of her previous expertise, engineering teaching experience, and reflections, helped Mrs. K’s progress her skill levels from novice to competent within one academic year.
Scholarly Significance
Lessons from Mrs. K’s evolution as an engineering teacher provide insights for teacher educators, especially engineering educators who aim to support science-engineering teacher development. Conclusions about if and how skills relevant to one context may influence skill development in another context will interest researchers studying deeper facets of skill acquisition in teaching. Overall, the paper would be of interest to elementary teachers who may find their trajectories resonate with Mrs. K.’s case.

Author

• Tejaswini Dalvi, University of Massachusetts - Boston