scholarly journals How teachers negotiated the meaning of Next Generation Science Standards(NGSS) through participation in a professional learning community

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ellen Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Science Teacher ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
External Support ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biology Teachers ◽  
Secondary Biology ◽  
K 12

NGSS provide a new vision for K-12 science education. Teachers need time and opportunities to collaborate with their peers in order to make changes to their views and practice. PLCs are a potential support structure for reform. However, there are few studies of mature, effective science teacher PLCs working without external support and few studies of teachers' efforts to negotiate the meaning of new standards and revise their curriculum. This instrumental case study framed by communities of practice investigated how secondary biology teachers within a mature, effective PLC negotiated the meaning of NGSS as they revised their curriculum. The study was guided by the following sub-research questions: 1) how do the Biology PLC's interactions with other communities influence how the biology teachers negotiate the meaning of NGSS as they revise their curriculum, 2) how do the biology teachers participate in their PLC as they negotiate the meaning of NGSS and revise their curriculum, and 3) how do the biology teachers describe their experience of negotiating the meaning of NGSS and revising their curriculum. The PLC was comprised of six secondary biology teachers at Cross View High, one of three high schools in the district. The state had not adopted NGSS at the time of the study, but the school district had. During the 2013-2014 school year, the following data sources were collected: 1) audio-recordings and observations of the PLC's weekly meetings, the PLC's pre-NGSS and revised curriculum, the PLC's professional email, one 90-minute focus group interview, and two 60-minute, semi-structured individual interviews with each teacher. Interpretative data analysis revealed the following themes: 1) the Biology PLC's historic participation with the World Studies and Language Arts PLC, and in particular their use of a revised World Studies Skills Rubric to assess students' science writing, influenced the biology teachers' prioritization of two science and engineering practices, 2) each biology teacher filled a unique, previously negotiated, clearly defined, and mutually agreed upon role within the PLC, 3) the teachers developed a road map -- a year-long plan of action that reified their meaning-making and became an enduring tool that guided their curriculum reform efforts, 4) the teachers revised each unit around a similar design structure, and 5) the teachers described their experience of negotiating the meaning of NGSS and revising their curriculum as stressful and exhausting, and marked by a central tension between content details and skills. They persevered because they valued the revisions they were making to their curriculum. This study provides implications for science teacher education, professional development, and future research.

scholarly journals Toward Engaging Difference in a Globalized World

10.28945/4742 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 273-290
Author(s):  
Jennifer MacDonald ◽  
Jingzhou Liu ◽  
Sylvie Roy ◽  
Jody Dennis ◽  
Stefan Rothschuh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Professional Experiences ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Globalized World

Aim/Purpose: This paper reflects on participation in an International Doctoral Research Seminar, held in Beijing, China, to consider what it means to locate difference and make meaning in a globalized world in relation to teaching and learning. Background: The impetus for our inquiry stems from our shared experience at the seminar, which brought together 12 graduate students and six faculty members from three universities. We came with diverse life stories, educational and professional experiences, and research interests. Alongside presentations and school visits, some students questioned how teaching and learning practices differ in China compared to their experiences in Canada. Methodology: We employ an interpretive approach which allows us to revisit our individual stories and to explore different views of meaning-making in a globalized context. Specifically, two authors, positioned by different backgrounds (Chinese and Canadian), share their life histories and experiences for wider dialogue with other delegation members. We consider their experiences at various levels of education (K-12, leading up to graduate school, and at the doctoral seminar) as a mode of generating dialogue around the different contexts in relation to teaching and learning. Contribution: Our article contributes to the area of globalizing teaching and learning. We invite students and educators to revisit their lived experiences and advocate for daily practices that might defy sameness caused by the forces of globalization to instead contribute to epistemological diversity and tolerance. Findings: Through the process of unpacking the lived experiences of the two authors, we encounter the complexities of already being products of a globalized world. We reveal how a singular normative mode of knowing is perpetuated in many educational institutions. Difference, however, was located in the nuances of our stories. Thus, cultivating a practice of paying attention to the dynamic forms of knowing as they emerge can be a process of unlearning sameness toward rich meaning-making. Recommendations for Practitioners: We challenge educational practitioners to reflect on the ways in which meaning is, and can be, generated to resist uniformity and honor the lived experiences of students. We offer an opening to engage in narrative opportunities to promote dialogue and facilitate collaboration. Recommendation for Researchers: We open possibilities to consider a different ethic for generating meaning that resists overpowering global powers and honor local knowledge. Impact on Society: Our article provides an interpretive lens of global meaning-making to discuss critical social, cultural, and ecological dilemmas facing humanity through individuals’ narratives and life histories. Future Research: Future research will inquire into practical and ethical considerations that might play out in local settings (lectures, seminars, assessments, research proposals) and global collaborations, such as future doctoral seminars, to confront western exclusivity.

scholarly journals Building Collaborative Teacher Education: Integrating UDL through a Faculty Learning Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacie B. Whinnery ◽  
Keri Fogle ◽  
Jennifer Stark ◽  
Keith Whinnery
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Education Faculty ◽  
Faculty Learning Community ◽  
Faculty Learning ◽  
K 12

Teacher educators have focused reform efforts on preparing graduates to address increasingly diverse K-12 students. Collaboration among general and special education faculty is seen as beneficial for preparing teacher candidates who can teach diverse learners, yet it is not the norm. This practitioner research study explored a curriculum reform effort that employed a faculty learning community (FLC) to engage general and special education faculty to collaboratively integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into two teacher education programs. Faculty perceptions of the collaborative reform process and resulting curriculum enhancements are presented. Findings indicated the process was valued by our faculty, promoted a stronger culture of cross-disciplinary collaboration, and resulted in systematic curriculum improvements coordinated across content and field courses. This study offers guidance to teacher education faculty interested in collaborative curriculum reform.

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ AND STUDENT TEACHERS’ SENSE OF BELONGING TO SCIENCE: WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR?

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-343
Author(s):  
Markus Sebastian Feser
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
University Students ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Findings

Forming a sense of belonging to others is a fundamental need of humans as social beings (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). Meeting this fundamental need crucially influences individuals’ intrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000) and identity development (Wenger, 1999). Given this, a growing number of studies have investigated the extent to which university students’ success and wellbeing in science education is related to their sense of belonging to science. This research has brought greater clarity to university students’ development in science education; however, numerous aspects of university students’ sense of belonging to science remain understudied. In particular, there has been insufficient research on how sense of belonging to science might moderate or influence initial science teacher education. Therefore, this editorial aims to provide an overview of the major research findings that address students’ and student teachers’ sense of belonging to science and to inspire future research in science (teacher) education.

scholarly journals Negotiating (dis-)engagement in K-12 blended learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Bergdahl ◽  
Melissa Bond
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Leadership Engagement ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Engagement And Disengagement

AbstractIt is well-recognised that engagement is critical for learning and school success. Engagement (and disengagement) are, however, also influenced by context. Thus, as digital technologies add complexity to the educational context, they influence classroom leadership, lesson designs and related practices, and thereby engagement. Despite being critical, engagement and disengagement are not well explored concerning these influences, with a lack of research undertaken within socially disadvantaged schools. In this qualitative study, 14 classroom observations were conducted, during five months, in twelve classes in an upper secondary school in Sweden, along with dialogues with teachers (n=12) and students (n=32). The data were analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Identified themes include digital context, teacher leadership, engagement and disengagement. A network of relations between the (dis-)engagement compound and themes is presented. The results identified processes in which engagement shifted into disengagement and vice versa; in particular, that the intention of active learning does not automatically translate to active learning for all students, although teachers employed a higher work pace than did their students. Teacher self-efficacy and awareness of how to manage digital technologies in and outside the classroom was found to play a vital role in facilitating engagement. Understanding the (dis-)engagement compound in blended learning environments is key to inform active and visible learning for future research and supportive organisational structures.

Influences on Academic Talent Development of Black Girls in K-12: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1932202X2110138
Author(s):  
Brenda K. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Racial Identity ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Talent Development ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Personal Attributes ◽  
Future Research ◽  
K 12

Black girls experience numerous challenges to their academic development. This study examines the literature from the last 30 years related to the influences on the academic talent development of school-aged Black girls. Environmental and intrapersonal influences to Black girls academic talent development are explored. Using a systematic approach, 43 articles are reviewed and summarized. Thematic analysis conducted on the results and findings sections from each article reveal four major themes related to personal attributes, racial identity, relationships, and institutions. The themes expand the understanding of the complexity of talent development of Black girls and identify several intrapersonal and environmental influences that can promote or hinder academic achievement. Implications for future research are discussed.

Exploring Pre-service Science Teachers’ Perspectives on the Nature of Science: A Comparative Study Between China and Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 209653112096678
Author(s):  
Guihua Zhang ◽  
Yuanrong Li ◽  
George Zhou ◽  
Sonia Wai-Ying Ho
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
Teaching Behaviors ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers

Purpose: The Nature of Science (NOS) is an important component of scientific literacy. Science teachers’ Views of the Nature of Science (VNOS) directly affect their teaching behaviors. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore science teachers’ VNOS and find ways of improvement. This study was designed to comparatively investigate preservice science teachers’ VNOS between China and Canada. Design/Approach/Methods: The study employed a survey design to explore how Chinese and Canadian preservice science teachers understood the seven different aspects of NOS. Findings: Data showed that preservice science teachers in China and Canada both hold a modern view about science education. The level of Chinese and Canadian participants’ understanding of NOS was above the relatively naive level. Chinese teachers had better macro-understanding toward science education but their micro-mastery was insufficient. While the Canadian participants had a better understanding of the NOS than their Chinese counterparts. Originality/Value: Based on the research results and the experience of science education and teacher education in Canada, we suggested that there is a need to reconstruct the preservice science teacher education curriculum in China and promote the transformation in the science teacher educational system.

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