Volume 105 (3), March 2005

Table of Contents

Abstract

Enthusiasm Is Not Enough: Beginning Secondary Science Teachers in Primarily Hispanic Settings "Enthusiasm Is Not Enough\: Beginning Secondary Science Teachers in Primarily Hispanic Settings"

Julie A. Luft, University of Texas at Austin        

Gillian Roehrig, University of Minnesota

This study explores the practices of three beginning secondary science teachers. The teachers were in their first year, worked with primarily Hispanic students in rural and urban schools, held undergraduate degrees in science, participated in postbaccalaureate certification programs of varying lengths, and had different cultural backgrounds from the majority of their students. Their beliefs, practices and experiences were documented over the course of a year using the following data sources: semistructured interviews, participant observations, electronic communications, and classroom documents. From the data, individual teacher cases were constructed and then the cases were compared to each other. Conclusions included that the intentions of beginning teachers did not always translate into reality and that enthusiasm for working in diverse environments was not enough for them to enact reform-based practices. The beginning teachers were negotiating a wide range of new experiences, they were just developing their ability to work in these school settings, and they often made their environment less ambiguous by using practices familiar to them. This study suggests that beginning teachers who are working with populations different from their own background require preservice and induction programs that support crucial practices and that those who hire beginning teachers need to take initial teaching assignments into careful consideration.

Connecting Science and Mathematics Instruction: "Connecting Science and Mathematics Instruction:"Pedagogical Context Knowledge for Teachers "

Jeffrey Frykholm, University of Colorado at Boulder    

George Glasson, Virginia Tech

Although the reform literature in mathematics and science is replete with calls for the integration of math and science, there remain precious few empirical studies examining the prerequisite skills, beliefs, knowledge bases, and experiences necessary for teachers to implement integrated instruction. The initial intent of this study was to examine the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (with respect to the integration of mathematics and science) that prospective secondary mathematics and science teachers bring to their respective preparation programs. This study then explored a collaborative model intended to create meaningful educational opportunities within the context of  teacher preparation programs to foster preservice teachers’ desire and ability to pursue connected teaching in the classroom. Presented in the article are findings related to the initial beliefs and experiences prospective teachers bring to the preparation process, the results of their collaborative work together in the creation of interdisciplinary units connecting mathematics and science topics, and their ongoing efforts to work together once engaged in schools for their student teaching internships.  Moreover, this article proposes subtle shifts in both the conceptualization of, and language used to describe, the integration of mathematics and science. Building on sociocultural theories, this article proposes the use of connections and pedagogical context knowledge as levers to promote integrated mathematics and science instruction.

Using Writing to Access Students’ Schemata Knowledge for Algebraic Thinking "Using Writing to Access Students’ Schemata Knowledge for Algebraic Thinking"

Diana Steele, Northern Illinois University

This study explored the use of writing to help students develop schemata knowledge for algebraic thinking. Eight seventh-grade pre-algebra students participated in a teaching experiment in which they solved algebraic problems related in mathematical structure. The problems involved contexts of growth and change and size and shape. Qualitative data analysis of students’ writing indicated that students used all aspects of schemata knowledge—identification, planning, elaboration, and execution knowledge—to solve the algebraic problems. This article provides excerpts of students’ writing and descriptions of ways they used these different aspects of schemata knowledge. The findings from this study support both the use of writing and the use of algebraic problems related in mathematical structure to help students develop tools they need to think algebraically.

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