Interesting Science and Mathematics Graduate Students in Secondary Teaching

Carmen M. Latterell

State and national initiatives attempt to increase the quantity and quality of secondary mathematics and science teachers. Research suggests that if one could appeal to something inside of people or about the process of teaching and learning itself, then one might draw current mathematics and science graduate students into secondary teaching. This study placed eight mathematics and science graduate students in secondary schools for ten hours a week. Pre- and post-measures of their interest level in becoming secondary teachers were made. Overall, graduate students decreased in their desire to become secondary teachers. The main reasons were (1) fellows wanted to work with higher-level mathematics and science; (2) fellows felt students were not behaved and unmotivated; (3) fellows did not view being a teacher as a career, but only as a job; and (4) fellows felt school systems had to do too many things that fellows did not want to do.

A Cross Discipline Study of Reformed Teaching by University Science and Mathematics Faculty

Lawrence B. Flick, Pejmon Sadri, Patricia D. Morrell, Camille Wainwright, & Adele Schepige

Researchers observed 28 university faculty in graduate and undergraduate science and mathematics courses in a three-year, longitudinal study of teaching. Subjects were selected from five higher education institutions in the state where faculty had a two- to five-year association with a reform-based NSF professional development program. Observer field notes and a researcher-designed observation instrument were used to describe and compare teaching practices. The participants in this study taught science and mathematics content courses for majors, non-majors, as well as education majors. Our observation method created a descriptive profile that enabled comparisons across a variety of teaching contexts. The main results showed that the faculty lacked practices that supported development of divergent thinking, conceptual thinking, and metacognitive thinking skills. Observed differences in the profiles of instruction included greater emphasis on real-world connections in science and greater use of cooperative problem solving in mathematics. A case study of a large lecture course describes reformed teaching practices in even the most challenging setting.

Turkish Prospective Chemistry Teachers' Alternative Conceptions about Acids and Bases

Yezdan Boz

The purpose of this study was to obtain prospective chemistry teachers' conceptions about acids and bases concepts. Thirty-eight prospective chemistry teachers were the participants. Data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of data indicated that most prospective teachers did not have difficulties about macroscopic properties of acids and bases. However, despite chemistry instruction, most of the prospective teachers were found to have problems in understanding the neutralization concept, the distinction between strength and concentration of acids and linking the acids and bases topic to daily life. These findings have some implications for teacher education programs.

Crossing the Barriers Between Preservice and Inservice Mathematics Teacher Education: An Evaluation of the Grant School Professional Development Program

Damon Bahr, Eula Ewing Monroe, Mark Balzotti, & Dennis Eggett

A 2-year school-based mathematics professional development program is described and evaluated after its first year of implementation. Included in this program as its first course was a unique methods course in elementary education involving both preservice students and inservice teachers who cooperatively studied and applied reform pedagogy. The program resulted from the collaborative efforts of two institutions of higher education, a neighboring school district, the principal and teachers of one school within that district, and the state office of education. Evaluation of the first year of the program consisted of assessing the beliefs and perceptions of both preservice students and inservice teachers, along with an assessment of the mathematical achievement of the children within the classes of those teachers. Pre- and post-assessments of the preservice students and inservice teachers' beliefs regarding reform pedagogy were administered using the IMAP [Integrating Mathematics and Pedagogy] Web-Based Beliefs Survey (2006). Likert scale surveys were used to assess perceptions regarding course climate and participant relationships from both teacher groups. The mathematical achievement of children was assessed in three ways: The Wide Range Achievement Test-3 (Stone, Jastak, & Wilkinson, 1995), the Utah state criterion-referenced assessment, and performance assessments developed specifically for use at the school. Data obtained from all sources indicated positive effects upon teachers and children, thus providing substantial evidence in support of both the value of the methods course itself and the overall professional development program. An additional evaluation will be conducted following the second year of the program.