EDC&I 505V, Spring 2004 Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics Mark Windschitl

If we want all students to actually learn in the way that new standards suggest and today’s complex society demands, we will need to develop teaching that goes far beyond dispensing information, giving a test, and giving a grade. We need to understand how to teach in ways that respond to students’ diverse approaches to learning, that are structured to take advantage of students’ unique starting points, and that carefully scaffold work aimed at more proficient performances. We will also need to understand what schools must do to organize themselves to support such teaching and learning (Linda Darling-Hammond, 1996, p. 7). 2

5 goals for the course you will understand the reform vision for effective science or math teaching and how these inform the design of PD programs you will understand how principles of adult learning can be integrated into PD experiences for educators you will understand how the design of PD is influenced by knowledge bases around 1)learners and learning, 2) teachers and teaching, 3) the nature of the disciplines of math or science, 4) principles of effective PD, and 5) change processes. you will be able to use a research-based model to design an effective PD experience for a group of teachers you will understand what the research says about dilemmas associated with PD and be able to incorporate this knowledge into your design of a PD program. 3

Using the Community of Learners Model each of you come to this course with experiences relevant to teaching, learning, and PD these experiences are valuable to contribute to the class no one person possesses the sum total of knowledge and skills necessary to create the ideal PD experiences you are capable of self-directing and self-regulating your learning, given the resources, conceptual structures and opportunity to do so creating an atmosphere of “critical colleague-ship” is a valuable experience, given that it mirrors the experiences you want to foster in PD settings with teachers. 4

Community of Learners To put these principles into play, you will: identify a particular area of PD that interests you form a special interest group (SIG) by aligning yourself with other members of the class who share similar interests make public the experiences that you have had and be prepared to share the knowledge you’ve gained from these experiences. If you are or have been a classroom teacher, these experiences may be those of a learner in a PD program, and as such, are very valuable to the thinking of your SIG develop a shared list of high-quality background readings, some of which are research based and some of which may offer practical PD design information work collaboratively to develop a one-class set of experiences for the rest of the participants to help them understand more deeply the PD strategies that are the focus of your SIG. 5

Underlying assumptions about teachers for this course Teaching is an intellectual activity as opposed to a technical one. What is the technical view? Teachers only apply general principles in cookie-cutter fashion Teachers implement curriculum and instructional plans generated by others 6

Underlying assumptions about teachers for this course What is the intellectual view? Teacher is a decision maker Teacher is a generator of knowledge and theories Like students, teacher are active agents of their own learning They use classrooms as sites for inquiry They continuously interrogate their assumptions about teaching and learning (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993). 7

Professional Development Design Framework Analyze Student Learning and Other Data   Set Goals Plan Do Evaluate Knowledge And Beliefs  Context Critical Issues Commit to Vision and Standards Strategies 8