Situating Teacher Learning in the Practice of Science and Mathematics Teaching Monica Hartman University of Michigan Pre-Oral Defense Meeting May 3, 2004

Problem New content and pedagogy for students require new content and pedagogy for teachers Traditional methods of professional development are decontextualized and a patchwork of opportunities stitched together into a fragmented and incoherent curriculum (Ball & Cohen, 1999)

The Problem The kinds of changes envisioned by reformers require changes not only in features of instruction but in the very goals of the teaching system (Hiebert & Stigler, 2000, p. 7) Changes recommended by reform will require that teachers break from their experience

Professional Development should: Be inquiry based, with time for reflection and analysis Include a community of learners Involve meaningful conversations, a discourse for inquiry Address needs and concerns of participants Be sustained over time

Japanese Lesson Study Lesson study is responsible for the change in Japanese science education from the teacher-centered telling approach to a problem solving approach Lewis & Tsuchida, 1997 Stigler and Hiebert identify Japanese Lesson Study as a possible model of professional development for systemic school improvement. Stigler & Hiebert, The Teaching Gap

Lesson Study Process Determine long term and short term goals Collaboratively plan a research lesson Implement lesson with other teachers as observers Discuss and analyze research lesson Re-teach revised lesson

Questions How does a collaborative professional development experience, situated in teachers’ own practice, help elementary public school teachers develop their knowledge of teaching?

Sub Questions 1.What are the characteristics of these teachers’ engagement in a collaborative examination of practice? 2. What challenges do they face? 3.How do they overcome these challenges or not?

Participants Small suburban district outside major city Six half day sessions for each group Mathematics – Fifth Grade Greenfield (n=2) Forest Hills (n=4) Science Group – Fourth Grade Greenfield (n=2) Forest Hills (n=3)

Method Qualitative analysis Constant comparison process Researcher’s role: Participant-observer Analysis Tool – Hyper Research

Data Sources Audio tapes of planning and feedback sessions Video tapes of lesson implementations Audio tapes of pre and post interviews Direct observations, field notes and journal entries

Challenges Three themes developed during analysis of these data that represent the challenges that faced these teachers: Time Talk Individualism

Time Too much to teach, too little time Control what they do with their time Need time to construct meaning and process new learning Influence of cultural perspective of what teachers should be doing with their time Taking time to collaborate was expressed as a major benefit

Talk Small talk developed into more meaningful conversations during the planning sessions Teachers thought they would have no problem offering critical feedback, but found it difficult Teachers with more content knowledge were more critical during feedback session

Individualism Lortie (1975) describes the culture of teaching as individualistic, present- oriented and conservative Concern for self rather than others is problematic – puts an end to debate and closes the door to change (Buchmann, 1993)

Building Community Knowledge: Subject Matter Mathematics Lesson Could not give real world example of fraction times a fraction Wanted to postpone that topic to sixth grade Thought it was division Science Lesson Admitted they never ask their students to draw a conclusion during their science lesson Didn’t know what was an appropriate conclusion for the lesson

Building Community Knowledge: Teaching Students need time to discuss concepts so don’t feel like you are wasting time when giving students that extra time Journals allowed for you to see student thinking and how it develops through the lesson Use of manipulatives How did students use them? Need multiple representations for fraction concepts

Building Community Knowledge: Students Collaborative skills Group talk was more productive than it sounds Leaders developed within their groups Students had good discussions in their group Student learning Students who were otherwise failing were leading their groups in understanding concepts in science Students were having a difficult time in finding fractions of a set What teachers saw in the classroom did not match their expectations Students were on task, noise was productive Teacher’s talk in lunchroom painted a different picture of what was really happening in the classroom

Patterns in the Group of Teachers Who Stayed Dissatisfaction with learning outcomes of students Collegial atmosphere already existed Trust in relationship with facilitator Teacher talk between sessions was positive and supportive Were not assigned role of teacher too soon

Patterns in the Group of Teachers Who Left Substitute problems Already out of classroom for personal reasons and professional development Didn’t know where this program was going in the district Having a more experienced teacher watch you teach was intimidating The school climate was not collegial Teachers did not know me as well

Conclusion Groups that are more collegial have a better chance of succeeding in this type of professional development. Teachers who are dissatisfied with the learning outcomes of their students are more inclined to see a need to learn something new. The group leader needs to establish credibility and trusting relationships among the members.

Conclusion Not all teacher groups are ready for a collaborative investigation of practice Time should be scheduled during their work day Structures are present in this type of professional development that allow teachers opportunities to learn. Future research should seek to identify how best to overcome the challenges of time, talk and individualism.