1. Monica Hartman University of Michigan May 28, 2004
Situating Teacher Learning in the Practice of Science and Mathematics Teaching
Monica Hartman
University of Michigan
May 28, 2004

2. Problems
New content and pedagogy for students require new content and pedagogy for teachers
Teaching is a cultural activity (Stigler & Hiebert, 1999)
Individualism, presentism and conservatism characterize the role of teaching (Grossman, Wineburg, & Woolworth, 2001; Lortie, 1975)
Apprenticeship of observation (Lortie, 1975)
No shared knowledge base for teachers. Teachers do not look to research. (Hiebert, Gallimore, Stigler, 2002: Richardson & Placier, 2001)
Deeper understanding of concepts
Inquiry-oriented

3. Problems
Teachers are a key to educational reform. (Cohen & Ball, 1990; Hiebert & Stigler, 2000)
Traditional methods of professional development are decontextualized and a patchwork of opportunities stitched together into a fragmented and incoherent curriculum.
(Ball & Cohen, 1999)
Individualism : collection of individual teachers and strengthen the individual teacher
Presentism – tenure system. Short term goals
Conservatism – do what has always been done

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

5. Sub Questions
What are the characteristics of these teachers’ engagement in a collaborative examination of practice?
What challenges do they face?
Why do some teachers stay and other teachers leave?
What do these teachers appear to be learning about content, pedagogy and their students?

6. Theoretical Framework
Three bodies of work inform my study
Knowledge is situated, social and distributed (Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989; Putnam & Borko, 2000)
Conceptual change (Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog, 1982)
The role of professional development in educational reform (Ball & Cohen, 1999)

7. Standards for Professional Development
Inquiry based, with time for reflection and analysis
Community of learners
Involve meaningful conversations, a discourse for inquiry
Authentic and address needs and concerns of participants
Sustained over time

8. 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, 1999)

9. 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

10. 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
Forest Hills (n=3)

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

12. 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
CoWeb Journal pages

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

14. 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
Too many other activities going on at the same time; Didn’t have time to teach that way; Complained about being out of their room;
Teachers are not doing the work of teaching if they are not in the room with their students

15. 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

16. Individualism
Concern for self rather than others is problematic – puts an end to debate and closes the door to change
Pseudocommunities – individuals working with other individuals where everyone must agree. Challenges are against the rules
Role versus personal orientations to teaching

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Conclusion
Structures are present in this type of professional development that allow teachers opportunities to learn
Changes will not happen by introducing professional development like Lesson Study
Not all teacher groups are ready for a collaborative investigation of practice

23. Conclusion
The challenges of time, talk and individualism are resilient
Some teachers could work around it, but for changes to occur more reliably, challenges need to be addressed more directly in the design of professional development.

24. 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.
Time should be scheduled during their work day

25. Conclusion
Future research should seek to identify how best to overcome the challenges of time, talk and individualism.
Deeper understanding of concepts
Inquiry-oriented