Invited Talks

5:45 pm - 6:45 pm,    Wednesday,    August 10

Where      :    OSH Auditorium
Presider   :    Rebecca Lindell, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Keynote Speaker: Lillian C. McDermott, (lcmcd@phys.washington.edu) University of Washington

How can physics education research contribute to K-12 teacher preparation?

Abstract:  The recent history of reform in K-12 science education indicates that there is a significant gap between the science curriculum that teachers are taught as undergraduates and the curriculum that they are expected to teach in elementary, middle, and high school.  In particular, research has shown that many teachers lack a basic understanding of K-12 physics and physical science, both content and process.  Unless this gap is successfully bridged, the current efforts of physics faculty to improve the preparation of teachers are unlikely to have a lasting impact.  Results from research and many years of experience in teaching teachers have contributed to the development of an instructional approach that has been shown to be effective in meeting this challenge.

10:15 am - 12:15 pm,     Thursday,     August 11

Where                              :    OSH Auditorium
Master of Ceremonies   :   Kastro M. Hamed,  University of Texas at El Paso

10:15-10:45   Valerie Otero, (valerie.otero@colorado.edu) University of Colorado, Boulder

Repositioning ourselves from “knowers” to “learners:” Formative Assessment, Vygotsky, and Teacher Preparation

Abstract:  Learning to be an effective teacher is an ongoing process of inquiry. Understanding teaching as the process of inquiry entails a repositioning of oneself from a traditional notion of “teacher as knower,” an expert who provides information for learners, to a contemporary notion of “teacher as learner,” one who continuously collects, interprets, and analyzes information in real-time and over longer periods of time. Formative assessment is a mechanism used by those who position themselves as teacher-learners.  In this presentation, I argue using both data and theory that the notion of repositioning ourselves from “teacher” to “learner” is a single thread that underlies theoretical and practical research associated with reform pedagogy, cognitive theory, socio-cultural theory, formative assessment, and professional development. My argument also applies to what teacher educators should teach and how they should teach it. In addition, I will discuss the role that theoretical and practical research in PER has played in my thinking and research. Data from several studies involving pre-service elementary teachers, university science faculty, pre-service secondary science teachers, and practicing teachers will be presented and compared.

10:45-11:15   Ted Hodapp, (thodapp@hamline.edu) Hamline University

The Physics Teacher Education Coalition: Results, Directions, Initiatives

Abstract:  The Physics Teacher Education Coalition is an NSF/FIPSE/APS funded project to help produce more, better prepared physics and physical science teachers.  The project began over four years ago as a joint effort between the AAPT, AIP and APS to address a nationally recognized need in the preparation of future science teachers.  The project’s goals include a) establishing a network of institutions that are deeply engaged in the science preparation of future teachers, b) providing compelling evidence of the importance and success of ideas and components central to preparing science teachers, c) engaging physics and education faculty in collaborating in the preparation of these teachers, and d) using the joint resources of the AAPT, AIP and APS to promote and disseminate these ideas and programs. 

At its heart, this project is about how we engage physics departments in this critical mission.  This presentation will highlight some of the results, directions, and initiatives of the project.  PER faculty and the research products they have developed are critical to success of this venture, and their roles in this project will be highlighted..

11:15-11:45    Ron Thornton, (ronald.thornton@tufts.edu) Tufts University

Evaluating Activity-Based Teacher Workshops

Abstract:  The research of the Center for Science and Mathematics Teaching at Tufts University and that of others has shown that teachers (and students) are more likely to achieve fundamental understandings of science in workshops or classes that provide activity-based learning environments. Our research also shows that such workshops can be effective in providing teachers with new pedagogical resources. In the past 18 years I have taught, with others, over 100 teacher workshops. These workshops have lasted from one day to two weeks and have involved teachers of students in grades 5 through 12 and college and university professors. All of these workshops enhance teachers’ pedagogical skills to include the effective use of guided inquiry, peer collaboration and technology in teaching basic science concepts while improving teacher understanding of those same concepts. Participants engage in active, inquiry-driven learning experiences, suitable for their students, in which they often use real-time data collection to explore the physical world by collecting and analyzing physical data. We have used a number of different methods to evaluate the efficacy of the workshops including self reported data by teachers on the effect of the workshop, evaluations of teacher content knowledge and longer term studies of pedagogical change and student learning in courses taught by workshop teachers. The results of two studies will be presented. The first involves changes in pedagogy by college and university professors attending a two-week workshop. The second evaluates a series of short workshops for high school teachers that resulted in changed instruction for 90% of the participants. A Teacher Education Module we developed may help others implement this program.

For more information contact:
Center for Science and Math Teaching,  4 Colby Street, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 
Telephone: 617-627-2825
Fax:             617-627-3253
Email:          csmt@tufts.edu
Web:            http://ase.tufts.edu/csmt/

11:45-12:15    Panel Discussion

12:15 pm - 1:45 pm,     Thursday,     August 11

Where      :    Union Ballroom
Presider   :    Kastro M. Hamed,  University of Texas at El Paso

Luncheon Banquet Speaker: Dr. Harold Himmelfarb, U.S. Department of Education

Teacher Quality Issues in Science Education and Research Opportunities

Abstract:  Dr. Himmelfarb will address the nature of the issues facing U.S. Schools with regard teacher preparation in the sciences with implications for Physics, the types of research that Institute for Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education is soliciting to build an evidenced-based field, and promising ideas for interventions.