|
August 10-11,
2005 |
Targeted Poster Session: TP-C
The Changing Face of Teacher Training: Creating Well-Qualified Physics and Astronomy Educators in the Age of No Child Left Behind
Organizers:
Rebecca Lindell (rlindel@siue.edu), Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Where: OSH 235
When:
1:45 – 3:15
& 3:45 – 5:15,
Thursday, August 11
Theme: With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), states are now held to higher accountability standards for improving their elementary and secondary schools, as well as ensuring that no child is trapped within a failing school system. States have been mandated to implement statewide accountability systems based on challenging standards in mathematics and reading in addition to mandated statewide testing. States are also required to ensure that there is a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. By law a highly qualified teacher is now one who not only possesses a teaching certificate, but also has demonstrated competence in any subject area taught. To meet these new mandates, many states have had to make radical changes to their physics/ science certification programs. These changes have many implications for current and future physics and astronomy teachers, as well as challenges for the programs that train them. One of the greatest challenges of this legislature is the short timeline with which these changes must be implemented. In this targeted poster session, we will highlight the changes some programs have taken to adjust for NCLB, specifically ones that have utilized the results of PER to inform the best practices demonstrated to future and in-service teachers.
Goals: This session hopes to inform participants of the changing nature of physics teacher training as a result of NCLB. As many individuals hired in PER positions are also responsible for their schools physics teacher training programs, this poster session hopes to not only inform the community of the changes to teaching certification, but also highlight how several programs have utilized PER results to meet the needs of both future and in-service teachers. Because many of the changes have occurred within the last few years, many members of the community may also not be aware of the changing needs of these teachers and many programs may have been left at a loss on how to make these changes.
Individual Poster Abstracts
TP-C1
Development of a Standards-based Integrated Science
Course for Elementary Teachers
Eric
Malina (emalina@siue.edu), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Denise
Plunk, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Rebecca Lindell, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Abstract:
With the national mandates that science be an integral
component of all levels of education, the importance of having courses for
future elementary teachers designed to meet state and national standards is
critical. This poster describes how three SIUE faculty, one from biology,
chemistry, and physics, initiated, coordinated, and implemented curricular
changes to our Foundations of Science course. The goals of this project were 1)
to enhance the current content curriculum, 2) to revise current curricular
modules and develop new modules to be inquiry-based, 3) to improve and expand
upon the use of technology, and 4) to further articulate the interrelatedness of
the sciences in the curriculum. Meeting these goals required the complete
revision or creation of 25 hands-on inquiry-based modules. Evaluation of the
project involved 1) determining the impact of the modules on student learning,
2) gathering students perspective of the modules, and 3) collecting faculty
feedback.
Supported by SIUE Excellence in Undergraduate Education Fund.
TP-C2
Professional Development for Standards-Based Physical
Science Education Using Modeling Physics
Jason Cervenac
(jason_cerv@earthlink.net),
Worthington City School
Kathleen Harper, The Ohio State University
Andrew Heckler, The Ohio State University
Abstract:
Ohio curricula have changed to address the new Ohio
Graduation Test and state physical science standards. Consequently, teachers are
looking for professional development opportunities that address the new
standards. Ohio State partnered with two school districts and the state to
provide Modeling workshops in physical science. Participants represented a
variety of teaching experiences. Teachers have learned content and methods to
effectively prepare students for the relevant state standards and, working in
small groups, designed Modeling-consistent units for other topics. Each unit
explicitly indicates the state science standards it addresses. These units were
disseminated to all participants in an effort to promote instructional practices
that promote long-term retention, in-depth understanding, and knowledge transfer
to novel situations. One message that is clear from current participants is that
explicitly targeting the standards is valuable.
TP-C3
Meeting the Needs of Our Future and In-Service
Teachers: The Development and Implementation of a PER-based Course to Teach
Instructional Strategies in Astronomy
Rebecca
Lindell (rlindel@siue.edu), Southern
Illinois University Edwardsville
Douglas Franke, Knox College
Elizabeth Peak, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Thomas Withee, Collinsville High School & Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Thomas Foster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Abstract:
To meet
the requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislature, the State of Illinois
radically changed its Science certification programs. This change resulted in
the creation of a new certification in Earth and Space Science. To meet the
requirements of this new program, the SIUE Department of Physics and Office of
Science and Mathematics Education created a new course entitled “Instructional
Techniques in Astronomy”. Required for all students seeking Earth and Space
Science certification, it is also ideal for meeting the needs of in-service
teachers, who need additional astronomy courses to become “well-qualified”.
This poster will report on this unique course, which combines content and
pedagogy along with both teacher-participant and instructor views on the
effectiveness of this new course. In addition, teacher-participant lesson plans
will be provided.
TP-C4
The Impact of Teacher
Quality Grants (NCLB-based) on Long-Term Professional Development of Physical
Science Teachers at the University of Texas at Dallas
Mary L. Urquhart
(urquhart@utdallas.edu),
University of Texas at Dallas
Kendra M. Bober, Evaluation Consultant
Abstract:
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Teacher
Quality Grants (TQ Grants), supported in part through No Child Left Behind, are
intended to ensure that secondary teachers of specific subjects are ³highly
qualified². Now in their 3rd year, these grants have done much to shape
long-term professional development for teachers in the physical sciences at the
University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The grants have also created a suite of
challenges and benefits for the UTD Science Education M.A.T. program. TQ Grants
are based on the No Child Left Behind framework that requires teachers to be
³highly qualified² as defined by the state. Recruitment is required to be
targeted at teachers who are uncertified or teach one or more classes out of
content area, and who work in high needs local school districts. Many of the
students brought into are program through these grants have incoming content
knowledge in physics similar to that typical of undergraduate non-majors, and a
large percentage are uncomfortable with basic mathematics as well. How and what
we teach has been dramatically impacted by the TQ Grants, as have our
assessments and evaluations. An ongoing challenge has been to implement a
PER-based course design while meeting the specific requirements of the TQ Grant
program. The TQ Grants have also provided a great deal of opportunity to new and
existing teachers in our program. A barrier to our teachers, rising tuition
costs, has been removed, and as a result a mandate has become a doorway of
opportunity for physical science teachers..
PERC 2005 Organizing Committee |
|
Kastro M. Hamed | |
Department of Physics | |
University of Texas at El Paso | |
El Paso, TX 79968 | |
(915) 747-7548 office | (915) 747-5447 fax |
kastro@utep.edu | |
Rebecca Lindell | |
Department of Physics | |
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville | |
Edwardsville, IL |
|
(618) 650-2934 office | (618) 650-3556 fax |
rlindel@siue.edu | |
N. Sanjay Rebello | |
Department of Physics | |
Kansas State University | |
Manhattan, KS 66506-2601 | |
(785) 532-1539 office | (785) 532-6806 fax |
srebello@phys.ksu.edu | |