Sustainable Intellectual Growth of Elementary School Teachers in Science Content and in Science Pedagogical Content
Two quite different kinds of research were undertaken in conjunction with the Fulcrum Institute. The first kind of research, undertaken by Fulcrum internal research group, explored the following questions:
- The evolution of issues: Each week in the online sessions, developers, science teachers, and scientists pose questions that provide glimpses into their respective conceptualizations of the science content. Comparisons of these various "takes" on the science inform adjustments in the structure and dynamics of future sessions.
- Teachers' understanding of the quantitative relations among weight, volume and density: The research group has developed materials, activities, and interview protocols for exploring these relations in special circumstances where measures are held in abeyance until learners have been able to gather insights into the functional interdependencies among the quantities
- Atoms, Molecules, and Models: How do students make sense of the particulate nature of matter? Interviews with students have helped us identify the properties and relations that they (the students) give expression to in their spontaneous models.
The results of this effort will be reported in another presentation at this conference.
The second form of research, carried out by our external evaluator, Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE), addressed the overall project questions, principally about teacher's intellectual growth and the effect of the Fulcrum experience on their teaching. All of the Cohort 2 teachers enrolled in the Fulcrum Institute completed teacher interviews during winter 2007/2008. Interviews captured information pertaining to the teachers' involvement in science-based professional development, changes in their science curriculum and materials since last year and teachers' rating of their and their students' overall understanding in science. As in Cohort 1, teachers were also given the opportunity to discuss the impact of the Fulcrum Institute on themselves, their classroom and students.
Classroom observations were conducted by INCRE in all classrooms taught by Fulcrum Institute teachers using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP).
Surveys used as part of the evaluation of the Fulcrum Institute rated the interest and engagement of students and teachers in science as distinct from their science understanding and skills. In the surveys, teachers were asked to rate their students and themselves in these four areas using a 4-point scale.
Finally, a new line of research is being undertaken that involves the analysis of the archived teacher posting from two complete Fulcrum cohorts. This work, is being undertaken by education doctoral students in the Tufts University Math, Science & Technology Education program.
