Data SourcesOne cohort of middle school science teachers (n=19) who participated in the first year of this PD program

focused on developing their understanding of using secondary data sets to conduct scientific investigations

•PD observations to document teachers’ learning opportunities

•Classroom observations to detail their use of scientific inquiry practices, verbal practices, and resources

•Teacher interviews to document instructional practices, PD learning, and access to and use of resources

•Completed exit projects to examine teachers’ learning

• Conceptualize instruction as enabled by resources and resource use

(Cohen, Raudenbush, & Ball, 2003) and involves the interaction of

teachers with students and content, mediated both by the presence of

resources and the skilful use of those resources including:

1) Conventional resources (teachers’ qualifications, books, facilities)

2) Personal resources (practitioner will, skill, and knowledge)

3) Environmental and social resources (state instructional guidance,

academic norms, professional leadership, family support)

Teaching Case Materials•To help teachers understand scientific inquiry and secondary research related to the zebra mussel invasion of the Hudson

River ecosystem; includes text passages, video resources, and interactive web-based graphing and data analysis tools

•PD tools and strategies act as important “messengers” of practice•Tools help create a dialectic between disciplinary knowledge and scientific

practices•How teachers interpret the “message” and apply specific tools and strategies in

their own practice is dependent upon several key contextual factors including

what they perceive as their students’ needs, their curricular goals, collegial

support, teacher’s comfort and knowledge of science content and teaching, and

teachers’ views of scientific inquiry

Urban Advantage (UA) Professional Development ProgramGOAL: Improve teachers’ and students’ understanding of scientific knowledge and inquiry through

collaborations between the New York City public school system and science-rich cultural institutions

BACKGROUND

CONTEXT

DEVELOPMENT WORK RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS

Data Analysis

Content analysis of observations, interviews, and projects; graphic mapping – creating

diagrams that depict findings or theories (McMillan & Schmacher, 1997)

Using Secondary Data Sets to Build Teachers’ Understanding about Science and Scientific Inquiry

American Museum of Natural History: James B. Short, Hudson Roditi, Jay Holmes, Suzanne ElgendyMichigan State University: Suzanne M. Wilson, Jamie N. Mikeska, Patricia S. Bills, Kenne Dibner, Tamara Shattuck

Teachers’ PD Learning Opportunities

Overview: PD activities focused on developing teachers’ understanding about processes for

how scientific knowledge is generated and scientists’ practical work

Theme #1: Multidimensionality of scientific methods

•Scientists use a variety of methods to investigate scientific phenomena and generate scientific

knowledge; each method has specific characteristics

Theme #2: Interconnectedness between parts of scientific investigation

•Bi-directional influence in relationship between question, data, and analysis; some methods

(secondary research) more heavily influenced by available data

Theme #3: Complexity of data interpretation

•Generation of scientific knowledge closely intertwined with understanding context of data

collection and variables

Theme #4: Science content and investigation design are mutually supportive

•Teachers engaged in content through two interconnected perspectives – focused on learning

about relationship between variables and secondary research investigation design

Teachers’ Classroom Practice

•Teachers reported using IDD to help teach students the investigation design process and how

to identify variables and learn how to write a hypothesis

•Varying degrees of flexibility in tool use (e.g., IDD used for different purposes)

•Variability in scaffolding of tools dependent on students’ perceived needs

•Tools provided structure within which to teach science

Teachers’ Exit Projects

•Strict adherence to UA “formula” for displaying exit project work

•Variation across projects in use of scientific concepts to support hypothesis and conclusions

and depth in investigation procedures but consistency within projects

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study examines how teachers’ developing understanding and practice

is enabled by the availability and use of resources. • How do professional development opportunities focused on secondary research

shape teachers’ understanding of science and scientific inquiry?• How do informal institutions’ resources and methods support teachers’ practice?• How do teachers use resources to further their own and their students’ learning?

RESEARCH METHODS

Teacher Professional Development (PD)Cycle 1(2 days)

Cycle 2 and 3(6 days)

Continuing PD(2 days/year)

Orientation session to:Introduce four types of scientific investigations Learn about cultural institutions and UA resources

Inquiry workshops to:Conduct an in-depth examination of two types of scientific investigationsComplete a science exit projectIncrease teachers’ repertoire of field trip destinations

Inquiry workshops to:Expand teachers’ repertoires about scientific investigations and cultural institutionsRefine classroom practices and examine student workAddress difficult inquiry areas (e.g., constructing scientific explanations)

Independent Variable:

Change in independent variable:

Number of repeated trials:

Title:

Question:

Hypothesis:

Dependent variable:

Constant variables:

Investigation Design Diagram (IDD)

What is your question?

Developing a Scientific Explanation Tool (DSET)

Support for your explanation

Claim based on the evidence (What is the answer to your

question based on your evidence?)

Evidence (observations/data that answers your question)

Scientific Reasoning(why you think this happened based on

background research)

Scientific Explanation = Claim + Evidence + Science Reasoning

My claim is (fill in with above claim) because (evidence and science reasoning)

Coding Categories by Data SourcePD Observations Classroom

ObservationsInterviews Exit Projects

Opportunities to do science

Opportunities to learn about the nature of science and inquiry

Opportunities to learn science content

Tool/resource use (flexibility and hybridity)

Contextual factors influencing use

Use of UA language

Teachers’ instructional practice

Teachers’ ideas about scientific inquiry

Teachers’ confidence in teaching science

Tool/resource use

Quality and structure of exit project components (e.g., hypothesis, data display, scientific explanation)

IDDAbstracts variables and

relationships to help design and direct the

investigation

DSETScientific reasoning

contextualizes the results of investigation

Teaching Case Materials

Enables learning content in the context

of scientific inquiry

DR K-12

Research Project Website http://education.msu.edu/research/projects/urban-advantage/

Model of Resource Use: Tools/resources support developing teachers’ knowledge in two interconnected “silos” of understanding (science content and scientific inquiry)