What Knowledge Mediates Teachers’
Appropriation of High Leverage
Practices?
Jennifer L. Cartier & Leslie Lancaster
University of Pittsburgh
DR K-12 PI Meeting
Washington, D.C.
November 8, 2009
This presentation is based upon work supported
by the National Science Foundation under Grant
# 0554486 as administered by the University of
Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt University.
Any
opinions,
findings,
and
conclusions
or
recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science
Foundation.
Overview
Project
Background
Driving Questions
Contexts
Pittsburgh
Design of PST
Learning
Opportunities
Research Questions
TSS
Measures
Results
More Questions!
2
Project Background
 Driving Question
– What are the relationships between elementary teachers’ science
& mathematics knowledge, their pedagogical approaches, and
what their students learn?
 Contexts
– Vanderbilt University (M. Singer-Gabella, PI)
 Undergraduate & graduate elem. teacher preparation programs
 Focus on mathematics
– University of Pittsburgh (J. Cartier, E. Forman, co-PIs)
 Graduate elementary teacher preparation programs
 Focus on science
3
Teacher Learning Context Design:
Vision of Science Instruction
Enacted Curriculum (EC)
Resembles Science Inquiry
•Purposeful Exploration
–Formulating questions
–Designing ways to gather data
–Collecting data
–Organizing & describing first- and second-hand data
•Developing Explanations
•Applying Knowledge to New Situations
4
Teacher Learning Context Design:
The Reality of Science Instruction!
Curriculum Materials (CM)
Rarely Resemble Science Inquiry
?
• Exploration without purpose
•Hands-on tasks that do not derive
from explicit prior knowledge,
questions, or theories of the world
•Data collection is rote or not systematic
•Explanations are not tightly connected to
patterns in data
•Opportunities for application are rare
5
Planning the Enacted Curriculum
A Mini-Exercise
Materials You Are to Use…
 Curriculum materials
(4 color-coded
activities)
 4 Learning Goals
(LGs; on index
cards)
What You Are To Do…
Plan instruction in order to
help 5th grade students
reach the indicated LGs
 Decide which (if any)
of these instructional
activities you would
use and
 In which order
6
What Practices Did You Employ?
Our project seeks to identify key
Planning Practices so that we can
design contexts in which PSTs
can learn these practices.
7
Page 3 in
Hand-Out
Teacher Learning Context Design:
High Leverage Practices That Mediate Between CM & EC
HIGH LEVERAGE PRACTICES
teacher practices most likely to lead to student learning
(Franke & Chan, 2007; Ball, et al., 2009)
Planning Practices
(HLPs)
as dialog with CM
1.Identify BI and LGs
(patterns, explanations)
2.Organize / sequence
lessons
3.Design tools
4.Plan talk
8
Page 5 in
Hand-Out
[HLP-2]
Organize/
Sequence
Lessons
9
Page 6 in
Hand-Out
Scaffolding the HLP:
The Learning Cycle Framework
HLP 1
Identify Big
Ideas &
Learning
Goals
HLP 2
Organize &
Sequence
LGs &
Lessons
10
Teacher Learning Context Design:
Opportunities to Learn & Demonstrate the HLPs
INSTRUCTION
Modeling HLP
1-4
Introduction
of LCF
LC 1: Earth/Space
Science
wk 1-3
PSTs learn &
practice HLPs
PSTs demonstrate
HLPs in major
course assignments
Instructors
model HLPs
Scaffolded
practice
(HLP 1, 2, 3)
Reflection
HLP 1, 2,
3 & LCF
Scaffolded
practice
(HLP 1-4,
emphasis on
HLP 4)
Modeling HLP 1-4
Emphasis on HLP 4
wk 6
LC 2: Physical
Science
wk 8-10
wk 12
Lesson Plan
wk 15
LC Plan
CM 1: Science Matters
TSS
FOSS CM
HLP (1), 2, 3
various CMs
HLP 1, 2,
3, 4
HLP 2, (3)
PERFORMANCE /
ASSESSMENT
11
Tracking the HLPs & the Role of the LCF
Research Questions
 Do PSTs draw on the Learning Cycle Framework when
choosing tasks from provided CMs?
– Alignment of LG to task (HLP-2a)
– Selection of task that fits with purpose of Learning Cycle phase
(HLP-2b)
 Do PSTs draw on the Learning Cycle Framework when
organizing or sequencing related lessons? (HLP-2d)
– Explicit justification of sequence
– Exploration before Explanation (HLP-2c)
12
What is the Task Selection and
Sequencing (TSS) Exam?
PSTs…
 Create a series of lessons
using a given set of
Activities to address a Big
Idea in science and a set of
associated learning goals
 Must provide a
justification/rational for
their Activity selection and
sequencing choices
13
Pages 7-12 in
Hand-Out
How is the TSS Exam Designed?
What the PSTs are Given…
Learning Goals
4th & 7th Grade PA
State Assessment
Anchors for Science
and Technology
Big Idea in Science
Student Prior
Knowledge
14
Pages 13-17 in
Hand-Out
How is the TSS Exam Designed?
What the PSTs are Given…
A set of instructional
activities that…
 align to some of the LGs and some of
the SFs
 are “distractor” activities and are not
aligned to the LGs or SFs
Yellow
WHAT’S MY DENSITY?
Grade Level:
Math Background:
Science Background:
4th-6th grades
long division; proportions
measurement of Mass; measurement of volume;
Describing properties of materials
Activity time:
1 hour (lab); 30 minutes (group discussion)
Objective:
materials.
Students will find the densities of various common
Blue
Students will notice that objects of similar size but different
materials have different densities.
Students will notice that objects of the same material have
the same density, independent of the size of these objects.
Materials:
Ping-pong ball and rubber ball of same size
Scale to measure mass
Ruler
Graduated cylinder
Marble
Copies of data table (per group);
4 small objects of various materials.
Groups should contain objects of the same material but
different shapes. Examples:
Group 1: iron; lead; wood; plastic Lego 
Group 2: iron; lead; wood; plastic 
Group 3: etc.
HOOK:
1) Show students ping pong ball and rubber ball; Have
students take turns holding both, one in each hand.
2) Ask students if there are any differences
3) When students notice that they are the same size but
one is heavier, ask why this might be.
PROCEDURE:
4) After some discussion, tell the students that the property
describes how something can be small and heavy or small
and light is called density.
5) We will do an experiment to explore this property.
6) Distribute student worksheet.
7) Read directions with students.
15
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Hand-Out
How is the TSS Exam Designed?
What the PSTs Do…
Select
activities
and
sequence
them
Blue
Yellow
Gray
I chose this task because it
aligns to LG 2…
It is a good Engage task
Provide a
rational for
choices
made
Green
16
What Do PSTs’ Responses Look Like?
Selecting Activities Based on LG and SF Alignment…
“…they are going to explore and
record about using a data table for
“This exploration will allow students to
demonstrate their competence in LG 2
(when measuring mass and
volume) and LG 4 (when
calculating density). It also
targets LG 3 when it asks the 3
that material. The next day, students will
share their results with students who
explored and recorded about other
materials in a Jigsaw cooperative learning
format. Then, the three pattern
questions could be answered.” HLP 2 b
questions about patterns of uniforms
[sic.] solids made of the same materials.” HLP 2 a
17
What Do PSTs’ Responses Look Like?
Sequencing Activities Based on the Learning Cycle Model…
“…Also, it was using the idea of
density in a new way since
students had not been exposed to
the way that liquids and solids of
different densities would react ot
HLP 2 d
[sic.] one another. I thought this lesson
could have students use the knowledge of
the LGs to predict and explain a different
phenomena.”
18
How are We Analyzing the TSS Data?
For HLP 2…
8F-02FPy
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Blue
Orange
Yellow
Engage
AC 0
Q2
LG 2
AC 0
Q2
Explore
AC 0
LG 1
Q8
AC 0
LG 2
Q6
AC 2
Q9
LG 4
AC 2
Explore
Q 10
AC 2
Q10
LG 3
AC 2
Q 10
19
Study Participants
Elementary Teacher Prep. at Pittsburgh
Masters of Arts in Teaching
(MAT)
 Graduate program
 4 academic terms (12 mo.)
 20-35 hr. internship for academic
yr.
 Students are usually first-career, 2225 yrs. old, female, Caucasian
Professional Year (PY)
 Graduate program
 2 academic terms (8 mo.)
 14-week practicum (1 day of
observation/participation each
week in fall term)
 14-week student teaching (spring
term)
 Students are often second-career,
25-40 yrs. old, female, Caucasian
20
Study Participants
Elementary Teacher Prep. at Pittsburgh
Masters of Arts in Teaching
(MAT)
 Enroll in Science Methods
course during spring term
(3rd term in program)
 Concurrent with teaching
Professional Year (PY)
 Enroll in Science Methods
course during fall term (1st
term in program)
 No concurrent teaching
Same 15-week Science Methods course. Meets weekly for 3 hours in the evening.
21
What is the TSS Data Telling Us About HLP 2?
HLP-2d
Question
1. Did the PSTs use the LC?
(Explicitly or Implicitly)
2. Of the PSTs who used the
LC, did they follow the LC
sequence?
Cohort 1
(15 MATs)
Cohort 2
(27 PYs)
Cohort 3
(21 of 32
MATs)
93% (14) Yes
7% (1) No
48% (13) Yes
52% (14) No
86% (18) Yes
14% (3) No
87% (12) Yes
13% (2) No
48% (6) Yes
52% (7) No
78% (14) Yes
22% (4) No
(Engage, Explore, Explain,
Apply/Extend)
22
What is the TSS Data Telling Us About HLP 2?
Sub-Practice a and c…
Cohort 1
(15 MATs)
Cohort 2
(27 PYs)
Cohort 3
(21 of 32
MATs)
87% (13) Yes
13% (2) No
100% (27) Yes
0% (0) No
92% (19) Yes
8% (2) No
2. Did the PSTs choose an appropriate
activity for LG 1?
86% Yes
14% No
94% Yes
6% No
90% Yes
10% No
3. Did the PSTs choose an appropriate
activity for LG 3?
85% Yes
15% No
88% Yes
12% No
81% Yes
19% No
4. Did the PSTs choose an appropriate
activity for LG 4?
92% Yes
8% No
95% Yes
5% No
93% Yes
7% No
33% (4) Yes
60% (9) No
48% (13) Yes
52% (14) No
42% (8) Yes
58% (11) No
Question
1. Were LGs 1, 3, 4 addressed?
(LG 2 is prior knowledge)
5. Do the conceptual LGs (1 and 3) come
before the mathematical LG (4)?
23
What is the TSS Data Telling Us About HLP 2?
Sub-Practice b…
Cohort 1
(15 MATs)
Cohort 2
(27 PYs)
Cohort 3
(21 of 32
MATs)
1. Did the PSTs choose an
appropriate Engage
activity?
95% Yes
5% No
90% Yes
10% No
94% Yes
6% No
2. Did the PSTs choose an
appropriate Explore
activity?
68% Yes
32% No
82% Yes
18% No
78% Yes
22% No
3. Did the PSTs choose an
appropriate Explain
activity?
79% Yes
21% No
88% Yes
12% No
82% Yes
18% No
70% Yes 30%
No
74% Yes
26% No
79% Yes
21% No
Question
4. Did the PSTs choose an
appropriate Apply/Extend
activity?
24
What is This Data Telling Us?
HLP 2 Sub-Practice
a
(LG Task Alignment)
b
(SF Task Alignment)
c
(LG Sequence)
d
(SF Sequence)
Trends
>80% successful
Engage - > 90% successful
Other SFs success varied (68-88%)
Apply/Extend and Explore most problematic
33-48% successful
Majority place explanatory LGs before exploratory LGs
Varies according to PST program
MATs – 78-88% successful
PYs – fewer than 50%
25
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Hand-Out
What Knowledge Types are Teachers
Drawing on to Enact the HLPs?
CONTENT
• Common Content
Knowledge (CCK)
• Horizon Knowledge
(HK)
• Specialized Content
Knowledge (SCK)
PEDAGOGY
PEDAGOGICAL
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
(PCK)
•Teaching
•Students
(KCT)
(KCS)
•Curriculum
• Classroom
Management
• Instructional
Principles
• Learners & Learning
(KCC)
• Educational Aims
Ball, et al. (2008)
Magnuson, et al. (2001)
26
Looking for Evidence of Knowledge
A mini-exercise
 Can we infer anything about PSTs’ knowledge
from the TSS data?
 If so, what type(s) of knowledge can we infer?
 Look at examples 1-6 (pp. 19-24); identify
evidence on which inferences may be based
 Is the Knowledge Needed for Teaching
framework of Ball et al. a useful tool to
understand how/why PSTs take up certain
HLPs?
 In what ways are you linking teachers’ practices
27
How are We Analyzing the TSS Data?
For Knowledge for Teaching used to Apply the Learning Cycle
Framework…
KCT
8F-02FPy
Lesson 1
Blue
Engage
Lack of CCK
Q3
KCS
KCT
8F-03FPy
Lesson 1
Yellow
Engage
CCK
Q 10
KCS
KCT
Lesson 2
Green
Engage
CCK
Q 10
KCS
KCT
8F-04FPy
Lesson 1
Blue
Engage
Lack of CCK
Q1
KCS
PSTs who are successful with HLP 2 b
appear to have more SCK.
28
Want to Know More?
Contact Us…
Jennifer L. Cartier
Assistant Professor
Leslie Lancaster
Graduate Student Researcher
University of Pittsburgh
School of Education
5523 W. W. Posvar Hall
Telephone: (412) 648-7248
E-mail: [email protected]
University of Pittsburgh
School of Education
5522 W. W. Posvar Hall
Telephone: (412) 648-1045
Email: [email protected]
29
How are We Analyzing the TSS Data?
For HLP 2…
Did the PST
explicitly identify
LG/SF?
Did the PST
accurately align to
the LG/SF?
Did PST modify
for LG/SF
alignment?