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College of Education Theses and Dissertations
College of Education
6-1-2017
Experiencing the Implementation of New Science
Inquiry Curricula
Peter S. Ower
DePaul University, [email protected]
Recommended Citation
Ower, Peter S., "Experiencing the Implementation of New Science Inquiry Curricula" (2017). College of Education Theses and
Dissertations. 91.
http://via.library.depaul.edu/soe_etd/91
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DePaulUniversity
CollegeofEducation
EXPERIENCINGTHEIMPLEMENTATIONOFNEWINQUIRYSCIENCECURRICULA
ADissertationinEducation
withaConcentrationinCurriculumStudies
by
PeterS.Ower
©2017PeterS.Ower
SubmittedinPartialFulfillment
oftheRequirements
fortheDegreeof
DoctorofEducation
June2017
WeapprovethedissertationofPeterS.Ower.
iii
ABSTRACT
Usingaphenomenologicalmethodology,acohortoffourexperiencedscience
teacherswasinterviewedabouttheirexperiencetransitioningfromtraditional,teacher
andfact-centeredsciencecurriculatoinquiry-basedcurricula.Eachteacherparticipatedin
twointerviewsthatfocusedontheirteachingbackgrounds,theirexperienceteachingthe
priortraditionalcurriculum,andtheirexperienceteachingthenewinquiry-based
curriculum.Thefindingsarepresentedasanarrativeofeachteachers’experiencewiththe
newcurriculumimplementation.Analyzingthedatarevealedfourkeythemes.1)The
teachersfelttrappedbytheoldcurriculumasitdidnotalignwiththeirpositiveviewsof
teachingsciencethroughinquiry.2)Theteachersfoundawaytofittheirbeliefsandvalues
intotheoldandnewcurriculum.Thisrequiredchangestothecurriculum.3)Theteachers
attemptedtomakethesciencecurriculumasmeaningfulaspossiblefortheirstudents.4)
Theteachersexperiencedabalancingactbetweentheirbeliefsandvaluesandthevarious
aspectsofthecurriculum.Therevealedessenceofthecurriculumtransitionisoneof
freedomandreconciliationoftheirbeliefs.
Theteachersexperiencedtheimplementationofthenewcurriculumasawayto
ensuretheirvaluesandbeliefsofscienceeducationwereembeddedtherein.Theytreated
thenewcurriculumasamalleablestructuretoimparttheirgranderideasofscience
education(e.g.providingimportantskillsforfuturecareers,creatingasenseofwonder,
futureproblemsolving)tothestudents.Theirchangeswerealignedwiththephilosophyof
thecurriculumkitstheywereimplementing.Thus,thefidelityofthecurriculum’s
philosophywasnotatriskeventhoughthecurriculumkitswerenottaughtaswritten.
iv
Thisstudyshowedthatphenomenologicalmethodsareabletorevealthe
relationshipbetweenateacher'spriorexperiences,valuesandbeliefsandtheircurrent
instructionalphilosophyinscienceeducation.Ananalyticaldiagramwasdevelopedbased
onthisrelationshipandtheteachers’experiencesmovingfromatraditionaltoanew
inquirycurricula.Thediagramsuggestsatransitionfromfeelingtrappedinanexisting
curriculumthatisinconsistentwithteachervaluestofindingafitandbalanceinanew
curriculumthatprovidesabetterthoughnotperfectfit.Thisdiagramcanserveasaguide
forhowtodesignfuture,ongoingprofessionaldevelopmenttoensurethesuccessofan
inquirycurriculumdesignedtoreplaceamoretraditionaloneandmaybeapplicableto
otherteachers.
v
TableofContents
ListofTablesandFigures....................................................................................................................................ix
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................................................x
Chapter1:Introduction.........................................................................................................................................1
ScientificLiteracy.................................................................................................................................................4
ScientificLiteracythroughConstructivismandInquiryLearning.................................................6
ProblemStatement..........................................................................................................................................13
ResearchQuestions..........................................................................................................................................15
References............................................................................................................................................................16
Chapter2:ReviewofLiterature......................................................................................................................23
DefiningScienceInquiry................................................................................................................................24
TeachersandInquiry......................................................................................................................................28
ImplementingInquirySuccessfully..........................................................................................................32
InquiryCurriculumMaterials.................................................................................................................33
TeacherFocus................................................................................................................................................40
ProfessionalDevelopment.......................................................................................................................44
Summary..........................................................................................................................................................49
PhenomenologicalResearchandScienceEducation........................................................................50
GapintheLiterature.......................................................................................................................................56
References............................................................................................................................................................58
Chapter3:Methodology.....................................................................................................................................68
Phenomenology............................................................................................................................................69
Methods.................................................................................................................................................................72
vi
MyExperiencewithScienceInquiry...................................................................................................75
Co-researcher(Participant)Recruitment.........................................................................................80
DataCollection..............................................................................................................................................82
DataAnalysis..................................................................................................................................................84
Trustworthiness...........................................................................................................................................85
References............................................................................................................................................................88
Chapter4:DataandFindings...........................................................................................................................90
Judy.........................................................................................................................................................................92
(Not)GoingRoguewiththeOldCurriculum....................................................................................97
CurtainCall..................................................................................................................................................101
SummaryofJudy’sFindings.................................................................................................................110
Elizabeth............................................................................................................................................................112
Fun:EvolutioninAction........................................................................................................................113
TheRoleofContent..................................................................................................................................116
Science:LearningforaGreaterPurpose........................................................................................120
NotsoeasyasABC....................................................................................................................................128
SummaryofElizabeth’sFindings.......................................................................................................133
Laura....................................................................................................................................................................133
ContentisKing...........................................................................................................................................137
DesiringMore.............................................................................................................................................140
SummaryofLaura’sFindings..............................................................................................................147
Delores................................................................................................................................................................148
Identity:ASourceofInspirationandGuidance...........................................................................149
vii
ProfessionalDevelopment:AMeanstoanEnd...........................................................................151
Change:WhatDrivesDelores..............................................................................................................154
MeaningfulExperience:FindingthePerfectCurriculum........................................................158
TheNewCurriculum...............................................................................................................................162
SummaryofDelores’Findings............................................................................................................170
Chapter5:DiscussionandImplications...................................................................................................171
ResearchQuestion1.....................................................................................................................................172
Judy.................................................................................................................................................................172
Elizabeth.......................................................................................................................................................176
Laura...............................................................................................................................................................178
Delores...........................................................................................................................................................180
ResearchQuestion2.....................................................................................................................................182
FeelingTrapped.........................................................................................................................................183
FindingaFit.................................................................................................................................................183
MakingaMeaningfulExperience.......................................................................................................185
FindingBalance.........................................................................................................................................185
AnalysisofThemes.......................................................................................................................................186
Implications......................................................................................................................................................189
Recommendations....................................................................................................................................193
SituatingFindingsintotheAcademicLiterature........................................................................196
LimitationsandQuestionsforFutureStudies..................................................................................200
ResearcherReflection..................................................................................................................................202
References.........................................................................................................................................................204
viii
AppendixA:InterviewGuide–InterviewOne......................................................................................207
AppendixB:InterviewGuide–SecondInterview................................................................................210
ix
ListofTablesandFigures
Table3.1:ListofCo-Researchers....................................................................................................................82
Figure3.1:ExampleofThemeRelationshipAnalysis............................................................................86
Figure5.1:AnalyticalDiagram.......................................................................................................................187
x
Acknowledgements
Thisdissertationcouldnothavebeencompletedwithoutthesupportofmany
individuals.Iwouldfirstliketothankmycommitteechair,RichKozoll,forallhissupport.
HeofferedfrequentguidancethroughoutmydoctoralprogramandforthatIam
immenselythankful.Hehasofferedhisguidanceandsupportsince2011whenIhadtaken
hiscapstoneclassformymastersdegree.ItwasduringthattimeIlearnedIwasaccepted
totheEd.D.program.WhenItoldhimthenewsheaskedwhatIwasinterestedin
researchingandthenofferedtochairthecommittee.Thankyou,Rich,forstickingwithme
forsixyears!
IalsoexpressgratitudetoJudyBramblewhotoldmetoenrollintheprogram.Itook
twoofheramazingclassesinmymastersprogram.WhenItoldherIwasthinkingabout
anothermastersshetoldmetoenrollinthedoctoralprogramatDePaul.Ihadnever
considereditatthatpointandIwouldnotbehereifitwasnotforthatinteraction.
IamalsothankfultoEunmiLee:aprofessorwhoIhadnevertakenaclasswithnor
evermetpriortomyresearch.Yet,shewasstillkindenoughtojointhecommittee.Thank
youforyourtime,feedback,andsupport.
Manythanksgotothefourscienceteacherswhoparticipatedinthisstudy.Eachof
themvolunteeredtheirtimetobeinterviewed.Theconversationswehadnotonlyserved
asthedataforthisstudy,butalsoenabledmetobemorereflectiveofmyteachingpractice.
Thankyou,eachofyou,forbeingpartofthisexperience.
Imustalsothankallofmyfriendsandfamilyfortheircontinuedsupport.Youall
keptmebalancedandsanethroughouttheprogram.Thankyouforthemanydistractions
thathelpedmestaylevel-headed!
xi
Andlast,butmostcertaintynotleast,Iofferatremendousamountofthankstomy
partnerTodd.Hepushedmethroughthelasttwoyearsofwriting.Thankyou,Todd,forall
youhavedonetohelpmefinish!
1
Chapter1:
Introduction
Educationissubjecttofrequentreforms(Noddings,2007)andscienceeducationis
notimmunetothis(DeBoer,1991).Dewey(1910,1916)ledtheinitialreforminUSscience
educationarguingthattherewastoomuchemphasisplacedonlearningtheproductsof
scienceattheexpenseofengagingintheprocessofscience(i.e.themethodsandmeans
scientistsusetodoscience).Inlaterworks,Dewey(1934)advocatedfortheroleofscience
todevelopdemocraticcitizens.Ademocraticcitizenwasmorethanjustsomeonewho
voted.Ademocraticcitizenparticipatedinatrulyactivecommunity.Heenvisionedthe
widedisseminationofinformationbetweenpeople,universitiesworkingcloselywithlocal
schools,andstudentsbecomingactivemembers,ratherthanpassivemembers,ofthe
community.
Inordertopreparestudentsasdemocraticcitizens,Deweybelievedstudents
neededawaytodeveloptheirintelligence.Teacherscouldprovidethistostudentsby
havingthemsolve“thestrategicproblemsthatconfrontthemfromlifetodeath”(Benson,
Harkavy,&Puckett,2007,p.24).Thisproblemsolvingmustbe“reflective,strategic,realworldproblem-solvingactionandexperience”(p.25,originalemphasisincluded).Asa
result,thistypeofproblemsolvingcan“functionasthemostpowerfulmeanstoraisethe
levelofinstrumentalintelligenceinindividuals,groups,communities,societies,and
humanity”(p.25).Hebelievedthatchildrenwere“naturallycurious,eagertolearnhowto
dothings,anddynamicallyactive”(p.27).Utilizingthisnaturalcuriositywouldallow
educatorstohelpdevelopstudentswhowouldbecomeactivecitizens.
2
Dewey’smethodoflearningscienceasscienceisdoneisoveracenturyold.Yet,
muchresearchfindsthatscienceeducationisn’taboutnaturalcuriosityorexploringthe
environment.Instead,itisaboutfactmemorization,applyingideastoalready-solved
problems,andperformingexperimentswheretheoutcomeisalreadyknown(Seethaler,
2009).Theconsequenceofthesefact-focusedcurriculaandteacher-centeredpedagogiesis
studentswhoareunpreparedtofacemodernchallengesintoday’ssociety.TheNational
ResearchCouncil[NRC]argued“manyofthechallengesthatfacehumanitynowandinthe
future…requiresocial,political,andeconomicsolutionsthatmustbeinformeddeeplyby
knowledgeoftheunderlyingscienceandengineering”(2012,p.7).
Anexampleofhowtightlywoventhesechallengesarewithsciencecanbeseen
duringwhatSchiro(2009)identifiedasthecatalystforthefirstreformationinscience
education:the1950sand1960sspacerace.MooneyandKirshenbaum(2009)discussed
thatthelaunchoftheSovietsatelliteSputnikthreatenedthesecurity,image,andgeneral
prosperityoftheUnitedStates.Bydevelopingbetterscienceeducationcurriculaforour
(then)students,atalllevels,andinvestinginscienceresearch,“theknowledgeproduced
wouldleadtotechnologicaladvancesthatwouldenrichourlives¾improvinghealthand
medicine,spurringeconomicgrowthandthecreationofjobs,andstrengtheningthe
nationaldefense”(Mooney&Kirshenbaum,2009,p.26).
Consequently,theNationalDefenseEducationActwasenactedwhich“provid[ed]
generousfundingtoencourageAmericanstudentstopursuecareersinscienceand
engineering,”(p.27).Newsciencecurriculaweredevelopedthatfocusedondiscovery
(Mooney&Kirshenbaum,2009)andupdatedoutdatedtextbooks(Kahle,2007).Thosenew
curriculanotonlyprovidedstudentswithup-to-dateinformationbutalsoallowedthe
3
studentstofocuson“themethodsofinquiry”andtheimportanceof“individualjudgment”
(Kahle,2007,p.916).Evenwithgreatemphasisonreformingscienceeducation,little
changedinhowsciencewastaught.Partofthisisattributedtoclassroomteachers
followingstandardsandpacingguides(Buxton&Provenzo,2011)andagreaterfocuson
contentknowledge(DeBoer,2000)ratherthanembracinginquirylearning.
Inthe1980sand1990sanumberofreportswerepublishedthatcriticizedaspects
ofeducation,scienceincluded.Thesereportsinclude,butarenotlimitedto,theNational
ScienceBoard’s(1983)EducatingAmericansforthe21stCenturyandtheNational
CommissiononExcellenceinEducation’s(1983)ANationatRisk.
Reportslikethesearewhatfueledthestandardsdevelopmentboom.However,the
standardsdevelopedinmoststatesdidnotreflectaninquiryorconstructiviststyleof
learning.Instead,thedevelopedstandardsdemotedscienceeducationtothememorization
offactsandtheapplicationofknowledgetoalreadyknownsituations(Seethaller,2009;
Lerner,Goodenough,Lynch,Schwartz,&Schwartz,2012).BuxtonandProvenzo(2011)
summarizedthatstatestandardsdevelopedinthe1980sand1990sare“conceptualizedas
anattempttopromoteknowledgeofdiscretesciencebenchmarkslooselyclusteredinto
strands,plustheabilitytoperformsomeiterationofa‘scientificmethod’”(p.47).
Incontrast,theAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience’s[AAAS]
(1989,1990)ScienceforAllAmericanswasthefirsttocapturetheessenceofscientific
literacyandprovidebenchmarksforlearningobjectivesatdifferentgradelevels.The
benchmarkshavefrequentlybeencitedthroughoutliteratureasimportanttoreturning
scienceeducationtoitsoriginalrootsofDeweyanideals.However,thesebenchmarksare
4
oftenignoredasaresultoftheeraofmodernassessmentandaccountability(Lerneretal.,
2012).
TheNRC(2012)calledforstudentstobegiventheopportunity,viacurricula,to
respondtotheirpreviouslymentionedchallenges.Andtheyarenotaloneinthiscall.The
AAAS(1990)andseveralscientists,researchers,andeducators(Allum,2011;Baker,2006;
Miller1998,etc.)shareacommonpositionwiththeNRC.Thecurriculatheyadvocateforis
intendedtomakestudentsscientificallyliteratebythetimetheyexithighschool.This
holdsregardlessofwhetherstudentsarepursuingSTEM(science,technology,engineering,
ormathematic)careersornot.
ScientificLiteracy
Thepurposeofscienceeducationistocreatescientificallyliterateadults.Scientific
literacyensuresadultswillhavethementaltoolsandskillsnecessarytoparticipatein
communitiesandhandlethechallenges¾social,political,andeconomicissues¾previously
mentioned.TheAAAS(1993)definedscienceliteracyasrequiring:
[an]understandingandhabitsofmindthatenablecitizenstograspwhat[science]
enterprisesareupto,tomakesomesenseofhowthenaturalanddesignedworlds
work,tothinkcriticallyandindependently,torecognizeandweighalternative
explanationsofeventsanddesigntrade-offs,andtodealsensiblywithproblems
thatinvolveevidence,numbers,patterns,logicalarguments,anduncertainties(p.
XI).
5
TheAAASfurtherestablishedthatscientificliteracyshouldlastthroughadulthood.
Scientificliteracyisnotsomethingthatshoulddisappearonceastudentleavesthe
educationalsystem.
Althoughthedefinitionisratherdetailed,itdefinesexactlywhatmanyscience
educators(Anderson,2007;Lederman,2007;Roberts,2007)andscientists(Bramble,
2005;Hazen&Trefil,2009;Seethaler,2009)identifiedasproblemswithscientifically
illiterateadults.Scientificallyilliterateadultsdonotknowhowtoexamineorunderstand
thenaturalworld,understandarguments,noridentifypoorlyconductedstudiesandnonscientificstudiesthatdisguisethemselvesasscientific.Itisestimatedthat“fewerthan7
percentofAmericanadultscanbeclassifiedasscientificallyliterate”(Hazen&Trefil,2009,
p.xv).Theseauthorsfurtherclaimedthatfewerthan22%ofcollegegraduatesandfewer
than26%ofadultsholdinggraduatedegreesareconsideredscientificallyliterate.
Theconsequencesofscientificilliteracyaregrave:anationwhoseownself-interest
willbeatstakethroughunaddressedenvironmental(e.g.globalwarming,pollution,overminingandharvestingofnaturalresources)andhumanissues(e.g.populationcontrol,
healthissues,diseaseepidemics).Whenadultsarenotscientificallyliterate,their
understandingoftheissuespreventsthemfromunderstandingwhytheseissuesare
seriousanditpreventsthemfromunderstandingtheconsequencesoflettingtheseissues
justgoby(Hazen&Trefil,2009;NRC,2012;Seethaler,2009).Thereareindividuals,
groups,andcompaniesthatgainfinanciallyfromthisilliteracy(Oreskes&Conway,2010).
Theycanmanipulateorselectdatatomakecommonoccurrencesseemworsethanthey
areandmakeglobalemergenciesanon-priority(Seethaler,2009).
6
ScientificLiteracythroughConstructivismandInquiryLearning
Theacademicliteraturerevealsthatthebestwaytoovercomescientificilliteracyis
throughtheuseofconstructivistandinquiry-basedsciencecurriculaatallgradelevels
(AAAS,1990;Lederman,2007;Roberts2007).Theseareincontrasttotraditionalscience
pedagogiesandcurricula:teachersprovidingdirectinstructiontostudents,afocusonthe
memorizationoffacts,implementationofpredesignedexperimentsthatrequirestudents
reachasingle,predeterminedoutcome,anddoingactivitiesthatoftenengagestudentsin
simplybeingbusyratherthaninauthenticscientificinvestigations.Constructivist
pedagogies,incontrast,aregroundedwithinaPiagetianframeoflearning:onecannot
learnbywatching,onemustlearnbydoing(Piaget,1952).ToPiaget,studentslearnbased
ontheirpriorknowledge.Studentsdonotlearnbecauseknowledgeisoutthere;students
learnbecausetheycreatetheknowledgethroughtheirexperiences.Whenastudent
attemptstomergewhattheyareexperiencingwithwhattheyknow,learningoccurs.
Constructivismiscloselyconnectedwithsciencebecauseitispartofthescientific
processthroughwhichscientistsanswerquestions(Anderson,1998).Constructivismsets
thepathforinquirylearninginthescienceclassroom.Althoughconstructivismandinquiry
arecloselyintertwined,constructivismexistsasanepistemologyortheoryforlearning
(Ültanir,2012)andinquiryisaformofconstructivisminaction.Further,inquiry,asaterm,
ismorereadilyappliedtothenatureofscience,learning,andteachingmoresothan
constructivismtheory(Anderson,2007).
Althoughthereisnocleardefinitionofinquirywhenusedinthecontextofscience
education(R.Anderson,2002;C.Anderson,2007),inquiryisoftendescribedaslearning
scienceasscienceisactuallydone(NRC,1996).Thatis,inquiryencompassesthemethods
7
andmodesofthinkingscientistsuseinaskingquestions,designinginvestigations,and
reachingtheirconclusions.Anderson(1998)definedinquiryas“thediversewaysinwhich
scientistsstudythenaturalworldandproposeexplanationsbasedontheevidencederived
fromtheirwork”(p.23).TheNRC(2000)isoftencitedforitsdelineateddefinitionof
inquiry.“Inquiryabilities,”theynoted,“requirestudentstomeshtheseprocesseswith
scientificknowledgeastheyusescientificreasoningandcriticalthinkingtodeveloptheir
understandingofscience”(p.18).Thisgoesbeyondhavingstudentslearnbasicscience
processes,suchasobservingandexperimenting,andincludesamorecriticalthinking
orientationintothenatureofscience.
Thepromotionofinquiryinscienceclassroomsisnothingnew.Aspreviouslynoted,
Deweyadvocatedforinquiryintheearly1900s.Thecallforinquirywasrenewedinthe
1950sand1960sduetothelaunchoftheSovietsatelliteSputnik(DeBoer1991;Hoff,1999;
Mooney&Kirshenbaum,2009).Inthe1990s,theAAAS(1993)statedthechangefromthe
fact-basedcurriculumtoaproblem-basedcurriculumwouldtakethenationatleasta
decadeduetothesheersizeofthenation.Yet,thatdecadehascomeandgoneandmanyof
thenation’sschoolsarestillrelyingonfact-basedcurricula.Presently,theNRC(2012)has
releasedanupdatedframeworkforteachingscienceinpreparationfortheNextGeneration
ScienceStandards(NGSSLeadStates,2013).Thenewnation-widestandardsaregrounded
ininquirypracticesandresituatelearningscienceasaprocessversusdigestingscienceasa
bodyofcontent.Thesereformsinpedagogiesandstandardshavebeenshowntobe
positive,yetteachersaredisinclinedtoimplementchangesintheirpedagogy(Keysand
Brian,2001)
8
Partofthisreluctanceistheimplementationofhigh-stakestesting.DarlingHammond(2010)commentedonhowschoolswilldesigncurriculumsthatteachtowards
thestandardizedtests.Insteadoflearningaskill,studentsaretaughttomemorize,lookfor
patterns,andworkproblemsthroughteacher-preparedalgorithms.“Schools,”shesaid
“focusonthetestedmaterialinwaysthatnarrowthecurriculumanddonotgeneralizeto
othersituationsorkindsofknowledge”(p.283).Noddings(2007)warnedofthe
limitationsstandardsputoncurriculums.Shenotedthatstandardsandobjectivesnarrow
thecurriculum.Thisshiftsthepurposeofthecurriculumtomemorizingcountless,
meaninglessfacts.
Exacerbatingthisisthelackofscientificbackgroundsforscienceeducators.
Willingale-Theuneetal.(2009,citingMore,2007)discussedhowteacherswhodonot
understandtheprocessesinvolvedinsciencehavedominatedscienceeducation.These
teachershavelittletonoexperiencewiththemethodologyofscience.Thislackof
experienceandunderstandingcauseseducatorstorelyonteacher-centeredpedagogies.
Partofthisisattributedtotheirlimitedunderstandingofthenatureofscience,the
“epistemologyofscience,scienceasawayofknowing,orthevaluesandbeliefsinherentto
scientificknowledgeanditsdevelopment”(Lederman,2007,p.833).Understandingthe
natureofscienceisanessentialcomponenttoscientificliteracy(Lederman,2007).Aguirre,
Haggerty,andLinder(1990)surveyedstudent-teachers’conceptionsofthenatureof
science.Thestudent-teachershadvariedconceptionsofthenatureofscience.Theauthors
concluded,“theholdingofapositivistic-empiricistviewofsciencebystudent-teachersmay
beasignificantdispositionleadingthemtosubsequentlyadopta‘transmissive’approach
toteaching”(p.389).
9
Bramble(2004),inachapterdiscussinginstructionofsciencetoeducationand
othernon-sciencemajors,demonstratedhowherstudentsdidnothaveanunderstanding
ofthenatureofscience.Shenotedhowstudentswouldselectdatatosupporttheiralready
pre-determinedunderstanding.Forexample,shehadherstudentsreadaresearchstudy
onthefreshman15:apopularmyththatstudentsgain15poundsduringtheirfirstyearof
college.Thestudyfoundthattherewerenodatatosupportfreshmanstudentsgainingor
losingasignificantamountofweight.Infact,therewasasmalldecreaseinweight.Yet,
manyofherstudentsstillheldontothebeliefthatthefreshman15istruebecause“they
hadseenitforthemselves”(p.52).
Inordertoovercomethis,Bramblestated“students’notionsneedtobechallenged
inawaythatgetsthemuncomfortablewiththeirpre-existingknowledgeandallowsthem
toreshapetheirunderstandingoftheworld”(p.53).Todothisshestated,“student
understandingaboutthenatureofscienceandscientificinquiryneedtomakethemmore
criticalpurveyorsofnewinformationandmoreappreciativeofthestrengthsandlimitsof
scienceinsociety”(p.53).Undergraduatescienceexperiencesarenotallowingthisto
happenasevidencedbyHazen&Trefil’s(2009)statementofadultscientificliteracy.
Darling-Hammond(2010)discussedtherolealternativecertificationprogramsand
eventraditionalcertificationprogramsplayinthisproblem.Alternativecertification
programs,sheargued,aretooshortanddonotallowtheneweducatortoapproachthe
curriculumwiththeexpertisethatisrequired.Shestatedthatteacherswhoareprepared
throughalternativecertificationprogramsoften“constructateachingstylethatfocuseson
control…by‘dumbingdown’thecurriculumtowhatcaneasilybemanaged”(p.48).
10
Inacomparativestudybetweenpre-serviceteachers—thosepreparingtoteach—
andin-serviceteachers—activeteachers—Hoh(2013)foundthatin-serviceteachersheld
anunderstandingofsciencemoreconsistentwiththenatureofsciencethanpre-service
teachers.Shespeculated,“pre-serviceteachers…arestillheavilyinfluencedbytheir
structuredformaleducation”(p.34),implyingthatthepre-serviceteachershavelimited,
authenticscientificexperiencesduringtheircollegecareers.Herspeculationissupported
byseveralotherstudies,asreviewedbyLederman(2007),whichfoundthatteachers’
experiences(limitedornot)inlearningandworkingwithinthenatureofscienceinfluence
theirunderstandingofthenatureofscience.However,thisisnottoimplythatmore
experiencewithsciencenecessarilyincreasesone’sunderstandingofthenatureofscience.
Aguirre,Haggerty,andLinder(1990),conductedacasestudyofpre-servicescience
teachers’conceptionsofthenatureofscience.Thesepre-serviceteachersallhad
undergraduatesciencedegrees.Theydiscoveredavarietyofconceptions,manyofwhich
wereinconsistentwiththenatureofscience.Thisreinforcesthenotionthattheteachingof
thenatureofsciencemustbeexplicitandintentional(Lederman,2007):studentswillnot
learnthenatureofsciencesimplybyparticipatinginscience.
Theseoutlinedissuescancontributetotheepistemologiesthattheseteachershold.
Theseepistemologiesarefoundedwithintheseteachers’experiencesofhowtheylearned
science:“teachers’personalepistemologiesemergefromformalandinformallearning
experiencesandserveasmentalexemplarsforconstructingandevaluatingtheirown
teachingpractices”(Jones&Carter,2007,p.1077).Theseepistemologies,or“setsofbeliefs
aboutknowingandlearning”(p.1077)actasafilterforfuturescienceteachers.The
authorscitedtwostudies(StuartandThurlow,2000;Skamp,2001)thatdemonstratedpre-
11
serviceteachers’conceptsofhowtoteachscienceareaffectedbytheirundergraduate
sciencecoursesandsciencemethodscourses.However,“Skampobservedthat[theirviews
ofaneffectivescienceteacher]changedoncetheybegantoteachinschools”(Jones&
Carter,2007,p.1078)astheirviewsofagoodscienceteacherwereformedmostlybytheir
fieldexperiences.Theirviewsaslearnedintheirundergraduatecoursesweresupplanted
bytheirfieldexperiences.Thisisnottoimply,however,thatfutureteachersareunableto
overcometheirheldepistemologiesofhowscienceshouldbetaught.Professional
developmenthasbeendemonstratedtobeaneffectivemediumthroughwhichteaching
beliefsandpracticescanbechanged(Luft,2001),althoughthisisnotalwaystrue(cf
Cronin-JonesandShaw,1992).
Pre-serviceteachers’holdaninadequateviewofthenatureofscience(Hanuscin&
Akerson,2006;Buaraphan,2010).Theseinconsistentviewscoupledwithenvironmental
factors—limitedcurriculumresources,lackoffunding,lackofproperequipment,
colleagueswhodonotsupportthemintheirchoiceofmethodology,littleprofessional
development,andsoon—leadnewteachersawayfromusinginquiryintheirclassrooms
(Anderson,2007;Johnson,2007;Fazio,Melville,&Bartley,2010).Thispraxisresultsina
movementawayfromidealteachingtowardsmoretraditionalteaching(Peacockand
Gates,2000;Kelchtermans&Ballet,2002).
Theseobstaclesraiseanissueofconcernasthesuccessofinquiry-basedreformin
scienceeducationrestslargelyonteachers(Bybee,1993;Savasci-Acikalin,2009)and
teachersarekeytosuccessfulcurriculumchange(Feldman,2000;Fullan,2007).Although
researchhasidentifiedhowtohelpteachersovercomeobstaclestousinginquiry,science
curricularandpedagogicalreformsremainunsuccessful.TheAAAS(1990)attributesalack
12
ofteachervoicetothereforms’failure.Manyofthereformsinscienceeducationare
broughttop-downfromadministrators,politicians,andscience-basedorganizationslike
theNRCandtheAAAS(Johnson,2007).TheAAAS(1990)stated:
Moreover,reformcannotbeimposedonteachersfromthetopdownortheoutside
in.Ifteachersarenotconvincedofthemeritofproposedchanges,theyareunlikely
toimplementthemenergetically.Iftheydonotunderstandfullywhatiscalledforor
havenotbeensufficientlywellpreparedtointroducenewcontentandwaysof
teaching,reformmeasureswillfounder[sic].Ineithercase,themoreteachersshare
inshapingreformmeasuresandthemorehelptheyaregiveninimplementing
agreed-uponchanges,thegreatertheprobabilitythattheywillbeabletomake
thoseimprovementsstick(p.213).
Thevoice,values,andbeliefsofteacherscannotbeexcludedfromthereformprocess.
Failuretodosoinevitablyresultsinthefailureofthereform.
Ratcliffe(2012)echoedthisnoting,“educationforscientificliteracycannotbe
divorcedfromaconsiderationof[teacher]ethicsandvalues”(p.S35).Anaspectofthis
includesthevaluesandbeliefsteachersbringwiththemindesigningandimplementing
newcurriculum(Jones&Carter,2007).Areviewofresearchinthisareashowedthat
teachers’valuesandbeliefsimpactthedesignandimplementationofsciencecurriculum
(Bryan,2012).Forexample,Cronin-Jones(1991)observedtwoteacherswhoheldthat
scienceisabodyofknowledgeforlearning,notforstudent-directedlearningthrough
inquiry.Theirteachingstylefocusedontransmittingcontentknowledgetothestudents.
Theirteachingstylewasnotalignedtothe“discovery-orientedconstructivistmodelof
knowledgeacquisition”(p.238)thatundergirdedtheircurriculum.Thus,theirbeliefsof
13
howscienceshouldbetaughtinterferedwithhowthenewcurriculumshouldhavebeen
taught.Ontheotherhand,Levitt(2001)interviewedsixteenscienceteachersregarding
theirbeliefsandimplementationofsciencecurriculum.Shefoundthatalthoughtherewere
gapsbetweentheteachers’beliefsandpractice,“theseteachers’beliefsabouttheteaching
ofsciencealignedwiththegeneralelementsofthephilosophyunderlyingcurrent
recommendationsinscienceeducationreform”(p.19).Levittfoundthattheteacherswere
movingtowardsteachingsciencethroughinquirybutatvaryingpacesduetotheir
individualbeliefs:
Teachers,asindividuals,changeattheirownpace….Likethestudentstheyteach,
teachershaveindividualconcernsandneedsthatmustbeaddressedbeforethey
moveforwardtowardadoptingtheprinciplesofreform(p.20).
ProblemStatement
Howteachersexperiencecurriculumchangeisasubjectiveprocessinwhich
teachersmaketheirownmeanings(Fullan,2007).KeysandBryan(2001)claimed,
“becausetheefficacyofreformrestlargelywithteachers,theirvoicesneedtobeincluded
inthedesignandimplementationofinquiry-basedcurriculum”(p.631).Consequently,itis
importanttoresearchhowteachersexperiencechangeinordertosuccessfullyimplement
newcurriculums(Park&Sung,2013),asteacherswillembedtheirbeliefsandvaluesinto
thecurriculum(Brown,2009).
Therearenumerousstudiesthatdescribehowteachersexperiencecurriculum
change.Dias,Eick,andBrantley-Dias(2011)completedastudyonhowascienceteacher
educatorreturnedtothescienceclassroomtoexperienceteachinganinquirycurriculum.
14
Coenders,Terlouw,andDijkstra(2008)examinedhighschoolchemistryteachers’beliefs
regardingtheirwantsandneedsintransitioningtoanewcurriculum.Dreon(2012)
researchedtheexperienceoftwobeginningscienceteachersimplementinginquiry.Eachof
thesestudieswillbediscussedmoreindepthintheliteraturereview.
Theliteratureonhowbeliefsinfluencescienceteachers’useornon-useofinquiryis
inconsistent(Savasci-Acikalin,2009).Inaddition,manyofthesestudiesareconductedas
casestudiesandarenotphenomenological.Whatdistinguishesphenomenologicalresearch
isuncoveringtheessencetoanexperiencewiththeresearchparticipant(s).“These
essences,”Patton(1990)wrote,“arethecoremeaningsmutuallyunderstoodthrougha
phenomenoncommonlyexperienced”(p.70).Essencesarethe“structureofessential
meaningsthatexplicatesaphenomenonofinterest”(Dahlberg,2006,p.11).
Phenomenologyoffersdetailedinsightintohowanindividualexperiencesagiven
phenomenon,themeaningtheymakefromthatexperience,andoffersthereadera
gatewayintounderstandingtheexperienceofthephenomenon(Patton,2002).
Phenomenologyfocusesontheindividual’sunderstandingoftheexperience.This
understandingisinfluencedbytheirownbackgroundandthusvariesfromotherswho
mayhavegonethroughthesameexperience.
Thisdissertationfilledagapwithinthephenomenologicalacademicresearchon
howscienceteachersexperiencetheimplementationofaninquirycurriculum.
Additionally,thereislimitedresearchonhowveteranteachersexperiencethe
implementationofinquirycurriculum.Thus,thisdissertationsoughtacohortofveteran
scienceteacherswhoalltransitionedfromteachingatraditional,teacher-focused
curriculumtoaninquiry-basedcurriculum.
15
ResearchQuestions
Thepurposeofthisphenomenologicalstudywastodescribehowscienceteachers
experiencetheimplementationofaninquiry-basedcurriculum.Thequestionsbeing
addressinthisstudywere:
1. Howdoscienceteachersexperiencetheimplementationofanewinquiry-based
sciencecurriculum?
a. Howdotheirbeliefsofandvaluesinscienceeducationcontributetotheir
implementationofanewinquiry-basedsciencecurriculum?
2. Whataretheessencesoftheirexperiences?
16
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23
Chapter2:
ReviewofLiterature
Inquirycurriculahavebeendevelopedtoaddresstheissueofscientificilliteracy.
Traditional,teacher-centeredcurriculadonotprovidestudentswiththenecessarytools
andunderstandingstobecomescientificallyliterate.Yetthesecurricularemaindominant
inscienceclassrooms.Consequently,researchershaveaskedwhatcanbedonetoincrease
scienceteachers’useofinquirycurricula.Answeringthisquestionhasproducedaplethora
ofresearchthatexaminesteachers’perceptions,struggles,andimplementationofinquiry
curricula.
Researchershavealsosoughtsolutionstoincreaseteacheruseofinquiry.These
solutions—mostcommonlyprofessionaldevelopmentandtheuseofinquirykits—makeit
easierforteacherstoseethebenefitsofinquiryandimplementinquiryintheirclassroom.
Undergirdingthesesolutionsarethebeliefsscienceteachershaveregardingscience
educationandinquiry.Thesesolutionsarealsoupheldbysystemicsupports.Alackofsuch
supportsunderminestheeffectivenessofthesolutionsandtheteachers’abilityto
implementinquiryintheirclassrooms.
Thischapterwillfirstexplorehowinquiryisdefinedintheacademicresearchand
compareittohowteachersimplementinquiryintheirclassrooms.Thiswillshowthat
thereisamismatchbetweenhowinquiryisdefinedintheresearchandwhatteachersdo
intheirclassroom.Thisestablishestheneedforsolutionsforimplementinginquiryasitis
envisioned.Iwillprovideanoverviewofwhatisneededforteacherstosuccessfully
implementinquiryintheirclassrooms:anexaminationoftheirbeliefs,theuseofcurricular
kits,andeffectiveprofessionaldevelopment.Iwillconcludebyidentifyingthelackofa
24
phenomenologicalperspectiveininquiryresearchandhowthisdissertationservedtofill
thatgap.
DefiningScienceInquiry
Thereisnocleardefinitionofinquiryinthecontextofscienceeducation(Appleton,
2007;R.Anderson,2002;C.Anderson,2007).Anderson(2007)positedthattherearethree
versionsofinquiryandthey“arefairlydistinctfromeachother,eventhoughtheyalsohave
manyconnections”(p.808).Scientificinquiryishisfirstversionofinquiry.Itdescribes,
“theworkofscientists,thenatureoftheirinvestigations,andtheabilitiesand
understandingsrequiredtodothiswork”(p.808).Thisversionofinquiryissituated
closelytothenatureofscience:“theepistemologyofscience,scienceasawayofknowing,
orthevaluesandbeliefsinherenttoscientificknowledgeanditsdevelopment”(Lederman,
2007,p.833).Thesecondversionofinquiryisinquirylearning.This“referstoanactive
processoflearning”(Anderson,2007,p.808)thatstudentsdo,ratherthanhavedoneto
them.Inquirylearningengagesstudentsinmanystagesofactivityandcommunication.
Inquirylearningiscloselyconnectedtoconstructivismasbothposelearningasanactive
process,dependonthepriorknowledgeandconceptionsoftheindividual,formed
understandingsaredependentoncontext,andbothareasocialprocess(p.809).Thethird
versionofinquiryisinquiryteaching.Inquiryteachingiscloselyconnectedwithinquiry
learning.However,inquiryteachingisconductedthroughmultipleformsand“theprocess
ofinquiryteachingisnotaswellunderstood”(p.810)comparedtoinquirylearning.
ThereisconsensusthattheNationalResearchCouncil’s(2000)definitionofinquiry
ismostusefulbecauseofitsfamiliarityanditsemphasisonthevariedapproachesto
25
inquiry(Asay&Orgill,2009).TheNationalResearchCouncil’s(2000)definitionofinquiry
posesfiveidentifyingfeatures:
•
Thelearnerengagesinscientificallyorientedquestions,
•
Thelearnergivesprioritytoevidenceinrespondingtothequestion,
•
Thelearnerformulatesexplanationsfromevidence,
•
Thelearnerconnectsexplanationstoscientificknowledge,and
•
Thelearnercommunicatesandjustifiesexplanations.
Variationsexistwithinthesefeatures.Forexample,inlessteacher-directedinquirya
studentposeshisorherownscientificquestionforinvestigation.Incontrast,inmore
teacher-directedinquiryateachermaygiveastudentaquestiontoinvestigateandprovide
thestudentwiththematerialsandresourcestodoso.
TheseidentifyingfeatureswerebuiltupontheAmericanAssociationforthe
AdvancementofScience’s[AAAS]BenchmarksforScientificLiteracy(1993)andSciencefor
allAmericans(1991).InScienceforallAmericans(1991),AAASnoted“inquiryisnoteasily
describedapartfromthecontextofparticularinvestigations”(p.4)Therefore,inquiryis
notsimplyastep-by-stepmethodthroughwhichstudentscanlearnaboutscience.Rather,
inquiryhas“certainfeaturesofsciencethatgiveitadistinctivecharacterasamodeof
inquiry”(p.4).Thesecharacteristicsincludedemandingevidenceforclaims,blendinglogic
andimagination,explainingandpredicting,identifyingandavoidingbias,andlacking
authoritarianism.
UndergirdingthesecharacteristicmodesofinquiryistheAAAS’(1993)releaseofits
benchmarksforsciencelearning.Thebenchmarkswerereleased,inpart,tohelpeducators
implementinquiryinthescienceclassroom.Thebenchmarkswerealsoreleasedtoreduce
26
theamountofinformationcoveredinsciencecourses,situatestudentswithinasocietythat
requiresanincreasedliteracyinscience,math,engineering,andtechnology,andfocusing
onskillsofcriticalandlogicalthinkingoverthoseoffactualmemorization.Theseideas
becomeclearwhenonereadsthroughsomeofthesamplebenchmarks:
•
“Bytheendofthe8thgrade,studentsshouldknowthatlikeotheranimals,human
beingshavebodysystemsforobtainingandderivingenergyfromfoodandfor
defense,reproduction,andthecoordinationofbodyfunctions”(p.129)
•
“Bytheendofthe5thgrade,studentsshouldknowthatplanetschangetheir
positionsagainstthebackgroundofstars”(p.63)
•
“Bytheendofthe12thgrade,studentsshouldknowthatchemicalelementsthat
makeupthemoleculesoflivingthingspassthroughfoodwebsandarecombined
andrecombinedindifferentways”(p.121)
Eachofthesebenchmarkshasthepotentialforbeingimplementedthroughinquiry.For
example,withthesecondsamplebenchmark,studentscoulddesignamethodforcollecting
andreportingdatathatwouldallowthemtotrackthemovementoftheplanetsinrelation
tothestars.
Althoughthebenchmarksallowforinquiry,thephrasingofthebenchmarksstill
promotesmemorization“studentsshouldknowthat.”TherecentreleaseoftheNext
GenerationScienceStandards[NGSS]buildsuponthesebycreatingperformance
expectationsofscienceandengineeringpractices,disciplinarycoreideas,andcrosscutting
concepts(NGSSLeadStates,2013).Forexample,whenlearningaboutearth’ssystems,a
highschoolstudentisexpectedto“planandconductaninvestigationofthepropertiesof
wateranditseffectsonEarthmaterialsandsurfaceprocesses”or“developaquantitative
27
modeltodescribethecyclingofcarbonamongthehydrosphere,atmosphere,geosphere,
andbiosphere”(p.282).Thisisinstarkcontrasttopreviousstandardsthatmayonlyhave
studentsfollowapre-writtenlabonwaterorstatefactsaboutthecarboncycle.Inareview
allstatesciencestandardsfrom2012,manystandardswerefoundtobetoovague,haveno
measureofunderstanding,lackinginterconnectednessbetweenideasandpractices,and
lackingscientificinquiry(Lerner,Goodenough,Lynch,Schwartz,&Schwartz,2012).
ThenewstandardsaredevelopeduponthereleaseoftheNationalResearch
Council’s(2012)reportonK-12scienceeducation.Althoughthereportislimitedinits
explicitdiscussionofinquiry,manyfeatures,characteristics,andmodesofinquiryare
present.TheNRCstated,“allsciencessharecertaincommonfeaturesatthecoreoftheir
inquiry-basedandproblem-solvingapproaches”(p.26)whichincludesupportingclaims
withevidence,argumentationandanalysis,andengaginginscienceasasocialenterprise.
Thesefeaturesareknownasscientificpractices,whichCrawford(2014)describedasan
attempttorebrandtheterminquiry.Osborne(2014)supportedthisrebrandingas
confusionexistswiththeterminquiryandwhatitmeanstoteachthroughinquiry.He
arguedthatscienceshouldbetaughtfromaperspectiveofscientificpractices.Thereisless
ambiguityaroundthephrasescientificpracticesasNGSSclearlydefinedeachoftheeight
scientificpractices.HearguedtheNGSSscientificpracticesoffer“greaterclarityofgoals
aboutwhatstudentsshouldexperience,whatstudentsshouldlearn,andanenhanced
professionallanguageforcommunicatingmeaning”(p.179).
Theconfusionaroundtheterminquiryhasbeendocumentedinseveralstudies.
Ireland,Watters,Brownlee,andLupton’s(2014)studyonhow20scienceteachers
describeinquiryresultedinoversixdefinitionsgroupedintothreecategories(thisstudyis
28
discussedinmoredetailinthefollowingsection).Inaddition,teachersmaybeconfusedas
towhatscienceinquiryisaseachacademicdiscipline(scientificorotherwise)hasitsown
definitionofinquiry(Capps,Crawford,&Constas,2012).Thiscanbedetrimental,as
teacherswhobelievetheyareimplementinginquirymaynotbedoingso(NRC,1996;
Martin-Hansen,2002).However,thisambiguityisbeneficialasitallowseducatorsto
respondtotheneedsoftheirstudents.KeysandBryan(2001)foundthatinquirycannotbe
onemodeofteachingorlearningbecause“teachingactionswillnecessarilydifferbasedon
factsinthelocalenvironment,suchasteacherknowledge,studentage,studentlanguage
proficiency,etc.”(p.632).Thus,theclassroomandstudentcharacteristicswillinfluence
howinquiryisimplementedintheclassroom.
TeachersandInquiry
Althoughthereisconsensusonthecharacteristicsofinquiry,educatorshavea
mismatchbetweentheestablishedideasofinquiryandwhattheydointheirclassrooms.
Martin-Hansen(2002)notedthatsomescienceeducatorsbelievetheyaredoinginquiry
whentheyarenot.Theyconfuseinquirywithhands-onactivitiesthataresimplya
“cookbooklessoninwhichstudentsfollowteacherdirectionstocomeupwithaspecific
endpointorproduct”(p.37).TheNRC(1996)identifiestheoftenperceivedequivalence
betweenhands-onandinquiryasoneofthefivemythsofinquirylearning.Theothers
includedallscienceneedingtobetaughtthroughinquiry,inquiryonlyhappenswhen
studentsgeneratetheirownquestions,andthatinquirycanbetaughtregardlessofsubject
matter.
29
ThisconfusionaroundinquiryisfurtherexacerbatedwithinworksliketheNRC’s
(1996)NationalScienceEducationStandardsorAAAS’(1993)BenchmarksforScience
Learningwhichbothadvocateformultiplemethodsofinquirylearningscience.TheNRC
(1996)wrotethatinquiry“doesnotimplythatallteachersshouldpursueasingle
approachtolearningscience”(p.2).However,therecentNRC(2013)frameworkon
teachingandlearningscienceisclearerinwhatinquiryembodies:“respectforthe
importanceoflogicalthinking,precision,open-mindedness,objectivity,skepticism,anda
requirementfortransparentresearchproceduresandhonestreportingoffindings”(p.
248).Itistoosoontodeterminewhataffectthisdocumentwillhaveonteachers’
understandingandimplementationofinquiryintheirclassrooms.
OzelandLuft(2013)usedtheNRC’s(2000)featuresofinquiryrubrictoassesshow
beginningscienceteachersconceptualizeanduseinquiryandhowthatchangesasthey
teach.Theyfoundfirst-yearteachershadlimiteduseofthefeaturesofscientificinquiry,
primarilyusingscientificquestionsandprioritytoevidenceintheirlessons.Whilethis
showedlimiteduseofthefeaturesofinquiry,OzelandLuftfound“agreementinthe
teachers’useoftheessentialfeaturesofinquiryandtheirreportingofthefeaturesinthe
classroom”(p.314).Thisisincontrasttostudiesthathavereportedwhatscienceteachers
sayanddoareoftennotconsistent(Simmonsetal.,1999).Theyfurtherlearnedthatthe
teachers’conceptionsanduseofinquirydidnotchangeoverthetimetheyobservedthe
teachers,eventhoughtheteachershadaccesstosupportingmentorsandinquiry
curriculummaterials.However,otherstudies(e.g.Flick,2006)foundthatscienceteachers
tendtoexpandtheirviewsofinquiryovertime.
30
Experiencedscienceteachers,however,areabletoidentifyfeaturesofinquirymore
sothannewscienceteachers.Kang,Orgill,andCrippen(2008)employedasurveyto
measureexperiencedscienceteachers’conceptionsofinquiry.Theyprovidedstudy
participantswithteachingscenariosandaskedthemtoidentifythosethatwereconsistent
withinquiryteaching.TheparticipatingteachersmostoftenusedthreeofthefiveNRC
(2000)characteristicfeaturesofinquirytoidentifyinquiryteaching:engagingin
scientificallyorientedquestions,givingprioritytoevidence,andformulatingexplanations
basedonevidence.Sincemanyoftheeducatorsdidnotusethefeaturesofevaluating
explanationsinconnectionwithscientificknowledgeandcommunicatingexplanations,
Kang,Orgill,andCrippen(2008)calledforprofessionaldevelopmentthatwould,“help
teachersseeinquiryasavehicleforteachingsciencecontent,insteadofasapedagogythat
isseparablefromsciencecontent”(p.352).Theyalsosawthattheseexperiencedteachers
haddevelopedtheirconceptionsofinquirybeyondtheirearlier,morelimitedconceptions.
Expandinguponthis,Irelandetal.(2014)conductedaphenomenographicalstudy
todeterminethedifferentwaysteachersconceptualizeteachingsciencethroughinquiry.
Analysisofinterviewsfrom20scienceteachersresultedinthreecategoriesofhowinquiry
wastaught:experience,problem,andquestions.Eachofthesecategoriesrepresented
differingteachingstrategies,teachinggoals,andinquiryfoci.Intheexperience-centered
approach,“thereisanexpectationthatstudentsmustsee,hear,feelanddointeresting
thingstohelpthemengageinscienceandlearnsciencecontentwell”(p.1739).Within
problem-driveninquiry,teachersgavestudentsaproblemtosolvethat“allowedstudents
toengagewiththetopicathandandhavesomeownershipoverthecontentoutcomes
throughresolvingtheproblemwiththeteacher’shelp”(p.1741).Finally,inthequestions
31
category,“teachersstructuredtheirteachingaroundhelpingstudentstoaskandanswering
theirown(student)questions”(p.1743).Theapproachestheseteachersusedwere
employedtofulfill“differentoutcomesintermsofthebroadersciencecurriculum”(p.
1746).Althoughtheteachersimplementedinquiryinawaythatfittheirviewsofthe
curriculum,Irelandetal.explained,“manyteachersweredescribingapracticeinconsistent
withestablishedideasinscienceeducation”(p.1746).Suchinconsistenciesincludedusing
personalexperienceandexpertopinionincreatingexplanationratherthanrelyingondata,
problemsolvingthroughplaytimeratherthanthroughrigorousexperimentation,and
havingstudentsexperiencethenatureofscienceratherthanunderstandandemployit.
BreslynandMcGinnis(2011)identifiedmanystudiesconductedonteachersand
inquirythatdidnottakeintoconsiderationtheteachers’discipline,orspecificscience
contenttaught(e.g.physics,chemistry,orbiology).Theyconductedamixed-methodsstudy
ofsixtysecondaryNationalBoardCertifiedScienceTeachersacrosstheUnitedStates
withinthedisciplinesofbiology,chemistry,earthscience,andphysics.Basedonthework
ofGreene(2001)theirstudysoughttofindhowtheteachers’disciplineinfluencedtheir
useofandbeliefsaboutinquiry-basedteachingandlearning.Further,theyexploredhow
teachingmorethanonedisciplinewouldinfluencetheteachers’useofandbeliefsabout
inquiry-basedteachingandlearning.Theiranalysisfoundvariationbetweenthedisciplines
inhowinquirywasimplemented.Forexample,theydiscoveredphysicsteachersaremore
likelytoenactinquiryasmodeling—havingstudentsgeneratemathematicalequationsfor
observedphenomena—whereasearthscienceteachersapproachinquiryasstudents
conductingscientificinvestigations.Theysuggestedthatateacher’sdiscipline“appearsto
32
bethedrivingfactinteacher’sconceptionandenactmentofinquiry”and“teachers’
conceptionsofinquiryareflexibleandoftenadapttodisciplinarycontexts”(p.73).
ThesevariousstudiesechoAnderson’s(2002)summarizationofresearchon
teachersandtheirimplementationofinquiry.“Researchindicatesthatinquiryteachingis
possibleformanyteacherstoinitiate,althoughtheresearchisnotclearonjusthow
difficultitisdoto[sic]so,whatpercentageofteachersareabletobesuccessfulatit,or
howmanyarelikelytochoosetoteachinthismanner”(pp.6-7).Hediscussedvarious
dilemmasteachershaveinimplementinginquiryintheclassroomnoting,“muchofthe
difficultyisinternaltotheteacher,includingbeliefsandvaluestothestudents,teaching,
andthepurposeofeducation”(p.7).
Thus,itbecomesevidentthatteachers’conceptionsofteachingscienceasinquiry,
andthevaluesandbeliefstheyholdtherein,cannotbedivorcedfromclassroompractice.A
focusonteachersisnecessarywhenimplementinginquirycurriculumreform(Hawleyand
Valli,1999;Kali,Linn,andRoseman,2008).Althoughscienceteachersareseenaskeyto
thesuccessfulimplementationofinquiryreform(Bybee,1993),teacherscannottacklethis
endeavoralone.Implementinginquiryrequiresteachers,well-designedcurricula,anda
systemicsupport.
ImplementingInquirySuccessfully
NumerousscienceeducationreformshavebeenintroducedtoUSpublicschools
(Kahle,2007).PowellandAnderson(2002)definescienceeducationreformaschanging
howscienceistaughtandwhatistaughtinscience.ThesereformeffortsincludeScienceTheEndlessFrontier(Bush,1945),Man:ACourseofStudy(EducationDevelopmentCenter,
33
Dow&Bruner,1968),ANationatRisk(NationalCommissiononExcellenceinEducation,
1983),andNoChildLeftBehindAct(2003).Yet,eachofthesereforms,andmanyothers,
hasnotresultedinapopulationofstudentsthatarescientificallyliterate.Thisisnottosay
thatthereformsarewithoutsuccess;manyofthereformsresultedinfoundational
resourcesforfuturereforms,suchasScienceforAllAmericans(AAAS,1990)andthe
NationalScienceEducationStandards(NRC,1996).Further,researchershaveidentified
issueswiththesereforms,includingoutdatedtextsandalackoffocusontherole,beliefs,
andattitudesofteachers(Kahle,2007).
Implementinginquirycurricularequirestheeffortoftheindividualteacherand
various,interactingsystemicaspects:appropriatematerials,ateacherfocus,andsystemic
support(Anderson,2007).Appropriatematerialsincludethosethatarestandards-based,
situatedwithinaframeworkofinquiry,andareshowntobeeffectivethroughfieldtesting
(Powell&Anderson,2002).Ateacherfocusincludesanexaminationofteachers’beliefs
andattitudestowardsteachingwithinquiry.Systemicsupportcanbeprovidedina
numberofways:professionaldevelopmentandgrowth,havingavisionforeducation,and
contextualizingtoaccountforthesettingandindividualsaffected.Professional
development,arguedSykes(1999),isthecenterpieceforfosteringchangeinteachers.
InquiryCurriculumMaterials
Curricularmaterialsareimportanttothesuccessfulimplementationofinquiryas
thesematerialsprovidethefoundationforqualityinquiryeducation(Anderson,2007).
Severalkitsareinthemarkettodaytoassistscienceteachersinimplementinginquiry
learning.Thesecommerciallyavailablekitsprovideapackagedresearch-basedcurriculum
34
groundedinbestpracticesforscienceeducation.Theinvestigationsandactivitiesare
inquiry-based.Theinvestigationsoftenguidestudentsthroughaprocessthroughwhich
theylearncontentandexperiencethenatureofscience.Thesekitscontaintextbooks(i.e.
labmanualsoractivityguidesforstudentsascomparedtotraditionaltextbooks),teacher
resources(e.g.backgroundinformation,scripts,answerkeys,gradingrubrics,assessments,
misconceptionguides,etc.),andlabmaterialsneededforeachinvestigation.
TheScienceandTechnologyConcepts[STC]Program,createdbytheSmithsonian
Institution(2015)andpublishedbyCarolinaBiological,isoneexampleofthesekits.These
kits,availableforgradesK-10andalignedwiththenationalscienceeducationstandards,
useafour-stagelearningapproach:focus,explore,reflect,andapply.Thesekitscomeprepackagedwithmostofthematerialsteachersandstudentsneedtoimplementthelesson.
Thetextbooksareactivityguidesthatcontainproceduresforcompletinginvestigations.
Followingtheproceduresarereadings(e.g.interviewswithscientistsorextension
informationaboutthetopic)thatallowstudentstofurtherlearnabouttheirinvestigation.
Somelessonsrequirethatstudentsdesigntheirowninvestigationincludingthe
procedures,variables,whatdatatocollectandhowtorecordandreportit.The
accompanyingteacher’seditionincludesbackgroundinformation,recommendationson
howtohelpstudentswiththeirinvestigations,suggestionsforusingsciencenotebooks,
andresourcesforhelpingstudentstowritescientifically.Thesekitsarecurrently
undergoingNGSSalignment.AsofOctober2015,onlyonekit,Electricity,Waves,and
InformationTransfer(SmithsonianInstitution,2015),isnowfullyalignedwithNGSS.
ScienceEducationforPublicUnderstandingProgram[SEPUP]isanothercommonly
usedcurricularkit.Thesekitsareissueorientedandallowstudentsto“gainunderstanding
35
ofscientificprinciples,concepts,anddefinitionsbyperforminghands-onlaboratory
activitiesthatculminateinreal-lifesituationsthatmustberesolvedusingtheevidence
studentsgathered”(Ogens&Koker,1995,p.344).SEPUPconnectswellwiththesciencetechnology-society[STS]themeoflearningscience.Mansour(2009)offeredSTSis“an
interdisciplinaryfieldofstudythatseekstoexploreandunderstandthemanywaysthat
modernscienceandtechnologyshapemodernculture,values,andinstitutions,onone
hand,andhowmodernvaluesshapescienceandtechnology,ontheother”(p.287).Or,as
Yager(1996)putit:havingstudentsworkwithintheirownenvironmenttoaddresstheir
ownissues.STSconnectswellwithinquiryasitisrootedwithinaDeweyandemocratic
idealofsociety:toaddressandsolveissuesthataffecthumanlife(Cheek,1992).Solving
suchissuesrequiresaninquiryframework.Further,STSisbelievedtoaddresstheconcern
ofscientificilliteracy(Dimopoulos&Koulaidis,2003).Examplesofissuesaddressedby
SEPUPincludehowdiseasesspreadinpopulationsandhowtorespondtoenvironmental
disasters(e.g.oilspills).Thekitscontainthematerialsneededforthelessons,havestudent
activityguidebooks,andacomprehensiveteacher’smanualthatcontainsbackground,
pacing,scriptingfortheteacher,andgradingrubrics.
Questionscanberaisedabouttheeffectivenessofthesekits.Howdostudents’
understandingofthenatureofscienceandscienceconceptsdifferbetweenthosewhouse
thekitandthosewhodonot?Howdoestheuseofkitseffectinformationretention?How
doscienceteachersimplementthesekits?Howaretheirbeliefsandvaluesinteaching
sciencemanifestedwhenusingakit?Althoughtheavailableliteratureonsciencekitsis
limited,therearestudiesavailablethatbegintoaddressthesequestions.
36
Houston,FraserandLedbetter(2008)learnedthatstudentswhohadexclusively
learnedthroughasciencekithadsignificantlyimprovedtheirunderstandingoftheconcept
addressedasmeasuredbyapretestandposttestcomparedtostudentswhousedonlya
textbookoracombinationofatextbookandkit.Theyconcluded:
Bothqualitativeandquantitativedatasupportedtheeffectivenessofsciencekitsin
termsofstudentattitudesandsatisfaction.Thisisimportantbecausestudent
attentionandparticipationintheclassarenecessaryforlearningtooccur.Inclasses
withalackofattentionorparticipation,studentswerenotabletoaccuratelyexplain
thescienceconceptstheyhadbeentaught.Itwasalsoobservedthatstudentswho
hadbeenmoreactivelyinvolvedinthelessonwerebetteratrememberingwhat
waslearned(p.40).
Similarly,Dickerson,Clark,Dawkins,andHorne(2006)conductedastudyto
examinetheefficacyofsciencekits.ThekitsincludedSTC,FullOptionScienceSystem
[FOSS],TeachingRelevantActivitiesforConceptsandSkills[TRACS],NationalEnergy
EducationDevelopment[NEED],andalocallydesignedkitfortheschool.Thesamplesize
included2,299studentsingrades3-5fromtenschools.Theyusedvalidatedresearcherdesignedtests,“toassessstudentconceptualunderstandingconstructedfromexperiential
learning”(p.46).Theydiscovered,“systemicimplementationofsciencekitsissuccessfulin
somecontextsatenhancingstudentunderstandingasmeasuredbyapplication-based
contentquestions”(p.48).Theexaminedcontextualfactors,“includingend-of-grade(EOG)
scoresonstatestandardizedtests,percentageoffree/reducedlunch,percentageofnonwhitestudentpopulationofschool,andschoolschedulingformat(i.e.,traditionvs.yearroundenrollment),”(p.45)wereusedonlytoselectschoolsforthestudyandtopair
37
similartreatmentandcontrolgroups.Theauthorsdidnotelaborateonhowthesecontexts
mayhaveaffectedtheoutcomeoftheirstudy.Whiletheymadetheirtreatmentandcontrol
pairsassimilaraspossible,theydiscussed,“manyvariablesexistsuchasfrequencyofkit
use,implementationofkits,alternativeapproachesimplementedincomparisonschools,
andteacherandstudentaffectivevariables,”(p.48)mayhavecontributedtotheirfindings.
YoungandLee(2005)examinedtheuseofkitsonstudents’understandingof
contentwithinthecontextofteacherprofessionaldevelopment.Theycomparedstudents
whousedakittaughtbyteacherswhohadintensiveprofessionaldevelopmenttostudents
whodidnotuseakitandwhoseteacherslackedsystemicscienceprofessional
development.Theyconcluded,“theresultsofthisstudyaddtotheevidencethatsustained
educationprogramsthatcombinehigh-qualitymaterialsandintensiveteacher
processionaldevelopmentinscienceandreformpedagogyhaveapositiveimpacton
children’slearningofscience”(p.480).Theyfurtherfoundthatteacherswhodidnotteach
usingasciencekitcoveredmoretopicsintheyearinashorterduration,theirstudentsdid
notperformaswellasstudentswhousedthekits,andtheteachersnotusingthesekitsfelt
lesspreparedtoteachthroughconstructivistpedagogies.
JonesandEick(2006)tookadifferentapproachinresearchingtheuseofkitsand
scienceeducators.TheysoughttofindhowtwoteacherspilotedvariousSTCkitswithin
theirclassroomswithinacontextoftheteachers’pedagogicalandcurricularinterests.Both
teachersimplementedthesamekits.Theydiscoveredthattheteachersimplementedthe
kitsindifferentways.Oneteacherbecamemorestudent-centeredwhereastheother
remainedmoreteacher-centered.Theirpedagogicalstrategiesalsodiffered:
38
Mr.Baldwinbecameinterestedinjournalingandassessment,whereasMs.Rodman
exploredcooperative-learningstrategies.Thisevolutionledtodifferentexploration
intopedagogicalcontentknowledgeinwhichtheteachers,duetotheirown
interests,wereexploringthesysteminteractionofcontentandpedagogy(p.507).
Itwasclearfromtheirfindingsthatthebeliefsoftheteachersinfluencedhowthey
experiencedthekit.Althoughtheyhadsomecommonexperiences(e.g.frustrationwhen
initiallyusingthekitandexcitementathavingafullystockedkittouse),howthey
implementedthekitandhowtheytaughtwiththekitwasdifferent.Yet,howtheytaught
withthekitwasdifferentthanhowtheyhadpreviouslytaught.Oneteacherpreviouslyhad
verystructuredlessonsandreliedextensivelyonatraditionaltextbookasthescopeand
sequenceofhercurriculum.Theuseofthekitchangedhertomorecooperativestudent
learning,usinginquiry-basedlessons,andrelyinglessonthetextbookasasourceof
informationandasaguideforcurriculumstructure.Theotherteacherpreviouslyhad
taughtthroughopeninquiry:alearningstyleinwhichstudentscreatethequestionsand
designtheirowninvestigationstoanswerthesequestions.Afterusingthekit,thisteacher
employedguidedinquiry,adjustedhisassessmentstyletoincludereflectivejournalsand
toincludeaperformancecomponent.Theauthorsconcluded,“implementinganexcellent,
inquiry-basedcurriculumthatincludespedagogicalinformationandcontentknowledge
cancreatechangesinteachers’pedagogicalcontentknowledgeandpracticalknowledge
throughpracticethatsupportsinquiry”(p.510).
Severalyearslater,Eickparticipatedinaself-studyofimplementingascience
curriculumkit(Dias,Eick,andBrantley-Dias,2011).Thegoalwastotesthis“conceptual
39
knowledgeofinquiry-basedpracticeagainstthepracticalknowledgethatcouldbelearned
throughthedailyworkofteachingadolescentsusingareform-basedcurriculum”(p.54).
Hetookasabbaticalfromhisworkasaprofessorofscienceeducationtobecomeaneighth
andninthgradeteacheragain.Inthesemesterhetaught,heusedtheInteractionsin
PhysicalScienceguidedinquirycurriculum.Thiscurriculumusesaconceptualchange
modelwithacommunityofscientistsapproach.Afteranalyzingdatafrominterviewsand
observations,theresearcherscametofourinterwovenassertionsaboutEick’sexperience.
Theassertionsfocusedonhowthecurriculumhewasgivenwasveryscriptedand
formulaic.Asaresult,thecurriculumdidnotengagethestudentsthroughouttheentire
semester.Further,thecurriculumdidnotallowthestudentstomaintainexcitement,find
personalrelevance,orengageintheircreativity.Thecurriculumfocusedtooheavilyon
datacollectionandanalysis.Itneglectedotheraspectsofthenatureofscience,namelythe
creativeendeavor.Inaddition,Eickgainedarenewedunderstandingofthephysicaland
emotionalenergyneededtoteachinquiryinthemiddleschool.Hisrecommendationisfor
newteacherstogoslow,butgo.Together,theresearchersprovidedthat“teachersmust
seekcreativeandvariedwaysfortheirstudentstolearnscienceviarelevantexperiences
thatconnecttostudentinterests,utilizingmoreopenformsofinquirywhereappropriate”
(p.74).Theygoontoexplainthatthekitsshouldbeguidesorgeneralframeworksfor
inquiry.Thekitsshouldbesituatedwithinthestudents’needsandinterests.
Inanolderstudy,Cronin-Jones(1991)observedhowteachers’beliefsimpactedthe
useofaninquirysciencekitintheirclassrooms.Shefound,“teacherbeliefsaboutthe
abilitylevelsofstudentsinagivenagegroupandbeliefsaboutwhichstudentoutcomesare
mostimportantalsoexertpowerful,andpotentiallynegative,influencesonthecurriculum
40
implementationprocess”(p.247).Shehighlightedoneoftheteacherssheobserved
skippinglessonsinthekitbecause,“shedidnotfeelthattheywereappropriateor
worthwhileforherstudents”(p.246).Thisisincontrasttoanotherteacherwho
implementedalllessonsinthekitbutchosetoprimarilyfocusonthecontentofthe
lessons,ratherthanontheinteractionandexplorationthekitsweredesignedtoprovide.
TeacherFocus
Anothercomponentofsuccessfulinquiryimplementationisfocusingontheteacher.
Ateacherfocusexaminesthebeliefstheteachersholdinregardstoeducation.Thisareais
importantastheteacher’sbeliefsaffecthowtheyimplementsciencecurriculum
(Remillard,2005).
Researchonteacherbeliefsspansseveraldecades.Withinthattime,many
definitionsforthetermbeliefhavebeenpresented.Pajares(1992)summarizedthe
diversityofhowbeliefsaredefinedwithintheacademicliterature:
[beliefs]travelindisguiseandoftenunderalias—attitudes,values,judgments,
axioms,opinions,ideology,perceptions,conceptions,conceptualsystems,
preconceptions,dispositions,implicittheories,explicittheories,personaltheories,
internalmentalprocesses,actionstrategies,rulesofpractice,practicalprinciples,
perspectives,repertoriesofunderstanding,andsocialstrategy…(p.309).
Oneissuewithdefiningthetermbeliefisdifferentiatingitfromthetermknowledge.
Inaliteraturereviewonteacherattitudesandbeliefs,JonesandCronin(2007)found
variationinthedefinitionofbeliefsandfoundsimilarvariationincontrastingbeliefsfrom
knowledge.Loucks-Horsley,Stiles,Mundry,Love,andHewson(2010)moreconcretely
41
statedknowledgeare“thosethingsthataresupportedbysolidfactsandresearch,”while
beliefsare“thosethingswearecomingtoknoworbelievebasedonpersonalexperiences,
observations,andconvictions”(p.22).JonesandLeagon(2014)offerthatknowledgeand
beliefsareconfusinglyinterrelatedandexclusiveassome(Nisbett&Ross,1980)reported
beliefisaparticulartypeofknowledgewhereasothers(Rokeach,1968)believed
knowledgeisacomponentofabelief.
Savasci-Acikalin(2009)notedthatmuchresearchonteacherbeliefsisfocusedon
therelationshipbetweenclassroompracticeandteachers’beliefs.Shediscussedthatwhile
thisliteratureisdiverse,coveringtopicsfromconstructivism,goalsofscienceeducation,
inquiry,andthematicunits,the“relationshipbetweenteacherbeliefsandpracticeis
controversial”(p.2).Shehighlightedvariousstudiesthatclaimteacherbeliefsare
consistentwiththeirclassroompracticeaswellasthosethatclaimteacherbeliefsare
inconsistentwiththeirclassroompractice.
Anderson(2007)stressedtheimportanceofscienceteacherbeliefsandadopting
inquiryintheirclassrooms.Hediscussedthatmanyofthehurdlesteachersfacein
implementinginquiryare“groundingin[their]beliefsaboutscience,students,and
teaching,andinvaluesconcerningwhatisimportant”(p.817).Lotter,Harwood,and
Bonner(2007)reportedthathowteachersimplementinquiryisbasedontheteachers’
conceptionsofinquiry,namelytheirconceptionsofscience,thepurposeofeducation,
students,andeffectiveteaching.Additionally,ForbesandDavis(2010)noted,“teachers’
beliefsplayanimportantroleinhowandwhytheyengageincertaintypesofscience
teachingpractices,includinginquiry”(p.368).Crawford(2007)offeredthatteachershave
conflictingbeliefs(i.e.aboutteachingversusschoolculture)thataffecthowtheyteach.
42
ThisisfurthersupportedbyareviewoftheresearchdonebyKeysandBryan
(2001).Theywrote,“whenreformeffortsarebasedondocumentsthatrepresentthe
intendedcurriculaofresearchersratherthantheenactedcurriculaofteachers,thereisa
mismatchthatimpedesscienceeducationreform”(p.635).Theycitedastudy(Tobin&
McRobbie,1996)todemonstratehowpowerfulteacherbeliefsareonenactinginquiryin
theclassroom.Theysummarized,“asecondarychemistryteacherintheirstudyviewed
himselfsimultaneouslyasapowerfulkeeperandtransmitterofchemistryknowledge,and
asarelativelypowerlessindividualintermsoftransformingthechemistrycurriculum”
(Keys&Bryan,2001,p.636).
Anotherstudyfocusedspecificallyonbeginningelementaryteachers’beliefsonthe
useofdrivingquestionsininquiryandhowtheirbeliefschangedovertime(Forbes&
Davis,2010).Forthreeyears,theauthorsinterviewedandreviewedreflectivejournaland
logsoffourrecentgraduatesfromanundergraduateelementaryteacherprogram.Their
analysisfoundthattheteachers’beliefsofanduseinanchoringquestionschangedoverthe
three-yearperiod.Forexample,oneoftheirteacherswantedtouseanchoringquestionsto
gobeyond“descriptionandrecallandtopromotestudentsense-makingaboutscientific
phenomena”(p.377).Shedidnotwantsciencetobemerelyaboutthecontentandsought
tomakeitmeaningfultoherstudents’lives.Inhersecondandthirdyear,herbeliefsof
anchorquestionsshiftedslightly.Shefoundthatsheneededtoincludedrivingquestions
thatwouldhelpthestudentsanswerthelargeranchorquestion.Theanchorquestionstill
appliedtothestudents’lives,butthestudentsneededspecificquestionsthatwouldaid
theminansweringthebroaderanchorquestion.
43
Anotherteacher’sbeliefsinanduseofanchoringquestionswasnotreflectedwithin
thecurriculum.Shehadtoadaptthecurriculumtofitherbeliefs.Shefoundthathertime
waslimitedandstruggledtodoso.Asshecontinuedteaching,however,herbeliefsofusing
anchoringquestionsandheruseofinquirychanged.Inpreviousyears,sheavoidedtheuse
ofquestioningthatwouldleadtoinquirylearning.But,byherthirdyearshe,“expresseda
desiretousequestionstohelpstudentsmakeconnectionsacrossindividuallearning
experiencesand,later,toscaffoldthemintakingmoreresponsibilityfortheirown
learning”(p.382).Shesawquestionsasamediumthroughwhichherstudentscouldlearn
throughaninquirymodel,thusgivingthestudentsmoreresponsibilityovertheirlearning.
Incontrastanotherteacher“expressedbeliefsabouttheimportanceofanchoring
questionsinsciencetopromotestudentsense-makingandestablishedasenseofpurpose”
(p.377).Yet,thisteacherstruggledwiththisidealinhersecondandthirdyearsbecause
herstudentswouldseektoanswerthequestionquickly,whichlimitedtheirinvestigations.
Ultimately,shewantedtofindawaytousethequestions“inwaysthatweremotivating
andengagingforherstudents”(p.377).
AlthoughIhavealreadyhighlightedthefollowingstudyinthefirstchapter,Ifindit
isimportanttoreaddressitwithinthecontextofmyliteraturereview.Levitt’s(2001)
studyofsixteennewscienceteachersexaminedtheirbeliefsandhowthoseshapedtheir
implementationofinquirycurriculum.SimilartothefindingsofOzelandLuft(2013),
Levitt(2001)foundthatalthoughnewscienceteachersarelimitedintheiruseofinquiry,
theystilldemonstrateaspectsofitintheirteaching.However,Levittadditionallyfound
thatthiswasconnectedtotheirbeliefsabouthowscienceshouldbetaught.Consistent
withKangetal.(2008),thebeliefsinandpracticeofinquirychangedastheteachershad
44
moreexperiencewithinquiryintheclassroom.Further,Levitt(2001)concluded,“atleast
someofthebeliefsexpressedbytheteacherscameaboutasaresultofimplementinga
programofscienceeducationreform”(p.19).
Pajares’(1992)generalizedthatteachers’beliefstendtoremainconsistentand
difficulttochange.Itispossible,asseenintheaforementionedstudies,forteachers’beliefs
tochange.Sustainingachangeinteachers’beliefscanbedifficult:thesocioculturalcontext
oftheteachermayundothebeliefchange.Thatis,ifteachersarenotinanenvironment
thatissupportiveofinquiry,theyarelikelytoreturntotheirpreviousteacher-centered
beliefs(Stofflett,1994).Startingthatchange,though,restswitheffectiveprofessional
development.
ProfessionalDevelopment
Teachersneedeffectiveprofessionaldevelopmenttohelpthemimplementthegoals
ofscienceeducationreform.Effectiveprofessionaldevelopmentis“groundedsolidlyin
researchknowledgeandontheparticularneeds,contexts,andcircumstancesofthe
participants”(Loucks-Horsleyetal.,2010,p.52).HawleyandValli(1999)reachedasimilar
definitionofeffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentbasedonareviewofliterature.Theyfound
muchprofessionaldevelopmentispoorlydesigned,lacksteacherinput,andisnotafocus
towardschoolimprovement.
Effectiveprofessionaldevelopmentisnotmerelyadditivebuttransformative.Such
professionaldevelopmentleadstomeaningfulchangeinscienceteachers.Transformative
professionaldevelopmenthasfivekeycharacteristics(Thompson&Zeuli,1999,pp.335357):
45
1. Ahighlevelofcognitivedissonancetodisrupttheteacher’scurrentbeliefs
andpractice.
2. Time,context,andsupportforteacherstothinktoresolvethedissonance.
3. Ensurethedissonance-creatinganddissonance-resolvingactivitiesare
connectedtotheteacher’sstudentsandcontexts.
4. Provideawayforteacherstodeveloparepertoireforpracticethatis
consistentwiththenewunderstandingthatteachersarebuilding.
5. Providecontinuingsupportandengagementofnewpractices.
Consequently,thisaltersthedeeplyheldbeliefsofteacherssuchthattheywillbealigned
withthetenetsofreformefforts.
Loucks-Horselyetal.(2010)notedthatprofessionaldevelopmenthashadahistory
ofaddingnewskillsandcontentratherthanhelpingeducatorsaddresstheirheldbeliefs.
Theconsequenceofadditiveprofessionaldevelopmentis“inadvertentlymakingchoices
thatdetractfromstudentlearning”(p.70).Further,theynotedhowmanyteachers
experienceprofessionaldevelopmentadvocatinganddemonstratingconstructivism
teachingmethods,buthowtheyaretaughtthatisthroughtraditionalteaching(i.e.lecture).
Thistypeofprofessionaldevelopmentdoesnotresultinachangeinteacherpractice.As
Loucks-Horselyetal.(2010,p.87)articulated,“knowingwhatteachersknowandwhat
theywanttolearnalsoenablesprofessionaldeveloperstobuildonteachers’prior
knowledgerespectfully,uncovercommonnaïveideas,andadjusttheprogramasspecific
concernsarise.”
This“knowingwhatteachersknow”iscapturedbytheteacher’spedagogical
contentknowledge(PCK).TheoriginofPCKisfromShulman(1986)whopositedthatPCK
46
isacombinationofateacher’sknowledgeoftheirsubjectmatterandthewaythrough
whichitistaught.Inareviewofresearchonscienceteacherknowledge,vanDriel,Berry,
andMeirink(2014)highlightedthevariouswaysPCKhassincebeenaddressedoverthe
subsequentyears.Forexample,VanDijkandKattman(2007)proposedthatPCKconsists
ofpedagogicalknowledge,subjectmatterknowledge,andknowledgeofcontext.Some
(Cochran,DeReuiter,andKing,1993)seethisasasynthesisofallknowledgeneededfor
teaching,whileothers(Mason,1999)seeitastheabilitytocombinecontentknowledge
withtheabilitytoteach.Abell’s(2007)reviewonscienceteacherPCKresearchculminated
withasignificationconclusion:scienceteachershaveinsubstantialknowledgeofhowtheir
studentslearnscience.Thisfindingissignificantasinquiryisstudentfocused;ifteachers
lackknowledgeofhowtheirstudentslearn,itwouldfollowthattheywouldstruggleto
teachthroughinquiry.
Asecondcomponentofchangemustbesystemic.Thatis,changemusthappenwith
educators,administrators,andthedistrict(Sparks,2002).Acomponentofthisisthegoal
settingthatoccurswithteachers,stake-holders,anddistrictleadersasawaytoensure
changeoccurswithinadistrict(WatersandMarzano,2006).Additionalsupportexists
betweenteachers.WilsonandBerne(1999)notedinareviewofprofessionaldevelopment
thatcollaborationbetweenteacherswithinandbetweenschoolsresultedintheuseofnew
teachingpractices.Thesenewpracticeswerenotspecifictoscience,butteachingin
general.
Athirdcomponentofchangeisthatitmustbeprogressiveandongoing;itcannot
happeninisolationandmaytakeseveralyears(Loucks-Horselyetal.,2010;Luftand
Hewson,2014).SupovitzandTurner(2000)arguedthatteachersengagedinfewerthan80
47
hoursofprofessionaldevelopmentwouldnotenactinstructionalpracticechange.They
showedthatteacherswhohad80ormorehoursofprofessionaldevelopmentreported
morefrequentuseofinquirypracticesintheirclassrooms.Teacherswithfewerthan80
hoursreliedonmoretraditional-orientedinstructionalpractices.
Anexampleofeffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentwasobservedintheearly1990s
inOhio(Supovitz,Mayer,&Kahle,2000).Ohioimplementedastatewide,inquiry-based
professionaldevelopmentprogramcalledDiscoverythatfocusedonmathematics,physical,
andlifesciences.Thisprogramconsistedofanintensive6-weeksummersessiontotaling
160contacthoursandwasopentoteachersofallgradelevels.Duringthesubsequent
schoolyear,teacherswereallowedreleasetimefor6daysforadditionalfollow-up
sessions.Supovitz,Mayer,andKahle(2000)wereinterestedin“whetherteacherattitudes
towardinquiry-basedinstruction,preparationtoimplementinquiry-basedinstruction,and
classroomuseofinquiry-basedteacherpracticeschangedovertime”(p.337)asaresultof
thisintenseprofessionaldevelopment.Inshort,theresearchersfoundtheseteachers’use
of,attitudesof,andpreparationforinquiry-basedscienceinstructionsincreasedandwas
sustainedovertheexaminedthree-yearperiod.Thisresultwasfoundregardlessof
teachers’individualorschoolcharacteristics.
Incontrast,Johnson(2006)examinedwhatbarriersscienceteachersencounter
whileimplementingNationalScienceEducationStandardsbasedinstructionwhilebeing
enrolledinthesameprofessionaldevelopmentastheteachersinthestudydoneby
Supovitz,Mayer,andKahle(2000),albeitJohnson’s(2006)participantswereinthe
Discoveryprogramin2000-2003.Theprogramstilloffereda2-weekintensivecourse,160
hoursofprofessionaldevelopment,andavastnetworkofprofessionalsupport.Shefound
48
thereweretechnical,political,andculturalbarriersthataffectedhowtheteachers
implementedinquiryandinstructionbasedontheNationalScienceEducationStandards.
Whiletheprofessionaldevelopmentwasdesignedtoprovidechangeininstructional
practice,manyoftheteachersinthestudywereunabletoovercomethepoliticaland
culturalbarriers.Suchpoliticalbarriersincludedalackofsupportfromadministrationand
lackofcollaborationtime.Culturalbarriersincludedamismatchbetweenstate
assessmentsandhowscienceshouldbetaughtthroughtheNationalScienceEducation
Standards,teachershavingalimitedunderstandingofstandards-basedinstruction,anda
focusonteachingtothetest.
Johnson’s(2006)recommendationsofhowtoovercomethesebarriersare
consistentwithwhatLoucks-Horselyetal.(2010)describeastheon-goingprofessional
developmentneededforchangetooccur.Johnson(2006)recommendedteachershave
mentorswhoareexperiencedwithteachinginquiry,haveadequatetimetoengagewith
inquirypedagogyandlessons,havetimetoreflectontheirwork,andhavesystemic(i.e.
district-wide)support.
Professionallearningcommunities(PLCs)offeradifferentapproachtoprofessional
developmentforteachers.Stoll,Bolam,McMahon,Wallace,andThomas(2006,p.229)
havedefinedPLCsas“agroupofpeoplesharingandcriticallyinterrogatingtheirpractice
inanongoing,reflective,collaborative,inclusive,learning-oriented,growth-promoting
way.”PLCsofferade-centralized,teacher-initiatedapproachtoprofessionaldevelopment.
TheeffectivenessofPLCsdependsonseveralfactorssuchasteachers’orientationto
change,groupdynamics,location,andschoolcontext.
49
Jones,Gardner,Robertson,andRobert(2013)examinedonedistrict’selementary
teachers’experiencesinscience-focusedPLCs.Surveysgiventotheteachersrevealed
variedresultsontheoutcomereachedwithinthePLCs,howeffectivetheteachersfeltthe
PLCswere,andthevaluetheteacherplacedonthePLCs.SincePLCsaredecentralized,each
PLCisunique.AlthoughthedistrictofferedamodelforthePLC,therewasvariationinthe
purposesofthePLCs.SomeadministratorsusedthePLCsastimetodeliver
announcementstoteachersratherthanallowteacherstoreflectontheirpractice.Whilea
majorityofsurveyedteachersexpressedthatthePLCswerenotequallyusefultoall
teachers,mostoftheinterviewedteachersexpressedpositiveviewsofthePLCs.Theyfelt
theywereabletoshareresources,collaborate,gainconfidence,andimprovetheirscience
programs.Althoughthereweremanybenefits,theinterviewedteachersexpresseda
numberofnegativeaspectstotheirPLCs.Theseincludedalackoffocus,toomanyvoices,
administrativetakeover,lackoftime,andtoomuchstructure.
Summary
Thissectionofferedaglimpseattheternaryapproachneededforimplementing
inquiryinclassrooms:theuseofinquirycurriculumkits,addressingteacherbeliefs,and
providingeffectiveprofessionaldevelopment.Theselectedstudiesshowcasedhoweachof
thesecanleadtosuccessfulimplementationandidentifiedpossiblebarrierstothat
implementation.Thenextsectionwillexamineresearchonteacherexperiencethatis
phenomenologicalinnatureandwillidentifythegapthisdissertationservestofill.
50
PhenomenologicalResearchandScienceEducation
Researchonscienceteachersandinquiryisprimarilyqualitativeinnature,using
interviews,observations,anddocumentanalysistocometoknowtheintersectionbetween
teachers’instructionalexperiencesandtheirenactmentofinquiryintheclassroom.
Implementinginquiryandteachingscienceisadeeplypersonalprocess:complex
interactionsoccurbetweentheteacher’sbeliefs,socio-environmentalfactors,available
resources,andtheirstudents(Baird,1999;vanDriel,Berry,&Meirink,2014).Comingto
knowthisprocess(i.e.experience)canbefoundthroughaphenomenologicalmethodology.
However,fewstudiesonscienceteachersandinquiryarephenomenological.
Østergaard,Dahlin,andHugo(2008)completedacomprehensivereviewof
phenomenologicalresearchwithinscienceeducation.Theyfirstofferaphenomenological
critiqueofscienceeducation:agapexistsbetweenthelifeworldofthestudentandthe
scientificworld.Thisgapleadstodifficultyinlearningscience.Thisseemsperplexing,as
science,byitsverynature,isanexplorationthroughthelifeworldofthelearner.They
experiencetheirlifeworld,learnfromthatexperience,andsharethatexperiencewith
others(andconsequentlybecomepartofthelifeworldofothers).Yet,howstudentsare
taughtscienceseemstobeanythingbutphenomenological:studentsaretaughtthat
scienceisseparatefromtheirlifeworld.Theauthorsofferedlearningscience
phenomenologicallyasawaytoclosethisgap.
Theyorganizedtheselectedstudiesintothreecategories:phenomenologyof
scienceeducation,phenomenologyinscienceeducation,andtheintegrationof
phenomenologyintoscienceeducationresearch.Ofmostimportancetothisdissertationis
thephenomenologyofscienceeducation.Theydefineditas,“theprocessesandactivitiesof
51
teachingand/orlearningscience[that]areunderstoodandanalyzedfroma
phenomenologicalpointofview”(p.99).Thisallowsresearcherstoexaminewhathappens
withintheteachingandlearningofscience.Onlytwostudieswerefoundthatinvestigated
thephenomenologyofteachingscience.
ThefirststudybyBaird(1999)focusedonscienceteachers’experienceofteaching.
Thepurposeofhisstudywastwofold:tophenomenologicallyunderstandscienceteaching
andtoexploreiftheessenceofteachingchangesorremainsconsistentovertime.Tomeet
thesepurposes,Bairdasked12secondaryscienceteacherstofilloutamonthlyreflection
ontheirpersonallivedexperiencesoverthepreviousmonth.Therewerefourquestionson
theform(p.77):
1. Whatisit,tobeascienceteacher?
2. Whatisscienceteaching?
3. Whatisthemostimportantpay-offinscienceteaching?
4. Whatisthemostimportantcost,orworstaspect,ofscienceteaching?
Theteachersdidnotconsistentlyfillouttheformsandthedetailinresponsesvaried.Baird
offeredthisisindicativeofhowreflective—orretrospective—teachersareontheir
practice.Inotherwords,thosethataremoreretrospectivetakethetimetoreflectontheir
teachingandwritemoredetailedresponses.
Interpretingthefindings,Baird(1999)identifiedtwofoci:thestudentsandthetask
ofteaching.Thestudentsweretheprimaryfocusastheywerecentraltoteachers’
responsesofchallenges,benefits,andnegativeaspectsofteaching.Alloftheteachers
offeredwaysstudentsmadeteachingscienceanimportant-payoffandasacostto
52
teaching.Forexample,teachersnotedhowtheyenjoyedwatchingtheirstudentsgrowbut
offeredthatitcanbedifficulttoignitetheirenthusiasm.
Thesecondfocusisonthetaskofteaching.Baird(1999)saidthisisconsequential
tothefocusonstudents.Hedidnotelucidateastowhythetaskisconsequential,butitis
inferredthatthetaskofteachingcannotexistwithoutthestudents.Thetaskswere
contextualizedwithinteacherandstudent.Theteachercontextfocusedoncompetency,
organization,andmanagement.Thestudentcontextfocusedongettingthroughtothe
students,challengingthestudents,workingwiththestudents,andmakingsciencerelevant
forthestudents.
Attheconclusionofthedatacollection,Baird(1999)addedoneitemtothemonthly
questionnaire:“whathasansweringthefivequestionsabovemademedo/thinkabout?”(p.
77).Alloftheteachersrespondedthatthephenomenologicalreflectionswereworthwhile.
Someteacherscommentedhowthereflectionshelpedthemlookattheiraimswith
teachingscienceandwheretheycouldgrowasaneducator.Forsome,thereflections
servedasawaytovalidatewhattheydidintheirclassrooms,whileothersrealizedhow
serioustheirconcernsaboutteachingwere.
TheprevioussummaryoffindingsshowedhowBaird(1999)metthefirstpurpose
ofhisstudy.Thesecondpurposewastoseeiftheessenceofteachingchangedovertime.
Bairddemonstratedthatthereischangebyshowcasingtwoteachers’responsesovera
severalmonthperiod.One,abeginningscienceteacher,startedenthusiasticabouthisjob.
Butoveraperiodof18monthshedevelopedacynicalattitudetowardsteaching,
experiencedteacherburnout,andlosthisaimofteaching—originallyitwasfocusedon
studentsbutlatertransitionedtofinancialreasons.Twoyearsafterthestudy,thisteacher
53
lefthisposition.Theotherteacherhadbeenteachingfor6years.Analyzingherformsover
a7-monthperiod,Bairdfoundtherewaschangeinhowsheviewedteachingscienceasa
student-centered,ratherthanteacher-centered,subject.
ThesecondstudybyDahlin(2002)examinedsciencestudentteachers’conceptions
ofthenatureofscience1.Dahlin’s(2002)frameworkforthisstudyisbasedonontological
reversal.Heputforththatscientifictheories,models,equations,andsoontakeonalifeof
theirownsuchthattheybecomedisassociatedfromthesensesthatcreatedthem.Thatis,
thetheories(i.e.abstractconcepts)becomepartoftheexperienceofscienceratherthan
engagingthesensesthatleadtothediscoveryofthetheories.
Todemonstratethispoint,hediscussedthetheoryoflight.Themoderntheoryis
inclusiveandexclusiveofwhatissensed:onlyaportionoftheelectromagneticspectrumis
visible.Tounderstandthetheory,astudentmustgobeyondthesensedandconsiderthe
abstractrealityofmasslessphotons,waves,andsoon.Yet,thediscoveryofthetheoryis
initiallyrootedinsensingvisiblelightandfeelingtheeffectsoflight.Hewantedtoknow
whathissciencestudentteachersthoughtofthisinregardstothenatureofscience.Which
isascientifictheory:onethatisanabstractconception,oronethatisrootedinwhatis
sensed?
HepresentedhisstudentteacherswithNewton’sandGoethe’stheoriesonlight.
Newton’stheoryconsistedofwhitelightbeingcomposedofallcolors,colorsarisingfrom
lightrefractingthroughaprism,theoriesexplainingbeyondtheobservedphenomenon,
andtheobserverasapassiveonlookerofthephenomenon.Goethe’stheoryconsistedof
1ThisstudywaspublishedinSwedish.IwasabletoobtainanEnglishtranslation,butthere
wasnoattributiontowhotranslatedit.
54
whitelightbeingsimpleandcomposedofnoothercolors,colorsarisingfromthe
interactionbetweenlightanddarkness,theoriesexistingasthefactsofthesenses(i.e.
thereisnothingbeyondthephenomenonasthebeyondismerelytherepresentationofthe
senses),andtheresearcherasanactiveparticipantinthephenomenon.
AmajorityofhisstudentssaidthatNewton’stheoryisscientificandGoethe’stheory
isnot.ThosewhoarguedforNewtonsaidhistheorywasscientificasitsoughttoexplain
beyondtheobservedphenomenon.Ifitcansimplybeobserved,thenitisn’tascientific
theoryasthat’sjusthowitis:noexplanationisneeded.ThosewhosaidGoethe’stheory
wasscientificarguedthatwhatGoethedidwasscienceinitself:howheengagedin
experiencinglightisscience,thereforehowheexplainedlightasaninteractionbetween
lightanddarkisatheory.
Fromthestudent’sexplanations,Dahlin(2002)concludedthattheirviewofscience
hasbecomedisconnectedfromtheirsenses.ThosewhosupportedNewtonarguedthat
scienceoccursonaconceptual,abstractlevel.Thesestudentsseemednottorealizethe
conceptsarebornfromanexperienceofaphenomenon:conceptsarenotsimplypartof
thelifeworldtheyarebornfromit.Incontrast,thosewhosupportedGoetherecognized
thathistheoryisrootedinsenseexperiencing.Dahlin(2002)goesontoconnectthisback
toscienceteachers:ifonlytheabstractconceptualworldisscience,thenwhatistostop
teachersfrombrushingasidescience-as-sense-experiencingoftenengagedbychildren?
Wouldthisthennotleadeducatorstofocusonscienceasconceptratherthanaspractice?
Byhavinghisstudentteachersfocusonthephenomenologicalnatureofscience,he
believedtheseteacherswouldseethebenefitofusinginquiryintheirclassrooms.
55
Additionalphenomenologicalstudiesofscienceteachersandtheirexperiencesof
teachingsciencehavebeenconductedbySadler(2006)andDreon(2012).Sadler’sstudy
focusedonpre-servicescienceteachers’experienceofstudentteachingscience.His
analysisofinterviews,groupdiscussions,andwrittenreflectionsrevealedfivethemes:
challenges,successes,supports,knowledgegains,andidealteaching.Manyofthepreserviceteachersexperiencedpraxisshock(Kelchtermans&Ballet,2002),inwhichtheir
idealizednotionsofscienceeducationweredeemedunattainableandresultedinpragmatic
approaches.Whenaskedtodescribetheiridealteaching,allofthepre-serviceteachers,
exceptone,madestatementsinlinewithreform-basedpedagogies.
Dreon’s(2012)studyincludedtwoparticipantswhowerescienceteacherswith
limitedbackgroundinteachingscience.Thestudyfoundthattheteachers’emotionsand
self-viewsinfluencedtheiruseofinquiry.Anxietywasonesuchemotionexperiencedby
bothteachers.Thisanxietyarosefromalackofconceptualandcontentunderstanding.
Inquirywaseasiertoimplementwhenthecontentknowledgewasmorefamiliar.Further,
howtheyperceivedtheirstudents’reactionstoinquiryaffectedtheiruseofinquiry.When
thestudentswerestrugglingwithanopen-endedinquiry,oneoftheteacherschosetogive
thestudentstheanswerratherthanallowthemtocontinuetostruggle.Studentsalso
providedfeedbackthatsomeoftheinquiryactivitieswerefrustratingandawasteoftime.
Oneteacherinterpretedthisasnegativefeedbackaboutherself.Thisinterpretationcould
laterbedetrimentaltofutureinquirylessons.
Thefourreviewedphenomenologicalstudiesshowhowtheexperienceofteaching
affectstheteacher’simplementation(ornon-implementation)ofinquiry.Baird’s(1999)
studyrevealedthatthesubjectofsciencewastakenforgrantedandteachersmaylose
56
sightofthegoalofteachingscienceinitsDeweyan,inquiry-focusedideals.Dahlin’s(2002)
studyconveyedthatscienceteachersmaydisconnectthephenomenological(i.e.inquiry)
aspectofsciencefromlearningasitisnotasimportantastheabstract,conceptualpartof
science.Sadler’s(2006)studyofferedstudentteachers’conceptionsofscienceteachingare
metwiththerealityofclassroomconstraints.Thepre-serviceteachersenterasurvival
modeinwhichtheidealisnotattainableuntiltheycannavigatethevariousfactorsthat
affecttheirinitialyearsofteaching.Dreon’s(2012)studymadeknownhowtheteachers’
emotionsareafactorinhowteachersimplementinquiryintheirclassrooms.Eachofthese
studiesofferswaystoimproveteachereducationandpreparednessforimplementing
inquiryintheclassrooms.
GapintheLiterature
Itisclearthatresearchonscienceteachers,inquiry,andteacherbeliefsisabundant.
Thesestudieshavebeenimplementedinavarietyofways:quantitativelythroughsurveys
andself-ratinginstruments,andqualitativelythroughobservations,fieldreports,and
interviews.Althoughphenomenologicalresearchhasbeenconductedinregardsto
teachersandscienceeducation,limitedstudieshavefocusedontheexperienceofteaching
inquiry.Onlytwowerefoundtobeaphenomenologicalstudyofhowteachersexperience
teachingthroughinquiry.Neitherofthesestudieshaslookedatthehowveteranscience
teachersexperienceteachingthroughinquiry;norhaveanystudiesdonethisinlightofthe
recentadoptionofNGSS.
Thisdissertationaddressedscienceteacherswithalongerhistoryofscience
teachingexperienceandlookedattheirexperienceswithteachinganinquiry-based
57
curriculum.Therefore,thisstudyaddedtothelimitedphenomenologicalresearchonhow
scienceteachersexperienceinquirycurriculumimplementation.
58
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Chapter3:
Methodology
Thepurposeofthisdissertationwastodescribehowacohortofjuniorhighand
middleschoolscienceteachersexperiencetheimplementationofaninquiry-based
curriculum.Revealingthisexperienceinlightofeachteachers’valuesandbeliefswasdone
throughaphenomenologicalmethodology.Asteachersintegratetheirbeliefsandvalues
intotheirlessons(Jones&Carter,2007;Bryan,2012),itisimportanttoselecta
methodologythatwouldfocusesontheexperienceoftheteacher.Phenomenologyreveals
thisexperienceandhowtheexperiencehasbeenaffectedbyteachers’valuesandbeliefs.
Phenomenologyoffersagatewaytounderstandhowindividualsexperiencereality,
whichisoftendifferentthanwhatrealitytrulyis(Gallagher,2012).Gallagher(2012)
explainsthisusingananalogyofaglasswindow:whenwelookattheworldthrougha
window,thewindowaffectshowweviewthatworld.Ifthewindowhadaslighttinttoit,
theworldwouldappeardarkerthanitis.Ifthewindowistranslucent,wecouldnotdiscern
specificshapes,butseechangesinlight.Muchasawindowaffectsourviewoftheworld,
ourownexperienceintheworldaffectshowweseerealityandhowwefurtherexperience
it.
InthischapterIdiscusshowIconductedmyresearch.First,Iprovidebackground
onphenomenology.Then,Isharemyownexperiencewithimplementingscienceinquiryas
thatispartofthephenomenologicalprocess.Finally,Idescribetheplanforconductingthis
study:howIfoundmyco-researchers(i.e.researchparticipants),howIcollectedthedata,
howIensuredthetrustworthinessofthedata,andhowIanalyzedandinterpretedthe
data.
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Phenomenology
Husserl,recognizedasthefounderofphenomenology(Moustakas,1994),was
criticalofscientism.Scientismisthebeliefthatscienceisabletoanswerallquestionsand
isanauthoritativesourceofknowledge(Gallagher,2012).Husserl(1970)challenged
scientism,orwhathecallednaturalthinking,asscienceisundergirdedbyhuman
consciousness.Hedidnotrejectscience;ratherhewantedtoassertthatourunderstanding
oftheworldisgroundedinourconscious,thusbeinghigherinordertoscience(Gallagher,
2012).Asourconsciousaffectshowweperceivetheworld,heofferedphenomenologyasa
waytounderstandourexperiences.Husserl(1970)asked,“howcanwebesurethat
cognitionaccordswiththingsastheyexistinthemselves,thatit‘getsatthem’?”(p.1).In
otherwords,heaskedhowcouldweobservethetrueworldwhenourabilitytoobserveis
filteredandaffectedbyourcognitionorconscious?Husserlwantedawaytodescribethe
waythingsareastheyappearinourconscious.AsGallagher(2012)putit,“thewaythings
appearinconsciousexperiencemaybeverydifferentfromthewaythingsactuallyarein
reality”(p.8).
Todothis,Husserlproposedthatresearchersmustunderstandtheessenceofa
phenomenon.Theessenceisthe“setofinvariantpropertieslyingunderneaththe
subjectiveperceptionofindividualmanifestationsofthattypeofobject”(Smith,Flower,
Larkin,2012,p.14).Thatis,howweexperiencesomephenomenon—beitaphysicalobject
orevent—issubjectedtoourownvaluesandbeliefsofthatphenomenonandourprior
experiences.Forexample,ifIweretoshowapictureofacabintosomeone,theymight
describeitasbeingahomeinawoodedarea.Perhapstheywillrecalltheirownmoments
ofhavingcampfiresorweek-longvacationsinwhichtheydisconnectfromourmodern
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world.IfIwereshownapictureofthecabinwhereIspentmysummers,Iwouldrecall
manywonderfulexperienceswithmycousins,learninghowtofish,spendingcountless
hoursswimming,andhavingconversationswithmyfamilythatinfluencedhowIthink
abouttheworld.Thatcabinisnotmerelyacabin;itisacomponentofmylife.The
memoriesarepartofthatsubjectivitythatHusserlseekstodiscoverthrough
phenomenology.
vanManen(1984)said“phenomenologicalresearch,unlikeanyotherkindof
research,makesadistinctionbetweenappearanceandessence,betweenthethingsofour
experienceandthatwhichgroundsthethingsofourexperience”(p.41).Thus,theessence
ismorethanasimpledescriptionoftheexperience.Theessenceis“something[that]is
construedsothatthestructureofalivedexperienceisrevealedtousinsuchafashionthat
wearenowabletograspthatnatureandsignificanceofthisexperienceinahitherto
unseenway”(p.43).
Clarifyingthisidea,Sokolowski(2002)wrotephenomenologyis“thestudyof
humanexperienceandofthewaysthingspresentthemselvestousinandthroughsuch
experience”(p.2).Hisdefinitionmakescleartheimportanceofthepresentationof
experience,orwhathecalledthe“problemofappearances”(p.3).Theproblemishowthe
appearance—orhowweexperiencesomephenomenon—changesasitpropagatesthrough
amedium.Thisisquiteequitabletothechildren’sgametelephone:asthemessageis
passedfromonechildtoanother,themessagebecomesdistortedbasedonhowtheyheard
andunderstoodthemessage.Justassomephenomenonisexperiencedbyanindividual,
howtheyexperiencewillbeinfluencedbywhattheexperiencehaspassedthrough,
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includingtheindividualthemselves.Inotherwords,phenomenaarecontextualizedwithin
avarietyofsituationsandfactors(e.g.historical,socioeconomical,ideological).
Heideggar,astudentofHusserl,offeredaslightlydifferentviewonphenomenology.
Heideggar’sfocuswasonthehermeneutic—orinterpretative—aspectsofphenomenology.
Hermeneuticswasdevelopedasamethodofinvestigatingthe“structuresofreadingand
interpretingtextsfromthepast”(Sokolowski,200,p.224).ThisfocusledtoHeideggar’s
critiqueofphenomenology:asphenomenologyuseslanguage,languageitselfisgoingto
containuncontrolledbiases(Gallagher,2012).Forexample,vocabularyiscontextualized
byhistoriceventsandindividualbeliefs.Todemonstratethis,considerthewordtheoryas
usedbyascientistcomparedtoanon-scientist.Justaslanguageisboundincontext,
Heideggarcontendedthathumanswereobjectsthrownintoaworldofrelationshipand
language.Thisreferstointersubjectivity,orthe“shared,overlapping,andrelationship
natureofourengagementintheworld”(Smith,Flowers,&Larkin,2012,p.17).Thus,the
purposeofphenomenologyisnotonlytodescribehowindividualsexperiencea
phenomenon,butalsotointerpretameaningofthatexperiencewiththeindividual.
Inthepilotstudyforthisdissertation,Iusedphenomenologicalmethodstodescribe
ascienceteacher’sexperienceindevelopinganinquiry-basedcurriculum.Theteacherand
Ifoundthattheessenceoftheexperiencewasliberation.Designinganewcurriculum
allowedhertoincorporateherbeliefsandvaluesaboutscienceeducation.Priortothis,she
experiencedpushbackfromothersinherdepartment.Theywantedtomaintaina
traditional,teacher-centeredframeworkofscience.Phenomenologicalmethodswerethe
reasonwhysheandIwereabletorevealtheessenceofherexperience.Phenomenology
offersadeeperperspectiveoftheexperience;itgoesbeyondthebasicdescription.Itallows
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ustoknowtheirexperienceofrealityratherthanhowanoutsiderwouldviewit.Itallows
ustobrieflyliveamomentintheirshoes.
Thisdissertationsoughttodescribethoseexperiencesteachershaveinadopting
inquiry-basedcurriculum.Iwantedtoknowwhattheirversionofrealityis.Howdidtheir
ownexperiencesaffecthowtheyexperiencethisphenomenon?Howdidtheyincorporate
theirvaluesandbeliefsintotheinquirykits?Howdidtheyreacttoscienceeducation
reform?Whyweretheirreactionsandexperiencesthisway?Whatmeaningdidtheymake
ofthisexperience?Phenomenologyprovidesthemethodsneededtoanswerthese
questions.
Methods
Revealingthisexperienceandhowithasbeeninfluencedisdonethroughcertain
phenomenologicalmethods.AlthoughHusserlandHeideggardidnotofferspecificmethods
ofhowtoconductphenomenologicalresearch,theirwritingsfocusonsomekeyideas:
mostnotablyepoché,orbracketing,andreduction.
Theideaofepochéistorecognizeourownintersubjectivitiesofaphenomenon.As
anexample,ifascientistweretoseeacontainerlabeleddihydrogenmonoxide,theywould
recognizethatastheformalchemicalnameofwater.Toanon-scientist,theymayassociate
thiswithfear:theymayconnecttermmonoxidetocarbonmonoxideandthinkofa
dangerousgas;perhapstheywillseethechemicalnameandthinkthatitisanartificial
creationbyhumansasthetermisunfamiliartothem.Thepointisthatphenomenologists
mustrecognizetheirowntheoriesandbeliefsaboutaphenomenonandsuspend,or
bracketthem(Gallagher,2012).Aphenomenologistmustsetasidetheirnaturalthinkingof
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anexperiencetobeleftwiththeirconsciousnessoftheexperience.Thiswillallowa
phenomenologisttoaccesstheessenceoftheexperience.
Accessingtheessenceisdonethroughreduction.Inreductionwereflectonthe
experienceasitisexperienced(Gallagher,2012).Thatis,thereductionseekstoprovidea
completedescriptionofaphenomenon’s“essentialconstituents,variationsofperceptions,
thoughts,feelings,sounds,colors,andshapes”(Moustakas,1994,p.34).Thereduction
leadsusawayfromthenaturalthinkingthatHusserlcriticized(Sokolowski,2000).
Gettingtothepointatwhichonecouldbegintoanalyzeanexperience
phenomenologicallytakessignificantwork.Moustaktas(1994,pp.103-104)identified
sevenstepsinphenomenologicalstudies:
1. Formingatopicandquestionsthathavebothsocialmeaningandpersonal
significance;
2. Conductingacomprehensivereviewoftheliterature;
3. Constructingasetofcriteriatolocateappropriateco-researchers;
4. Informingco-researchersoftheresearchprocess(i.e.followingIRB
protocols);
5. Developingasetofquestionsortopicstoguidetheinterviewprocess;
6. Conductingandrecordinglengthyperson-to-personinterviewsthatfocuses
onabracketedtopicandquestion;
7. Organizingandanalyzingthedata.
vanManen(1990)offeredstepstoproducedescriptionsofthelived-experience.He
recommended(pp.60-67):
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1. Youneedtodescribetheexperienceasyoulive(d)throughitavoidingas
muchaspossiblecausalexplanations,generalizations,orabstract
interpretations;
2. Describetheexperiencefromtheinsideasitwere;almostlikeastateof
mind:thefeelings,themood,theemotions,etc.;
3. Focusonaparticularexampleorincidentoftheobjectoftheexperience:
describespecificevents,anadventure,ahappening,aparticularexperience;
4. Trytofocusonanexampleoftheexperiencewhichstandsoutforits
vividness,orasitwasthefirsttime;
5. Attendtohowthebodyfeels,howthingssmell(ed),howtheysound(ed),etc;
6. Avoidtryingtobeautifyyouraccountwithfancyphrasesorflowery
terminology.
AlthoughvanManenstatedhisrecommendationsinthesecondperson,itis
applicabletothethirdperson:his,her,andtheir.Describingtheexperiencegoesbeyonda
simplere-tellingoftheindividual’sexperience.Analysisisnecessarytoreachthemeaning
oftheexperience.Thisistypicallydonethrougha)readingandre-readingtranscriptsof
thoseinterviewed,b)notingandcodingthosetranscripts,c)developingemergentthemes
fromthecodes,andd)searchingforconnectionsamongstthosethemes(Smith,Flowers,
andLarkin,2012).
IusedcombinationsofvanManen’s(1990),Moustakas’(1994),andSmith,Flowers,
andLarkin’s(2012)phenomenologicalresearchmethodsinconductingthisdissertation.
Theseresearchmethodsleadtowell-developedandthoughtoutresearchquestions,rich,
detaileddescriptionsoftheco-researchers’experiences,andthoroughanalysisthatresults
75
inaninterpretationoftheexperience.IusedthesesamemethodswhenIconductedapilot
studyforthisdissertation.Thepilotstudyconsistedofthreeinterviews(discussedlaterin
thischapter)thatresultedincomprehensivedescriptionsoftheco-researcher’sexperience
indesigninganinquirysciencecurriculum.Afternoting,coding,andidentifyingthemesin
thetranscripts,theco-researcheragreedwiththeanalysisofherexperience.
Thisphenomenologicalstudybeganwithareflectionofmyownexperiencewith
implementingscienceinquirycurriculum.Ididthistoshowthatmystudyisofpersonal
significanceandtobracketmyownnaturalattitudes.Thepreviouschaptershavealready
establishedthesocialmeaningforthisstudy.Afterthisreflectionofmyexperience,Iwill
explainhowIlocatedco-researchers,howIcollecteddata,andhowIanalyzedthatdata.
MyExperiencewithScienceInquiry
MyloveofsciencebeganwhenIwasachild.Irecallthismomentonatriptothe
ChicagoMuseumofScienceandIndustrywithmyfamily.Wewereinthemuseumwhenmy
brothersandsisterranaheadofme,smilingwithexcitement.Istayedbehind,frozenin
fear.Mydadwasafewfeetaheadofme,tellingmetherewasnothingtobeafraidof.Iwas
sevenandtheunrealisticfearsofwhatcouldhappenracedthroughmymind.Whatifit
triestoeatme?CanIgetlostinsideit?WhatifIcan’tswimintheblood?
Mydadtookmyhandandwalkedmetotheentranceofthemodelheart.Hesmiled,
givingmereassurancethateverythingwouldbeallright.Aswewalkedintothemodel,my
fearsdisappeared.
Iwasmesmerizedbytheinsideoftheheart.Mydadpointedoutthepartsand
explainedhoweverythingworked.Fullofexcitement,webeganexploringeverythingwe
76
couldattheMuseumofScienceandIndustry.Fromseeingthechickshatchtogoingonthe
coalminetour,Iwascaptivatedbyitall.WhileIdidnotrealizeitthen,itwasonthisday
thatIfellinlovewithscience.
SincethatdayIhavealwaysbeenfascinatedandcuriousaboutmyenvironment.
Sciencehasallowedmetoexploretheworld.ItmakesmeopenmyeyestoobservewhatI
wouldotherwisenotsee.Itmakesmethinkcritically.ItmakesmechallengewhatIknow
andbecriticalofwhatIamtold.Itisnotstagnant.Itisanever-changingdiscipline.Thisis
whatIloveaboutscience.Thisiswhatmademewanttobescienceteacher:Iloveditso
muchthatIwantedtosharethiswithchildren.
IearnedmybachelorofscienceinelementaryeducationfromIllinoisState
UniversityinMay2006.Inthefallof2006,Istartedteachingseventhgradescience.My
firstfewyearsofteachingsciencereliedheavilyontraditionalteachingmodels:Ioften
lectured,providedcookbookscienceactivities,anddidnotallowmystudentstoask
questionsforinvestigations,designprocedures,grapplewithmessydata,norreachtheir
ownconclusions.Mystudentshadtoreachtheanswersthatwerealreadyknown.Their
skillswerehonedonreplicatingresultsratherthandevelopingtheirscientificliteracy.How
Itaughtsciencewasnotreflectiveofhowsciencewasdone.Itwas,however,reflectiveof
howIlearnedscienceinschool.
Tocounteractthis,IenrolledinaMasterofScienceinScienceEducationgraduate
programatDePaulUniversityinthespringof2009.Theprogramwasdesignedtohelp
scienceteachersuseinquiryintheirclassrooms.WhileintheprogramIfrequently
reflectedonmyownteaching:howcouldImoveawayfromtraditionalteachingand
77
towardinquiry,howcouldIletgoofthecontrolIhaveoftheclassroom,howdoIfindthe
resourcesnecessaryforimplementinginquiry?
Istruggledwiththepragmaticsideofinquiry.AlthoughIparticipatedininquiry
lessonsatDePaul,developedinquirylessons,andwasevaluatedteachinginquirylessons,
tryingtotranslateinquiryintoactualpracticewasdifficult.ThecurriculumIusedinmy
classroomwasnotbasedininquiry.Itwasbasedintraditionalmodels:lecture,
confirmationactivities,andafocusonthememorizationofcontentoverthepracticesof
science.
Mysolutionwastoslowlyintroduceitintomyteaching.Istructuredmylecturesso
theytookshorteramountsoftimeandlefttimeforstudentstoengageindatacollection
andanalysis.Isoughtadditionalcurriculummaterialsandbegancreatingapatchworkof
lessonsfromvarioussources.Irevampedourcookbookactivitiessothestudentswerenot
simplymatchingoutcomes:theywerereachingtheirownandattemptingtoconcludewhat
theycouldlearnfromthoseoutcomes.
Igraduatedin2011andfoundthatIhadamuchbetterunderstandingofinquiry.
Yet,Iwasstillstrugglingonintegratingitintomostofmycurriculum.Fortunately,my
schooldistrictannounceditwasplacingoursciencecurriculumunderredesign.Our
consultantrestructuredourcurriculumsuchthatitfocusedonscientificpracticestaught
throughvariouscontent.Whilethecontentwasimportant,thescientificpracticeswerethe
overarchingthemefoundinallourunits.Ourstudentswouldbeexpectedtoknowhowto
designinvestigations,collectandanalyzedata,questionfindings,andconstructarguments:
practicesconsistentwithreformeffortsinscienceeducation.
78
Toensurethisoutcomewasachieved,ourconsultantprovideduswithseveral
curriculumkitstoreview.ThesekitsincludedSEPUP,FOSS,andSTC.Ourgradelevel
eventuallyadoptedtwounitsfromSTC.Ourtrainingontheseunitsallowedustoseehow
theyareinquiry-based,howthelessonsfocusonscientificpractices,andhowtocarryout
thelessons.IrememberwhenIwasgivenacopyoftheteacher’smanual.AsIreviewedthe
lessonsIthoughthowexcitingitwouldbetoteachthisway!Thefirstlessoninthebook
wasusinganauthenticdatasourcetoplotpointsonamap,analyzethepointsforpatterns,
andofferexplanatoryhypothesesforthepatternsthatwerediscovered.
Yet,whenitcametimeforthenewcurriculumtobeimplementeditwasanything
butasuccess.Itwasastruggle.Itwasdifficulttoplanthepacingforthelessons,even
thoughthecurriculumcamewithrecommendedpacing.Iwasreplacingsomelessonswith
myown,addingcontentwhereIfeltthetextbookdidn’tdeliverenoughinformation,and
revisinghowinvestigationsweredesignedtomatchwhatIfeltwerebetterideasfor
activities.
IfoundthatIwasbattlingthecurriculumovermyownidentity:thiscurriculumwas
notmine.ItwasnotthecurriculumthatIhadcraftedintheprevious3-4years.Itwas
entirelysomeoneelse’s;Ihadnoownershipinit.Iwanteddesperatelytochangeit.AsI
reflectonthisnow,Irealizethatthiscameaboutfrommyownfamiliaritywiththe
curriculumtopics.Theunitaddressedtheexplorationoflifefromthemicroscopictothe
macroscopic.BecauseIwasfamiliarwiththisandhadtaughtitforsomanyyears,itwas
hardtoletgoofmyoldhabits.Thiscurriculumrepresentedthefinalhurdletomovingallof
myphilosophyandpracticeintoinquiry.
79
OvercomingthishurdlewasdonewithanSTCunitinearthscience.Theunitwason
catastrophicevents.Iwasnotfamiliarwiththisatall.Priortoourcurriculumredesign,
earthsciencewastaughtfromunderstandingminerals,rocks,change,andgeologichistory.
TheSTCunitfocusedonwhatcausessmallandlargescalechangesintheearth’sgeosphere
andatmosphere.Thisnewcontentforcedmetofollowthecurriculumclosely.Istayedas
truetothelessonsandpacingasIcould.And,perhapsunsurprisingly,Ilovedtheunit.
Iwasinlovewithhowinquiryfocusedthelessonswere.Ilovedhowthestudents
gottodesigninvestigationsandcritiquetheirowndesignsforcollectingdata.Wewould
oftenextendlessonsbyadayortwosowecouldrevisittheinvestigationandtryto
implementsomeofthechanges.ThestudentsandIwereaimingforobtainingdatathat
wouldbehardtochallenge.Wewantedtoengagethesescientificpractices.Ihadnever
observedthisfromstudentswhileteachingearthscience.Usuallyearthsciencewasthe
boringtopic.Nowtheyloveditasitwastaughtinawaythatscienceisdone.
Thisexperienceisthefoundationforthisdissertation.AsIreflectedonmyown
experienceandwhatitmeanttome,Ihadtowonderwhatitwaslikeforotherteachers.
EveryweekIhadthechancetomeetwithmydepartmentanddiscusshowwewere
experiencingthenewcurriculum.Wealldiscussedourfrustrationsandcelebrations.But,
thatwasonlyasurfaceunderstandingofhowtheywentthroughit.Iwonderedwhywe
wereinsistentonkeepingsomeofourolderlessons:whatwasinfluencingustodothis?
Whydidwefullyembracesomelessonsandunitsbutfeellikeotherswerenotworthit?
Thisdissertationseekstofindanswerstothosequestions.Howdootherscience
teachersexperiencetheimplementationofinquirycurriculum?Howdotheirbeliefs
influencethatexperience?Whatistheessenceoftheirexperience?
80
Co-researcher(Participant)Recruitment
Havingshownhowthisstudyisofpersonalsignificance,Moustakas(1994)
contendedthattheresearcherfindsparticipants—orco-researchers—toparticipateinthe
study.Inphenomenologicalstudiesthisisdonethroughpurposefulsampling.This
recruitmentmethodallowsforaresearchertoselectindividualsthatmostcloselymatch
thepurposeofstudy.Theresultisaselectionofinformation-richco-researchers(Patton,
2002)andwillexcludeindividualswhoarenotwellexperiencedinthefocused
phenomenon(Payls,2008).
Criterionsamplingwasusedforthisstudytoobtainapurposefulsample.Criterion
samplinginvolvesrecruitingcasesthatmeetcriteriainordertomeettheobjectivesofthe
study.Thisstudyrequiredparticipantswhometthefollowingcriteria:
•
Areamiddleschoolorjuniorhighscienceteacher,
•
Useaninquiry-basedsciencekitadoptedasaresultofacurriculumchange,and
•
Haveundergoneacurriculumchangewithinthelast5years
Thefirstcriterionistomimicmyownexperience:Iamajuniorhighscienceteacherand
previouslyhadexperienceteachingscienceinamiddleschool.Findingteacherswhoarein
asimilarbackgroundwillallowmetobetterunderstandtheirexperience.Thesecond
criterionistomeetthefocusofthisstudy:teacherswhoimplementaninquiry-based
sciencekit.Thefinalcriterionisreflectiveofchangesthathaveoccurredatanationallevel.
Namely,thereleaseoftheNextGenerationScienceStandards.IfocusonthisastheNext
GenerationScienceStandardsarefoundedwithinaninquiry-frameworkofteachingand
learning.
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Smith,Flowers,andLarkin(2012)offeredthereisnotrightanswertohowmanyco-
researchersshouldbeinaphenomenologicalstudy.Asseenintheliteraturereview,
phenomenologicalstudiesinscienceeducationhaverangedfromtwoco-researchers
(Dreon,2012)totwelve(Baird,1999).Smith,Flowers,andLarkin(2012)suggestedthat
betweenthreetosixparticipantscouldbeareasonablesamplesize.Iproposedhavingfour
co-researchers,onefromeachgrade:fifththrougheighth.However,inmyrecruitment
processIdidnotrecruitoneteacherfromeachgradelevelasplanned.Thiswasduetoan
opportunityinwhichoneoftheteachers(Judy)hadtaughtfifthgradeandmovedtosixth
grade.Judyofferedauniqueperspectiveonchangingsciencecurriculumtwice:oncewhen
changingfromtheoldtonewcurriculuminfifthgradeandchangingbetweenthenew
curriculumswhenshemovedtosixthgrade.Ialsorecruitedtwoeighthgradeteachers,one
ofwhom(Delores)wastheoriginalco-researcherinthepilotstudyforthisdissertation.I
wascurioustoseehowherexperiencecontinuedaftershehaddesignedthecurriculum.
Irecruitedthefourco-researchersforthisstudythroughprofessionalcontactsI
haveofotherscienceeducators.TheseeducatorsandIhavelivedthroughtheexperience
togetherbyconnectingthroughourprofessionalnetwork.Throughe-mail,phonecalls,and
occasionallyinperson,wedevelopandsharefeedbackonourlessons,givesuggestionsfor
improvement,andbouncenewideasoffeachothertoseehowtheymightwork.Thefour
recruitedco-researchersmetthethreerequirementsforthestudy:theyareallmiddle
schoolandjuniorhighteachers,theyareallteachingsciencethroughkits,andtheyhave
undergonetheadoptionofthekitswithinthelastfiveyears.Ie-mailedeachoftheteachers
torequesttheirparticipationandincludedtheadultconsentformthatoutlined
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informationaboutthestudyandtherightstheywouldhave.Eachco-researcherreplied
agreeingtobepartofthisstudy.
Table3.1providesbackgroundinformationoneachofthefourco-researchers
participatinginthisstudy.
Table 3.1
List of Co-Researchers
Name (Pseudonym) Years Teaching
Judy
10
Current Grade
6th
New Curriculum Unit Providers
5th grade: SEPUP
6th grade: STC Secondary
Elizabeth
18
7th
STC Secondary
Laura
7
8th
SEPUP
NSTA Supplementary Materials
Delores
23
8th
SEPUP
NSTA Supplementary Materials
DataCollection
Themostcommondatacollectionmethodforphenomenologicalresearchisthrough
thesemi-structuredinterview(Moustakas,1994;Smith,Flowers,&Larkin,2012;Seidman,
2013).Asemi-structuredinterviewincludesalistofplannedquestionsandprobesand
allowsforflexibilityinaskingunplannedquestions(Gall,Gall,&Borg,2006).Thelengthof
interviewsrangesbetween45and90minutes.Smith,Flowers,andLarkin(2012)propose
45to90minutesbasedonthetopicbeingstudied.Seidman(2013)sidedonthe90-minute
interview:it’snottooshorttoloseondetailanditisnottoolongthattheresearchandcoresearcherfeelliketheyarehavingtofilltime.
Seidman(2013)andCreswell(2007)offeredguidelinesfordoingphenomenological
interviews.Seidman(2013)proposedthreeinterviews:alifehistory,thepre-experience,
83
andthepost-experience.Creswell(2007)offeredtwoquestionsforcollectingdatain
phenomenologicalresearch:“Whathaveyouexperiencedintermsofthephenomenon?”
and“whatcontextsorsituationshavetypicallyinfluencedoraffectedyourexperience?”(p.
61).Theinterviewsforthisstudyarebasedonslightlymodifiedversionofthesemodels.
Forthisdissertation,Iconductedtwointerviewswitheachparticipantbasedona
modifiedversionofSeidman’s(2013)model.Originallythreeinterviewswereplanned
followingSediman’s(2013)model.However,DePaul’sInstitutionalReviewBoardstated
thatthiswouldbetoomanyinterviewsandacceptedcombiningthefirstinterview—the
lifehistory—withthesecondinterview—thepre-experience.Thethen-thirdinterview—
thepost-experience—remainedunaffected.Combiningthefirsttwointerviewstogether
reducedthetotalnumberofinterviews.However,itkepttheproposedamountofinterview
timethesame.Afollowupinterviewthroughe-mailwasscheduledwitheachcoresearcherintheeventclarificationquestionswereneeded.Thisinterviewwasusedwith
allco-researchersexceptLaura.QuestionsintheinterviewarebasedonCreswell’s(2007)
twocoreinterviewquestionssupportedwithseveralguidingandprobingquestions.
Thefirstinterview(AppendixA)focusedonthehistoryoftheco-researcher:their
educationalbackgroundandinfluencesintheirphilosophy,beliefs,andpracticesin
education.Italsofocusedontheteacher’sexperienceswithheroldcurriculum:whatwas
expectedtobetaught,howtheteachertaughtthelessons,andwhattheteacherfeltwere
thestrengthsandweaknessesofthecurriculum.Thisinterviewlastedjustunder90
minutesforeachparticipant.Thesecondinterview(AppendixB)waslikethefirst
interviewinthatthesamequestionsareaskedoftheoldcurriculumbut,instead,areasked
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onthenewcurriculum.Thisinterviewlastedjustunder60minutesforeachparticipant.
Eachinterviewwasaudio-recordedandthentranscribedverbatimintoawordprocessor.
Althoughsomephenomenologicalstudieshaveemployedmorethanonedata
source(e.g.usinginterviews,documentanalysis,andobservations),itisarguedthat
interviewsarethestrongestsourceofdatainansweringresearchquestions.Pollio,Henley,
andThompson(1997)presentedinterviewsinphenomenologyas“analmostinevitable
procedureforattainingarigorousandsignificantdescriptionoftheworldofeveryday
humanexperiencesasitisbasedanddescribedbyspecificindividualinspecific
circumstances,”(p.28).
DataAnalysis
Tounderstandtheparticipant’sexperience,itisnecessarytoidentify“significant
statements,sentences,orquotesthatprovideanunderstandingofhowtheparticipant
experiencesthephenomenon”(Creswell,2007,p.61).Thisallowedmetoprovidea
descriptionoftheparticipant’sexperienceandfindmeaningwithinit.Eachco-researcher’s
datawasanalyzedseparately.Thisprocessbeganwithseveralreadingsofthetranscripts
tofamiliarizemyselfwiththedata.After,thedatawascodedbysummarizingsignificant
textwithinthetranscripts.Thecodesincludedfrequentkeywords,ideas,andphrases
statedbytheparticipant.Forexample,inhersecondinterviewJudy’ssharedanexperience
intakinganonlineclassinchemistry.Shefelttheteacherwasignoringstudents’questions
intheonlineforum.Shestated“Ialwaystookituponmyselftogoinandanswerpeople’s
questions.”Thiswascodedasleadership,aneedtobeateachertootherstudents,stepping
up,andashiftofresponsibility.
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Thetranscriptswerecodedasecondtimetofindanyadditionalcodesmissedbythe
firstcoding.Next,thecodeswereanalyzedseveraltimestodeterminetheirrelationships
toeachother.ThiswasdonebywritingcodesonPost-Itnotesandarrangingthemto
revealpotentialrelationships.Severalvariationsofthisweredonetoidentifypossible
themes.Finally,analyzingtherelationshipbetweenthesethemesandtheteacher’s
experiencesrevealedtheessenceofherexperience.AnexampleofthisisshowninFigure
3.1.Inthisfigure,adigitalversionofthePost-Itnotesused,Delores’codeswerearranged
torevealdifferentrelationships.
Trustworthiness
Asqualitativeresearchisepistemologicallydifferentthanquantitativeresearch,
issuesconcerningvalidityandgeneralizabilityaretreateddifferently(Willis,2007).Steps
weretakentoensurethetrustworthinessofthedata,asoutlinedbyGuba(1989).
First,whilecodingandanalyzingdata,Ididmybesttobecomeawareofprejudices
andbeliefsthatmayinfluencemyinterpretationandunderstandingoftheidea.
Acknowledgingtheseprejudicesandbeliefscanassistinkeepingthevalidityofthedata
(Patton,2002).Iwrotemyownbeliefsandideasofscienceeducationonasheetofpaper
priortoreadingandcodingtheinterviews.Thismademeawareofthemandhelpedme
focusontheco-researchers’experiencesratherthanmyinterpretationoftheirexperiences
basedonmyexperiences.
86
Figure3.1Thisisanexampleofananalyticaldiagramoftherelationshipsbetweencodes
forDelores’data.Wordsthatareinallcapitalsindicatemorefrequentoccurrencesof
codes.Redboxes(overlappingotherboxes)representconflictswhilegreenboxesrepresent
thevalues
Second,theinterviewswereconductedinmultiplepartsasitallowedmetofollow
uponpreviousquestionsandinformation.Hearingtheparticipantrepeatinformationfrom
previousinterviewswilladdtrustthatthedatacollectedwerecorrect.Atthebeginningof
thesecondinterviewIaskedquestionstoeachco-researcherbasedonwhatwasstatedin
thefirstinterview.Eachco-researcherprovidedinformationthatwasidenticaltowhat
theyhadpreviouslystated.
87
Third,thetranscriptsoftheinterviewsweresharedwiththeparticipantforthe
explicitpurposeofclarifyinginformationorremovinginformationthatwasinaccurate.I
alsosummarizedmyunderstandingofthetranscriptswiththeparticipant.
Fourth,theanalysisofthedatawassharedwitheachco-researcher.Eachindividual
co-researcherreceivedtheanalysisofthefindingsbasedontheirinterviews.Eachhadthe
opportunitytoprovidefeedbackontheanalysis.Eachco-researcherfelttheanalysiswas
anaccuratedescriptionofherexperience.Allco-researcherssharedhowtheyfeltthe
analysiswasanaccuraterepresentationofherexperienceandstatednorevisionswere
needed.
Finally,thefindingsarepresentedwithasmanyoftheco-researchers’wordsas
possible.Thishelpedshowmyunderstandingandanalysisoftheirexperienceisfirmly
rootedintheirstatements.
88
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Baird,J.R.(1999).Aphenomenologicalexplorationofteachers’viewsofscienceteaching.
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Bryan,L.(2012).Researchonscienceteacherbeliefs.InB.J.Fraser,K.Tobin,&C.J.
McRobbie(eds.)Secondinternationalhandbookofscienceeducation.(pp.477-495).
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Creswell,J.W.(2007).Qualitativeinquiry&researchdesign:Choosingamongfive
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Dreon,O.(2012).Beinginthehotspot:Aphenomenologicalstudyoftwobeginning
teachers’experiencesenactinginquirysciencepedagogy.TeachersandTeaching:
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Gall,M.D.,Gall,J.P.,&Borg,W.R.(2006)Educationresearch:Anintroduction(8thed.).
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Gallagher,S.(2012).Phenomenology.NewYork,NY:PalgraveMacmillan.
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Husserl,E.(1970).Theideaofphenomenology.TheHague:MartinusNijhoff.
Jones,M.G.,&Carter,G.(2007).Scienceteacherattitudesandbeliefs.InS.Abell&N.
Lederman(Eds.),Handbookofresearchonscienceeducation(pp.1067–1104).
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Moustakas,C.E.(1994).Phenomenologicalresearchmethods.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.
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Patton,M.Q.(2002).Qualitativeresearchandevaluationmethods(3rded.).ThousandOaks,
CA:SagePublication.
Pollio,H.R.,Henley,T.B.,&Thompson,C.J.(1997).Thephenomenologyofeverydaylife.New
York,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress.
Seidman,I.(2013).Interviewingasqualitativeresearch:Aguideforresearchersineducation
andthesocialsciences.NewYork,NY:TeachersCollegePress.
Smith,J.A.,Flowers,P.,&Larkin,M.(2012).Interpretativephenomenologicalanalysis:
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Sokolowski,R.(2000).Introductiontophenomenology.NewYork,NY:Cambridge
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vanManen,M.(1984).Practicingphenomenologicalwriting.Phenomenology+Pedagogy,
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vanManen,M.(1990).Researchinglivedexperience:Humanscienceforanactionsensitive
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90
Chapter4:
DataandFindings
Thepurposeofthisphenomenologicaldissertationistodescribehowfourscience
teachersexperiencetheimplementationofaninquiry-basedcurriculum.Myinterestinthis
studyisbornoutofmyownexperienceasascienceeducator.Afterearningmy
undergraduatedegreeandteachinglicenseinelementaryeducationIobtaineda7thgrade
sciencepositionatajuniorhighschool.Myinitialteachingpracticereliedontraditional
methodsforscienceeducation:lectureandconfirmationactivities.Thiscontrastswiththe
bestpracticeofteachingthroughinquiryandtheuseofscientificpracticesinthe
classroom.IrefinedmypedagogyandunderstandingofinquirybycompletingaMastersin
ScienceinScienceEducation.Ichangedmyteachingpracticesandrevisedmyschool’s
curriculumtomakeitmoreinquiryoriented.Notlongafter,myschooldistrictadopteda
newinquirycurriculumformygradelevel.Iinitiallystruggledteachingthroughthe
curriculumasitlackedmyidentitythatIhadputintotheformercurriculum.Allthe
changesImadetotheoldcurriculumweremine.Asthenewcurriculumwaswrittenby
someoneelseandhadlackedmyinput,itmademeassumethatitwouldnotreflectmy
valuesandbeliefs.However,asItaughtthenewcurriculumIunderstooditspurposeand
designandfullyembracedit.Iwonderedwhatthisexperienceofadoptinganew
curriculumwaslikeforotherscienceeducators.
Irecruitedfourexperiencedscienceeducatorstoparticipateinthisdissertation.
Eachscienceeducatorparticipatedintwoinpersoninterviews.Thefirstinterviewwason
theirbackgroundasaneducator,theirbeliefsineducationandscience,andtheir
experiencesteachingwithanon-inquirycurriculum.Thesecondinterviewwasontheir
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experienceteachingwiththenewinquirycurriculumkitsthedistrictprovided.Afollowup
e-mailwassentto3oftheparticipantsaskingclarificationquestions.Eachparticipant’s
interviewsresultedindescriptivedatathatwereanalyzedbycoding.Thecodeswere
groupedintothemesandconnectionsweremadebetweenthethemes.
Thischapterpresentsthefindingsasanarrativebasedoneachco-researcher’s
interviewtranscripts.Thefindingswillpresentastoryofeachparticipant’sexperience
basedontheirbackground,theirbeliefs,andtheirexperienceswiththeoldandnew
curricula.Theexperienceswillincludestatementsandpassagesfromtheinterviewsto
providearichernarrative.Thiswillhelpthereadercometoknowtheparticipant’s
experienceandviewthephenomenonthroughtheiruniqueperspective.
Inchapter5Iwillpresentmyinterpretationoftheirexperiences.Thiswillinclude
identificationofkeythemesandhoweachco-researcher’sexperienceispartofthose
themes.Ichosenottopresenttheirexperiencesthematicallyasisseeninsome
phenomenologicalstudies.Ichosetopresenteachco-researcher’sexperienceasastoryso
theirexperienceissharedaseachofthemhadexperiencedit.Thesectionheadingsunder
eachparticipantarenotexperientiallythematic.Rather,thesectionheadingsserveasa
guidethrougheachoftheirstories.
Eachoftheparticipant’snamesandanyidentifyinginformation,suchaslocations,
schools,orothernamesmentionedintheinterviews,havebeenreplacedwith
pseudonyms.Participantschosetheirownpseudonym.
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Judy
Judyisasixth-gradescienceteacher.Sheworksinthemiddleschoolthatfeedsinto
thejuniorhighwhereElizabeth,Delores,andLaurateach.Judy’s10-yearcareerhasbeen
spentatthemiddleschool.Shestartedasafifth-gradeself-containedclassroomteacher.
Shetaughtallsubjectsinfifthgrade:science,math,reading,writing,andsocialstudies.
Recently,shemoveduptosixthgradetobecomeascienceteacher.Herpassionfor
teachingsciencehasdevelopedoverhertimeasafifth-gradeteacherandshefoundshe
couldn’tresistthecalltoexclusivelyteachscienceinsixthgrade.
Ilovescience.Ialwayshave.Mynaturalpropensityisformathandscience.I’ve
alwaysbeenreallypassionateaboutthosesubjects.Ienjoyedsciencegrowingup.I
wouldidentifyseventhandeighthgradeinparticular.Iwasjustreallychallengedto
thinkdifferently.Ienjoyedthetypeofbrainengagementthatscienceclassbrought.
Then,startingteaching:teachingmath,science,reading,writing,social
studies…sciencewasalwaysmyfavorite….Ilovedmakingsciencelessonscometo
life.ThemoreItaughtit,themoreIlovedit.
Aboutayearandahalfago,IwasreallyfacedwiththatdecisionbecauseIhad
appliedforthisjob,mycurrentjob,asasolelyscienceeducator….So,teachingfifth
gradeandteachingallofthesubjects,Iwasjustdonewithit.Iwashopingtomove
on.Ihaddisconnectedwithmycurrentjob[fifthgrade].Thewritingwasonthe
wall,butasIdevelopedandgrewasaneducator,[science]justbecamemoreand
moremyheart’scalling.
TeachingwasacareerthatJudyknewshewantedtogointosinceshewasachild.
Shejokedabouthowsheandherfriendsusedtoplayschoolandhowherrequestsfor
birthdaygiftswereunusual.Indiscussingthissheconnectedtoteachingonameaningful
level.
Iwastheonlythirdgraderwhoaskedforanoverheadprojectorforherbirthday
andgotone.Myentirefamilybasementwasconvertedintomyclassroom.So,
teachinghasalwaysbeenprettynaturaltomeand—IfeellikeIwasborntoteachin
alotofways.Ialwaysfeltlikeitwasmylife’spurposeandIalwaysreallycared
aboutteachingingeneral.Ilovemakingsomethingthat’ssuperhardbeeasyand
graspable.Iloveseeingkidsgetexcitedaboutlearning.Iwasreally,reallyclosewith
93
someofmyearlyelementaryteachers,andtherewasthatrelationshippiecethat
somehow,Ithink,reallyshapedme.Iwantedtobethatpersonforsomeoneelse.
Judymadeitclearthatshewasborntobeateacher.Herloveofteachingscience
developedovertime.Sheappreciatedhowscienceengagedstudents.Sherecognizedthat
whatscienceteachersdidtoprepareforalessonandhowtheygradedwasinherently
differentthanothersubjectareas.Teachingscienceconnectedwellwithher. Iremembermyfirstyearteaching.Ibought,probably,sixorsevenresources.I
wouldsit,ontheweekend,onthefloorinmyclassroom,andspreadoutallthose
resources.Forexample,thecardiovascularsystem:Whichoneofthesehelpsme
betterunderstanditthebest?That’swhatI’mgoingtouse.Iloveddeveloping
lessonsandmaterials.Ienjoyedfindingsupplementalresources,becausewhatwe
hadwas—meh.
Thisfocusondevelopinglessonsconnectswellwithherphilosophyonteaching.She
believesinteachingallstudentsandensuringtheygrow.Sheneedsherstudentstoleave
herroomwithmorethanwhattheycameinwith,beitacademicorextracurricular.
Inanacademicrealm,Iwillsay,Ibelievethateverychildhastherighttolearnmore
thanwhattheycameinwith….Iwastheoneteacherwhowasteachingthingswell
beyondmygradelevelandexpectingkidstoknowthingsanddefendthingsand
learnthingsthatwerenotprescribedbythedistrict.Youdidn’thavetodothat.Ifeel
like,academically,kidscanreachahigherbarthanyouexpectforthem;especiallyif
youhavetheabilitytogivethemthetoolsandresourcesandmakeitengaging
enoughandmemorableenoughforthemtogetthere.
Herbeliefsregardingteachingarestronglyrootedinthatphilosophy.Shewantsher
studentstobechallengedandshewantstoensuretheirlearningexperienceisa
memorableone.Partofthiscomesfromthepreviouslymentionedexperiencesshehadin
7thand8thgrade.Theotherpartofthiscomesfromexperiencesincollege.Shedidnot
enjoyherteachereducationexperience.Shefeltthatshewasn’tgivenchallengesandthat
theprofessorsweretherefortheirownself-interestsratherthanthedevelopmentoftheir
students.
94
Ihadaterriblecollegeexperienceonthewhole.Ihatedtheireducationprogram.I
feltlikemanyoftheinstructorsweretherefortheirownwhatever.Ihavevague
recollectionsofmostofmyexperiencetherebasedonsheerrepression.Ido
remembertakingascienceclass.Itookseveralsciencecourses.Theonesinscience
educationleftmuchtobedesired.TheonesinscienceingeneralIlovedonan
intellectuallevel.
Myscienceforteachersclasswasterrible.Thestuffthatweweredoingwasnot
meaningfultome.So,Ifeltlikewhatwedidwasveryprescribed.Iremembervery
littleofit.Irememberdoinggroupworkforaprojectandotherpeopletakingcredit
forit.Ican’tdrawbacktoprofoundmomentsincollegethatcontributedtomyself
asaneducatoringeneralotherthanwhatIdon’twanttobe.
Judy’sexperienceincollegereifiedherself-imageofateacher.Sheknewwhatnotto
do.Shefelttheprogramdidnotteachherhowtoengagestudents.Shealsofelttheydidnot
practicewhattheypreached.Shedidnothavetheopportunitytoengageintopicsthat
wereinterestingwithintheeducationprogram.Everythingwasdoneinastrictmanner.
Shesaid,“Ifeltliketheyhadaresponsibilitytohelpmespreadmywingsandnottoclipmy
wingsandshovemeinacage.”Shefeltlimitedbytheprogram.Iaskedheriftherewas
anythingelseshecouldrecallandallshecouldaddwas,“Irememberbeingcoldinclass.”
Asimilarexperiencealsooccurredinanonlinechemistrycourse.Shetookthe
courseaftershegraduatedfromcollegetoimproveherunderstandingofchemistryandto
earnherteachingendorsementinscience.Althoughtherewereaspectsoftheclassshe
enjoyed,shefoundherexperiencetobemostlynegative.Thiswasaresultofhowthe
teacherseemedtoignorethestudentsintheonlineclass.
Ihadareallynegativeexperiencewiththeclass.Peoplewouldpostquestionsonthe
professor’s[online]board.Helegitimatelywouldn’tanswerthem.SoIalwaystookit
uponmyselftogoinandanswerpeople’squestion.Somebodyaskedsomethingso
basicaboutmetric.Itwasareallyquickmetricquestionandhisresponsewas
maybeyouneedtoconsidergettingachemistrytutor;contactyourlocalhigh
school.Iwaslike,actually,soandso,thisisareallybasicquestion:metricmilliliters
arethesameascubiccentimeters,whicharethesameasgramsforwater.Itdidn’t
sitwellwithme.Ididnotthinkitwasfairthatsomebodycouldtalktostudentswho
wereseekinghelpinthatmanner.
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Judywasbotheredthattheprofessorwassodismissiveofthestudent.Herown
philosophyisrootedinprovidingeverystudentwiththeopportunitytolearnmorethan
whattheystartedwith.Thiswasanexampleofhowthatcouldhavebeeneasilydonefor
thisstudent.
Althoughshefeltnegativeonhowtheclasswasrun,shedidenjoythelab
experiencesprovidedbytheclass.Theonlineclasscamewithamaterialskitsoshecould
conductexperimentsinherhome.
Thelabsweresocool.Theytotallymademeunderstandthecontent.Theywere
long.Theytookmeaboutthreehourseach.Ithoughtthequestionsonthelabguide
werereallyconfusingandIdidn’tunderstandthelabguide.But,Iunderstoodthe
lab.Iunderstandthescience.Idon’tunderstandwhat[theprofessorwas]asking
here.IfoundmyselftakingvideosandpicturesandsavingthechemicalsbecauseI
wanttodothisagain.
Thesenegativeexperiences,herloveofchallengingandhelpingothers,andher
recognitionthatscienceengagesstudentsinwayscongruentwithherbeliefsshapedhow
sheteaches.Sheknewthatsheneededtohelpallherstudentsandthatthelessonsshe
developedmustbeengaging.Thisphilosophyhasbeenconsistentovertime.However,how
sheenactsitinherclassroomhaschanged.Initiallythewayshedidthiswasbyputtingon
ashowforherstudents.Shewantedtobringthecontenttolife.Withthenewcurriculum,
though,sherecognizedthathowshetaughtwouldchange.
Academicallyoverthepast,recent,maybeyearortwoyears,I’vereallystemmed
moreintodevelopingaphilosophywhere—it’ssocliché.Theteacher’snotdriving
theship;thestudentsare.Butalittlebitmoreofinvitingthestudentstobemoreof
anactiveparticipantintheprocess.Forme,IusedtosaythatwhatIlovedabout
teachingisIputonashow.I’manactress.Iputonashow.Andthemoreengaging
theshow,thebetterteacherIam.IwouldsaythatI’veshifted.
Idefinitelyfeelmyphilosophyhasshiftedtowardscreatingsituationsforthekidsto
getwhereyouneedthemtoget,oftentimeswithoutevenrealizingthey’regoing
there.
96
Shesharedanexampleofhowshedidthisthroughasocialstudieslessononthe
AmericanRevolution.Sheranherclassroomstrictlyandgaveorderstoherstudents.Those
whoviolatedtheordersreceivedconsequences.Eachday,thestudentsbecamemoreupset
withhowtheirclasswastreated.Inresponse,theycreatedapetitionandexpressedtheir
frustration.Notlongafter,studentsbeganreadingabouttheAmericanRevolutionand
learnedwhatshewasdoing.Theywantedtostopherunfairtreatmenttowardtheirclass.
So,theybecameinvestedinlearningwhatthecolonialisthaddonetorebel.
HerbeliefofneedingstudentstobeinvestedinalessoniskeytowhatJudydoesin
herclassroom.Sheexpressedthatteachingisnotmerelyensuringstudentsobtain
knowledge.Shewantsherstudentstogrowacademically,socially,anddeveloptheirselfawarenessandself-reflection.
IwillalsosayIsuperprioritizethenoncurricular;someofthesocialpiece;well
beyondevenjust…howdoweengagewithothers?Irequiremystudentstomake
cardsforalloftheirteachers.Iteachmystudentshowtowriteacard.You’regoing
tocitespecificexamplesof—ifyou’rethankingthemforbeingyourteacher,what
didtheyteachyou?Ifeellikethat’salifeskillthatIreallyvalueformystudents.
Notonlythat,butI’malwaysaskingmystudents,“Whatshouldwedointhis
situation?”I’vestruggledwithco-teachersattimesbecausetheco-teacherswantto
say,“ifyou’reaone,comeoverhere;ifyou’reatwo,comeoverhere.”Myphilosophy
is,findeachother,andfindaspot.Let’snotmakeitchaotic.Therewereseveral
yearswhereIwouldtellmykids,“Iwantyoutoformgroups.Yourgroupsneedto
havesixorsevenpeople.Theyneedtobemixedwithgenders,andtheyalsoneedto
bemixedwithfriendgroups.Ifyounoticethatkidsaren’tdoingthat,calleachother
outonit.Okay,go!”Someofthoselittlelifeskills,areonethingthat,Ithink,has
becomeveryvaluabletomeinmyteaching.
Theseaspectsofherphilosophy,shebelieves,canbedonethroughhercurriculum.
Teachingherstudentshowtousescienceintheirfuture,teachingthemhowtodeconstruct
non-fictiontext,teachingthemimportantsocialskills,andteachingthemtobecreativecan
allhappenthroughherscienceclass.
97
[Creativityis]developedinscienceinawaythat’sdifferentthanothercurricular
areas.Youcanbeacreativeproblemsolverinmath.Youcanbeacreativewriter.
Butthereisadifferentapplicationlevelofsciencethatdevelopsacriticalcreativity
that’sunparalleledinothertopics.Ithinkthat’sreallyimportant.Ialsothinkscience
topicsreallyrelateintheworld.Soifyou’reignorantinscience,let’ssay,ignorantin
whythingswork,thenIthinkthatleadstootherignorance.
Ithinkunderstandingthewaytheworldworkshelpsyoubetterunderstandthe
worldyoulivein.SoIfeellikethere’sthatapplicationpiece.Sonowthere’sthe
obvious:careers.Ithinkthattherearesomanycareersthatvalueandusescience
skills:innovation,abilitytocreativelyproblemsolve,abilitytoquestionthings.I
thinkoneofthethingswelearnfromscience,specificallysciencehistory,isnotto
takeeverythingatfacevalueandtobeacriticalquestioneroflifeingeneral.Ithink
that’sanimportantskillforkidstolearn.
Judyhasawell-definedphilosophyforteachingscience.Throughoutourinterviews,
Judydiscussedhowimportantherphilosophyistoher.Shemaynothavealwaysdoneso
directly,butthepassionatwhichshespokeregardingwhathappensinherclassroom
madeitclearthatsheholdsclosethevaluesandbeliefsfoundinherphilosophy.
(Not)GoingRoguewiththeOldCurriculum
Judyhaddescribedherstyleofteachingas“puttingonashow.”Thereasonfor
doingthisisbecauseshewantedtobringtolifetheoldcurriculumthatshetaught.Theold
curriculum,providedbyPrenticeHall,wastextheavyandhadfewinvestigation
opportunitiesforherstudents.Shehadtomodifythecurriculumsoitwasengagingforher
studentsandsoherstudentshadopportunitiestolearnbeyondwhatthecurriculum
provided.
Thecurriculumbeforewasbookdriven.Ithinkthat’swheremyshowscamein.I
waslike,Idon’twanttoteachthebook.Iwanttoputonashow.Itwasnot—I
wouldn’tsayitwasn’texperiencedbased.Butitwascertainlynotlabdriven.We
hadatextbook.Wegavetasks….Thecurriculumwasn’treallyakit,butwehad
materials.Andtherewere,maybe,twoorthreespeciallabsthatwedidthatwere
looselyrelatedtowhatwewerestudying.
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Iwouldsay—Ireferencedearlier,ontheweekendssittingonthefloorofmyroom.I
wentoutandgotmultiplebooksthathadtodowithmycurriculum.Ifound
differentonesthathadreadingsandworksheets.Wewereapacketculture.Sowe
createdourpackets.Weusedthebook…butsometimesitwassomephotocopies
from—maybewecopiedthreeorfourpages.
Wewouldincludetheminourpackets,butthenIwouldsitdownwithallthese
books…andI’dsay,okay,I’mteachingthishumanbodysystem.HowamIgoingto
doit?WhatamIgoingtodo?HowmuchtimedoIhavetodoitin?Then,howcanI
makeitfun?Soforme,Ilovecreating.Sothat,tome,wasexciting.
Judyputconsiderabletimeintodevelopingherlessons.Shecommentedonhow
timeconsumingitwas.Shewouldspendhourstryingtomakeherlessonsvibrantforher
students.Shewouldsharethesewithotherteachersinhergradelevel.Shenoticed,though,
thatnoteveryteacherwouldusewhatshecreated.Shedidn’tmindthat,asshebelieved
teachershavetherighttochoosehowtheyteach.But,sheseemedbotheredthatsome
teacherschosetosticktothebook.
Ineverfeltguiltyaboutchangingthematerials.Ineverfeltlikethatwasgoing
rogue,againstthedistrict.Ineverfeltthatatall.IalwaysfeltlikeIcoulddefend
whatitwasthatIwasdoing,andIalsofeltmorelike,whyisn’teverybodydoing
this;or—IthinkformetheremighthavebeensomepersonalreasonswhyIchoseto
dothat,too.Becauseforme,myfulfillmentinteachingwasinmycontentdelivery.
Soformeitwouldn’tbeasfun.We’regoingtoopenthisbookandreadthisbook.
Thatwasn’tfunforme,dayinanddayout,teachingscience.Iwantedtohavea
balloonflyaroundtheroom.Iwantedtohavetoys.Itaughtalotwithtoys.
ButthathasbeenachallengethatI’vefaced,becauseasaprofessional,Iwantto
defendmycolleagues,andIwanttohaverespect,andIwanttoshowrespectformy
colleagues.Butit’shardtodefendthingswhen,tome,it’ssomethingthatworks,and
I’vesharedit,andIwouldloveforotherpeopletobeonboard.Andthenthey’renot.
I’mtryingtofigureout,howdoInavigatethatasaperson?
IfeellikeI’vetriedtoalwaysbeprettyopenwithmycolleaguesabout—happyto
share.I’mhappytoexplainanything.Takeitorleaveitisfinewithme.Butit’s
alwaysreallybotheredmewhenpeoplehavejudgedwhatIdo.
Someofhercolleaguesworkedstrictlyfromthebook.Judycouldn’tdothat,asit
wasn’tfunandengagingforherorherstudents.Iaskedhertodetailwhatatypicallesson
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lookedlikewithintheoldcurriculum.Shetalkedaboutengagingthestudentsandgaining
theirinterestthroughaccessingtheirpriorknowledge.Then,thetopicswouldbe
addressedthroughalaboractivitytailedbyafollowupdiscussion.But,thepacingofthe
lessonswasproblematicandleftthestudentsdisengaged.
Iliketoengagethekidsinawaythattapsintopriorknowledge.Iliketoengagethe
kidsinawaythathelpsthemexperiencethings.Ithinkthatit’sessentialtohave
sometypeofwholegroupfollowup.
You’vegota40-minutelab.Ihopeyoufinish.Let’smakesurewe’rescrambling.
Then,I’vegota40-minutefollowup.Ijustdidn’tfeellikeitwasagoodwaytomeet
adolescentswheretheywereintheirengagementprocess.
The40-minuteclassperiodconstrainedJudy’slessons.Thelessons,shefelt,would
bemoreproductiveifthestudentshadmoretimetodotheentiresequenceinonesitting.
Whensheaskedstudentsforfeedbackonthelessons,theysharedthattheyonlylikedthe
labdays.Thestudentsdisconnectedthelabexperiencesfromtheothercomponentsthat
supportedthelabsandwerepartofthescientificprocess.
Iactivelysolicitfeedbackfrommykids.Theirfeedbackwasmatching[myfeelings
ontheschedule].Somekidswerelike,Ionlylikethelabdays.Therewaspartofme
thatwaslike,gosh,Iagreewithyou!But,IalsoneededsomeofthatdiscussionandI
neededsomeofthatheywow,basedonwhatyou’rewritingonyourstudentsheets
you’renotgettingthis.
Thisprocesswasfrustratingforher.Shewantedthestudentstoengageinthe
scientificprocessinameaningfulway,butthescheduleandpacingofthecurriculum
limitedthoseopportunities.Consequently,sheismeticulousinhowshestructuresthetime
inherclass.Whenthatstructurebreaksdownshemustquicklyassessthebenefitsand
lossesofusingthattimeinawaythatwasnotexpected.Thisoftencameupwithstudent
questions.Shewantedherstudentstoaskquestions,asitwouldhelpthemconnecttotheir
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learningexperience.Thiswasbalanced,however,withmakingsurethegoalsofthelesson
werebeingmet.
IfeellikeIwanttohonormystudentsintheirquestioning.Iwantto—whenkids
askquestions,pushingtheconceptsthatbeyondgradelevel,Iwanttogotherefor
thekidsthatareready.So,I’vefoundcreativewaystodothat.Sometimesbuilding
inextratimeinthescheduleallowsmetodothat.Sometimesit’sbuildingin
groupings.ItrytomakesomeofthosegroupingsoptionsoI’mnotselectingwho
getsthischosenaccesstohigherlevelconcepts.
IdofeellikeI’mintentionalaboutthingsgoingtowardtheendgoal.Iammost
successfulinthatwhenIhavethingsmappedoutprettylongterm.Icanreally
gaugewhereamItime-wiseonsomeofthesethings.Ialwayswanttobeintentional
abouthowI’musingmytimeinclassbecauseeverymomentwedosomethingisa
momentwe’renotdoingsomethingelse.
Thisprocesswasnoteasy.Judyfoundherselfinabalancingactoftryingtokeepthe
bigpicturefocusedwhilesimultaneouslyaddressingthefineraspectsoflearning.
It’saprettyconstantbalancingact.That’soneoftheissuesIhad…amIgoingtohave
somesubconsciousmotivationtofocusmoreon[assessments]thansomeofmybig
pictureideas?AmIgoingtobeastickleroncompletesentencesforthis?Didyou
referencethetext?Didyoudothis?IsthatwhatI’msupposedtofocuson?Soright
nowIfeelcomfortable.Butwhoknows?Maybetwoyearsfromnow,I’lllookback
onthismomentandbelike,ohmygoodness,Ididsuchadisservice.Idon’tknow.
It’sthevehicleversustheroad.
Thisbalancingactwasacommonoccurrenceintheoldcurriculum.Asthe
curriculumwassotextheavy,Judyhadtoaskwhattheimportancewasinlearningcertain
content.Howmuchcontentwouldbenecessaryforthestudentstoreachherbiggerideas
andpurposesinthecurriculum?Forexample,whenstudyingthenervoussystem,didthe
studentsneedtolearnallthedifferentpartsofthebrain?
Irememberhavingtogaugewhatlevelwasappropriate;becauseIthink,atthat
time,itwasuptous[teachers]toreallygaugewhatlevelwasappropriateforhow
muchyou’regoingtoteach.DoIwanttoteachallthelobesofthebrainwhenIcover
thenervoussystem,or,doInot?DoIwanttointroduceitbutnottestonit?It’sall
thosekindsofdecisions.
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Thisprocesswastimeconsumingbuttheresult,shefelt,wasabenefittoher
studentsandtoanyotherteacherswhousedhermaterials.Shesharedhowchangingthe
oldcurriculumtomatchherphilosophywasworthwhile.
Somepeopleweremoresticktothebook,openthebook,don’tuseapacket,don’t
makefungames,thatkindofstuff.IfeltlikeIhadtocreateafreedominthatwhich
wasexcitingtome.ItwasoneoffivesubjectsItaught.Ispentthetimeittookto
createthosefunthings.Butitwasverytimeconsuming.IdidfeellikeIwassortof
uptomyowndevicestodecidewhatitwasthatIwasexactlyteaching,howIwas
teachingit,howIwasassessingit;and,Ithink,justtryingtogaugewithinmygrade
level,amIinlinewithwhatotherpeoplearedoing?AtsomepointIrealizedIdon’t
careifI’minlinewithwhatotherpeoplearedoing,becausethisiswhatmykidscan
learn;andgoshdarnit,theywill!
IpreviouslyquotedJudystatingthatshedidn’tfeelshewasgoingrogue.Shesaid
thisaftershehadtalkedabouthowshehadchangedtheoldcurriculumtoalignwithher
beliefs.Thereasonshesaidthisisbecauseshewantedmetoknowthatthechanges
weren’tdonetospitethedistrictorotherteachers.Thechangesshemadetotheold
curriculumweredonetomakeitalignwithherbeliefs.Shedidthisbecauseshebelieves
herstudentswerecapableofmorethanjustworkingoutofabook.Shewantedto
challengethem,shewantedthemtogrow,andshewantedthemtoleavewithandmore
thanwhattheycameinwith.Theoldcurriculumdidn’tallowthistohappenwithout
modification.Thenewcurriculum,however,wasabetterfitforherphilosophy.
CurtainCall
Judyrecognizedachangewascominginhowshewouldteachunderthenew
curriculum.“Iknewthatwewerebeinginstructedtoteachquitedifferently,”shereflected.
“Iwasprettyresistanttosomeofthechangesthatweresuggested.Buttherewasalotofit
thatIloved.”Shelearnedofthesechangeswhenshewaspartofafocusgroup.Thedistrict
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wassolicitingfeedbackfromteachersinfindingacurriculumkitorpackagethatwould
workineachgradelevel.Shestruggledwiththeoptionsthatwereavailablebecausethe
kitsweretooadvancedforher5thgradeclass.
TheSEPUPcurriculumthatwewentwithreallyseemedtobegearedtowardsavery
highlevel.Ivoicedconcernsaboutitbeingtoohighandreallybeing—Irememberit
beingasixthrougheight.Butteachingfifthgrade,alotofthethingsIfoundwere
moreontheseventhoreighthgradelevel.Myperspectivewas,it’seasiertoextend
acurriculumthanitistotrytobreakdownthingsusingresourcesthatjustdon’t
exist.Partofthat,Ithink,isalmostmycomfortlevelwith—Ifeelverycomfortable
extendingthingsintohigherlevels.Iwasconcernedthatmylowerlevelkids—Iwas
allofasuddengoingtohavetocreatethingsforthem;becauseitwasverybeyond
theirentrancelevel.Sohowdowetakethesekidsthatarestrugglingwithour
currentlowerlevelandallofasuddennowwe’retryingtoteachthemwellbeyond
whatweusedto?How’sthatgoingtohappen?
AcorepartofJudy’sphilosophyisensuringallstudentsleavewithmorethanwhat
theycameinwith.TheSEPUPcurriculummadethatdifficultforherlowerstudents.She
sawthecurriculumasachallengeforheradvancedstudents.But,herlowerstudents
wouldstrugglefromlesson1.Shesharedanexamplewithlessonsonsimplemachinesthat
showedwhyshewasworriedaboutthecurriculumoption.
Therewasonecurriculumthathadahugecomponentwithsimplemachinesthat
reallytiedinto—itreallyjustseemedtobeattheirlevel.Irememberthetext
seemedtobeafifth-gradereadinglevel.Therewereimages.Itwasfriendly.Iliked
it.Iremembersaying,okay,thisfitswiththeconceptsthatwe’reteachingand
conceptsthatmakesenseforforceandmotion.Butnowyouwanttogetintothis
high-levelmath.Forceequalsmasstimesaccelerationisn’tthathigh-level.But
gettingintoNewtons,Ifeltlikesomeofthecontentwassomathematicallyhigher
thanwhereourkidswere.AndIdidn’tfeellike—Ifeltlikeitwasmovingawayfrom
thingsthatseemedtobealogicalfitandmovingtowardthingsthatseemedtobe
lessrelevant.
Shesharedherconcernswiththedistrict.Yet,theSEPUPcurriculumwasadopted.
Herinitialskepticismofthecurriculumbeingtooadvancedornotasrelevantseemedtobe
softenedasshetaughtthecurriculum.Asshetaughtthecurriculumsherecognizedthe
benefitsofteachingwithSEPUP.
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Inteachingthatcurriculum—Itaughtthatcurriculumforatleastthreeyears.Iloved
thetopic.Ilovedforceandmotion.Ilovedhumanbody.Ireallylearnedto
appreciatetheSEPUPcurriculum.IfeellikeafterteachingitIwasabletobreakit
downeasierthanIthought.ButforalotofkidsIalsohadtoextend.Ifeltlikethe
extensionlessonsaremadeforstudentswhohavemasteredthematerialandare
readyforsomethingelse.Howarewepretendingthatallthekidsneedthe
extension?Thatwasmystand.
PartofJudyacceptingthenewcurriculumwasrecognizingthatshewasgiven
freedomtoadjustthecurriculumtomeetherstudents’needs.Shestillholdsthatthelevel
ofthecurriculumisnotmeantforfifthgradestudentsbutshewasabletoacceptwhythe
districtchoseSEPUPasthekittouse.
Iwouldstillstandbythefacttherearepartsofitthataremoregearedmore
towardstheseventhandeighthgrades.IthinkwhereIfoundalotoffreedomwas
understandingthatIhadtheacademicfreedomtomodifythoseinawaythat
workedforme.Or,Ihadtheacademicfreedomtoskipcertainlessonsthatwerenot
asinlinewithwhatmykids—wheretheywereingeneral.SoultimatelyIthinkina
lotofwaysIwasright.ButIthinkinalotofwaysthedistrictwasmoreright.
Shefeltthedistrictwasrightinregardstoselectingacurriculumthatembraced
inquirylearning.Thenewcurriculumwouldallowstudentstobeinquirylearnerswhereas
thepreviouscurriculumdidnotnaturallyprovidethatopportunity.
Ithinkthey[SEPUP]wantedthestudentstoreallylearnhowtobeaninvestigator,
andoneofthewaystheydidthatwasbyreallyhelpingthemunderstandhowtobe
anactivenotetaker.Ithinkitwas,let’shelpyouformulatequestionssothatwhen
westarttoreallylearnaboutthis,you’reseekingtheanswerstoyourownquestions
andtyingyourexperiencewiththecontent,withyourowncuriositybutalsojust
havingmultiplevantagepointsversusthetextorientingeverything.Theold
curriculumthestudentsreadforinformation.Theywereinformationsponges.So
theirpurposewas,let’sreadthetext.Butnowitwasthelabexperienceorienting
things.
Judy’scommentthatthestudentswerenowactivenotetakerscouldbe
misconstruedassimplyprocessingatext.Whatshemeant,though,wasthestudentswere
likescientistsinthattheyweredocumentingtheirexperiencesasrootedwithinalabor
investigation.Shenotedhowthestudentsrespondedwelltothisnewstyleoflearning.
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Idothinkthatthekidsaremoreexcitedaboutscienceonthewhole.It’snotas
much—well,somekidsareexcitedaboutscienceandsomekidsjustreada
textbook.Thekidsgetreallyexcitedaboutwhattodo.MybiggestthingIhaveto
harponwiththemforis,youcan’tgoandtellallyourfriendswhatyoujustdidin
scienceclass.Theyhavetowait,too.Becauseafterclassit’slikehotgossip.They
wanttorunandtell—ohmygosh!Guesswhathappenedinsciencetoday?Ilove
that,butspoileralert.Idothinkithelpsthekidswithlearninghowtobethinkers.I
thinkithelpsthembethoseproblemfindersandproblemsolvers.Ifeelliketheyare
moreequippedtohandlesomeoftherigorousdemandsthatthecurriculumoffers,
anditisextremelyrigorous.
Ialsothinkastrengthisitreallyhelpskidswhomaystrugglewithreadingbecause
it’snotfocusedonthereading.It’sfocusedon,yes,there’sreading:sothat’sstilla
skillwe’reworkingon.Butit’sfocusedontheexperience.Sonowthey’reabletotie
inavarietyoflearningmodalitieswithinthesamecontext.Sothat’sastrength.
Shealsofoundthattheskillsthestudentswerelearningweretransferrablebetween
thegradelevelsubjects.Shealsofeltthecurriculumincreasedcollaborationbetweenthe
students,askillthatwasnotprovidedintheoldcurriculum.
Someofthoseskillsaretransferrable—claim/evidence/analysis.Wedidn’tusethat
withouroldcurriculum.Inallfairness,maybeitcouldhaveworkedthere,too,and
wejustdidn’tuseit.Butprovidingtheclaimusingevidencetosupportyourclaim,
andthenbeingabletoscientificallyanalyzeandreasonthroughyourclaim—Ithink
thatskillhasopenedupalotofdoorsforthekids.Ithinkit’stransferrabletoELA.I
useditasareadingandwritingteacherallthetime.It’stransferrableinsocial
studies.It’sjustagoodlearningskill.
Ialsofindsignificantlymorecollaboration.SoIwillsayIthinkthat’salifeskillthat
thekidsreallylearntodevelop,especiallyinscience.
Thisnewwayoflearningforthestudentsalsoconnectsbacktothepointinitially
mentionedinthissection:howshetaughtwouldbechanging.Withthelabexperience,and
notthetext,asthefocusofthecurriculum,sherecognizedandacceptedherroleasthe
teacherchanging.
IfeellikeIwasalreadygoodataskingmykidscriticalquestions.Butthosecritical
questionswereaskedinmyclassinawholeclasssetting.Thenwe’dexploresome
ideas;butrightaway,Iwouldcorrectalltheirmisconceptionsandshowavisual,
andwewouldgettherightanswer.Ifeellikeitswitchedfromawhole-classtomore
ofagroupinvestigation.
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SoIthinkmyroleasateacherwasknowingwhatIwaslookingforandwhatI
wantedthekidstoget.Andalsoanticipatingsomeoftheirbarrierstoentryfor
those.SoImightwalkaroundandbelike,hmm,whydoyouthinkthisishappening?
Or—reallymyroleasateacheralsoshiftedbecauseIbecamemoreofaquestioner.I
alsobecamealittlebitmoreof—Iwasn’tquicktogiveanswers.Itwasmorelike,
huh,Iwaswonderingthat,too.Whydon’tyouguysseewhatyoucanfigureout?I
feltlikeitwasmoreengaginginthatlearningprocesswiththemversusjumponmy
partytrain.
Ithinkitwasalittlebitmoreofmemovingaroundtheroomandengagingin
discussion,andthenoccasionallybeinglike,hey,thisissomethingwewouldall
benefitfrom.Let’salljoininthatdiscussion.Okay,wesharedsomeideas.Howdo
youthinkwecouldinvestigatethat?Good.Nowyouallgotrythatandlet’scome
backtogetherandseewhatwefound.Itbecamealotmoreinvestigatory.Italso
becomemorerigorousanditwasn’tmeprescribingtothekidsthisiswhatyou’re
learningandhowyou’relearningit.Itwaslike—Iknowwhatwe’relearning.Iknow
whatwe’regoingtousetogetthere.Butthere’salotmoreopennesswithinthe
pathways.
Judyappreciatedtheopennessinthecurriculumasitallowedhertobemore
flexibleinstructuringthelearningexperiencesforherstudents.Thismeantshecouldmore
easilyimplementherphilosophyinherclassroom.Herstudentsalsorecognizedhowtheir
rolechanged.
Thekidsdon’tlooktomeasthekeeperofanswers.They’relessfocusedonmeand
myopinion.Ithinkthekidshavetheabilitytobemorecriticalthinkersthemselves,
becausethey’renotjustsittingtherewaitingformetotellthemwhattheydidright
orwrong.Weneverdothat.Justlikeintheirlearningprocess:they’renotjust
sittingtherewaiting.
TheschooldistrictprovidedprofessionaldevelopmentforJudytofamiliarizeher
withSEPUPandtolearnhowtoteachthenewcurriculum.Shefoundthetrainingtobe
beneficialbuttherewereaspectsofitthatdidnotsitwellwithher.
IfeltliketheSEPUPpeopleweretrainingusontheSEPUPway.Therewerethings
theyweresayingthatweshouldbedoingthatIfeltweren’tinlinewithourdistrict
philosophy.SotherewerethingsthatIwaslike,waitaminute.What?Whywould
wedothat?OrthingsthatIwaslikeIwouldneverdothat.ButIdidfeeltheywalked
usthroughitassumingthatwehadverylittlebackgroundknowledge.
106
WhatIthinkwasthedownfallinthetrainingwasthemessagethatwasgiven.This
isthewayyougothroughit.Therereallydidn’tseemtobealotofifs,ands,orbuts
aboutit.Therewasneveramessageofdowhat’sbestforyourkids.SoIfeltlikethat
reallycreatedanissueforusmovingforwardbecausetherewerethingsthat
weren’tworkingforourkids;anditwasn’tworkinginourtimeline.
ReceivingthemessagethattheteachersneededtosticktotheSEPUPmethoddid
notsitwellwithJudy.TheabilitytomodifythecurriculumisamustasJudybelievesthat
learningmustbeaccessibleforallstudents.And,notsurprisingly,that’sexactlywhatJudy
did.
IfoundtheinquirymodeltobepresentintheSEPUPcurriculum,butsometimesina
waythatwashardforfifthgraders.Anexampleofthatisthechickenwing
dissection.Theywantedthekidstodothechickenwingdissectionpriortolearning
anythingabouttheskeletalsystem,muscularsystem,anyofit.Soitwasthat,let’s
diginandfindstuff.Thenlater,wecanbelike,doyourememberthatsquishything?
Thatwasamuscle.Buttheissuewas,thekids,aslearners,weren’torientedinthat
way.SoIdidgooffscript,whereIgavethemsomebackgroundbasics.Itwasn’t
encouraged.Itdidn’treallyfollowtheinquirymodel,admittedly.ButIgavethem
somebackgroundbasicssothat,whentheyweredoingtheirdissection,theywere
like,Ifoundatendon!BecauseIknowwhatthatis.Waitaminute:wouldthisbea
ballandsocketjoint?Theycouldusethevernacular.Theycouldlookforthings
whentheyknewwhattheywerelookingfor.
Withoutthismodification,Judyfeltthestudentsweremissingkeytakeawaysfrom
thecurriculum.ShesharedthisobservationthroughadiscussiononhowSEPUPasked
studentstoanalyzetheirwork.Shelikedhowtheanalysisquestionscoveredavarietyof
learninglevelsbutfoundstudentsstillstruggledwiththem.
Iliketheanalysisquestions.Ilikedthattherewerejustafewofthem.Ifeltlikethey
werefairlyleveled.Thereweresomeofthemthatwerejustcomprehensionlevel,
someofthemthatweremoreanddeeperconnections.IwillsaythatIdidfinditto
behardforsomeofthekids.PartofthereasonwhyIthinkitwashardisbecause
theyweren’tthinkingonallthoselevels.Sotheymighthavegottenthefirstanalysis
question,butthirdandfourthones—theyweresofaroff.
JudytaughtwithSEPUPinfifthgrade.Shelatertransitionedtoteachingsixthgrade
science,whichusedtheSTCSecondarycurriculum.Judydidnotreceiveformaltraining
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withtheSTCcurriculumlikeshedidwithSEPUP.Thisisbecausethecurriculumhad
alreadybeenintroducedtwoyearsprior.She,instead,receivedtrainingfromthecontent
levelspecialistforhergrade.Althoughshefeltthetraininglackedincertainareas,her
confidenceofbeingagoodscienceteachersupportedherasshewentthroughthesixth
gradeinquirykits.
Wemostlywentthroughthebinder,andthatwashelpfultoacertainextent.Butit’s
alsooverwhelming.Wehad,Ithink,ahalfday.It’shardtotrainsomebodyinthat
shortamountoftime,especiallywhenthat’snotyourconsistentjob.Ifeellikethere
wereseveralthingsthatwerereallyleftoutofthattraining.Itwasn’tuntil
significantlylaterintheyearthatwediscoveredthatsomeofthosethingswereleft
out.AtthatpointIhadalreadyestablishedroutinesandmymindaroundtheway
thingswere.
Inspiteofthat,IwillsayIlovescience,andIloveteachingscience.And,Ifeellike
I’manequippedscienceteacher.So,toacertainextent,eventhoughIfeltmyformal
trainingleftmuchtobedesired,Iwasabletostillfigureitout.Iknowhowtoteach.I
knewhowtouselabmaterialsinaneffectivewaywithstudents.And,Iknewhowto
changethingsupsothattheywerereallyanalyzingthingsandgettingtowhatI
neededtogetat.
JudyfounddifferencesinhowSTCwasstructuredcomparedtoSEPUP.She
commentedonhowshefeltSTCwasnotasinquiryorientedasSEPUPbecauseSTClackeda
centralorguidingquestionforeachlesson.Instead,STCprovidedobjectivesofwhat
studentswouldbedoingineachlessons.
Sure.IwillsaythattheformatwasnotquiteasconducivetoinquirylearningasI
wouldhavepreferred.Soinsteadofhavingthatbigquestionthatwe’retryingto
answer,andit’srightthereinyourtextbook,thetextbookisalabmanual.Soit’s,
hereareyourlabprocedures.Therearesomeimages.IfoundthatIhadtobethe
onewhobelike,here’sthisquestion;canweanswerit.Inmyprofessional
developmentwithinmycurrentcurriculum,Ihaven’tgonethroughandaligned
everylessonwhereI’mposting,here’sthesubjectivequestionthatwe’reanswering
today.ItissomethingthatIthinkshouldbedone.Iknowthatthereareobjectivesin
themanual,butwedon’tdoeverythinginthemanual;andtheobjectivesdon’t
alwayslineupwithallthestandards.SoIthinkthat’saworkinprogress.
Theformat,Ithink,forthekids,was,yourlabprocedureisinabook.Youhavea
studentsheet,separate.Ilikedthatthatstudentsheetwasprovided,versussitting
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downandcopyingabunchofstufffromtheboard.ButIlikedthat.ButIthinkitwas
hardforthekidstohavethattransference:I’mdoingthishere,andI’mdoingthis
here.Itjustseemedlikealotforsomeofthemtojuggle.Ifoundmoresuccesswhen
Icreatedmyownstudentsheetsthatcombinedtheproceduresandcertainthings
throughout:Takeapictureofthis;insertithere.Istillkept,actually,theformatfrom
theSEPUPcurriculum;becausetheSTC—Iforgetwhatitcallsit,butitdoesn’tuse
theterm,analysisquestions.
JudyfeltthestructureofSEPUPwasbetterforinquirythanSTC.Yet,thestudent
materialsforSTC,overall,werebetterthanSEPUPforherstudents.Sheendeduptaking
thebestaspectsofSEPUP(e.g.theguidingandanalysisquestions)andcombiningitwith
thebestaspectsofSTC(e.g.thegeneralflowofeachlessonandfocusingondata).
WhatIwillsayis,thelessonsarebrokendowninto–there’susuallygettingstarted;
orthefirstlessoninitisextremelyexploratory.Iappreciatethataboutit,especially
inthechemistrycurriculum.It’sverymuch,we’regoingtosparkalotofquestions;
andthenwe’regoingtospendthenextthreeandahalfweeksgoingthrough
activitieswhereyougo,oh,thisisjustlikewhenwedidthat.Oh,that’swhyit’s
happening.Ilikethatformat.Soitdoesgothroughaprogressionlikethat,andIlike
it.
IthinkoneofthethingswithSTCthat’s–well,IguessthiswasinSEPUP.Ijustfind
thatthekidsreally,onaconsistentbasis,arecollectingandrecordingdata.Ifeellike
theSTCcurriculumdoesabetterjobofusingtheactualdata.Soyourquestionsare
relevanttothedata,versus,IfeltlikewithSEPUP,thequestionsweremorerelevant
towhatyoulearnedwhenyouanalyzedthedata.Soyouhadtotakethedata,
analyzeit,getanunderstandingofwhatthedatarepresented;andthenyouused
thattoanswerthequestions;versus–IthinktheSTCcurriculumtiesbackdirectly
intothedata.Whatwasthedensityofwater?Well,you’vegottolookbackatyour
chartandreadit,versusmaybegettinginto,howdidthedensityofwaterchange
whethersomethingwassinkingorfloating.
JudyisnowteachingtheSTCcurriculumforhersecondyearand,withsome
modifications,feelsitisagreatfitforherandherstudents.Ingeneral,shefeelsthatthe
newinquirycurriculaareabetterfitforherteachingphilosophy.
Well,Iwillsay,Iwantmykidstobeinspiredwithscience.Iwantthemtobeexcited
aboutscience;notfromacomparativestandpoint,butIwantthemtolearnmore
thantheyknewwhentheycamein;andIwantthemtolearntobethinkers.The
inquirybasedmodeldoesthatsomuchmore,becausewhileIfeltlikemykidswere
veryentertainedinthepast,theywerelearningbecauseItaughtittothem.
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NowIfeelthey’relearningbecausethey’refiguringthingsout.They’reabletoput
thepuzzletogether.Imightprovidesomeofthepieces.Imakethemfindafew
more.Butthentheyputittogether,andthenwelookatthepictureandtalkabout
thatasagroup.Iftherewereanypiecesmissingforcertainkids,wecanhelpfill
thosein.Ireallylikethat.IthinkitfitswiththewaythatIwantkidstolearn.Itfits
withthatshort-termcost/long-termbenefit.Iwantthemtolearnhowtobea
learner.Ithinkithelpsthemlearnhowtothinkandquestionandself-regulate.It
helpswiththeirawareness,thattheyneedtohaveanunderstandingofthecorrect
proceduresforthings.Ithinkithelpsthemtiecontenttotheirmemoriesand
experiences.
I’vealwaysbeenavisualteacher.SoIfeellike,inalotofways,thisisjustless
demonstrationandmoreofthekidsactuallydoingit;becauseIhaveenough
suppliesforthemtoalldoit.WhereIthinkIstillstruggleasaneducatoris,theystill
don’talwaysgetit;andthat’shard,becauseit’slike,ugh,youjustsawthis.Howdo
younotgetit?ButIalsoexperiencedthatintheoldcurriculum.Somaybethat’sjust
teaching.
IaskedJudytoreflectonthissomemore.Iwantedtoknowifshefeltthather
understandingoftheconceptandvalueofinquiryhaschangedovertime.Didshehave
moreknowledgeofwhatinquiryisnowthatshehastaughtwithinquirykits?Didshehave
anappreciationforwhatinquiryoffersascomparedtobeforeshetaughtwiththekit?She
feltthatshedid.
Itdefinitelyhas,especiallymyacceptance.IthinkwhatIstillsortofstrugglewithis
nowjustachallengethatI’mworkingtoovercomeversusabarriertoentry,likeit
wasbefore:WhywouldIspendallthistimeforthemtonotgetit?Whydon’tIjust
tellthem?They’llgetitthen.ThenIknowtheygetit.Ithinkthatwasmoremy
philosophy;andnowIvaluetheprocesssomuchmore.Ididn’tvaluetheprocess
before,quitefrankly.Iwassadtoseemyshowhaveafinale.Butnow,inalotof
ways,it’sstillthere;it’sjustnotwhatwespendthewholeperiodon.Icanstillgive
visualsandmnemonics,buttothingsthey’vecomeupwith,andthey’vediscovered.
RecentlyIaskedmystudents–justthelastopenended,no-pointsquestionona
quiz–doyoufeellikeyouunderstandtheexpectations;doyoufeelsupportedasa
learner;isthereanythingyouwantmetoknowaboutyourlearningstyle;justa
varietyofdifferentquestions.Herearesomethoughts.Youcanrespondtoallof
them,noneofthem.Doyouthinkyourgroupisworkingwell?Justthatmomentof
check-in.TherewereseveralkidswhoactuallywroteIlearnbetterwhenI’mdoing
alabbecauseIcanseewhatI’mdoingorsomethingalongthoselines.Theyliterally
madethatconnection.
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Ifoundthattobesomeevidencetosupportmyclaim,philosophy–aninquiry
model.Iwaslike,youknowwhat,IknowI’mstrugglingbecauseIthinkthey’renot
gettingit;butthatdoesn’tmeanIneedtoswitchovertodirectinstructionandmake
suretheygetit.ItjustmeansIneedtoguidethemalittlebitdifferently.Ithinkthat
wasoneofmytakeaways.Ididn’texpectsomanykidstohavethatreflection:Ilove
itwhenwedolabs,becauseIlearnmore.Itwascute.Itwasreallycutetoseethem
reflectivelikethat.I’mlike,oh,yay.Youdoknowyou’relearning.
AsJudybecomesmorecomfortablewithinquiry,shebeginstoquestionhowto
assessthestudents.Doesshefocusonthecontent?Doesshefocusontheskills?Doesshe
allowstudentstousehernotes?
WhatI’mtryingtothinkthroughis,Isomeofthatalsotrueforscience,where—isit
lessaboutthecontent?Isitmoreabouttheprocedureandthatprocessandthe
scientificawareness?Ifso,howareourassessmentsreflectingthat?Sothen,should
webetestingonthecontentstillorno?Ithinkthatalsogetsintosomeofthe
questionsof,shouldthekidsbeusingtheirnotesornot.I’mafanofusingtheir
notesiftheirnotesaren’tgivingthemtheanswers.Iftheirnotesaregivingthem
informationthattheystillneedtoprocessandanalyzetofigurethingsout,great!If
youcanlookinyournotesandfindtheanswer,thenwhatarewedoinghere?What
arewetestingyouon,yourabilitytofindananswer?
AssessmentisafocusforJudynow.Shewantstheassessmentstofocusonaspects
ofscienceforthestudents.Shewantstoseethemusetheskillstheyhavelearnedthrough
theirinvestigations.Consequently,shenowquestionsthepurposeofhavingstudents
memorizecontent.Shewouldratherhavestudentsusethecontenttoaddressthescientific
practicesandrespondtodeeperthinkingquestions.
SummaryofJudy’sFindings
Judy’steachingbackgroundhasofferedauniquelookathowshehasexperienced
theimplementationofthenewinquiry-basedsciencekits.Judymadeitclearsheis
passionateaboutlearningandteachingscience.Shefeelsitfitswellwithherphilosophyof
makinglearningengaging,exciting,meaningful,andchallengingforherstudents.The
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sciencecurriculumismorethanjustlearningabodyofknowledgeandskills.Science
curriculumisawaytoteachothervalues:collaboration,criticalthinking,problemfinding
andsolving,andself-reflectiontonameafew.
HerexperienceinadoptingthenewfifthgradesciencecurriculumcausedJudyto
reflectonhowshetaughtscience.Itwasherresponsibilityintheoldcurriculumtomake
learningcometolife;shewantedtomakesciencefun.Shedidthisbyputtingonashow,
bringingintoysforstudentstointeractwith,andbyditchingthetextbookandcreatingher
owncurriculummaterialssosciencewasmoreengagingthansimplyreadingoutofa
textbook.Inthenewcurriculum,sherealizedherrolewastonowguidethestudents
throughthelearningexperienceastheexperiencewasinherentlyfun.Sheacceptedthis
changewithoutproblem.Shefeltthenewcurriculumwasnotaperfectfitforherorher
students.So,asshehaddonewiththeoldcurriculum,shechangedittomakeitreflecther
philosophyofteachingandlearning.Sheaddedcontentwhereshefeltitwaslacking.She
rearrangedsomelessonsequencesbyprovidingstudentswithbackgroundknowledgeso
explorationswouldmakemoresensetothem.Shealsomodifiedquestionssostudents
couldgrowatvariouslevels.Inmovingtosixthgrade,shefoundthattheSTCcurriculum
lackedcertainaspectsthatshelikedinthefifthgrade’sSEPUPcurriculum.Again,she
modifiedittomakeitfitherphilosophyofteachingscience.Sheaddedcentralquestionsto
lessonssothestudentswereworkingtowardabiggeridea.Althoughshelikedthestudent
materials,shefoundthestudentbookwastoomuchofalabmanual;itdidnotserveasa
learningguideasmuchasitdidalistoftaskstocomplete.So,shecombinedwhatsheliked
oftheSEPUPandSTCkitstoalignthekitstohowshebelievedscienceshouldbetaught.
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Judymadeitclearthroughherinterviewsthatreflectionisanimportantpartofher
practice.Herreflectionhashelpedherimproveasascienceeducatorandprovidewhatshe
believesisthebestlearningenvironmentforherstudents.
Elizabeth
Elizabethisaseventh-gradescienceteacherinasuburbanschooldistrict.Shedidn’t
alwaysknowthatshewantedtobecomeateacher.Herinitialpassionwasdance.However,
therealityofbeingaprofessionaldancermadeherquestionifthiswouldbeapossible
futurecareer.
[Dancing]wasgruelingsothatkindaevolvedintoIwon’tbeaprofessionaldancer;
maybeI’llbeadanceteacher.WhenIwasindanceinhighschoolIusedtoteach
childrendancesoIwouldteachdanceclasses.IknewthatIlikedworkingwithkids
aswell.Sothatkindofevolvedinto“maybeI’llbeadanceteacher.”AndthenI
realizeddanceteachersdon’tmakeanymoneyatall![Laughs].SoImadethe
decisionincollegetokeepdanceasahobbyandthenteachingkindoffeltlikethe
naturalnextstepforme.
Howshecametoteachscienceseemedalmostaccidental.Shehadapassionfor
sciencewithoutrealizingit.Itwasn’tuntilsheappliedforherteachinglicenseandwas
grantedascienceendorsementthatsherecognizedherloveforteachingthediscipline.
Teachingsciencefeltlikesuchanaturalfitforher.
WhentheycheckedmytranscriptsIhadenoughsciencecoursestopursuethatas
anendorsement.AnditwaskindafunnybecauseIfeltIhadapassionforscience
withoutevenrealizingit.BecauseItookasmanysciencecoursesasIcouldin
college…justbecauseIlikedthem.Andsoitjustalmostseemedlikeanaturalthing.
Like,Iknewwhentheycheckedmytranscriptitwouldprobablybethat.Andthen,it
was.ItwasIguessI’llbeascienceteacher!OfcourseIwouldteachscienceifIhad
topick!Ilovedthoseincollegeandinschoolaswellandgrowingup.
Iaskedwherethisloveofsciencemighthavecomefrom.Shesaiditwassimplya
partofherexperiencefromgrowingup.
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Iwasalwaysprettycurious.Ialwayslovedlivingthings.InschoolIneverhadany
problemswithanyofmyscienceclasses.Ialwaysthoughttheywerefunand
exciting.Everyonewouldcomplainabouthowhardtheywere.“OhGod,chemistry!”
they’dsay.AndIwouldbelike,“Ilovethis!Thisiscool!”Youknow?So,Ialwaysjust
reallyenjoyeditinmiddleschoolandinhighschool,whichiswhyIcontinuedto
takeitincollege.Iwouldn’tsayitwaseasyforme.But,Ididn’tmindstudyingforit.
Ididn’tmindworkinghardertotakehigher-levelcourses.
Hercollegecareerincludedsciencecoursesinchemistry,geology,biology,anda
courseinastronomy.Shewentbeyondtheminimumrequirementsforscience.Whenthere
wereadditionalchoicesforclasses,shewouldtakeasciencecourse.
Shehastaughtfor17yearsbutnotallofthemhavebeeninsciencenorhavethey
beenatthesameschool.Shehasmadeherschooldistricthomeforherentireteaching
career.Shebeganinherschooldistrictasaparaprofessionalbeforebecomingafulltime
teacher.Herfirstteachingassignmentwasinthedistrict’smiddleschool.
SoatthetimeIwasatthemiddleschoolteachingmathandscience,whichIloved.I
wastherefor12years.But,afterteachingmathandsciencefor12years,Iknewthat
sciencewasreallywhatIenjoyedmostaboutthejob.Andthen,ourjuniorhighis7th
and8thgradeandthejobopeningsneverreallyopenedforsciencethere.So,there
wasoneyearwhenonewasopenandIcame.Imadeadashforit.Itallworkedout
wellandI’vebeenthereeversince.AndnowIgettoteachsciencealldaylong,
whichisamazing!
Inbothinterviews,Elizabeth’spassionforsciencewasmadeveryclear.Howshe
talkedaboutthesubjectandhowsheteachessciencejustmadeitsotransparentthat
scienceiswhatsheloves.ThiswillbecomemoreapparentinElizabeth’sphilosophyof
teachingscienceandherexperienceswiththeoldandnewcurricula.
Fun:EvolutioninAction
AkeywordthatappearedthroughoutElizabeth’sexperienceswasfun.WhenI
initiallyaskedhertodescribeherphilosophyofteachingshehonedinonthatoneterm.
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Mygeneralphilosophyisthatlearningcanbefun.Ithinkthat’sthebasic,bottom
line.Um,myfavoriteteachersgrowingupweretheonespersonable,happy,and
laughingandhavingfunwithus.Like,youcouldtelltheywantedtobethere.And,I
likehavingthattypeofrelationshipwiththemiddleschoolstudentsthatIwork
with.SoIthinkmynumberonephilosophyishowcanImotivatetheminawayto
showthemthateventhoughwearehereeveryday,alldaylong,thisisfun!And,I
thinkforkids,fortheageweworkwithinmiddleschool,it,that’shalfthebattleis
motivatingthem.So,ifyoucanshowthemthatit’s,it’sfun,thatit’snatural,andthat
it’sagoodthing...soIreallyam,reallykindatrytomakesurethateachdayis
somethingfun,whichcanbestressful,whichmaybeisatopicforanotherday.
PartofwhyElizabethbelievesthisisbecauseofwhatshe’sobservedwithinher
district.Parentscommentthatschoollosesitsfuntowardstheendoftheelementaryyears.
Alotofparentswillbelike,“Oh,youknowit’sfourthgrade:it’snotfunanymore.”
They’llmakecommentslikethat.It’slikeadaggerthroughmyheartasaseventhgradeteacher.Youknow?Youdon’twanttohavetofightthatbattle.So,Ithinkit’s
somethingasateacherIhavealwayswantedmyphilosophyformyself,ormygoal
formyself,toalwaysnotletthat,notletitbecomethat.Mygoal,mymission,Iguess,
tosaythat“No!Fundoesn’tenditfourthgrade!”Itdoesn’thavetoend!
Elizabethfeelssheissuccessfulinimplementingherphilosophyinherclassroom.
Parentsandstudentsfrequentlysharethattheyenjoyherscienceclassbecauseitisfun.
Receivingthisfeedbackfuelsherpassionforteachingscience.
IfeellikeIwouldn’tcontinuedoingwhatI’mdoingifIdidn’t.LikeIdefinitely,you
know,it’sdefinitelyoneoftherewardsofteachingistobeabletoknowthatkids
enjoybeinginyourclassroom.So,thatsortoffeedbackreallykeepsmegoingand
keepsmemotivatedtokeepdoingwhatI’mdoing.
Howshemakesherclassfunhaschangedovertime.Intheprior,traditionalscience
curriculum,makinglearningfunwasaboutlearningwithouthavingtoalwayslectureand
involvingphysicalmovement.Thiscontrastswiththenewinquiry-basedcurriculum,which
naturallylendsitselftobeingfunduetoitsinvestigatoryandinquirystyleoflearning.
Idon’tthinkIeveratthetime,Ithoughtthat,Ican’tmakethisfun.Istillmadeitfun,
butIdidn’tknowbackthenwhatIknownow.NowIlookbackandImadeitfun.But
nowit’smorenaturallyfun.Like,thisisfunforthelearning;inquiryisfunforthe
loveoflearning.Let’stakethecontentandmakeafungameorgetthemupand
moving,oryouknow,Iwasapplyingsomekindofgameoractivitytomakeitfun.
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WhereasnowIfeellikerunninginquiriesisfunforourkids.Theygetsoexcited
whentheycomeinoninquirydays.Therearenobellsandwhistles,orit’safun
gameandthereisachallengeandthereisacompetition;thereisnoneofthat.It’s
we’regoingtohavealab:“Yay!”Like,[laughs],youknow?It’slikeit’snaturallyfun
now.Whereasbeforeitwashardtoworktomakeitfun.
HereElizabethmakesclearhowthetermfunhasevolvedovertime.Muchasspecies
evolveovertimeduetochangesintheirenvironment,sotoodoesthemeaningoffun
changebasedonthecurriculum.Thenewcurriculumisfuninadifferentwaythantheold
curriculum.Intheoldcurriculum,funmeantplayingagameormovingaroundtheroom.In
contrast,funinthenewcurriculumisduetotheirnaturalcuriositybeingpiquedthrough
inquiryactivities.
Throughoutourconversationsthetermfunwasoftenusedinconjunctionwiththe
phrasehandson.IaskedElizabethtoclarifyifhands-onisthesameasinquiry.Sheclarified
thattheyaredifferent.Shesaidtherearetimeswherehands-onmeans“doingmindless
tasks.”Inquiry,though,isamuchdeeperexperiencethatengagesstudentsinadifferent
way.
No,Imeaninquiryismindson,forsure.SoIfeellike,youknow,sometimesinquiry
canbeaquestionthatyou'rejustthinkingaboutor,youknow,brainstormingabout
oranswering.Itdoesn’tnecessarilymeanyou'redoingahands-onlaboractivityto
gettotheanswer.Ithinkwhenyou'rehands-on,though,it'sjustlikeadouble
bonus,becauseyou'rehands-onandminds-on,likeIthinkthat,youknow,whatis
that,likeifyou,likethattactile,whenyou'reactuallyphysicallydoingsomething,it's
inyourmemoryforlonger.AndIthinkasfarasmotivatingstudentsofallages,the
hands-onisabigpieceofit.
Butcertainlyaninquirymindsetisnotnecessarilyalwayshands-on.It'sjustthat
you'reabletosortofopenupyourmindtothinkaboutsomethingonadeeperlevel
ortwo.Thinkaboutmultipleperspectivesofsomethingor,youknow,beableto
lookatanobservationanddrawaconclusionfromit,doesn'thavetobehands-on.
It'smorefunwhenitis.
Ichosetodiscussherphilosophyoffunbeforegoingintothenextsectionasit
frameswhatshebelievesisimportantinteachingandlearningscience.Theantithesisof
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fun,forElizabeth,iswhenthecurriculum’sfocusisoncontent.Thisisn’ttosayshedoesn’t
valuethecontentorhaveanappreciationforit.Shejustdoesn’tbelievethatscienceshould
beatransmissionofcontentfromteacher,ortextbook,tostudent.Thecontentshouldbea
waythroughwhichstudentslearnaboutscienceandlearnhowtheyarepartoftheworld.
TheRoleofContent
Elizabethbelievesthepurposeofsciencegoeswellbeyondjustknowingthe
disciplineasabodyofknowledge.ShereflectedonthiswhenIaskedherhowsheevaluates
herstudents’work.Sheexpressedherstrugglewiththis.Shewantstogradeherstudents
onmorethanjustcontent.Shewantstogradethemontheirprocess.Butthisisnotaneasy
tasktodo.
Well,whenItrytoevaluateall,labsespecially,Itrytoevaluatethemonavarietyof
things.So,ifthecontentisoffalittle,it’snotgoingtokillyourgrade,sotospeak.If
youfollowedtherightprocess,orifyouhavesomerationalexplanationforwhy
youransweristhewayitis.AlotoftimesItrytolookforwhytheiranswerisoff,
thembeingabletoexplainwhytheiranswerisoff.Theyusuallydoknow.I’m
thinkingthroughit.Theyusuallycanseethewholeclassdataandtheyknowiftheir
dataisnotfittinginthere.Idefinitelytrynotto[justgradeonthecontent].There
aredefinitelysomeassignmentsthatarecontentbasedthatI’mgradingonifthey
knowthecontent.Um,butalotofwhatwedoinsciencethat…mostofwhatwedo
inscienceisreallymoreabouttheprocess.Andthecontentkindoffallsinplace
fromthere.Theirgradeiscertainlynotonlybasedoncontent.
Partofheraversiontogradingjustoncontentcomesfromherownexperiencesin
notknowingthecontent.Thisisn’ttosaysheisnotknowledgeableincertaincontentareas
ofscience.Rather,whensheislearninganewtopicsheneedstoresearchthattopicand
learnthecontent.Similarly,herstudentsarelikelyexperiencingcontentforthefirsttime.
Thecontent,itdepends[laughs]onwhatitis.Idefinitelydostruggle,Ithink,orI
beatmyselfupalittlebitaboutnot,ifIdon’tknowsomething.Ifakidasksmea
questionIdon’tknow,I’llbeatmyselfupaboutthatandlatertellmyself,“there’sno
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wayyou’regonnaknoweverythingandanswereveryquestionscientistshaveever
asked.”
Thisexperienceofnotalwaysknowingthecontentisbuiltintohowsheevaluates
herstudents’work.Herstudentsfindthisabitfrustratingastheyareusedtohavinga
rightorwronganswer.Inscience,however,yourinvestigationsdeterminetheanswer.The
investigations,however,don’talwaysleadtoasimpleoutcome.
Theystrugglewithwhenthereisnoblackorwhiteanswer.Theywanttheretobe
ananswer.Theywanttheretobearightanswer.Ifthedatadoesn’tmatchup,orif
thereareoutliers…theylookatyouandask,“Well,whatistherightanswer?”You’re
like,Idon’tknow.
Shediscussedthisfurtherinaninvestigationshehasherstudentscompleteto
demonstratetheprocessofcollectingdataonalivingorganism.Thestudentsareaskedto
usetheirmicroscopestodeterminethepulserateofaworm.Eachtimetheworm’sblood
vesselconstrictsthestudentsrecordthatas1pulse.Thestudentsstrugglewiththisas
thereisnorightanswer.Thepulseratecanvarybasedonthestateoftheworm,ifthe
wormwasmoving,orwhereonthewormthestudentcollectedthedata.
Irecallgoingbacktothehandbookandbeinglike,“whatistherightanswer?”Iwas
sofrustratedwith…eventhentherightanswerislikeahugerange.Tryingtoexplain
thattothekids…Inmaththereisusuallyarightanswer.Insciencetheremightbea
rangeofanswersoratrendorsomething.Theyhavetroublewiththat.Tryingto
teachthem,youknow,whatthey’velearnedorwhattheythinkthey’velearnedand
wherethatsortoffallsintowhereisthatatheory,isthistrue,hasthisbeentested?
Theyreallyhaveahardtimewiththatgrayarea.
ItbecomesapparentherethatElizabeth’sexperienceinadoptingthenew
curriculumwasnotstraight-forward.Althoughherbeliefsaboutscienceeducationare
alignedwithbestpractice,Elizabethnotesthesamefrustrationingettingusedtotherenot
beingarightanswer.
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Thisagitationinthenewcurriculumnotalwaysprovidingananswerisrootedin
howtheoldcurriculumwasstructured.Theoldcurriculumwascontentfocused.WhenI
askedElizabethtotellmewhatshetaughtintheoldcurriculumshelistedtopicsover
processes.
Wetaughtalotofrocksandminerals.Wespentalotoftimeonminerals.We
studieddifferenttypesofrocksandtherockcycleandthegeologictimeline.And
theninbiologywedidsomecells,wedidthekingdoms….Sorry,I’mtryingto
remember.Sowekindofworkedthrougheachkingdomandwithinthatwehadlabs
andobservations,microscopework,andthendissectionattheend.
Elizabethmentionedrocksmineralsafewtimesintheinterview.Itwasclearthat
thiswasnotatopicsheenjoyedteaching,asitwasnotalignedwithherbeliefsinteaching
science.So,IaskedElizabethtotalkmoreaboutthepurposeofstudyingrocksand
minerals.
RocksandmineralsisonelittlebulletpointontheNGSSstandardswithin,you
know,atopicumbrella.Andforusitwaslikeanentiresemester.Iguessthatisafull
circlemomentbacktolearningshouldbefun.So,ifwe’restudyingmineralsfor
threeweekseventuallythekidsaregoingtobelike,“Really?Really!?”Youknow,we
wouldtrytomakeitfun.Wewoulddomysterymineralsandotherstuff.Essentially
itwasthesametopicforareallylongtime.Andthekidswerelike,“Hmm,okay.”
Whereasnow,Ifeelit’sliketheopposite.Wehavesomuch.It’sprobablybetter.I
feellikeevenmyoldcurriculumatthemiddleschooleverythingwasalotmore
contentfocusedversusprocessfocused.Itwasmoreaboutcontentinthepast.
Whenevershetalkedabouttheoldcurriculumshealwayscomparedittothenew
curriculum.Forexample,shebroughtuptheroleofthetextbookintheoldcurriculum.The
textbookshedescribedasbeing“datedmany,manymoonago.”Despiteitsdatednessthe
textbookservedasthefoundation,orstartingpoint,forlearning.
Alotofthecurriculummaterialswegotbeforewaslikeatextbook.And,thatwas
kindofyourstartingpoint.Youknow?Andeveryonceinawhile,therewouldbea
littlelabinthetextbookthatwouldbekindofdumb.[Laughs]Sorry!Andthenwe
wouldgooutandlikeresearchandtrytofindactivitiesandlabsthatwentalong
with,orkindofhelpedorverified,thatwentalongwithwhatweweresaying.
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The“dumb”activities,shenoted,werenotinquirybased.Theyexistedtoconfirm
whatsheorthetexthadtoldthestudents.
Mostofthemwerequick,almostevenjustlittledemos.So,aquicklittledemothat
re-illustratedairpressurethatthekidshaveseenordonebefore.And,haslikeone
outcome:theonethatitissupposedtobe.Likeonepageofthebook…trythis…why
didithappen?Itwassomethingyoucouldin5or10minutes.WhereasIfeellike,
youknow,thekidsaremoreexcitedaboutalabthatyoucankindofgothroughand
testnumeroustimesandhavedifferentoutcomesfor.
Thisformatoflearningthroughmemorizationofcontentandverificationthrough
demonstrationgoesagainstwhatElizabethbelievesisimportantforherstudentstolearn
inherscienceclass.Theoldcurriculumdidn’tallowstudentstohaveasenseofwonderor
discovery.
SonowI’mjustgoingtowatchithappen.Sothereisnowonderorhypothesisor
prediction….AlotoftimesItwasoneofthosebeforeyouevengotthematerialsout,
thekidswerelike“Oh,thisiswhatisgoingtohappentotheballoon.”Itwas
supposedtobeafunthingthatyoudid.Butitendedupjustbeingthisquickdemoof
whattheyalreadyknewwasgoingtohappen.Notveryfun.
Betweenthe“dumb”activitiesandthecentralizedroleofcontent,Elizabeth
describedtheoldcurriculumas“heavycontent;kindof,youknow,snoozefest.”Thisis
why,shenotedmanytimes,thecontentissomethingshedoesn’tmakeafocusinthenew
curriculumasitisalwaysreadilyavailable.Thatis,ifsheorastudentneedstoknowsome
content,itcaneasilybeobtainedthrougharesource.Sheelaboratedonthiswhenshe
reflectedonthefirsttimeshetaughttheoldcurriculumandhadtolearnanewsetof
content.
Idefinitelyhavea…evenmyselfasalearnerIhave…ahardtimeremembering.Like,
Ican’tmemorizeallthatstuff.Idon’thavethattypeofbrain.Ithinkscienceishard
inthatway.
Inboththemiddleschoolandthejuniorhighschool,Idefinitelytooksometimeto
warmuptothecurriculum.Ithink,youknow,havingtoremindmyselfwhatIwas
teachingandhavingtokindoffreshenupalittlebitontheknowledgeofthose
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contentareasmyself.ButIthinkIdid,youknow?...Butatfirstitwasdefinitely
uncomfortablebecauseIwasn’tasfamiliarwiththetopics…Ihadbeenteaching
othertopicsfor12yearsandIwaslike,oh,okay,nowIhavetorememberwhatit’s
liketoteachcells.
Eventhoughshehadtolearnnewcontent,theskillsshewastryingtoteachwere
stillthefocusofherclassroom.Itwasn’tsomethingshehadrealizeduntilacolleaguehad
pointeditouttoher.ItwassomethingshereflecteduponwithmewhenIaskedherifshe
everfeltworriedwhenhavingtolearnnewcontenttoteachthestudents.Shesaidshe
didn’tworry.
Iagree.IfeellikeIalsohaveasolid…I’monlysayingthisbecausea
[paraprofessional]oncetoldmeandIneverthoughtaboutit.ButwhenIcametothe
juniorhighIhadbeenteachingforliketwelveyears.Oneparaprowaslike,“you
reallyunderstand,sortof,just,howtoteachkids.”Youknow?Like,regardlessofthe
topic.Ineverthoughtaboutthat.Iwasactuallyveryhumbledbythat.Ineverreally
thoughtthat,oh,shebasicallysaidyouhaveasolidunderstandingofinstructional,
whatworksforthekids,andhowtotakeaconceptandmakeitwork.So,Ifeellike
thatalsohelpssortofboostme,especiallyinanewjob,inanewcurriculumatthat
time.Ithought:well,ifIknowhowtoteachkids,Iknowhowtofigurethisout.IfI
knowhowtoteachscienceandIknowhowtoteachkids,Icanfigurethisout.
ThisisoneofElizabeth’sstrengths:sheknowsscienceasapracticeandsheknows
howtoteachscienceasapractice.Sheknowsthatthecontentisawaytoaddresslarger
issuesandbiggerideas.Sheknowsthatcontentdoesn’tneedtobememorizedbutitneeds
tobeappliedtoanalyzingandproblemsolving.Sheseesabiggerpurposeinteachingthe
studentsscience.
‘Causetherearesomethingsthatyouteachthatisnotgoingtoservethemany
purposeinlifetomemorizethisforatestforonce.Like,I’mtryingtoeachmoreof
theskillsthantheactualitty,bittypiecesofcontent.
Science:LearningforaGreaterPurpose
Intheprevioussectionitbecomesclearthatcontentdoesnotplayacentralrolein
Elizabeth’sclassroom.Herdecentralizingthecontentissothatscientificprocessescanbe
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inthespotlight;thecontent,obtainedthroughdiscovery,becomesameansthroughwhich
theprocessescanbelearned.Thisisforanimportantreason.Shewantsherstudentsto
experiencesciencesuchthattheyrecognizetheirresponsibilityintheworld.
Ifeellikewehavearesponsibilitytorespectourearth.And,Idon’tthinkalotof
kidsdon’ttakethetime,alotofmiddleschoolkids,don’ttakethetimetostopand
think“wow.”Ireallytry,inourgeologyuntil,reallytrytostartoffwiththisvideo;I
trytothemetheunitwithIheartearth.Idefinitelyamtryingtohelpthem,like,have
abiggerappreciationforthesystemthatwelivein.Andhowamazingitisthatallof
thesepartsworktogethersothatyou’reabletolivehereanddothethingsyoudo
everydayandhowmuchofthatisscience.Thathowmuchofeverypartofyourday,
whetheritbethetechnologyyou’reusingortheweather,orthetripyou’regoing
on,togoingskiingorwhatever.Like,everysinglethingissomehowrelatedtothe
systematworkonourplanet.Andwhatsortofabigideathatis.AndIthinkthat,
youknow,ItrytodothisIheartearththing.‘CauseIfeellikewehavea
responsibilityashumansonthisplanettorespectandhonorthat.AndIkindoftry
andhelpmykidsseethat.
PartofhowElizabethdoesthisisbyinstillingasenseofwonderandcuriosityinher
students.ShewantstoconnectthemtotheEarthandhavethemappreciatetheamazing
thingsthatareoccurringwithinit.EarlierIsharedhowElizabethstruggledwithteaching
rocksandminerals.Itwasfocusedonsomanydetailsthatwereirrelevanttothestudents’
lives.Sheadjustedtheoldcurriculumtomaketheunitmoremeaningfulforthestudents.
Mygoalwastohelpthemseetheserockswehadbeenlookingatinclassevery
singledaywerefromlargerrockformationsthatshapeourplanet.Andourplanet
lookstobethiswayforacertainreason.Andinthatpointouroldcurriculumdid
nothavealotofplatetectonicsinit.So,Iintroducedalittlebitofthataswell,which
Ithinkwasnotonthecurriculumatthattime.But,throughthatprojectIintroduced
moreofthat.SoIdefinitelyincludedmoreprocessandreallifeconnections.Ifeltit
wasverythis-is-a-mountain-it’s-made-of-igneous-rock.ButforthemIwanteditto
besomethingthatconnectedtothem.ThisisMountFuji.Itwasformedthisway
overmillionsofyears!Justopeningtheireyestohowcoolourplanetis.Kindaback
tothatthing.IstilltrytodothatwithpicturesthatIputupeveryday.Justtohelp
themappreciatethatmountainyouskiedonoverwinterbreakhasbeenbuiltbya
processoverhundredsofthousandsofyears.
Bygivingherstudentsanappreciationforthenaturalbeautyandthepowerful
processesoccurringaroundthem,shehopesthattheywillleaveherclasswithasenseof
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wonder.Shewantsthemtoappreciatewhatishappeningintheworld.And,indoingso,she
hopesthatherstudentsbecomemorecuriousabouttheworld.
Ifeellikegivingthemthepermissionthroughtheirwholeentirelifeto,um,“oh
that’snottrueanymore,”or“Iwanttolookintothat.”Youknow,evenasanadult
followthatsameprocess,evenifit’snotaboutscience.It’squestioningthingsand
findinganyanswerthatworksforthemandnotjustdoingwhatotherpeopletell
youbecausethat’swhatyousaid.
Presentingscienceascontentgoesagainstherbeliefofhavingherstudentsbecome
curiousoftheirworld.Whatistheretobecuriousaboutwhensomeoneelsehasalready
foundtheanswer?Whyseetheworldasaplacefullofundiscoveredideaswhenyoulearn
scienceasabodyofpre-existingfacts?Thisiswhyshefocusesonthepracticesofscience.
Thesepracticesleadstudentstobecomecuriousabouttheworld.
Well,Ithinkthatthey,you,uh,throughoutyourwholelife,evenasanadult,youcan
questionthingsandwonderaboutthingsandlearnaboutthings.It’sjustthat,sort
of,there’snotjustonerightanswer.There’snotanendtowhatyoucanlearn.So,I
thinkthatevenbigpicture,teachingscienceisafeelingyouwanttogivekidsthat
youcanalwayslearnmore.Youcanalwayslearn…thingschange.Youcanevolve,
youcanlearnsomethingdifferently.Ormaybesomethingyoubelievedistruefor
yourwholechildhoodisallofasuddennottrue.
Elizabethfeltconstrainedbytheoldcurriculum.Shewasn’teasilyabletoinstillthis
senseofwonderinherstudentsbecausethecurriculumwassocontentfocused.Thiswas
notthecasewiththenewcurriculum,however.Sherememberedhowexcitedshewas
whenshereceivedhermaterialsforthenewcurriculum.Eachunitcamewithseverallarge
binsfullofthelessonmaterials.
Idofeelluckythatwehavewhatwedo.Like,theamountofmaterialsthatcame
withournewcurriculuminthoseboxes.ImadethejokethatitwaslikeChristmas
whileunpackingthose.Like,“areyoukiddingme?Allthisstuffforus!?”
Oh,thatwasanexcitingday.Icanrememberunpackingitallandbeingveryexciting
forallthenewmaterials.Yeah,no,Imeanthekitsweregreat.IfeellikeIwouldhave
neverknownthatIneededallthosematerials,soitwasallverywellspelledoutlike
forthislabyouneededthesematerialsand,youknow,itwasallinthere.Whichwas
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reallyexciting.AndsomeofitwasnewanddifferentstuffthatIhadneverworked
withbefore,sothatwasexciting.Butthere'salotofstuff.
Itwasexcitingforherbecausethosematerialsmeantherstudentswouldbedoing
science.Hermindpredictedalltheengagingactivitiesandinvestigationssheandher
studentswouldbedoingthroughouttheyear.
I'malwaysexcitedforlikenewlabs,newinquiries,andIlikedthat,youknow,alot
ofthestuffweweretalkingaboutdefinitely,youknow,hadmoreliveorganismsand
thingsIhadneverdonebeforelab-wisethatIwasprettyexcitedabout.
ButIthinkthatwasexcitingalsointhefactthatitwastruethatwewerereally
goingtostartdoingmoreinquiry,likewehadmorestuff,whichmeantwewere
goingtobedoingmorehands-on,youknow,lessons.Butwithhands-onlessons
comesanenormousamountofmaterial.ImeanIthinkthat's,youknow,thekits
thatwegotweregreat,butwe'realsoveryluckythatourdistrict'sabletoprovide
uswiththosetypesofresources.Butyeah,theywere,itwaslikeChristmasday.I
justkeptopeningboxesandtherewasjustmoreandmorecoolstuff.
Althoughshewasexcitedforwhatwascomingwiththenewcurriculum,she
recognizedthatherroleasaneducatorwasgoingtochange.Althoughshehadmadethe
oldcurriculummoreinquiryoriented,thenewcurriculumwasbuiltuponaninquiry
framework.Thismeantthatshehadtotransfermoreofthecontroloflearningtothe
students.
Yeah, it was exciting. It was a little like nerve-racking at first, because you had to
reallyaccepttheideathatyouweregoingtoletthekidshavemoreofasayinsome
thingsandthatsometimesthingsweren'tgoingtogorightandyouwerejustgoing
tohavetogowiththeflowandfigureitout.Soyoukindofhadtoletgoofsomeof
thatcontrolthatyoumayhavehadinthepast.
So that was a little like, you know, like exciting but nervous exciting. But I do
remember thinking also that I felt like a lot of the lessons could even be more
inquiry. Like in with my colleagues, we kind of took some of them and even made
themmorestudentledormorestudentdirectedthefirsttimeweranthemjustto
seewhatwouldhappen.
Transferringthiscontrolwasnotsomethingsheorhercolleagueswereaverseto.
Asshestated,sheandhercolleagueslookedforwaystogivemorecontrolofthelearning
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tothestudents.Shespokeatlengthabouthowthestudentsgainedsomuchresponsibility
forthelearningwiththenewcurriculum.Thestudentscreatedthelearningexperienceand
shebelievedthatgavethestudentssomuchownershipoftheireducation.
It'salotmorehandson,Ithink.Alotmoreownershipofsortof,youknow,the
responsibilitiesof,youknow,sometimestheyevensetuptheirownproceduresbut
evenwhenthey'refollowingaprocedure,youknow,definitely,definitelyalotof
ownershiponthemthattheyneedtobefollowingitandyouknow,doingit
correctlyor,youknow,theriskofmessingitupkindofathingisreal.Idefinitely
thinkit'sjustmoreintheirhands.Theirlearningismoreintheirhands,solikeeven
theobservationsandthingsthattheywritedown,theyhavetobeabletosortof
connecttheirownobservationstoascientificconceptlater,vs.aprescribedsetof
thingsthattheirteachersaid.
Youknow,howdoesthisrelate?Theyallhavetheirowndrawings,theirown,you
know,notesthattheyjottedinthemargin,ortheirownobservationsthatthey
made,andtheykindofhavetofigureoutandberesponsibleformakingsurethat
theycanconnecttheirownobservationstothescientificconceptvs.medoingitfor
them.Andforeverykidthat'sadifferent,thatmightbeadifferentstorythatthey've
told,youknow,viatheirobservationsor,youknow,whatevertheychosetotest.
Sothatcansometimes,Ifeellikeit'sjustmoreintheirhands.AndthenI'msortof
thepersonthatkindofstepsinattheendandhelpsthemmakesenseofthewhole
bigpicturethat'sundertheumbrella.Likethey'restartingtomakethoselittle
connectionsallalong,butthenit'smyresponsibilitytosortofcomeinandbelike
okay,youknow,underthisumbrellaofideas,Iguess,Idon'tknow,butthat
probablymakessense.
Althoughthenewcurriculumhaschangedtheroleoftheteacherandstudent,she
stillfeelsastrongresponsibilityofhelpingthestudentsattheendofaninvestigation.She
findssheneedstohelpthempullitalltogether.
Ifeellikeoneofthebiggest,oneofthehardestpartsareconnectionsattheend.We
studyallthesedifferentpartsofthings.Wedothislabandwehaveallthese
differentobservations.Anditis,IthinkIhavefound,myjobattheendtobringitall
togetherforthem.Becauseweusedtobringitalltogetherforthematthebeginning
withthenotesandtheoutlinesandthereadingsandthenthiswhenwegavethem
theanswersfirst.ButIfeellikenowtheyarekindofouttherewithalloftheirideas.
Shedescribedthiswhendiscussinganinvestigationfromthecurriculumkit.Inthis
investigation,studentshavetodesignanexperimentaroundtestingifyeastareliving
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organisms.Attheendoftheinvestigation,studentshaveobservationsandotherdatathey
havecollected,buttheystruggletopullittogethertomakeanargumentforyeastbeing
aliveornot.
SolikeI'm,freshonmymindrightnowisourfermentationlabwherethey,you
know,theyweretestingyeastandtestingdifferentthingsthatit,youknow,would
causeittofermentorgothroughfermentation,butthenattheendtheyreallyhad
tosortofmaketheconnectionbetween,youknow,ourlabwasproducingbubbles,
butwhatwerethebubblesevidenceof?Thebubbleswerecarbondioxide.Whatis
thatevidenceof?Andlikereallykeeptrackingitbacktothecomplicateddescription
offermentationthatwasinthereading.
Youknow,andalotofthematfirststruggledtomakethatconnectionof,oh,that's
what'shappening.Youknow,it'slikedescribedallscientificallywithfancy
vocabularyinthereading,andtheninthelabit'slike,oh,wemixedthesetwothings
togetherandtherewerebubbles.Soyouknow,beingabletomakethose
connectionsattheend,Ithinkiswhereit'skindofgiveandtake,becauseIhavethe
responsibilityofhelpingthemmakethoseconnections,butthentheyalsohaveto
sortofbeopentoseeingandmakingthoseconnections.
Thischangeinstudentandteachers’rolesiscoupledwithachangeinhowthe
curriculumislearned.Elizabethnotedhowthecontenttakesabackseattobroaderideas
inscience.Ratherthanfocusingonthe“nittygritty,”thestudentsstudybigideasthrough
severalactivities.
Content-wise,Ithinkit’salittlebitdifferent,becauseyouhavesortofthesebroader
questions,tospeak,vs.thislikenittygrittycontentthatweusedtohavetoget
through.Youknow?Wegetthroughallthesedifferenttopicswhereasnowit’slike
“howdoesthestructureofalivingorganismrelatetoitsfunction?”Andthenthere
arethreeorfourdifferentorganismsthatwe’relookingatunderthatsortof
broaderumbrella,whichIlikebecauseIthinkithelpsthekids,too…Thekids
discoverthelearningontheirpathvs.givingthemthenotesandthereadingahead
oftimeandthenhavingthemhavetosortoffigureoutwherethatisintheinquiry.
Insteadthey’redoingtheinquiryandthenallthat[thecontent]comeslater….The
kidssortofdiscoverthelearningontheirown.They’reobservingandexperiencing
andquestioningwhatthey’relookingat.Thenlaterhavingthea-hamomentofhow
itallsortofcomestogether.They’reresponsibleforhavingtothinkthroughwhat
they’reseeinganddoingwithascientificlens.Theyhavetotrytocomeupwith
hypothesisorexplanationsforthingsbeforetheycangettheanswers.
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Althoughthenewcurriculumengagesthestudentsininquiryandconnectsbetter
withElizabeth’sbeliefsinteachingandlearningscience,shehasquestionedifthereareany
trade-offsfromthecurriculumchange.Undertheoldcurriculum,studentsexcelledat
memorizingcontentandmakingconnectionswithinthecontent—althoughnotnecessarily
makingconnectionsofthecontenttonewsituations.Asthenewcurriculumuses
discoveredscientificpracticesasawaytolearncontent,thetextforthenewcurriculumis
alabguidemorethanatraditionaltextbook.
Ithinktheydosometimeslackthatsortofdisciplinedstudyskillofreadingand
takingnotes.Ithinkwehavetoexplicitlyteachitnoworatleasthelpthemnow.
Becauseitwassocontentbased,theywereverystudious.Whereasnowtheyare
veryhands-on,doA,B,andCandhavetoteachthemhowtobringitalltogether.I
don’tknow,doesthatmakesense?Imeanthekidsknewalot.Imeanalotof
contentisimpressive,Iguess.Butforwhat?What’sitgonnagetyouinyourfuture?
She’snotedthatparentsexpressconcernovertheirchild’sstudyskills,asthenew
curriculumdoesn’toffermanytraditionaltests.Shewondersifthisisadownsidetothe
newcurriculum;shewondersiftheyarelosingaskillassociatedwithamoretraditional
stylelearning.
Weoftentalkabouthowourkidsdon’tneedtostudyfortestsasmuchastheyused
to.Soisthatalostskill?Like,inscienceIguess,becausewe’renotgivingasmany
multiple-choicetests.Wedon’thavethemmemorizethisandspititouttomeona
testwehavethreedaysfromnowtests.So,Ithinkthereismaybealackofstudy
skills.Parentsgetreallyuptightaboutthat.“Mykidcan’tstudyfortests.”WellI’m
liketherearenotestsinmyclass.ButIwonderifI’mdoingthemadisservicefor
theminthefuture,youknow,highschoolorcollegecoursewheremaybetheirline
ofthinkingisn’tquitewhereweare.We’vehadthisdiscussionaboutourhighschool
wheretheystilldogivethemalotoftestswhilewe’restillinquiry,analysis,anda
lotofreflection.
Becausethestyleoflearninghaschangedinherclasshowsheevaluatesher
studentshaschanged.Ratherthanprovidingtraditionalgrades,sheprovidesmore
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feedbacktoherstudentsandtracksthisfeedbackovertime.Shebelievesthisismore
authentictohowscienceisdone.
Atonoffeedback.Ilovegrading.Justkidding.No,I,yeah,thelabshavestarted
gradingtheminanywaywhereI'mjustgivingthemwaymorefeedbackthanIused
to.Ittakesalotlonger,butIthinkthatisoneofthewaysthatIkindoftrytofine
tuneorpinpointwhatacertainstudentisgettingornotgetting.Sotherehavebeen
labswhereIhave,youknow,iftheyaregettingagradeon,foranobservation
sectionwhereIhavewrittenlikeparagraphsoflikequestionstryingtogetthemto
likeprobe,youknow,whatcolorwasit,whywasitthatcolor,youknow,justa
seriesofquestions,specificquestionstohelpprobethemintothinkingthattheir
observationscouldbemoredetailedorcouldhave,youknow,differentaspectsto
them.
SoIfeellikeI'mwritingalotofspecificcommentstoeachstudentbasedonwhat
they'reabletopresentintheirlab.Becauseeachkidisdifferentinthataspect.And
thenIkindofchartandkeeptrackofthose.Iscoremylabsindifferentcategories,
andsothenIcankindoftrackinmygradebooksystem,Icantrackifthey're
showingimprovementinthosecategories,likemaybeyouhaveanobservation
categoryoraprocesscategory,andthenyoucankindofseealongthewayifthey're
makingimprovementsinthoseareasandthenseeifyouneedtoprobethemalittle
bitmore.
ThisstyleofgradingallowsElizabethtoencouragestudentstoaskmorequestions
andengageinadditionalscientificpractices.Forexample,herfeedbackmayaskstudentsto
consideradditionalwaystoanalyzedataorfindweaknesseswithintheirownarguments.
AsI’vepreviouslystated,thecurriculumchangeresultedinanewcurriculumthat
alignswithElizabeth’sbeliefsonthepurposeofscienceeducation.
It'sgood.Imeanmy,Ithinkmyvisionhasalwaysbeenthatsciencecanbefun,andI
thinkthingsaredefinitelymorefunwhenyouarehands-onactuallyperforming
experimentsinthelabvs.readingtextbooksandtakingnotes.Soyeah,ImeanI
thinkit,therehaveactuallybeentimeswhereI'vehadtolikeremindmyselfIstill
needtoteachthemhowtotakenotesandreadatextbook.Igetsocarriedaway
withlikethefunlabsandthehandsonstuffthatwill,youknow,thenextdayI'llbe
like,ohyeah,wedidn'ttakenotesonthis,weshouldprobablydothat.Youknow?
Sherecognizesthatnotallofherstudentsaregoingtofallinlovewithscienceand
pursueitasafuturecareer.Shejokedthatwhenherstudentswereyoungermanyofthem
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probablywantedtobeanastronautbutnownolongerhavethatdream.Yet,evenforher
studentswhodon’tpursueacareerinSTEM,sherecognizesavalueinwhatshehastaught
them.
Ohyeah.Imeanbecausereallyifthey'renotgoingtobeascientistorgointosome
scientificcareer,they'regoingtotakewiththemallthoseprocessskills,allthat
problemsolving,allthatsortofknowingwhattodowhenthere'sagrayareaand
knowingwheretofindananswerwhenyoudon'tknow.Knowinghowtojust,you
know,takeastandandbackitupwithevidence.Ithinkallofthatisthingsthatare
naturalprocessesthatyoudoinyourlifeallthetime,youknow,thatarejust,
happentobe,youknow,partofthescientificprocessaswell.
Soyouknow,evenifyou'rechoosingacareerbeyondthatornotwithintherealmof
scienceortechnologyormathorwhatever,you'restill,youknow,problemsolving.I
thinktheotherthingaboutscienceisthatit'sveryhighlycollaborative.Youhavelab
partners;youhavelabtable.Youknow,it'sjust,inallschoolsit'slikethatbecause
you'resharingmaterials.Andscienceisaverycollaborativeprocess.Imeanweall
knowthat,youknow,whatever,howevermanypercentagesofcareersthatthey're
goingtotryforintheirfuture,youknow,beingateammember,beingcollaborative,
being,youknow,asocialbeing,issomethingthatisgoingtobeveryimportant,and
Ithinkthoseskillsgetpracticedinscienceclasseveryday.
NotsoeasyasABC
Elizabeth’sexperiencewiththenewcurriculumhasbeenmostlypositive.However,
shehasexperiencedchallengesandfrustrationsinteachingit.Shelovesthatthenew
curriculumisinquiry-based.However,she’sfoundthatmovementsineducationare
makingitdifficulttoimplementthecurriculumaswritten.
What’shappeningineducationissuckingthefunoutofteaching.[Laughs]LikeIfeel
therearesomanystandardsandgoalsandthingsthatourkidshavetomeetthatwe
sometimesforgetlearningcanbefun.Like,wehavetogetthisdonebythistime.I
havetohavethemreadyforthisassessmentbythistime.Ihavetogetthemthrough
allthecurriculumbyJune.Ifeellikethepressuresofwhatthey’reexpectedtolearn
cansometimesgetunderyourskin….Iwishwecould,youknow,skipoverthis
portion[ofthecurriculum]becausethat’snotveryfun.It’skindofdryandboring.
Butwehavetodoit!Becausewehaveto,youknow,doAandBtogettoC.So,Ido
feelliketimesortofishardandliketheexpectationsofwhatkidsaresupposedto
beabletodosometimesmakesyouthinkyoudon’thavetimetobefuneveryday.
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IaskedherifshewastalkingabouttheNextGenerationScienceStandards[NGSS].
ShesaidNGSSwasnottheconcernasthosestandardsareimprovingscienceeducation.
[Thestandards]makesurethatteacherswhoteachscienceareengaginginmore
thanjustcontentbutinprocessaswell.Processesthat,likeIalreadysaid,are
commonornecessaryinyoureverydaylife,nomatterwhatyoudo…Theyalso
narrowthose[content]details….Ithinkthepurposeofthemistosortofhavea
broaderviewofthelargertopicsofscience,bigger,moreopenendedquestions…
[They]lookatscienceasabiggerpictureaboutthenittygrittydetailsbutthe
understandingofthebigpictureofscienceandhowitconnectstotheirworld.
Someofthestandardsshewasreferringtoweretheoldstatestandardsthatexisted
priortoandjustaftertheadoptionofthenewcurriculum.Shefelttheyweretoospecific
anddidn’tincludetheprocessesorskillsthatsheexpectsherstudentstolearn.Herstate
assessedherstudents’achievementoftheoldstandardswithamultiplechoice
standardizedassessment.Althoughherstudentsalwaysperformedwellontheassessment,
itwasnotinlinewithhowshetaughtherclass.Herstaterecentlyupdatedtheassessment
tobemorereflectiveofsciencepractices.
Ithinkthey’retryingtobe.AndIthinkit’shardbecausewe’resoskepticalofthem
inthefirstplacethat,asteachers,we’reautomaticallylikeugh.ButIthinkthey’re
trying.Ithinkifwehavetohavestandardizedassessmentsthey’reobviouslytrying
tomakethemmorereflectiveofwhatwe’redoinginourclassrooms.Youknow.Hit
ormiss,sometimes.ButIoftenwonderwhatskillisitthatyouneed.
Shewondershowthestateplanstoevaluatethestudents’responsesontheopen-
endeditemsasshestrugglesgradingherownstudents’work.
Becauseit’simpossibletogradekidsinmyclassroom.SoIcan’timagineitona
standardizedlevel.It’s,it’s...whichiswhyyouhavetotellthekids,“thisisonetest,
it’sone.”Because,youknow...don’tgetmestartedonstandardizedtests.
Imeangradingissohardnow….Itissohard!Andwetalkaboutitallthetime.Oh
godIhavetograde!Ittakesforever.Ohmygoshittakesforever!Therearesomany
differentthingsthekidscansaythatareright!
Ialreadyreviewedhowshegradedinthesectionontheroleofcontent.Shetriesto
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balancewhatshegradesonthestudents’processes,skills,andtheirunderstandingofthe
contentthatisnecessarytoreachthebiggerideas.Consequently,shespendsalotoftime
gradingherstudent’swork.
I'mstartingtogettothatpointwhere,andsomebodyoutofcontextmightnotget
myjokerightnow,butifIhavetogradeonemoreblackwormlab,mybrainmight
explode.BecauseIdothinkliketheblackwormwasamazingandIwasexcited
whenwegotthecurriculumandI'mexcitedtodoit,butnowhereIamthreeyears
later,fiveperiodsayear,130blackwormlabsayear,hereitislikethreeorfour
yearslaterandI'mlike,ohmyGod,Ican'tdothis,Ican'tgradethispaper.
Asshecontinuedthisthought,sheexplainedhowintheoldcurriculum’smonotony
(indoingactivitiesorlessons)waseasilychanged.Whenshegotboredwithatopic,she
wasabletomodifyit.Withthenewcurriculum,however,shefindsthatthekitsarepretty
prescribedandchangesaren’teasytomake.Shefeelslikehercreativesideisbeingheld
back.
Becauseinmyoldcurriculum,whenIgotboredofsomething,Iwouldjustchangeit.
Youknow,thecontentstayedthesamebutIwouldbelike,oh,let'sdothislab
instead,whereIfeellikethisoneisprettyprescribedanditiskindof,ourkit,
especiallyforlackofabetterwordisalittlebitdummyproof.Likehere,here's
everythingyouneedandhere'stheprocedureandhereitisandwe'regoingto
replenishitnextyearsoyoucandoitagainintheexactsameway.
Sothereisalittlepartoflikethecreativepartofmeisstartingtofeelalittlestifled
oflikedoingtheexactsamethingeveryyear.AndsoIhavethissortofphilosophical
thinggoingoninmyheadoflike,youknow,iswhat'sdoingbestforchildrentruly
thateveryteacherdoeseverythingeveryyearthesamewayinthesame,youknow,
andI'veneverbeenthatkindofteacher.I'vealwaysbeenthekindofteacherthat
changesthingseachyearbecauseA)youwanttomakethembetter,orB)you'rejust
like,oh,I'mkindofsickofthislab.Let'sdoanotherone.
StickingtothecurriculumplanhasalsobeenachallengeforElizabeth.Whileshe
hasaddedandremovedlessonsovertime,shehasfeltconstrainedbytime.Sometimesthe
inquiriesareveryengagingforthestudentsandshewantstokeepthemgoingbutshefinds
shehastomoveontokeepupwiththekit.Herclassesareonly40minuteslonganditcan
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bedifficulttoconductportionsofalessonwithinthattime.
Andthenjusttiming.It'shard,Imeanthethingsthatyouwanttospendweekson,
youjustcan't.Youknow,likeyougetareallygreatinquiryoryouget,youaninquiry
andthenthekidshaveallthesequestionsofwhatifwetestedthisorwhatifweput
ithere,whatifwe,andyou'relike,yes,yes,yes.Butno,no,wedon'thavetime.SoI
thinkthatisoneofthedownfalls,Ithink,inordertobesortofatrueinquiryclass.
Youneedtobeabletorunwiththosethings.Butwe're,youknow,stillunderthe
pressureoffinishingcertainthingsintheschoolyear.
Ialsojustsomedayswishthatwecouldjusthavescienceforliketwohours.IthinkI
reallystrugglewiththe40-minuteperiod.Thewaythatourscheduleworksisthat
ourkidsarein40-minutesperiods,soIhavescience,theyhavescience40minutes
everyday.Andforsomethingsthat'sgreat,butforalotofthingsyou'rejustlike,oh,
ifIonlyhadanhourandahalf,youknow,wecouldgetthroughthiswholeprocess
andhavelikeareallymeaningfulconversationandnothaveitbecutupbetween
thedaysandtryingtomakeitworkthatwaywhenitcouldjustbeauthenticand
happenallatonce.
Elizabeth’sscheduleisn’tasflexibleasitmaybeinanelementaryclassroom.Her
studentsrotatebetweenseveralclassesadayasdictatedbytheschoolschedule.Somany
ofheractivitiesareoftencutshortbythebriefclassperiods.Atypicallessonforhercan
lastmanydays.Onedaycouldbethegettingstarted,orlaunch,anotherdayisopen
explorationtodesigntheinquiry,multipledayscanbespentcollectingdata,andadditional
daysareneededtoreflectandreviewwhatwaslearned.
Whileinquires,andtheskillsandprocessthatgointothemarethemainfocusin
Elizabeth’scurriculum,shestilltakestimetohelpthestudentbuildtraditionalskills.She
stillexpectsthatherstudentswillknowhowtoreadascientifictextorciteevidencefroma
source.Butshefindsthese“notsofun”asshefeelstheytakeawayfromtheinquiry
experience.
I’vehadtoremindmyselfIstillneedtoteachthemhowtotakenotesandreada
textbook.Igetsocarriedawaywiththefunlabsandthehands-onstuffthatwell,
youknow,thenextI’llbelike,“ohyeah,wedidn’ttakenotesonthis,weshould
probablydothat.”So,I’vehadtolikeremindmyselftodothenotsofunstuff.ButI
do.Ithinkitalignswithwhatwedo.
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Elizabethisn’tstatingthatshefindstheseskillsunnecessary.Sherecognizesthat
theyareanimportantpartoftheskillsstudentsneedforwhentheyareadults.Theydo
needtoknowhowtoreadfactualtext,theydoneedtoknowhowtotakenotesfrom
someonetalking,theydoneedtoknowhowtociteinformation.But,ifitwereuptoher,
shewouldbedoingmoreinquiries.
Iwouldbefulloninquiryallthetime.Ithinkjust,Iwouldprobablyletthemhave
moresay.Itrytodothatnow.ButIwouldletthemhavemoresayinwhattopicswe
studyinacertain,youknow,umbrellatopic.Youknow,designingmorelabs.Alotof
what’sfuninournewcurriculumistherearetheselabsembedded,wetalkedabout
earlier,thedatadoesn’talwayspulloutthefirsttime.“Ohwhathappened?”Iwant
tokeepdoingthat.Thekidswanttodoitagain:“canwedoitagainlikethis?”“Nope!
Wegottamoveon!”[Laughs]Youknow,IthinkifIhadunlimitedresources,or
unlimitedtimeforsure,wewouldtestandretestandretestbecausethat’swhat
scientistsdo.Um,unlimitedresourcesIwouldjustlovetogoplacesandbeother...go
experienceotherenvironmentsor,youknow,Idon’tevenknow,ormaybebringin
moreSTEMstuff:morebuilding.AcoupleoftheactivitiesIliketodorequirealotof
stuffthatyoujustdon’thavetheextramoneyfor.ButIthinkIjustwanttodoalotof
moreofthetrialanderrorofbuildingthings.“Here’sahundredmorestraws,”you
know,ifthebudgetwerelarger.Wewouldn’tbecontainedwithinthebudget.
WhenIaskedheraboutthebudgetshesaidshebelievessheworksinavery
fortunateplace.Shedoesn’toftenhavetoworryaboutfinancesasthedistrictprovidesthe
sciencedepartmentwithanadequatebudget.Evenso,sheandherdepartmenthave
workedtofindwaystostretchthebudget.Thedistrictcoveredtheinitialstartupcostof
thekits,buttherestockingisdoneandpaidforbythedepartmentbudget.
We'vebeenlucky.Ithinkwe've,we'vehadtosortofgiveandtakeinsomeareas
where,thingsthatwefeelaremorenecessaryforthelearningprocessvs.things
thatwecouldsaveorreuseor,youknow,buycheaper,orwhateverthecasemaybe.
ImeanIthinkwe've,ourdepartmentleaderhasdoneareallynicejoboffiguringout
like,youknow,shortcutsordealsorthingswhereit'slike,well,maybeifwereuse
thesewecouldsavethatmoneyandapplyitsomewhereelse.Sowehaven'thadany
problemssofarwiththat,no.
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SummaryofElizabeth’sFindings
TheinterviewswithElizabethrevealedhowsheexperiencedthecurriculumchange.
Herbeliefsandpracticesinscienceeducationarealignedwithbestpractices.Shewants
herstudentstolearnhowscienceisdoneasthoseskillswillhelpthemastheygetolder.
Shestressestheimportanceofbecomingresponsibleadults.Shewantsstudentsto
recognizetheirplaceinearth’ssystemsandrealizethattheyowearesponsibilitytothe
planet.
ForElizabeth,thismeansteachingscienceasabodyofskillsandprocessesthatare
refinedbyexploringlargeideas.Thecontentdoesn’ttakethedriverseat.Rather,the
contentispartofthesceneryalongthedrivetobecomingscientificallyliterate.Alongthis
path,Elizabethhasexperiencedhershareoffrustrationsandchallenges:balancinginquiry
learningwithtraditionalskills(e.g.readingnon-fiction,studyingfortests),givingthe
studentsmorecontrolbuthavingtopulltogetherthelessonforthemattheend,time
limitations,andhavingtolearnnewcontentthatshehadnottaughtbefore.Butthese
frustrationsandchallengeshaven’thamperedherphilosophy.Infact,itseemedtomake
herbeliefsstrongerasshereifiedthemthroughthecurriculum.
Laura
Lauraisan8thgradescienceteacher.Shehasbeenaneducatorforsevenyearsand
hasbeeninthesameschooldistrictsinceshestarted.However,likeElizabeth,shechanged
schools.ShestartedhercareeratthemiddleschoolwhereJudycurrentlyteaches.She
servedasalong-termsubstituteinbothfifthandsixthgrades.Afterthatyear,shetooka
fulltimesciencepositionatthejuniorhighschoolwhereElizabethandDeloresteach.
134
Laurafeltshewantedtobeateacherfromayoungage.Shefeelsthatthisdesireto
workwithchildrenispartlyrootedinherpositiveexperienceswithschoolgrowingup.
Ilovedschool.Ilikedlearningandallofmydifferentclasses.Teachingissomething
thatI’vealwayswantedtodoasayoungkid.Ijustreallylikedworkingwithkids.I
likedseeingthemlearnandseeinghowtheyproblemsolved.Thatledmetoscience,
too.MymomwentbacktoschoolwhenIwasyounger.SoIwalkedthroughthe
processwithher.Thatwascool:toseehergoingbacktoschoolandhelpingher
withherclassroom.
Sciencewasn’tatopicofinterestforheruntilshestartedhighschoolandcollege.
Sheenjoyedwhatscienceofferedherinthosegrades.
Ididn’treallyparticularlylikescienceuntilIgottohighschoolandtookchemistry.
That’swhenIstartedtoreallylikeit.Conductingchemicalreactionsandjustseeing
themaththatgoesintothescienceaswellreallyintriguedme.Projectsliketheegg
dropwhenIwasgrowingup—thatwasgood!Thatwasfun!
ThenincollegeItookacoupleofteachingscienceliteracyclassesthatIabsolutely
loved.Ithinkthatreallysparkedmyinterest.
Lauraenjoyedthestructureofhercollegesciencecourses.Manyofherscience
coursesweredesignedforteachers.Shedescribedtheclassesasintroductorybutwith
teachersinmind.Someoftheclasseswereclearlyinquiryorientedwhileotherswerestill
taughtwithatraditionalframework.
Itooksomekindofscienceliteracyandmethodsforinstruction,butItookageology
forelementaryteachersandaphysicsformiddle-schoolteachers.Itookastandard
biology101andastandardchemistry101,butmostofthecurriculumwasgeared
towardsteachers.
IthinktheclassesforteachersweremorefocusedonhowwegetfrompointAto
pointBandwhatthingsweneedtothinkaboutandconsider,whereasIfeltthe
classesthatwere101or202weremorelikethiswasjustthebackgroundstepfor
wherewe’regoingnextforbioorwhatever.
IaskedLauratoelaborateonwhatshemeantbyherclassesfocusingongetting
frompointAtopointB.
135
Forusitwasmoreabouthow—wefiguredouthowweposeaproblem.Wewould
then—theytookyouthrough—itwaslessguidedinstruction.WhereaswhenIhad
my101class,itwaslikethisisthequestion,here’stheprocedure,oryouneedto
developyourownproceduretogethisresult.Weknewiftheresultsweren’twhat
weexpected,we’dneedtogoback.Whereasintheothercourseitwasmoreofa—
wefeltweweredoingsomethingnew,eventhoughitwasn’t.
Herexperiencesincollegeframedwhatshebelievedwasthebestwaytoteach.She
describedherphilosophyofteachingasbelievingallstudentscanlearnandthatthe
studentsshouldbegiventheleadintheirownlearning.Shefoundthatpartofthis
philosophywasfromherexperienceworkingatadaycamp.
Ithinkworkingwithkids,evenindaycamp,youseekidsjumpoutanddothings
youwouldn’tnecessarilyanticipatethemdoingatthebeginningofthesummer.And
soIthinkthatallstudentscanlearn.Whenyougivethemthebarebonesand
excitementforlearningandencouraginglessonsandprovideproperguidanceand
properscaffolding,everyonewillsucceedandgrow.
Beingascienceteacheristobeaguideandafacilitator,topromote—justtryingto
promotethosepracticeseveninandoutsideoftheclassroom,thinkinginscientific
wayswithhowyouengagewithyourfriendsandhowyouenjoyyourtime.Youuse
itineverydaylife,andlearningthosepracticesaregoingtotakeyou—it’susedin
everydisciplineofeveryareaofyourlife.
It’spartoflife,andit’sapartofgrowing.It’sapplicable,nomatterwhatsubject
you’rein.Thescientificprocessissomethingthat’snotjustdoneintheclassroom.
It’sdoneeverywhereelse,too.It’sincrediblyimportantearlyon,andespecially
throughouttheireducationalcareertoreallyreinforcethoseskillsinclassasthey
canusethemoutside.
Shebelievesthatchildrenarenaturallycuriousabouttheirworld.Shebelieves
scienceextendsthatcuriosity.Shewantsherstudentstolearnthatscientificpracticesare
applicableoutsideofscienceitself.Ensuringherstudentsengagethiscuriosityisdone
throughdifferentiation.
Itrytodifferentiate.Itrytoleaveopen-endedtaskssostudentscanmakeitas
complexastheyfeelthey’reabletodo.ThenalsoI’llgivedifferenttasks.For
studentsthatfeelthey’rereadyforthechallenge,theycanchoosetotakesomething
morechallengingormorestructured.
136
Ithinksciencelendsitselfreallywelltothisbecausetheactofscienceistobe
engagedandmakingthosechoicesanddecisions.It’stheeasiestsubjectto
differentiate.
Laurafeelsthatsheisequippedtoteachscience.Thepracticesthatarenecessary
areoneofherstrengths.Shehasgonebeyondherundergraduatedegreeinelementary
educationtomakeimprovementstoherteaching.ThisincludedbecomingaNational
ScienceTeacherAssociationNewScienceTeacherAcademyFellowandcompletinga
Master’sofScienceinScienceEducation.
Ididaprogramspecificallyforyoungscienceteachers.Thathadanonlineplatform.
Ihadamentorthatwasascienceteacher.Itwasjustagreatwaytobounceideasoff
teacherswhohadgreatexperience.ItwasalsoawaytomakesureIwaskeepingin
linewiththepracticesthatwerebeingresearchedthen.Thatwasayear-long
mentoringprogram.Then,Ialsodidtheconferencesthemselves,whichwerea
coupledayslong—veryhelpful.Itwasanicethingtoboostenthusiasmandanew
interestindifferentareas.
TheMaster’sprogramwasgearedspecificallytowardsmiddle-schoolteachersin
scienceeducation.Itwasaverywellrunprogram.Ithoughttheydidanicejobof
givinguscontentinallofthebroadcontentareasofscienceatthesametimeas
evaluatingdifferentcurriculumsandfindingthemodeforhowweteachtheprocess.
SeekingprofessionaldevelopmenthasbeenimportantforLaura.Shefeelsthe
optionsshehasselectedhavebeenhelpful.Butshewishesthedistrictwouldprovide
betterprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforherandhercolleaguesastheyoncehad.
Nowshefeelstheprofessionaldevelopmentistoostructured.
ThePDItookwerealotmoretargeted.Ifelttheywerespeakingmoreoutof
experience.They’rebetterorganized—wellthoughtthrough.Someofthegeneral
coursesofferedbyourdistricthavehadsomeexcellentspeakers.They’vehadsome
speakersonthoughtprocessandthinking,scienceofthebrain.
Itwasniceinthatwewereabletogooffonourownandweregivenalittlebitless
guidedworktodo.Itwasalittlebitmoremeaningfulthanwhatwehaddoneinthe
pastandwhatwedonow.Weworkedasadepartment,whichwasgreat.
137
ContentisKing
Whendiscussingthevalueoflearningscience,Laurahighlightedthejoystudents
havewhenengagingininquiry.Shetalkedabouthowthestudentsareexcited,eagerly
participate,andeventrytoreplicateactivitiesathome.But,shenoted,whenthefocusis
primarilyoncontentinsteadofprocess,thestudentsseemtolosethatjoy.
Ithinktheinterestisjustgone.You’renotinterested.Ifeelassoonasitcomesdown
toyouhavetorememberthis—factsandfigures—themeaningisjustgone.It
doesn’tbecomepersonalanymore.It’smoregeneral.
ThiswashardforLaurabecauseshebelievedthatscienceismeaningful.Whenthe
curriculumdoesn’tprovidethat,shefeelsthestudentsaredisconnected.Unfortunately,
priortothenewcurriculum,Laurawasgivenacurriculumthatwasfactdrivenand
disconnectedfromthestudents.Theoldcurriculumwasatextbook,labdriven
understandingofphysicalscience.Laurasaidthetopicsstudiedincludedconservationof
mass,density,volume,andcharacteristicpropertiesofmatter.Thecurriculumculminated
inaweeks-longprojectcalledSludge.Thestudentshadtoisolatealltheindividual
componentsofthemixtureusingtheskillsandknowledgetheyhadlearnedthroughoutthe
year.
Learningthesetopicswasnotengagingforthestudents.Lauracommentedonhow
thetextbookandlabswerenotopen-ended.
Thecurriculumwasdefinitelymoreclosed-ended.Therewasapre-lab,wherewe
talkedabouthowtodoalab.Theydoalab.Thenwetalkedaboutwhatyoushould
haveorwhatshouldbefoundattheend—whatwedidfind.Itwasnotinquiry
oriented.Itwasallaboutthecontent.
Itwasnotaseasytodifferentiate.Itwasn’tasopen-ended,sotherewasagreater
needforyoutoscaffoldoutthepartsthatarereallyimportantinsciencewitha
traditionalcurriculum.
138
ThiswasachallengeforLaura.Shewantedallofherstudentstolearn.Shewanted
toprovideopportunitiesforallofherstudentstoparticipateinclass.Yet,shefoundtheold
curriculumdidnotreadilyallowthis.Partofthiswasduetohowthecurriculumwas
structured.Mostofthetimewasspentlecturingtothestudentsorparticipatinginwhole
classdiscussions.
Itwasmuchmorecontent-basedasopposedtoactivity.Ithinkwehad—onagood
weekitwastwoperiodsoflabandthreeperiodsoverallofdiscussion.
Itwasmainly,asfarascontent,mostlyfromthelecturesinclass.Wewouldalways
taketheclassdataanddrawconclusionsfromtheclassdata.Aslongastheyhave
theclassdataanditwasokay,theycouldprobablycometotheconclusionthatthey
needed.Ididappreciatethatitwasdata-driven.Ilikedthat.But,itwastooguided.It
wastoogiven.
Whiletherewasdatatoprocessinclass,Laurafeltthedatawastoostructuredfor
thestudents.Therewasn’tanopportunitytoengageinmessydata.Whenthestudentsdid
encounterdatathatwasnotconsistentwiththeresultsofothers,Laurasaidtheydidn’t
havetimetodiscussitbecausetheyhadtokeepmoving.“Idon’tthinkwehadmuch
opportunityforthat,”shestated,“becausewehadtobeontargetatcertainpointsinthe
yearfordifferentprojects.Therewasn’ttoomuchtimetostopandreflect.”
Thestudentsspentaconsiderableamountoftimetryingtomatchtheirfindings
withtheexpectedoutcomes.IaskedLaurawhyshethoughtthecurriculumusedlabs.After
all,ifthestudentsaresimplytryingtomatchtheoutcome,whatisthepurposeofdoingthe
lab?Couldn’ttheyjustbetoldtherightanswer?
Ithinkitwasjustto—Ithinktheywantedthemtogothroughtheprocessofthisis
whatalabisandthisiswhatalablookslike.So,understandthatprocessanddoing
it.Butlookingbackitwasmoreofanactivity.Somethingswecould’vejusttalked
aboutandmovedontosomethingdeeper.
139
Consequently,thestudentsdidn’thavetheopportunitytoengageinmorescientific
practices.Theyweren’tencouragedtoaskquestions,theyweren’tallowedtoinvestigate
topicsfurther,andtheyweren’tabletoreflectmuchontheirlearning.Thestudentsjust
couldn’tconnecttothecurriculum.
Thestudentswereobservers.Itwasmoreteacher-directed.Theywouldlisten.They
wouldaskquestions.Theywoulddothelabasitwastoldandthengettheresults
thattheyshouldhavegotten.Itwasalotmoreteacher-driven.
Studentsdidn’treallycarehowtofindthevolume19,000differentways.Itwasn’t
reallyposedasagoodproblemsotheinterestwasn’tthere.Idon’tthinkitwas
reallyhowscienceisdoneoutsideofthetraditionalclassroom.Itwasapoor
representationofthat.
Laurarecognizedthatchangingthecurriculumwashardtodo.Shewouldtryto
makeitmorerelevantandmeaningfulforthestudents.But,withoutarealconnectionto
thestudents’lives,shefoundthatdifficult.Shetalkedabouthowshe’dmodifythe
curriculumbyaddingchallengesorbuildinginextensions.But,asshepreviously
mentioned,thiswashardtodobecauseshewasunderatimecrunch.Therewasnotalotof
flexibilitywithinthecurriculumtostrayfromthebook.
Shetriedtointegratemorescientificpracticesintothecurriculum.Forexample,she
challengedthestudentstowritetheirownprocedures.Shetriedtodevelopessential
questions.Butthecurriculum’scontentandtimerestraintsmadethatdifficulttodo.Ittook
toomuchtimeforthestudentstodeveloptheirownprocedures.And,iftheymade
mistakesindoingso,thentheywouldn’tbeabletoreachtheexpectedoutcome.
Laura’soverallperceptionoftheoldcurriculumwasnegative.Thecurriculum
seemedtobeatoddswithhowshebelievedscienceshouldbetaughtandwhythestudents
shouldlearnscience.IaskedLaurawhatitwaslikewhenshestartedteachingthe
140
curriculumineighthgrade.Howwelldiditfitinwithwhatshelearnedinhercollege
classes?
ItfeltlikeIwassteppingbackintimetomyelementaryschoolexperienceof
science.IhadtorevertbacktothosepoorexperiencesIhadgrowingup.Ithinkthis
curriculumwascreatedinthe‘60sorsomething.Itwasatimewheneducationwas
moreindustrialized.YouhavetogetfromAtoB,pumptheinformation,getasmuch
asyoucan,andmoveontothenext.Whereasnowwe’rerealizingtheprocessis
moreimportant.Ithinkitwascreatedinatimethatdoesn’treflectwhatweknow
abouteducationnow.
Laurarealizedthatfixingthiswasgoingtobeanundertaking.Shewantedthe
curriculumtobeinquiry-oriented.Butherattemptstodothattotheoldcurriculum
seemedfruitless.Theentirecurriculumhadtobechanged.
TheoldcurriculumwasbecomingmoreandmorealignedwithhowIfeltscience
shouldbetaught,butIstillwasn’treallyhappywithit.Istillfeltthereweresomany
foundationalthingsthatwereflawedandreallycouldn’tberectifiedwithout
overhaulingthewholesystem.
Fortunately,theoverhaulwasunderwayandanewcurriculumwasabouttobe
implementedinherclassroom.
DesiringMore
Laurahadeagerlyanticipatedthearrivalofthenewcurriculum.Thetimingwas
perfect.Thepriorcurriculumwasoutofdate,notengagingforthestudents,andwas
groundedinateacher-directedstyleoflearning.
Thecurriculumhadn’tbeenupdatedfornearly30years.They’dbeenusingthe
samepackageforthatentiretimeIthink.Andsoitwasjusttimed—therewasalso
newstandardsthatweregoingtobe,thatwerecomingoutwiththeCommonCore.
AndtheNGSSthathadn’tfullybeendevelopedbythen.Butthedistrictwantedto
approachthoseproactivelybefore.
AlthoughLaurawasn’tamemberofthecommitteethatwasworkingonrevisingthe
sciencecurriculum,Laurawasabletoparticipateinprovidingfeedback.
141
Alongthewaywewouldgetthingsandmodifythemaswewent.Sowedidhave
meetingswherewewouldlookatwhatthecommitteehaddevelopedsofarandwe
wouldtweakitandthensenditback.
Ourbiggestconcernwasthatthenewstandardshadnotyetcomeout.Sowewere
kindofanticipatingwhatwouldhappenwiththosenewstandards.Andsokindof
meetingthosewhileatthesametimemakingsurethatwehadcoveredeverything
throughoutheK-8curriculumcontent-wise.
Lauralearnedshewouldbeteachingthreenewcurriculumunitstoreplacetheone
priortextbookbasedcurriculum.Thekitsincluded3unitsfromSEPUPandsupplementary
materialsfromtheNSTA.ThedistricthadoriginallyplannedtooffertrainingtoLauraand
hercolleaguesatthesametimetheywerefirstimplementingthecurriculum.Delores
foughtbackonthisandensuredLaura,herself,andtheirothercolleaguewouldbetrained
beforethecurrentschoolyearended.Thetrainingthatwasofferedwasnotasgreatas
Laurahadexpected.
Sowehad—wehavethreedifferentunitsandweessentiallyhadmaybehalfaday
ora,Ithinkitwashalfadayforeachunitwherewehadsomeonefromthetextbook
companycomeinandkindofwalkusthroughmaybeacoupleofactivities,general
themes.Itwaskindofaquickrunthrough.Weweregivenalittlebitoftimetokind
ofdevelopourselves,sokindoflookatit,andthatwasthemostvaluabletime—
whenwewereabletodiveintoitindependentlyandcooperativelyaswell.
Itwashelpful,forsure.Imean,itdidn’t,Iwasnever,youcan’tfullybeprepared,but
Idothinkitwashelpful.But,itdidn’treallyfeeltargeted.Itwas,itfeltalotmore
scripted.Sowecamewithsomeconcernsthatthecurriculumwasnotchallenging
enoughforourstudents.Andweprefacedourtrainingwiththat.Butitdidn’tseem
likeitwasadequatelyaddressedinourtraining.
Laura’sconcernaboutthecurriculummaterialsbeingtoolowdidn’tseemtofaze
thetrainer.Laurasaidthatthetrainergavesomeideas,butshefelttheideaswereacanned
responsethatwouldbetoldtoanyone.Shedidn’tfeelthetrainingwasspecifictotheir
schoolandherstudents.
142
Iaskedhertodiscusshowshefeltaboutthecontentofthenewcurriculumandhow
itcomparedtotheoldcurriculum.
Ithinkthecontentlevelinallofthemwerelowerthanwhatwehadanticipated.The
amountofthingsthatweneededtocoverwassignificant.Thecontentitself.Butthe
depthofknowledgewasn’t—itdidn’tmatchnecessarilywherewefoundour
studentstobeinthepast.
Ithinkthedepthofknowledgewouldbemore.Theknowledgehasagreaterimpact
onstudentachievement,learning,andunderstanding.So,Iwouldmuchrather,
muchrathergodeeperasopposedtocoveringalotofcontent,shallow.
Laurawasnotexcitedabouthowmuchcontentshewasexpectedtocover.Although
thenewcurriculumwasinquiry-orientedandhadafocusonscientificpractices,shefelt
thetopicswereaddressedtooshallowlyanddidnotallowthestudentstodigdeeperinto
theideas.Lauradidrecognizeabenefitinthat,though.Shesawthathavingmanytopicsto
explore,versustheonetopicofphysicalscienceintheoldcurriculum,wouldallowher
studentstofeelsuccessful.
Theoldcurriculumwassonarrow.Thefocusitselfwassonarrowthatitdidn’t
necessarilyallowfordifferentiationoflikeabilities.Ifeltlikewiththisnew
curriculumstudentsweremoreabletokindofreallyapproacheachlessonor
whateverwith,attheirabilitylevel.There’ssomanymoretopicsthatthekids—that
theyhadtroublewithmaybeone,youknow.Theywouldhavetotakeitasa
possiblylowerlevel.Butifthere’sasimilaronethattheywerereallyengagedwith,
excitedwith,theycoulddoahigherleverthanthat.
Shefoundthenewcurriculumtobeeasiertodifferentiateforherstudents.When
studentsstruggledintheoldcurriculum,shefoundtheycontinuedtostrugglesincethe
topicswerecumulative.Inthenewcurriculum,however,atopicisonlyaddressedfora
certainamountoftime.Ifastudentstruggledwithit,they’donlydosountilthenexttopic
wasintroduced.
Whiletheamountoftopicstocoverwaslarger,Lauraappreciatedthatallthree
curricularunitssharedacommonthread:afocusoncertainscientificpractices.
143
Ithinkourwrittenandcommunicationpiecewassomethingthattiedallthreeunits
together.Writingandcommunicatingclearly,kindofassessingdatawasacommon
theme.Thosewerethetwothatreallydrovehome.Thenewcurriculumwasmore
variedandallowedthestudentstoseethedataanalysisandcommunicationin
differentwaysthanifyoujusthadonestandardtopicallyear.Itwasmore
applicabletoawiderrangeofscience.
Laurafoundthelessonformatofthenewcurriculumtobereflectiveofscientific
practicesandwhathappensinthescientificcommunity.Shedescribedatypicallesson
format.
Therewasusuallysomekindoflikebriefintroductionintolikewhatdowethink
aboutthis,whataresomequestionsthatwecouldaskaboutthis,andthenwas,
therewasanextendedperiodofkindofdiscoveryandexperimentation,
manipulation.Andthenwewouldcomebacktogetherandlookatthedatathatwe
hadcollected,theobservationsthatwehad,kindofcometoaconclusion,not
necessarilyafullconclusion,butonetorefinealittlebit.Andthen,kindofbackto
thestudents.Ihatetousethewordfindagain,buttheywouldfindtheir
understandingandthenreachmoreofaconclusionattheend.
Iliketothinkthat’sexactlywhatscientistsdo,right?Theydeveloptheirown
questions,theyexperimentandtheyrefine.There’salotofcollaborationthatgoes
on.AndIfeellikestudentshavemoreownership,justlikescientistsdointhatway.
Yeah!
Shecomparedthistothepreviouscurriculumandnotedthegeneralformatwasthe
same.But,inthenewcurriculum,studentswereencouragedtorefinetheirideasand
thinkingbasedonwhattheyhaddiscovered.Incontrast,theoldcurriculumprovidedlittle
opportunitytorefinetheirknowledge.
Asaresultofthecurriculumbeinginquiry-oriented,Laurarecognizedherroleand
theroleofherstudentshadchanged.Shefoundthestudentstobemoreengagedandhold
abiggershareoftheinvestigativeresponsibility.Shefoundherselftobemoreofaguide
thanaleaderintheclassroom.
Thestudentswereexpectedtoactivelyengage.Sotheyweretheonesthatwere
makingthequestions,theyweretheonesthatwerecarryingouttheexperiments,
designingthem,andcomingtotheirownconclusions.Sotheteacherwaskindof,
144
therewaslessoftheteacherinthat.Theteacherwasmorelikeaguide,a
questioner,tohelpkindoffocusthestudents’ideasandthestudentsweremore
active.
Lauraadmittedthatthisnewroleforherrequiredmoreplanningandpreparation.
Asthereweremanyroutesthestudentscouldgo,sherealizedshewouldhavetobe
preparedforwheretheyweregoing.But,thatledtoanimportantbenefit:thestudents
wereengagedandgotmoreoutofthecurriculum.
Itwasmore,itwasexhausting.Ithink,yeah,becauseyouhavetoplanandanticipate
whatmisconceptionsmightbecomingup.There’salot,thecurriculumwasn’tso
narrowanddefined.Itwasmore.Therewasalotofopportunityfor,fornewthings
thatstudentscoulddiscover.Soitdefinitelyrequiredalotmoreplanningupfront.
Anditwas,itwasexhausting.Butthesametime,Ifeltlikestudentsgotalotmore
outofit.
Initiallyitwasrough,butonceIkindofunderstoodwhatstudents,whatproblems
orissuesstudentsmightencounter,itbecomesmore,likejustwithteaching,too.
Youknow,asyouteachlonger,youknowwhattofocusonandwheretosteer.
Laurawasalsohappywiththenewformatofthecurriculumbecausetheroleof
contentchanged.Inthepriorcurriculum,contentwasking.Itwasthefocusoflearning.The
studentshadtoreachthesameoutcomeastheteacher’sbooktolearn.Butwiththenew
curriculum,contenttookabackseat.
Thecontentwasdefinitelythereinthenewcurriculum,butitwasalittlebitmorein
thebackground-ish,inthatstudentskindofhadtodiscoveritthroughmultiple
activities.Itwasn’tinyourface.Itwasn’t,youknow,statedrightaway.
Itwasmoreinvestigationsandkindofprobingquestions.Therewouldbesmall
sections,youknow,asmallchapterhereortherethatwouldhavesomemore
content.Butitwasmainlytheinvestigations.
Inteachingthecurriculumforthefirstyear,Laurawantedtosticktothecurriculum
asitwaswritten.Thenewformat,asshenoted,wasexhausting.Butassheandher
colleaguestaughtthenewcurriculum,theyfelttherewerejustsomepiecesthatwere
missing.
145
InthefirstyearwekindofstucktojusttheLab-Aidscurriculum.AndwhileIfelt
thatitwas,Imeanit’snewanditwasnice,Ifeltthatstudentswerealittlebitmore
engagedwithwhatwas,whatwewerecoveringatthispoint.Ididn’tfeellikeitwas
everythingitcouldhavebeen.Itfeltliketheconnectionswerestillfairly,theywere
betterbuttheywerestillkindofweak.So,Ifeltlikeitdefinitelyhadtobe
supplemented.
Soaswewerereviewingthecurriculum,wenoticedthatthereweredefinitelysome
gaps.So,that’swhenwepulledthosematerialsinandthenwe’vealsokindofalong
thewayhaveaddedinotherthings,too.
Oneoftheareaswherethecurriculumwaslackingwasthepersonalconnection.
Whilethenewcurriculumwasmoremeaningfulforthestudentsandapproachedlearning
throughissuesandproblems,itcouldbenefitfrommakinglocalconnections.Laurashared
thatsomelessons,“couldadapttolikeourbackyard,”andmakelearningmorerelevantfor
thestudents.Shealsofoundthatcurrenteventsneededtobetiedin.
Lauraandhercolleaguesappreciatedthattheywereallabletotailorthe
curriculum.Laurasharedhowsheandhercolleagueswouldmeettoreflectonwhatthey
weredoingwiththelessonssotheycouldmakeimprovements.Sometimescolleagues
wouldskipalessonthatshewouldteach.Othertimesshewouldrevisealessontomakeit
moreinquiryoriented.
Wedidalessonwithmacroinvertebratesandusingthemtodeterminewater
quality.IthinkinitiallyIhad,kindofstuckinmyoldways,liketaughtstudentslike
thisiswhatyoulookfor,thiswouldbereallygood.Whereas,Ikindofdeveloped
andgrewasateacher,Ijustkindofpresentedstudentswiththisiswhatwefound
hereandthisiswhatwefoundhere.Whymighttheybedifferent?
WhenNGSSwasformallyreleased,thedistrictaskedLauraandhercolleaguesto
reviewthecurriculummaptoensureitmetthestandards.Lauraappreciatedthisprocess,
andNGSSingeneral,asithelpedthemfurtherrefinethenewcurriculumandhoneinonits
inquiryaspects.
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IthinkNGSSwantsstudentstobealittlebitmore,notnecessarilycollegereadybut
kindoflikelifeready,ifyouwill.So,somethingthat’smoreapplicabletoeverything
thattheyencounter.Yeah,morefocusedonproblemsolvingasopposedtojust
content.Becausethatcanbeapplicableover,overalifetime.
Whenwehadgottenthecurriculum,thedraftshadcomeoutacoupleoftimes,butit
wasn’t,itwasn’tthefull,thefullpiece.So,Ithinkitwasayearortwoyearsintoour
curriculumthatwewereabletogobackandrefine.So,thereweresmallunitswe
couldcutoutandfillinwithotherthingsthatmatchedthosenewstandards.
Forexample,Ithinkspecificallyingeneticstherewasmoreofanemphasison
proteinsandtheirfunctionsasopposedto,youknow,thespecificmakeupofDNA.
So,wefocusedmoreonlikethebiggerpicture,notnecessarilythenamingofallthe
individualcomponents.Moreofthelikestructureandfunction.
ThenewcurriculumpermittedLauraandhercolleaguestomakechangesbecauseit
wasfocusedonscientificprocessratherthancontent.Inhergeneticsunit,attentionwas
divertedawayfromknowingthenamesofallthenucleicacidsandinsteadfocusedon
recognizingthestructureandfunctionofDNAandproteins.Thisconnectstooneofthe
broaddisciplinarycoreideasinNGSS.
Achallengeinimplementingthecurriculumisthestructureoftheday.Laura
wishedshehadmoretimetoimplementthecurriculumasitwaswritten.Shefoundthat
her40-minuteclassperiodwasnotconducivetoinquirylearning.
What’sbeenchallengingiswehavea40-minuteblockperiod.Sometimesit’dbe
nicetohavealittlemoreextendedtime.Wehavegreatlabspace,butIthinkhaving
somethingnearbythat’soutdoors,sowecanexploremorelocalecology.Wehave
quiteabitofflexibilityrightnowincurriculumandplanning,butthatwouldbea
greatbridgetobuildon.
Shereflectedonhowshecouldusealongerblockoftimebyhavingherstudents
experiencetheoutdoorclassroomatherbuilding.Shesharedhowshehadthechancetodo
thisinhermaster’sprogramanditgaveherinvestigationideas.
Allowingstudentstomaybedosomestudiesonwhat’soutthere.Somekindof
modifyingof—iftheywanttotesttheeffectsof—itwouldhavetobewithin
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parameters—buttheeffectofXontheenvironment.Somethingwithapractical
application.
Inmymaster’sprogramwedidalotofwalkingoutsideandfindingdifferentplants
andspecies,andobservingwhatwasaroundandwhythatwas.Thatwasareally
coolthing,tolookatourlocalenvironmentdifferently.
SummaryofLaura’sFindings
Laurahadpositiveexperienceswithscienceandschoolingeneralwhilegrowingup.
Herdecisiontobecomeateacherwasduetoherenjoymentofhelpingkidslearnand
providingthemwithskillstheycouldusethroughouttheirlives.Laura’sexperiencewith
theoldcurriculumtrappedherwithinanoutdatedstyleofteaching.Shewasawareof
inquirylearningbutstruggledtofindawaytomakethathappenwithintheoldcurriculum.
ItsfocusoncontentanditslimitedflexibilitymadeLaurateachinwaysthatwerenot
congruentwithwhatshehadlearnedinhersciencemethodscoursesincollege.Theold
curriculumwasnotinquiryfocused,itwascontentfocused.Shetaughtbytellingher
studentswhattheyneededtodointhelabs.Herstudentshadtoreachtherightanswers.
Mostherteachingwasspentinlectureanddiscussionratherthanengaginginscientific
practices.
Thenewcurriculum,incontrast,wasinquiryoriented.ItallowedLauratoteachin
waysthatmatchedwhatshehadlearnedincollegeandthroughhercontinuedprofessional
development.Shewasexcitedforthechange.Whenshefirsttaughtthenewcurriculum,
shefolloweditclosely.However,themoreshetaughtthemoresherealizedthatitwas
lackingincertainareas.Shemodifiedthecurriculumtomakeitmorechallengingforher
students.Sheaddedandremovedlessonsbasedonhowimportantshefelttheywere
relativetothestudents’livesandinmeetingNGSSstandards.Shemadethecurriculum
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morerelevantbylocalizingthelearningexperienceandshemadeitaddressbroader
conceptsbasedonNGSSratherthanspecificcontentinformation.
Delores
Deloresisan8thgradescienceteacherinasuburbanschool.Shehasbeenan
educatorforover23years,14ofwhicharewithhercurrentschooldistrict.Inhercurrent
schooldistrict,shebeganasamathandscienceteacherinsixthgradebeforemovingto8th
gradesciencefulltime.Althoughshehasrecentlybeenteachingscienceexclusivelyina
publicjuniorhighschool,shehaspreviouslytaughtavarietyofsubjects(math,science,and
drama),inpublicandprivateschools,andstudentswhoareat-risktothosethataregifted.
Shealsohasabachelor’sdegreeinbiology.Shehastakennumerouscollegecoursespast
herbachelor’sdegreeandhasamountedmorecredithoursthanthatwhichisrequiredfor
atypicalmaster’sdegree.Inadditiontothisshecompletedamaster’sprograminscience
education.
Deloreswastheco-researcherinthepilotstudyforthisdissertation.Ichosetoreinterviewherfortworeasons.First,herexperienceinbeingonthecommitteethat
structuredthenewcurriculummapisuniquetothisstudy.Nootherco-researcherserved
onthecommittee.Second,whenthepilotstudywasconductedthenewcurriculumhadyet
tobefinalized.Althoughthemaphadbeencreatedandfinalized,thekitswouldnotbe
implementeduntilthefollowingyear.InterviewingDeloresagainforthisdissertation
allowedustoseeifherbeliefsabouttheprocesshadchangedandtounderstandwhather
experiencewaslikehavingimplementedtheinquirykits.Additionally,re-interviewing
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Deloresaddedtrustworthinesstoherfindingsasherre-interviewmirroredwhatshe
explicatedinthepilotstudy.
Identity:ASourceofInspirationandGuidance
Deloresrecalledhowshedidnotlikeschool.Itwasaresultofteachersshefeltdid
notdoagoodjobteaching.
SointhirdgradeIhadateacherwhowasawful.Shethoughtthatyoushoulddothe
sameworksheetoverandoveragainuntilyougotahundredpercentonit.AndI
thoughttomyselfinthirdgrade‘Icandobetterthanthis.’
Thisnegativeimpressionofschoolwasoverturnedwhenshetookherfirstscience
classinhighschool.Herteacherhadapositiveimpactonherthatmadeherlovescience.
Ihadthisawesomescienceteacher….Helovedteaching,helovedbiology,andI
[felt]like,‘OhmyGod!ThisistheonethingthatIunderstand.’Itclickswithme.
Science.Whowouldhavethought?Becauseit…mymiddleschoolexperiencehad
beenallreadingoutofabook,nolabs.Andthenyougettohighschoolandallofa
suddenyou’redoingalltheselabs.Igetthis!IlikethisdissectionandIunderstand
thesecells.Thisiswonderful!
ThisteacherandhiscurriculumallowedDelorestofindmeaninginscience.This
discoveredmeaningandconnectionwassostrongthatnothingwasabletochangeherlove
forthesubject.
Igotthisgrouchyoldswimteacherforbiology….Irememberhewasacoachandhe
was‘grough’andkindofbleh.ButIstilllovedit.Itdidn’tmatterbecausetheother
teacherhadhookedme.AndIgotit.AndIlovedit.
HavingfalleninlovewithscienceitwasnotsurprisingtohearDeloressaythatshe
continuedontostudyscienceaftershegraduatedhighschool.
Andso,biology,sincethatwastheonethatclicked,Isaid,‘I’mgonnadothat.’Ilove
it.[…]Igottotakebio.Igottotakegenetics.Igottotake,um,youknow,anatomy
andphysiology.
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Iaskedhertosharesomeofherfavoriteclassesshehadincollege.Shetalked
enthusiasticallyabouthermostmeaningfulandmemorableexperiences.Oneofthese
experienceswasasemesterlongclassdoneintheBahamas.
[My]favoriteclassesthatItalkaboutalotthatIhadatacommunitycollegewas
calledBahamianEcology.Andsowhatyoudidwasyoustudiedforthe
semester…yes,thesemester,um,organismsthatliveintheBahamas.Wewentand
livedonasailboatforaweek.Wehadtwosailboatsthatwereconnectedtogether.
Therewasaclassofliketwentyofus.Andwesailedthroughtheum,partthat’s
protectedintheBahamas.Wesnorkeledandwe…cataloguedeverythingthatwe
saw.Ifwesawsomethingthatwedidn’tknowwhatitwas,wewouldgolookitup.
Wegottogoontoislands,andlookatdifferentkindsofspecies,includingplantsand
animalsandinsectsandallkindsofthings.Sothatwasanamazingexperience,
whichI’veneverforgotten.
Thisexperiencewaspowerfultoherinestablishingheridentityasascientist.She
wasabletoengageinscientificprocessesandlearnthroughmeaningfulexperiences.
Similarly,heridentityasaneducatorhasbeenundergirdedbyanumberofcareersthat
involvededucation.
Iwouldthink,youknow,mywholelifeI’veeitherworkedas,andyouaswell,a
camp,asummercampperson.Right,afterschoolperson,pre-school.Imean,every
jobI’veeverhadhasbeeninaschoolorapre-schoolandthen,ofcoursenowI’ve
beenteaching.
Indiscussingherbackground,theemotionofloveoftenemerged.Lovewasnotonly
animportantinfluenceinherlifeasascientistbutalsoasascienceeducator.Shebelieves
thatloveisessentialtoherjob.
Here[atthejuniorhigh]it’saboutmeimpartingknowledgetothem,aboutscience.
WhichiswhatIwanttotalkaboutallday.AndIthinkthat’sreallyimportantinour
profession:tostaythatenthusiasticaboutitandsay,youknow,IdothisbecauseI
lovethis.IstarteveryyearlikethatandIhearyoutalkingtoyourkidsandyoudo
thesamething.Youknow?I’mherebecauseIlikeit.
Heridentityasascientistoftenconflictswithhowothersviewscientists.She
reflectedonthisinalessonsheusedtodowithherstudents.
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Iusedtomakemykidsdrawscientists.Andthenwetalkedaboutstereotypical
people.AndsothenIhaveactualdataonhowmanypeopledrawascientistwith
glasses,howmanypeopledrawitwithcrazyhair,bigheads,labcoats,thosekindsof
things.IusedtoalwayssayattheendofthelessonthatI’mascientist.AndI’malso
ateacher.SoIclassifymyselfasascientist.
Thislessonwasimportanttoherbecauseshewantedherstudentstoknowthat
scientistsarenotjustthestereotypicalimageofacrazyoldmaninalaboratory.Shewasa
scientistandconcomitantlyateacher.Althoughherprimaryroleisasaneducator,Delores’
backgroundinsciencehasallowedhertocreateheridentityasascientist.Itwasimportant
thatherstudentsknewthis.
ProfessionalDevelopment:AMeanstoanEnd
Deloresconnectedthevalueofstayinguptodatewithherdefinitionofascientist.
Thus,inidentifyingherselfasascientist,sheheldtheideaofprofessionaldevelopmentas
centraltoheridentity.Thisbecameevidentasshediscussedhowherenrollmentasa
graduatestudentatalocaluniversityassistedinmaintainingheridentityasascientist.
[Mymaster’sprogram]hasmadesuchahugedifferencetomebecauseIfeel
updated.I,Ifeellike‘ohmygosh’IamfinallygettingtheupdatesthatIneed.
Inherclassroom,Deloresfeltshedoesnotstayasuptodateassheneeds.She
believeditdifficultforeducatorstoaccomplishbecausetheyaretrappedintheir
classrooms.OnewayforDelorestostayuptodateistohaveprofessionaldevelopment.
Theimpactithasonherispowerfulasitstrengthensheridentityasascientist.
Although,untilIcamebackhereto[mymaster’sprogram],Ihaven’treallyfeltlikea
scientist.So,reallybeinghere[attheuniversity]helpsme.Iamascientist.AndI
thinkthatit’sjustahard,it’sahardthingwhenyou’restuckinaclassroomforalot
ofyearswithoutanykindof…Imeanwehavegreatprofessionaldevelopmentinour
school.Butitjustdoesn’treallygoforwhatweneed[ina]higherlevelofeducation
[forourselves].Wegetstuckinthatmiddleplaceandit’shardsometimes.Ithink
beingascientistislearningandbeinguptodate.And,Ijust,Ijusthaven’tdonethat
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alotlately.Andourprofessionaldevelopmentinourschooldoesn’tdothatuntil
recently.
Professionaldevelopmentopportunitiesinherschooldistricthavebeenlackluster.
Whenaskedabouttheprofessionaldevelopmentsheusedtoreceive,priortoitbecoming
better,sheofferedthissimpleanswer:
There’sbeennothingvaluableinthisdistrictasfarasprofessionaldevelopmentin
scienceuntilwestartedplanningourownprofessionaldevelopment.
Thislackofprofessionaldevelopmentcoupledwithherloveofscienceencouraged
hertogooutandfindherownopportunitiesforgrowth.
Theprofessionaldevelopmentthathasbeenvaluableformehasbeenthethings
thatIhavesoughtoutformyselfhere.I’malsohopingtobepartofapilotthis
summeronthenewNextGenerationStandards.
Thisisnottheonlyprofessionaldevelopmentshehassoughtout.Whenshelivedon
thewestcoastsheattendedayearlyscienceteacher’sconference.Oneyearshepresented
attheconference.Further,Deloresdiscussedhowsheandherdepartmenthavetaken
controloftheirprofessionaldevelopmentthroughanewinitiativeintheschooldistrict.
Previouslyinthedistrictpeoplehad,um,planned…ourprofessionaldevelopment
hadbeenplannedforus.NowwehavethesePGNs…PGCs?Thoseareprofessional
growthcommunitiesornetworks.Wehavetheseprofessionaldevelopmentdays
wherewedecidedtogetherwhatthingsweneededtobetrainedonorinwhatareas
weneededenrichment.Wehadauniversitycometrainusonacomputerprogram,
whichisgoingtobegreatforournewgeneticsunit.Wetookatriptoamuseumto
betrainedon,um,experiencesthroughthem…uh,whatkindofthingswecoulduse
forus…howwecouldusethemuseuminourclassrooms.
Shefoundthenewmodelofprofessionaldevelopmenttobebeneficial.Withthis
newopportunity,shetookaninterestinfocusingonprofessionaldevelopmentrelatedto
technology.Shefocusedontechnologybecauseithasbecomesuchapartofherstudents’
lives.Shefeltcompelledtolearnhowtoembraceitandbringitintotheclassroom.
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SmartBoardsandcomputersandI,Imean,Idefinitelycandothem,butI,Iyou
know.It’shardforme.It’snotsomethingthat’singrainedlikeourstudents.Whichis
okay‘causemystudentscanjusttellmehowtodoit.
Whileintegratingtechnologyisawayforhertostayuptodate—andthereforea
waytokeepheridentityasascientist—shestruggledwiththepushtomaketechnology
frontandcenterintheclassroom.
ElizabethandIweresittinginaconference.Andthepurposeoftheconferencewas
‘hereareallthegreatsciencewebsitesandhereareallthegreatscienceappsthat
youcanuse.’Sheleansoverandsays,‘Idothat,butdoitforreal.’Youknow,here
yougo:youcandissectananimalonhere!But,we,wedothatforreal.That’sgreat
asanalternativewhoisagainstthedissecting.However,wewantkidstostill
experience.Ihopethetechnologydoesn’ttakeawayfromthehandsonexperience.
Technologyissomethingshefeltsupportedwithinherschooldistrict.Unlikeother
avenuesofprofessionaldevelopment,staffmembersfullysupportedtechnology
integrationinherschoolandthedistrict.Shereflectedonthisasshecomparedherown
technologyresourcestoteachersfromanotherschooldistrict.
AllthetechnologyloveIgetinmyclassroomcomesfromourtechteacher.Sheisthe
goddessoftechnology.Imean,numberonejusttohavecomputerstocheckout.
Numbertwotohaveatechnologypersontositdownandplanalessonwith.And
then,numberthree,it’smyownbeliefthatscienceneedstoinvolvetechnology.
Shewasverygratefulthatherschoolhastechnologyresourcesavailable,asshe
believeditsupportsstudents’learningofscience.Althoughthenewmodelofprofessional
developmenthasproventobebeneficial,Deloresstillencounteredhurdles.Forexample,
sheandherdepartmentwantedtrainingonthenewcurriculumayearpriortoteachingit.
Yet,shediscussedhowitwasabattlewiththedistricttosecurethatprofessional
development.
Theysaidtheycan’taffordtodoallofthis[training]atonce.Theyhadtorollitout.
Thiswastheplan.Thiswashowitwasgoingtowork.Therewasnoflexibility.I
don’tknowwhythat[districtagreedwithDelores]happened.Iknowsomebody
sentane-mail,uh,regardingwereallywanttobetrainedbeforeteachingthenew
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curriculum.IknowthattheseventhgradeteachersandIbothhadalotofconcerns
aboutwaitinguntilwewereteachingthenewcurriculumtobetrainedonit.Andwe
hadalreadyvoicedthose,butthoseconcernsdidn’tgoanywhere.
Shefeltthatthiscontradictedthenewprofessionaldevelopmentmodel.Ifteachers
knowwhatisbestforthem,whydoesthedistrictnotrespondtotheirrequestfor
professionaldevelopment?Shebelieveditwasalackoftrustthedistricthasinits
educators.ShestruggledwiththisbecausethedistrictoftenrecognizesDeloresandher
departmentasbeingexpertsintheirarea.
Idon’tthinkourdistricthasareallygoodsenseof,um,thescienceknowledgeour
sciencedepartmenthas.Ithinkthattheyappreciatethatweareexpertsinourfield.
Butthatsometimes[they]don’ttrustuswithourthingbecausewe…Oneofthe
thingsthatwereallywantedwastobetrainedtheyearbeforewestartedthenew
curriculum.Wedidn’twanttowaituntilthenextyeartobetrained.Idon’tknow
whytheydon’tthinkthatwecouldn’tbetrainedonsomethingtheyearbeforeand
notrememberitnextyear.That’sridiculous.
Sheandherdepartmentrepeatedlyrequestedtrainingtheyearbeforesotheycould
becomefamiliarwiththenewcurriculumandhavetimetomodifyittotheirstudents’
needs.Shediscussedhowsheandherdepartmenthadtofightwiththedistricttogetthe
trainingtheyneeded.Deloresreflectedonhowdifficultitwastogetthedistricttochange
theirmindabouttraining.Ittookthedepartmentmeetingwiththesuperintendenttoget
thetrainingayearpriortoadoptingthenewcurriculum.
Change:WhatDrivesDelores
Deloresheldtheideaofchangeasimportant.Thisisbecauseitreflectedhow
scienceisachangingdisciplineandtheneedsofherstudentschangeovertime.This
changewasvisibleinhowDeloresdesignslessonsandteachesherstudents.
I’mtryingtoincorporate21stcenturylearning.I’mtryingtoincorporatemy
technology.Ifsomebodydidn’tpressuremeIthinkI’dstaywiththesameoldlesson
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Ididlastyear.Andthefunnythingislet’stakethreeyearsoflessonplansforme
andyouwillneverfindanyofthesame.
Shefrequentlychangedherlessonsthroughouthertimeatthejuniorhightomake
themmorerelevantandengagingforthestudents.Therewasalessonthedepartmentdid
withallherstudents.Itwascalledtheeggdrop.It’saclassicsciencelessoninwhich
studentsmustdesignadevicethatwillkeepaneggfromcrackingwhendroppedfroma
certainheight.Shewasunhappywiththislessonbecauseitwasdoneinanonscientific
way.Shediscussedhowshetriedtoimproveit.
SotheonethingthatIwasabletodoandthatIhavechangedwasformyownclass,
butIhaven’tgoteverybodytochangewas,um,scientificmethod.Like,thething
was,theteachersbeforemewouldthrowthem,um,downtheclassroom,then
they’dthrowthemdownstairs,thenthey’dthrowthemoutthewindow.Butthey’d
neveropentheminbetween.So,youdon’tknoweverwheretheybroke!Andthey
wouldalsohavedifferentpeoplethrowingthem.So,theproblem,therewereso
manyproblemswiththat.Itdoesn’tevenseemlikeanexperiment.
Hersolutiontothiswastoapproachitfromanengineeringstandpoint.Shehadthe
studentsdesignthedevicesusingengineeringpracticesandtheytestedhowwelltheir
devicesworked.Shefeltthiswasmorereflectiveofwhathappenswithscienceand
engineeringpractices.
Deloresalsocreatednewlessonsinadditiontomodifyingoldlessons.She
introducedalessononRubeGoldbergmachines,anelaboratecontraptionthatperformsa
simpleaction,suchasblowingoutacandle.Sheintroducedthisnewlessonbecauseshe
wastiredoftheoldcurriculum.Thecurriculumdidnotalwaysalignwithhervaluesand
identityasascienceeducator.
IthinkthereasonIbroughtitinthefirstyearisbecauseIwassotiredofour
curriculumandallIhadtodowaslecture.Therewassomuchlecture.Andtheydoa
lab,andthenI’dhavetolectureaboutitfortwodays.Andthey[students]justhated
it.
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Thelessonshecreatedwasintegratedwithsocialstudiesandtheirexplorationof
theindustrialrevolution.Sheenjoyedchangingthecurriculumtoreflectheridentityand
theneedsofherstudents.But,changingthecurriculumwasquiteachallenge.Sherecalled
howshewastheonlyteacherinthedepartmentwhoquestionedthecurriculumandhowit
wastaught.
Thelasttimeitwentthroughreviewtheteachersthatwereherewereverysetin
theirways.Andtheyrefusedtochangethecurriculum,eventhoughitneeded
updating.So,technically,ourdistrict,ourscienceprogram…no,nottechnically.
Truly,ourscienceprograminourgradehadnotbeenupdatedintwentyyears:twozero.
Deloreswasupsetwithhowlongithadbeensincethecurriculumhadbeen
updated.Othergradelevelshadtheirsciencecurriculumupdateabouttenyearsago.She
remarkedonthisstagnation:“inscience,that’sjustfrightening.”Shesaidthisbecause
sciencecontentisconstantlyundergoingchange:newinformationisaddedandold
informationisupdatedorremoved.Plus,thewaystolearnaboutthisinformationhas
changed.Shewasindisbeliefthatithadnotbeenupdated.
Whenshewashiredattheschool,shewaslookedtoassomeonetobeginthechange
process.Theadministrationseemedtoknowthatthecurriculumwouldnotbeupdated
unlessanewpersonwasbroughtintothedepartment.
WhenIcamehere,theprincipalmadeitverycleartomethathewaslookingtome
tomakechanges.AndsoIwasunpopularfromlikealmosttheminuteIwalkedin
thedoor.So,um,becausetheseguyshadbeenteachingthisforthirtyyearsor
more…betweentwentyandthirtyyearsforallthreeteacherswhoIwasjoining.So
changeswerenotlookeduponlovely.[…]Ifthosethreeteacherswouldn’thave
beenretiringthenIwouldn’thavebeenabletochangeit.
Itwashardtobegintheprocesstoreviewandchangethecurriculum.Butsheknew
thatthisprocesswouldhavetostartwithher,inherclassroom.
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SoIaskedthedistricttosendmeto,tobetrainedonthisthing.AndIactuallygotto
meettheauthorofthebook,andhearwhathisactualideaswereonthiscurriculum,
andIcamebackandIwasabetterteacheronthisbecauseIhadlearneditinavery
traditionalwaythatdidn’treallymatchthebook.Andthen,onceIlearnedfrom
these,theytrainedme,I,Ilearneditbetterinit,anditwentmuchbetterfortheway
Iteach.
TheveteranscienceteachershadtrainedDeloresontheoldcurriculum.Their
teachingpedagogiesweretootraditionalandtooteacher-centeredforher.Soshesought
outwaystoimproveherteachingpracticesandthecurriculum.Astheveteranteachers
begantoretire,shestartedtoadvocateforanewcurriculumfortheentiregradelevel.
They[district]decidedtomakeitatwo-yearcommittee.And,inthattwo-yeartime,
wewentbackovertheentiremapforthewholedistricttomakesurekidswere
gettingeverythingwehopedtheyweregettinginscience,includingthecurrent
framework.[…]Wefirstreviewedeverythingthatwehadinthedistrictandthenwe
startedbreakingitdownmakingsureitwasintherightplace.
Partofthestruggleindesigningthenewcurriculumwasfindingthebestfitforher
students.Deloreswasastoundedatthelackofavailableresources.
So,actually,thebalancewasterriblebecauseitwasallexperimentswithno
background,noreading,nonothing.NotthatIfeellikethekidshavetoreadbut
therewasjustnothing.LikeI,Iwouldneverletthekidsstudyforthetestjustusing
theirbookbecausethebookjusthadnothing.Wetaughtfivechaptersfromthis
book,whichwasonlyahundredpagesforanentireyear.Soreally,Ididn’tthink
thatwasgoodatall.
Inchangingthecurriculum,shewantedtomakesurethatshewouldbeabletofind
anythingthatwouldbebetterforherstudents:morestudentfocused,moreandvaried
resourcesforherstudents,andmoremeaningfulandauthenticlearningexperiences.
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MeaningfulExperience:FindingthePerfectCurriculum
Deloresstruggledwithteachingacurriculumthatdidnotprovidemeaningful
experiencestothestudents.Heroldcurriculumfocusedonphysicalscience.Students
identifiedcharacteristicsofmaterialsandconductedlabstodiscoverscientificknowledge,
suchasthelawoftheconservationofmass.Shereflectedonhowdifficultitwastofind
meaningfulconnectionsforthestudentsintheoldcurriculum.
Therearen’talotofconnections.I’m,I’mgraspingforoften…I’mlookingforan
articlethathasanythingtodowithanythingwe’retalkingabout.Imean,theyare
goodprinciples,youknow,however,howoftendoesapersonwalkaroundandneed
toknowacharacteristicproperty?Theyreallydon’t.Theydon’tneedtoknowthe
densitiesofstuff.[…]It’sjustastruggle.It’sastruggle.Itreallyis.
Whileitwashardforhertofindconnectionsforthestudents,Deloresdidhave
somesuccesseswithaspectsofthecurriculumshetaught.
Theexperimentsweregreat.And,I’llstillusesomeoftheexperimentsnextyear
becauseofthewaythey’resetup.Like,okayfourteenpeopleintheclassaregoingto
gatherdataonthis,we’regoingtoputitontheboard,andwe’regoingtotryand
figureout,forinstance,whattheboilingpointofthismysteryliquidisbyusing
everybody’sdata,youknowandgraphingit.
AndIloveitwhenwegettosolubilitybecausewecantalkalittlebitaboutwater.
Andalsoseparatingmixtureswecantalkalittlebitaboutpetroleum.Andwecan
talkaboutfractionaldistillationandpetroleum.Andso,um,Ilikethewateraspect
wecantalkaboutacidrain,wecantalkaboutwhat’sthedifferencebetween
distilledwaterandrealwater.
Deloresfoundaconnectionforthestudentsthroughwaterstudiesinthenew
curriculum.Shedescribedwhythenewcurriculumwasbetterasitemployedmore
connectionsandallowedthestudentstowalkawaywithabetterunderstandingofscience
andtheirworld.
Thereisscienceforknowledgeoftheworld.AndIthinkthatagoodportionofmy
kids[...]justneedtohaveabasicunderstandingoflife.Howthingsworkandyou
know,whatwouldhappenifweranoutofwater?What’sgonnahappenifwecan’t
cleanwater?‘Causethekidsdon’tunderstandthattheyturnonthetapandthat’s
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notanever-endingresource.And,um,wealreadystartedtalkingbecausewe’ve
beenbuildingsolarcarsfortwoyears.We’vealreadytalkedabouttheendof
petroleum.When’sthepetroleumgoingtobedone?It’sgoingtobeininyour
lifetime.In30yearsfromnow,therewon’tbepetroleumanymore.Whatarewe
goingtodo?
HavingstudentscometounderstandtheworkingsoftheworldiswhatDelores
wantedforherstudents.Yet,shenotedhowdifficultitwastofindacurriculumthatwould
alignwiththisandbeappropriateforherstudents.
Thenextstepwastostartlookingatcurriculummaterials.Um,andthatwasvery
frustratingformebecauseweworkinaveryhighfunctioningdistrict.Um,wehave
highexpectationsforourkids.Eventheoldcurriculumthatweusediskindofa
ninth-gradecurriculumandtryingtofindsomethingtofitmiddleschoolgradesput
outbypublisherstofitourstudents,whoarereallyfunctioningataninthgrade
level,Ithinkforthemostpartisreallyhard.
Itwasdifficulttofindpre-packagedcurriculumsthatmettheintellectualneedsof
herstudents.Deloresfeltasthoughshehadtriedsomanypublisherswithoutsuccess.
Youcan’tgotoahighschooltextbookforthisgrade,becauseitwouldn’tfit.Itried.I
readthem.Theydidn’twork.Andthenwhenyougotoaneighth-gradetextbook,it
isreallywrittenforsixththrougheighthgrade,soitisreallylow.Itreallyis.
Thefrustrationsheexperiencedintryingtofindanewcurriculumbecameclearas
Deloresspokemoreaboutthelimitedpublishedoptions.Iaskedifshemighthavefelt
betteraboutcreatingherowncurriculum,asitwouldbeabetterfitforherstudents.She
saidtherewasanexpectationtofindapublishedcurriculum.Moreover,Deloreswanteda
publishedcurriculumbecauseitwouldcomewithliteraryandscientificresourcesforher
students.
HonestlyIwantedsomething.BecauseIfeellikewehavesofewresourceslikeI
mentionedbefore.Weonlyhaveahundredpagesinthisbook.It’snotenoughfora
year.Wehavenoresources.There’snothing.There’snotawebsite,there’snotany
SmartBoardstuff,there’soneassessmentbookwhichis,youknow,Icanonlyuse
one-fourthofbecauseweonlycoverahundredpagesinthebook.So,Iwanttofind
resourcesforus.
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Hercriticismoftheoldcurriculumwasthatitstagnated.Shecomparedthe1970s
versionofthetextbookto2000versionandfoundlittlevariation.Findinganew
curriculumthatcamewithupdatedresourceswasimportanttoher.
Deloreswasnotaloneinherquesttoseekoutmoreup-to-dateresources.Shewas
alsosupportedbythecommunityeducationfoundation.Thisfoundationwasdedicatedto
raisingfundstobuynewmaterialsandsuppliesthatwerenotwithinthedistrict’sbudget.
Andoneoftheotherpushesforourdistrict,too,istothat,uh,theyseekusoutand
say,‘whatimprovementscanwemake?’I’vebeensoughtoutbythe,um,foundation,
whichourfoundation,educationfoundation,whichgivesgrantstoustoimprove
ourscienceandrightnowthey’reatfifty-fivethousandalreadyfornextyear.
Deloresfeltthisfoundationsupportedherbecausetheyhelpedherdepartment
raisefundstopurchaseadditionalresourcesthatarenotincludedwiththecurriculum
packages.Shespokeexcitedlyaboutsomeoftheseresourcesshewouldreceiveforher
energyunit.
I’mplanningonstartingenergywithsolarcarsbeforeIeventeachthemabout
energytransferoranythingthat’sgoingtobelikemyhooktogetthem.Andthey
lovemakingthesolarcars.Theyoutrunthekids.They’resofast,thekitsthatI
bought.So,that’sgood.Um,andthentoendtheunitIhavepurchasedthroughthe
educationfoundation,um,they’reminiaturehousesthatthekidswillbuild.And,you
putasolarpanelonitandawindturbineandyoucanreadhowmuchenergyis
comingoutofthatandhowmuchenergyitneeds,andthetemperatureinthehouse,
andthingslikethat.
Deloresalsosecuredtheseresourcesbecauseshebelievedthatthecurriculumwas
stilltooteacherfocused.Aspreviouslymentioned,Deloresstruggledwiththeideaof
frequentlylecturingherstudents.Shewantedmoreengagementforthem;shewanted
moremeaningfulexperiences.
We’realittleconcerned.Ourconcernisthatit’salittle,um,teacherheavy.You
know,Iwantittobe,Imeanit’sSEPUP.Ifeellikeitshouldbeinquiry-based.But,I
don’tfeellikeitis.Ha.Ithinkthat’sinteresting.It’ssupposedtobecuttingedge.But,
Idon’tknow.But,um,so,whenwewentthroughthegeneticsunitwefeltlikeitwas
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reallybookheavy.Where’stheexperiment?Where’sthis,where’sthat?Sooverthe
lasttwoyearswe’vetriedtopullinmoreexperiments.Andforenergy,therearea
lotofexperiments.But,kindofyou’veseenhowmyclassroomworks:basedon
whatIdoit’sverylittletinkertoykindofthingscomparedtowhatIdonow.So
we’regoingtohavetoimproveitalot.So,um,Ithinkunfortunatelytheprogramisa
littlebittooteacher-basedformeandwe’regoingtohavetoturnittoamorelabbased,inquiry-basedprogramforme.Andformycolleagues.It’snotjustme.
Iaskedhertocomparethematerialsshewasseekingouttothematerialsthatwere
includedwiththecurriculum.Sheexpressedsomedoubtandconcernwiththematerials
andactivitiesthatwouldcomewiththepublishedcurriculum.
Idon’tknow.Um,thesolarcarsandthepowerhousesarenotwiththecurriculum.
Thoseareseparate.ThosearethingsthatIsaid,wedon’thaveenough,um,there’s
notenoughinthiscurriculumtokeepmykidsbusy,andtokeepmehappyasfaras
labsgo.SotheonlythingIreallyknowisforenergyissomecircuitstuff.AndIhope
that’seveninterestingtoeighthgraders.It’selectricity—Ifeellikeyoulearnthatin
fourthgrade.Idon’tknow.Um,lightupalight,makeafango.Really,that’swhat
comeswiththiscurriculum:it’sfrighteningme.
AnotherchallengeinfindingtheperfectcurriculumwasthesolitarinessthatDelores
experienced.Asthemostknowledgeableandexperiencedpersoninhergrade-level,
Deloreswaslefttofindcurriculummaterialsonherown.
Um,buttheotherthingthatwassofrustrating,Iwasaperson—oneperson—trying
topickeighthgradecurriculumforthisdistrict.Andit’shard!Andthetwopeople
whowereinmydepartmentwhoIcouldgotoandtalktohadn’tsatthroughallof
thesemeetings.Theydidn’tseealltheseoptionsthatIsaw.Therewereveryfewfor
whatwewantedtoteach.So,um,itwasreallyafrustratingexperience.
Sheclarifiedthathertwocolleaguesaregreatco-workersbutthattheirlackof
experiencemadeitdifficulttoconsultwiththemanddecideuponcurriculummaterials.
Yet,therewasagapbetweenwhenthecurriculumwasselectedandwhenitwas
implemented.Thisgapwasnearlythreeyears.Thistimeperiodhadanimpactonhowthe
curriculumsheselectedwasviewedbyhercolleagues.
SonowI,nowIhaveteacherswhoIworkwithwhoareexperienced.They’vegot
fiveyears’worthofteachingundertheirbelt.Andnowthey’relookingat[the
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curriculum]andquestioning,‘whydidyoupickthis?’AndI’mtryingtobackpedal
andsay,‘thisiswhyIpickedit.Thiswasthebestthatwecouldfindtomeetour
need.Thebest.Andwearegoingtohavetoaddtoit.’
TheNewCurriculum
Deloresexperiencedconflictinfindingnewcurriculumkitsforhergradelevel.
Althoughthemapreflectedbestpracticeandwasalignedwiththethen-currentNational
ScienceEducationStandards,findingkitsthatmatchedthemapandherbeliefsonteaching
scienceprovidedtobedifficult.Ultimately,shefoundthreekitsshethoughtwerethebest
availableforhergradelevel.Theprimaryreasonbeingthatthekitswouldconnecttothe
studentsonapersonallevel.Thecurriculumwouldbemeaningfultothestudents.
Sothere’sthreeunits;they…soprevioustothenewcurriculum,itwasphysical
sciencefortheentireyear.Nowwiththisnewcurriculum,oneofthethingsthatwe
wantedtodoistieitintoreallife,whatkidswouldactuallybenefitfromandcan
relateto,andalsogoingforwardintheirlife,andI’llcomebacktothat.But…soour
bigunitsarewater,there’sawaterstudies,waterqualityunit.Thereisagenetics
unitandthenthere’sanenergy,whichfocusesonfirstlearningaboutenergyand
secondlearningaboutalternativeenergysources.
Thedistrictlaidoutthemapandmajortopics.ItwasuptoDelorestofindthekits
thatbestmatchedthetopics.Shealsowantedkitsthatmatchedherbeliefs.Iaskedherto
expandonhowthekitssheselectedwouldhelpherstudentsmeetthegoalsofthe
curriculummap.
Whatwewantkidstogetoutofthisisthat,firstwewantthemtohavethatcitizen
scientistpiece,whichwereallygetinthewaterstudies.Wealsowantthemtobe
abletorelateallofthesetopicstotherealworld,torealthingsthatwillgo…that
happenintheirlife.SoIthinkthatscienceitselfsometimesissep…likeweseparate
thesethingsoutandthenkidscan’tmakethoseconnectionstotherealworld.SoI
thinkthatbypullingthesethreeunits,wereallysucceededwithhavingkidsconnect
withtheworldthattheylivein.So,forinstance,waterstudiesnotonlyisit
importanttoecologyandorganismsbutit’salsoreallyimportanttowhatcomesout
ofthefaucet.Howdoesitgetthere?
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Howdoweknowit’sgood?Whatkindsofthingscouldbeinthere?Andit’sreally
relevantandcurrentbecausewestillarehavingcholeraoutbreaks,we’restill
havingkidspoisonedbyleadoutofwaterthat’scomingoutoftheirthing,so…out
oftheirfaucetsthat’ssupposedlytreated.SoImeanit’sreallyrelevant,andcurrent
andkidsareabletoidentifywiththat.Genetics,samething;kidswanttolearnabout
themselves,theywanttolearnwheretheycomefrom,theywanttoknowwhytheir
eyesareblueandtheirparentsarebrown.Theywanttoknowhowgeneticsworks
tocreatethesekids.Andtheyalsowanttoknowaboutthenewerthings,likehey
canIhaveaclonetodomyhomework?
Thatkindofstuff,youknow.So,Ihatetorainontheirparade.Andalsothat…we
alsotakethatgeneticsalittlefurtherandtieitintoforensics,whichiseverydayin
thenew,everyday;wecantalkaboutforensicseveryday.So,againtyingthatback
totheirworld.Andthenenergy,whenwegettoenergywegivethemalittlebitof
background,andthenwegorightintorenewableenergy.Andthethingabout
renewableenergyisthatbringingtotheattentiontothesestudentsthatweare
goingtorunoutofpetroleumintheirlifetime.Sotherehastobesomethingelsethat
we’regoingtodotocreatethisenergythatwedependon.So…andhowdoweuse
it?Howdoesitgetthere?Wheredoesitcomefrom?Thosekindsofthings.
Deloresmadeitclearthatprovidingacurriculumthathaslifeconnectionsforthe
studentswasextremelyimportant.Findingkitsthatdidthiswaschallenging.Shewanted
kitsthatprovidedlifeconnectionandwerealsoinquiry-based.Manyofthekitsshefound,
includingtheonesthatsheadoptedforhergradelevel,werestillcontentfocused.
Ithinkit’smorecontentdriven,Ireallydo.ImeanIthink…Iwishitwasmore
problem…it’shardtomakeeverythingaproblem.Ineveryunitthatwehave,there
areproblemsthatkidsaresolving.
Thechallenge,sherecognized,wasgettingthestudentspreparedtosolvethese
problems.Forexample,inthewaterstudiesunit,studentshadtosolveproblemsrelatedto
localwaterecosystemsandwaterfiltration.Butgettingthestudentstothatpointrequired
addressingthecontent.
Okay,sothereareproblemsthatkidsaresolving,sothey’regoingtocreatetheir
ownwatertreatmentsystem.Theyaregoing…andtestit.Theyaregoingtogotoa
lagoonandtestwaterqualityandfindoutifitisagoodqualityorbadquality,so
that’saproblemtosolve.Theyhavetouseevidencetoprovewhetherornotthe
lagoonhasgood…isagoodaquaticenvironmentfororganisms.Theylearnabout
thingsthattheymightfindintheirdrinkingwaterandtheyhavetotrytoremoveit.
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Weusewaterfiltrationsystemstoremovenitratesfromwater.Soyeah,sothoseare
allproblemstosolvewithintheunit.Butunfortunatelyit’sbasedonlikeIhaveto
getthroughthis,theyhavetoknowaboutthiswaterqualityandthatwaterquality
forthat.
Shefoundthesamechallengeinteachinggeneticstoherstudents.Undertheold
curriculum,studentshadpriorknowledgeofDNAwhencomingintoeighthgrade.Butwith
thenewdistrictcurriculummap,studentsdonotstudygeneticsuntiltheyreacheighth
grade.So,again,Deloresfoundthatsheneededtoprovideenoughbackgroundknowledge
inorderforthestudentstoaddressproblemsconnectedtogenetics.
There’salotofproblemsolvingwithinit,but…Geneticsalittlebitless,Imean
geneticsyouknowyou’retalkingaboutwheretheDN…firstofallkidsdon’tknow
wheretheDNAis,alotoftimes.Theydolearnalittlebitaboutitinseventhgrade,
buttheystilldon’treallyhavethattightsenseofwhatDNAisandhowthatactually
makespeopleinheritthingsfromeachother.Andthen…andsothere’salotof
backgroundthathastogointoit,sothat’scontent.Thereally…theygettoexplore
maybeageneticdisorder,likewhatifyouhadthatgeneticdisorder,wouldyouwant
toknowaboutitearlyinyourlife;orwould…ifitmightcomeoritmightnotcome.
Meanthey’rekindofsolvingthatproblem.Andthenwhentheygettotheforensics,
they’resolvingcrimes,ImeanweteachthemhowtosolveacrimeusingDNA
evidence,andfingerprinting,andbloodspatterandstuff,whichwejustaddon.
Iaskedhertocomparetheamountofcontenttaughtinthenewcurriculumtowhat
wastaughtundertheoldcurriculum.
So,it’sdefinitelyalotmorecontentbecausetheoldcurriculumwasonlyphysical
science.So,westayedinphysicalsciencethewholetimestudyingsolutions,like
temperatures,anddensitiesandwewerejustkindof…therewas…andtherewas
notieintotherealworld.Butyeah,noit…definitelyalotmorecontent,alotmore
tocover.
Shefelttheoldcurriculumhadlesscontenttocoverbecauseitwasonlyonesubject
area.Thenewcurriculumcoveredthreesubjectsand,therefore,hadmorecontentto
reviewinorderforstudentstobepreparedforproblemsolving.But,theoldcurriculum
lackedtherealworldconnection,whichisofutmostimportancetoDelores.
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IaskedDelorestodiscussthedifferencesbetweenhowthecontentwasgiventothe
studentsundertheoldandnewcurricula.Sheexpressedthatthenewcurriculumhad
betterwaysforstudentstolearnthecontent.Theoldcurriculumwastooteacher-oriented
whilethenewcurriculumprovidedvariouswaystoengagethestudents.
So,it’sacombinationofsomanydifferentthings.Ithinkthatthewaythatwe
providethematerialisvariedbecausethat’swhat’sappropriateforourstudents.
Anditalso,forme,makestheteachingabitmuchmoreinteresting.Iwouldnever
lecturebelltobell.So,Iwouldneverdothat,it’snotappropriateforthisagegroup.
Wehave13and14-yearolds,attentionspansaregoingtobeabout14minuteslong,
soI'mnotdoingthat.Somaybethey’redoinganactivityon…maybeI'mlecturing
andthey’redoinganactivityoniPadsormaybethey’redoingalab,whichisgoingto
trytoinvestigatethisproblemthatIgivethem.So,it’salwaysacombinationofall
differenttypesofthings.
Theoldcurriculumwasstructuredaroundlabexperiencesaswell.Deloresnoted
thatwhiletheoldcurriculumdidhavelabs,theywerenotnecessarilyinquiry-oriented.The
labsdemonstratedtothestudentswhatthetextbookdictatedascorrect.Thelabsvalidated
thetextbookforthestudents.Shefoundthesamefrustrationinthenewcurriculum.The
labswereservingthesamepurposeasintheoldcurriculum.
ThewayIteachthenewcurriculumismoreinquiry-oriented.It’sinterestingthat
thecurriculumitselfcallsitselfinquiry,becauseifyoureadanyofthelabsthatthey
haveintheirbook,Idon’tknowhowthat’sallowedtobecalledinquirybecauseit’s
not.Itisarecipe,youknowhere…andweknowthat’snotinquiry,theydon’tse…
andeveniftheytrytosetitupwithinthiscurriculumasaninquiry-based,the
answerisalwaysonthenextpage.So,Istoppedusingthebook,Istarted…ifthere’s
anythingthatI'mtryingtoletthemfigureoutontheirown,wewouldtypeitout
andhaveitoutsideofthebook,becausetheanswerswereonthenextpageorthe
pageafter.Ohnowthatyou’vedone…foundthatthepHisseven,andthat’sneutral,
then…soitwouldalways…itwassofrustratingtome,I'mlikeohmygosheven
whenyoutrytobeinquiry-based,you’renotdoingagoodjob.
ModifyingthekitswasanecessityforDelores.Afterteachingwiththekitsforayear,
sherecognizedthatthetextswerenotmeetingtheneedsofherstudentsnorweretheyas
alignedwithinquirylearningasshethought.So,shesetasidethebooks.Shenolongerused
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theminherclassrooms.But,thisisnottosayshedoesnotusethekitsanymore.Shejust
foundthatthesequenceisnotappropriateforherstudents.
Wedonotfollowitcloselyatall.Whatwedidthefirstyear,theveryfirsttimewe
usedthegenetics,wefolloweditandwesaw…andthenwechoseoutofthere…the
problemwiththecurriculumisthatit’swrittenforsixththrougheighthgrade.AndI
teachhighleveleighthgraders,sosomeofthestuffisjusttoobabyish,it’sjustis,it’s
notanappropriatelevelforaneighth-gradestudentgettingreadyforhighschool,
particularlythisdistrict.Wehavereallyhighstandardshere,andsoifyou’reusinga
bookthatasixthgradercouldalsobeusing,yeahit’snotenough,there’sno
challengethereforourstudents.Soyouknowwhatwedid,wejustpulledoutthings
thatwereally,reallylikeandwefollowthatpartofit.
Andit’snotthatwe’renotusingthecurriculumatall,it’sjustthefactthatwe’vejust
kindof…wemight’verearrangedit,wemightbeusingsevenoftheinquirythings
insteadoftenofthem,that’sprettymuchit.
Althoughsheandherfelloweighthgradeteachersrearrangedthekitstofittheir
students’needs,theydidnotcontradictthedistrict’scurriculummap.Thedistrictoffered
theopportunitytoreviewandrevisethemapafterthefirstyearteachingthenew
curriculum.
Wearefollowingthemapreally,reallywell,butweareabletorevampthemap.
Oncewedidthecurriculumforayearortwowewereabletorevampthemap.And
thenso…Imeanlikeanybodycouldpullthatmapoutandcomeoverhereandlook
atitandsay,“Ohthey’redoinggreat.”
Thefirstyearteachingthenewcurriculumwasanoverwhelmingexperience.
Delorescommentedonhowtimeconsumingitwastolearnthematerial,gradestudents
work,andfindwaystomakethecurriculumfitherstudents’needs.
Iwasawreck;itissohardtotakeonanewthingandlikehere’sthething,ImeanI
havereallybeenteachingfor20yearsandIusedtoteachgenetics.Wellwestilluse
someofthosegreatgeneticsthingsthatIusedtodo,butgeneticshaschangedin
thislast20years,ohmygosh.Soyouhavetostayuptodate,youhavetostudy,you
havetoreadandit’ssotimeconsumingstartinganewcurriculumbecausethere’s
somuch…Theyhavelikeforinstance,inthefirstunittheyhavethisthingonwater
quality,whichiscalledmappingdeath,andIlove,love,loveit.It’saboutthecholera
outbreakinLondonandyounevertellthekids.Sothisisactuallyaninquirything.
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Youdon’ttellthekids,welliftheyhadthebook,theywouldknowbecausethenext
pagesayscholera.So,wehadtotakeitoutofthebook,sothattheywouldn’tseeit.
Youhaveyourownamountofhomeworkplusyouhavetogradeeverything,plus
youhavetosaythatdidnotworkatall,sosometimesyou’reredoingitthenextday.
Orthatwas…thatactivitydidnotshowthepoint.Icangiveyouanotherexample
whichisPPM,partspermillion,theirpartspermillionlabwasawful.Itwas,yes
kidsshouldknowwhatpartspermillionare,whenwe’retalkingaboutwater
quality,forsure.Butthewaytheyhadusdoit,itdidn’tshowpartspermillion,it
showedlittledropsinacup.AndIthinkthat’sthebiggestproblemwiththekits,is
thatthey’retryingtomakeitsothatyoucanaffordthekits.Andsoeverythingisso
miniscule,thatyoudon’t…it’snotareallab.
So,oneofmyteachers,thatIworkwith,usedtobeabiochemistandshegoes,“You
knowhowyoudopartspermillion?Getthemoutsometesttubes,I’llshowyouhow
todopartspermillion.”Andthennowwedothepartspermillionlabthatthey
have,butweusetesttubesandit’ssomuchbetter,thekidsgetitcompletely.Where
beforewhenweweredoinglike10dropsandonedropinlittlecups,theyweren’t
gettingit.
Deloresfeltbetterafterherfirstyearteachingthenewcurriculum.Onceshewas
familiarwiththecurriculum,itwasnotasmuchofaburdentopreparefortheupcoming
lessons.Shealsofoundthatonceherbasicmaterialswereinplace(e.g.slidesandlabs)it
waseasiertokeepthecurriculumuptodatewithrecentevents.Forexample,she
discussedhowE.Coliwasanissuewithwaterinthecommunitywheresheteaches.
AndthenI'mtyingitinwithE.colibecausekidshearaboutE.Colialot,that’sinthe
newsalot,soI'mtyingthatbacterialcontaminantwiththat.Soyeah,yeahit’s
definitelyaloteasier.Andthecoolthingis,isthatnowyoucantakewhatyou
alreadylearnedandyoucanputinmoreuptodatestuff.
Andthentherewasthehurricanerecentlyandtheywerehavingacholeraoutbreak
inHaitiandsoweweretalkingaboutthatagain.So,againbringinginthatwhole
globalperspective,talkingaboutdrinkingwaterandmakingsureit’ssafeforthird
worldcountries
Deloresneversettledwiththecurriculum.Aschangeisanimportantvaluetoher
identityasascientist,shecommentedthatshewillalwaysbereflectingonthecurriculum
andmakingchangestoit.
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Ican’tbelievehowhardI'mstillworking.Ijustdon’tthinkI'meversatisfied.Ithink
thateverytime,andI'mnottryingtomakemyselfsoundgood,butIjust…ohyeah
lastyear…ImeanIkeeplessonplanbooksstill,I'mstilloldschool,I'mstillonpencil
andpaperandthenassoonasthatweekisover,IwritedownwhatIdidn’tlike
almosteveryweekyoucanseesomethingthatIdidn’tlike.OrI’llwritethiswas
reallygreatrighthere,thiswasagreatdaytodothis.Orthislesson;Ilovedthispart
ofit.Soitnever…itneveristhesame.
Shesharedanexampleofhowsheaccomplishedthiswithafieldtripsheandher
studentstaketoalocalwaterecosystem.Theyteamupwithscientistswhostudythearea
andthestudentslearnabouttheecosystemandstudyasscientistsdo.Shediscussedhow
thefieldtriphaschangedeveryyear.
Weusedtojusthaveanaturewalkandawaterqualitychemistrytesting.Thisyear
weaddedathirdgroupingandit…wehadtochangeeverythinginorderforthatto
work.Wherewewerecapturingmicroorganisms,macroinvertebratesfromthe
lagoonandthendoingactual,fromtheChicagoriverpeople,anactualpollution
toleranceindex,basedonthat.So,Imeanwegottousepaperworkthatreal
scientistsuseandwediditwithrealscientists.Imeanseriouslythatispretty
frickingawesome.
She’salsodonethesameforawatertreatmentprojectthestudentscomplete.Inthe
firstyearsofthecurriculum,Deloreshadherstudentsdesignawaterfiltrationsystem.
Now,however,itisplacedwithincontextofazombieinvasion.Althoughitmaysoundsilly,
Deloreswantedthestudentstoknowhowtopurifywaterwhentheydon’thaveaccessto
theirnormalutilities(e.g.electricity).Thezombiecomponentjustmadeitmorefunforher
students.
Lastyearwebuiltwaterpurificationsystemsandallthesameteachersin…the
newerteachersinourdepartmentbuilttheirwaterfiltrationsystemswiththeir
kids,butIdidn’t.Ihadwaterthatwasinfectedbyzombiesandmykidshadtolearn
howtofilterzombiewater.
Andtheycameintoanewchallengeeveryday,somykidshadevenmorebuy-in,
becauseItookourcurriculumwhichisbuildawaterfiltrationsystemforstorm
water,tobuildawaterfiltrationsystemforzombiewater,whichisexactlythesame
chemistryasthestormwater,butwaymorefun.Kidswerecomingin,theycouldn’t
wait,onedaywelostpower,pretendwelostpower,wedid…theyhadtodoalltheir
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experimentsbyfire…byfire,byflashlight.Anotherdayifazombieenteredthe
room,theyhadtotakecover.Imeanitwasjustreally,reallyfunandcoolanditwas
justsomethingthatwasaddedtosomethingthatwasalreadyinourcurriculum,
alreadythere,butkidsreallycaredaboutit.
Notallofthechangesmadetothenewcurriculumweredonesolelywithinthe
classroom.Twoyearsaftertheadoptionofthenewcurriculumthedistrictrequestedall
theseventhandeighthgradescienceteachersinDelores’schoolmeettoalignthenew
curriculumtoNGSS.Shefoundthatthistaskwasnotasdifficultasimagined.However,
DeloresandhercolleaguesfoundthatthecurriculumwasnotNGSSalignedasmuchas
theyhadthoughtitwas.
Werevampedourcurriculumafterdoingthisforayearortwo,weactuallygotback
togetheragain,lookedatNGSS,again,compareditagaintoseeifwewereclose.And
mypartner,atthetime,Laura,wasreallygoodatitandsheactuallywasabletofind
acoupleofplaceswherewestillweren’tmeetingit,evenwiththenewcurriculum.
BecauseIthinkcurriculumsaythey’realigned,buttheyreallyaren’t.Idon’treally
thinkthat…Ihaven’tfoundthatthere’sonecurriculumwhereyoucanjustgrabit
andgo.
Onceagain,Deloresfoundherselfmakingmodificationstothecurriculum.She
addedanecologycomponentinthewaterstudiesunit.Inhergeneticscurriculum,she
addedaforensicsunitasshethoughttheNGSSstandardswerelackingforgenetics.
DeloressawthevalueinNGSS.Shebelievedmanyschooldistrictsneededitasa
pushtoteachsciencethroughinquiry.Shewonderedhowotherdistrictswouldhandle
NGSS.Shewonderedifthestandardswillbetoochallengingforthem.
IactuallythinkNGSSisprobablyagoodthing.Ithinkthatthereisalotofpeople
whoarereallyslack…Forusinthisdistrict,Idon’tthinkweneededNGSS.Ithinkfor
otherdistricts,thatdon’tfocusonscience,IthinktheyneedNGSS,theyneedto
knowthatkidsneedtobechallengedorwe’renevergoingtohavethosescientists
lateroninlifethatweneedtobecomingupwithallofourideas.
That’swhatIthinkaboutit.Andnow,youknowyou’rethinkingaboutit,likeIwant
thistobesogoodandIwantthemtogetthis.Imeanthey’rechallenging,Idon’t
knowthatallschoolscangetthroughthoseNGSSstandards,they’rechallenging.
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AndIthinkpeopledon’thavetimetodoallofthosesometimes,Imeanthey’reso
timeconsuming.
SummaryofDelores’Findings
Deloreshasastrongidentityasascientist.Sheconnectedtoscienceatanearlyage
becauseitwasmeaningfultoher.Shesawpurposeinitandrecognizedthevalueit
contained.Assuch,shevalueschangeandprofessionaldevelopment.Sciencefrequently
undergoeschangeandprofessionaldevelopmentisawayforhertocontinueexperiencing
changewithinherdiscipline.
TheoldsciencecurriculumDelorestaughtdidnotreflectthesevalues.The
curriculumhadnotbeenupdatedinthe30yearsithadbeentaughtinthedistrict.Itwas
veryteacher-oriented,didnotincludemuchchangebetweenversions,andthestudents
foundlittlemeaninginthecurriculum.
Consequently,findingacurriculumthatreflectedthesevalueswasimportantto
Delores.However,itwasdifficulttofindapackagedcurriculumkitthatcontainedthese
values.Eventually,shesettledonthreecurriculumkitsandmodifiedthemtofitwithher
valuesandtheneedsofherstudents.Shecontinuedtoupdatethecurriculumeachyear
thatshetaughtit.
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Chapter5:
DiscussionandImplications
Thepurposeofthisphenomenologicaldissertationwastounderstandthe
experiencesofveteranscienceteachersinadoptingnewinquiry-basedsciencecurriculum.
Thefourteachersinthisstudywererecruitedfrommynetworkofprofessionalcontacts.
Thesescienceteachershaveeachtaughtscienceforavaryingnumberofyears.Although
theirbackgroundinteachingscienceisdifferent,eachhasastrongknowledgeofscience
contentandpedagogymakingthemwellsuitedforteachingscience.
Eachparticipanthadtaughtatraditional—teacherlead,directinstructionmodel—
sciencecurriculumpriortoteachingwiththenewinquiry-basedsciencecurriculumkits.
Thisdissertationwasdesignedtolearnwhattheirexperienceswereinthistransition.The
useofphenomenologicalmethodsallowedforafocusontheparticipants’understandingof
theirexperience.Thisisbeneficialashoweachpersonexperiencesaphenomenonis
differentbasedontheirpriorlifeexperiences.Thus,whileeachexperiencesthesame
phenomenon,howtheyexperienceitisdifferent.Thisdissertationwasdesignedto
understandthosedifferencesandcometoknowtheessenceoftheirexperiences.
InthischapterIwillanswerthetworesearchquestionspresentedinchapter1.
Answeringthesequestionswasdoneafterreadingtheinterviewtranscriptsandanalyzing
thefindingsfromchapter4.Inthischapter,Iprovideananalyticaldiagramthatillustrates
thethemesoftheirexperiencesandexplainhowthosethemesinteracttobetter
understandtheexperiencestheseteachershad.Finally,recommendationsandlimitations
arediscussed.
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ResearchQuestion1
Thefirstresearchquestionaddressedtheexperienceofthescienceteachersandthe
newinquiry-basedcurriculum.Thefirstresearchquestionanditssub-questionasked:
1. Howdoscienceteachersexperiencetheimplementationofanewinquiry-based
sciencecurriculum?
a. Howdotheirbeliefsofandvaluesinscienceeducationcontributetotheir
implementationofanewinquiry-basedsciencecurriculum?
Eachoftheco-researchersexperiencedtheimplementationofthenewcurriculum
inadifferentway.Thisisduetoseveralfactors.First,eachteacherhasaunique
backgroundthatcontributestotheirexperience.Theirbackgroundscontributetotheir
understandingofhowtoenactaninquiry-basedcurriculum.Second,eachteacherhas
beliefsandvaluesthatareimportanttotheminteachingscience.Theseareheavilyrooted
intheirbackgroundsasthoseshapedeachteacher.Third,eachteacherreceiveddifferent
kitstoteach.AlthoughDeloresandLaurataughtusingthesamekit,theirbackgroundsand
beliefsvariedtheirexperienceinteachingwiththenewkits.
Thefollowingsectionisbrokendownbyteacherandprovidesasummaryoftheir
experiencesinimplementingthenewkitsintheirclassrooms.
Judy
WhileJudyexperiencedchangeinhowshetaughtwhileimplementingthenew
curriculum,herbeliefsandvaluesremainedconsistent.Herbeliefsandvaluesarefounded
inherexperiencesasastudent.Inelementaryschool,sheparticularlyenjoyedscienceasit
providedachallengeforher.Judycommentedonhowscienceinseventhandeighthgrade
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madeherthinkdifferentlythantheothersubjectsdid.Sheenjoyedthatsciencewasan
openexplorationoftheworld;scienceencouragedquestion-askingandnotaccepting
informationatfacevalue.Sheappreciatedthecriticalthinkingskillsthatscienceso
acceptinglyemploys.
Judy’sexperiencesasastudent,though,werenotalwayspositive.Shesharedhow
manyofherteachereducationcourseswererestricting.Theclassesdidn’tteachherhowto
beagoodscienceteacher.Instead,theytaughtherwhatnottodobasedonhowthe
professorsledthecourses.Additionally,theclassesdidnotchallengeher.Judyfelt
constrainedbyprojectrequirements.Shealsofoundthelackoftheprofessor’sinterestsin
thestudentstobeunsettling.Inherundergraduateprogram,Judyfelttheprofessorswere
therefortheirownreasonsandnotfordevelopingherintoamodelscienceteacher.
Similarly,inherpost-undergraduateonlinechemistryclass,shefoundtheprofessor
dismissiveofstudentswhentheyhadquestionsandleftituptothemtoobtainhelp
outsideofthevirtualclassroom.
Havinglivedthroughthoseexperiences,Judybelievedchallengingandresponding
toherstudentstobeanimportantvalueinteachingscience.Shedidnotwanttoconstrain
herstudents.Judywantedtopushthemtowhateverleveltheycanreach.
Judyfoundthatthiswasnoteasilydonewiththematerialavailableintheold
curriculum.Shespenthourssearchingforsupplementalmaterialsthatallowedhertomeet
theneedsofherstudents.Shealsofoundthatthestructureofthetextwasnotengaging
andfocusedtoomuchoncontent.Therewerefewopportunitiesforlabsorinvestigations.
Theengagingmomentsforthestudentswerefoundinteacher-leddemonstrations.Thus,
shemodifiedthecurriculumandmadepacketsofmaterialsforherstudents.Judyalso
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madeentertainingherstudentsaprioritysolearningsciencewasmoreexcitingthan
simplyreadingatextbook.
AsJudytransitionedtothenewcurriculum,Judyfoundthatherpreviousstyleof
teachingasanentertainerwasnotnecessary.Thenewcurriculumwasnaturallyengaging
forthestudents.Itprovidedinvestigatoryopportunitiesandaskedguidingquestionsthat
thestudentsworkedtowardsanswering.Studentsfoundanswerstothosequestions
throughinquirypractices.Thereweremanypathwaystofindingtheanswer.
Judyfoundthathernewroleasateacherwouldbeaquestionerandguiderather
thananentertainingleader.Shenolongerhadtoputonashow.Rather,shehadtoguide
thestudentsthroughtheprocessofworkingtowardananswertoeachlesson’sguiding
question.Judyfoundthiswasabetterfitforherbeliefsandvaluesinteachingscience.
Asstudentscouldtaketheirownpathtofindingtheanswer,Judylearnedthateach
studentcouldbeindividuallychallenged.Lowerlevelstudentscouldtakearoutethat
wouldbemoresimplisticinansweringthequestion.Higherlevelstudentscouldreachthe
sameanswerinamorecomplexmannerandhaveopportunitiesforextendingtheirwork
throughinquirylearning.
AlthoughJudyfeltabetterfitwiththenewcurriculumasateacher,shefoundthat
thecurriculumformatdidnotalwaysworkforherstudents.Shefeltthattheopen
investigationswouldbenefitfromagreaterintroductionofbackgroundknowledge.Judy
feltstudentscouldconnectbetterwiththeinvestigationsiftheyknewmoreaboutwhat
theywereexperiencing.
JudywasnotsatisfiedwithhowSEPUPrequiredstudentstodosomuch
documentingpriortotheinvestigations.Shediscussedhowatthelessons’beginningthere
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couldbeupto20minutesofcopyinginformationoverintothesciencenotebooks.But,she
foundthegeneralstructureoftheSEPUPlessonstobebeneficialforstudentlearning.
WhenJudymovedfromfifthtosixthgradeshehadtolearnanewsciencecurriculum.The
newcurriculumwasprovidedbySTC.Judyfeltthattheflowofthelessonswasbetterin
STCbutfoundalackofacentralguidingquestionineachlessontobeadownsidetothe
kits.AsshehaddonewithSEPUPinfifthgrade,JudymademodificationstotheSTC
curriculum.Thistime,however,shecombinedherfavoriteaspectsofSEPUPwithher
favoriteaspectsofSTC.
Inmodifyingthecurriculum,Judyensuredthatherbeliefsandvaluesinteaching
scienceweremet.Herbeliefsandvaluesseemedtobeconcomitantwiththescientific
practicesfoundinthecurriculum.Theinquirykitswerestructuredinawaythatallowed
hertochallengeherstudents,allowedherstudentstoleavewithanincreased
understanding,andallowedherstudentstodeveloptheirextracurricularskills(e.g.social
andself-reflection).
Judy’sexperiencewasoneofrestructuringandre-navigation.Asshelearnedthe
newcurriculum,shehadtorestructureitsoherbeliefsandvalueswerefoundinit.
Althoughmanyaspectsofherbeliefsandvalueswereinthecurriculum,shefoundthat
someareaswerelacking.Judyhadtoreinventherselfduetothenatureofinquiryinthe
newcurriculum.Itwasnolongernecessaryforhertoputonashowforherstudents.Judy
hadtochangeherroleasaleadertothatofaguidetohelpherstudentsnavigatethenew
curriculum.
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Elizabeth
Elizabeth’sphilosophyoflearningsciencewascapturedinoneword:fun.To
Elizabeth,sciencewasnaturallyfun.Sheconnectedfunwiththephrasehands-onalthough
sheclarifiedjustbecausesomethingwashandsondoesnotmeanitwasalsofun.
Elizabethbelievedthatlearningscienceismorethanjustlearningitscontent,asthe
contentwillalwaysbethere.Studentscouldeasilyaccessitthroughtheplethoraof
availableresources.Elizabethdescribedlearningcontentasasnoozefest.Shedidnotfind
focusingoncontentengagingforherselforherstudents.Theoldcurriculumfocused
heavilyoncontentasthebasisofthecurriculum,atraditionaltextbook,wasthestarting
pointforeverylesson.
Asaresult,Elizabethtriedtomakethecontentintheoldcurriculummoreexciting
andfunforthestudents.Shemadereviewgamesandactivitiesthatwouldhavethe
studentsmovingaroundtheroom.Althoughshemadeitfunforthestudents,Elizabeth
foundthecurriculumlackedmeaningforthestudents.Throughouttheinterviews,she
wouldreferencecontentandactivitiesthatthestudentsstruggledconnectingto.
Elizabethmodifiedtheoldcurriculumasbestshecouldtomakeitmoremeaningful
forthestudents.Inthegeologyunit,studentsfocusedonlandformsasElizabethbelieved
thatwouldbebetterthanlearningthenuancesofrocksandminerals.Bystudying
landforms,shehopedthestudentswouldhaveagreaterappreciationforthesystemsthat
existonandwithinourplanet.Elizabethwantedthemtoseehowcoolourplanetisso
they’dhaveagreaterrespectforit.
DevelopingthissenseofwonderwasanothercomponentofElizabeth’sbeliefsin
teachingscience.Ifshecoulddeveloptheirsenseofwonderthen,perhaps,herstudents
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wouldbecomemorecuriousabouttheworld.Theoldcurriculumwasnotallowingherto
dothisbecauseitwasfocusedoncontent.Howcanherstudentsbecuriousaboutthe
worldwhentheylearnscienceasabodyoffacts?Woulditbebettertoteachthestudents
howtogooutandlearnnewinformationontheirown?
Elizabethbelievedthatscienceisabodyofskillsthatstudentsmustlearn.Indoing
so,theydevelopagreaterappreciationoftheirworld,asenseofwonderandcuriosity,and
cangenuinelylearnnewinformationratherthanjustlookitup.Elizabethrecognizedthat
studentscouldlearnimportantskillsthroughscience:problemsolving,arguing,and
workingcollaboratively.Butthiscouldnotbedonethroughacontent-basedcurriculum.
ThenewcurriculumpresentedanopportunityforElizabethtoenactherbeliefsin
teachingscience.Thenewinquiry-basedkitsshereceivedalignedwellwithherbeliefs.She
wasgladthatcontenttookabackseatinthenewkits.Thefocuswaslearninghowscience
wasdoneandcontentwaslearnedalongtheway.Forexample,inlearninghowtocollect
dataonalivingorganism,studentslearnedtheanatomyoftheorganisms.More
importantly,however,theylearneddatacollectiontechniquesandexperiencedmessydata.
Accompaniedwiththatwasdiscussionsonhowtoanalyzemessydata.
Elizabethencounteredstruggleswiththenewcurriculum.Shefelthercreativitywas
stifledasthenewcurriculumwasmoreprescribedthantheoldcurriculum.Intheold
curriculum,shehadmorechoiceofhowtopresentinformation,asitwassocontentdriven.
Withthenewcurriculum,however,thesequenceoflessonsandstepswithinthelessons
weremorestructuredtoensurestudentswerelearningthroughinquiry.
Elizabethalsofoundtimewasaconstraintonherteaching.MuchasJudystruggled
withtheshortclassperiods,Elizabeth,too,wishedthatshecouldhavealargerblockof
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time.Shefounditdifficultforthestudentstolearnscientificprocesseswhentheywere
fragmentedoverseveraldays.Shefelttherewerefewchancesformeaningful
conversationswiththestudentsassheonlyhas40-minutedayswiththem.
Elizabethalsorealizedtherewasapressurefromoutsidetheclassroomthattook
awaythefunandmeaningshewantedinthecurriculum.Elizabethfeltshehadan
obligationtoparentsandfutureteacherstomakesureherstudentsknewhowtoprocessa
non-fictiontext,takenotes,andstudyforanexam.Again,Elizabethknewthesewere
importantskillstolearn.But,shefoundtheytakeawayfromthelearningexperienceshe
wantedforherstudentssincethoseskillsfocusedonthecontent.Elizabethwouldrather
spendthattimedoingmoreinquiriesandextendingherlessonswithfurtherquestionsfor
exploration.
Elizabeth’sexperiencebecameabalancingactbetweenherbeliefsandvaluesin
teachingscienceandthepressuresfromoutsidetheclassroom.Shewantedtodevelopher
students’senseofwonderandappreciationfortheworldbutalsorecognizedsheneeded
todevelopherstudents’otheracademicskills.
Laura
Laurafelttrappedbytheoldcurriculum.Theoldcurriculumwastextbookandlab
driven.Thetopicswerelimitedtoonlyphysicalscience.Thecurriculumfollowedaformat
ofpre-lab,lab,andpost-lab.Thepre-labandpost-labweretypicallywholeclassinstruction
andteacherdirected.Thesewereincongruentwithwhatshehadlearnedinherteacher
educationprogram.Theyalsoconflictedwithherbeliefsonwhatscienceshouldbeused
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for.Scienceshouldnotsimplybeabodyofknowledgebutadisciplinethatprepares
studentsforfuturecareersandgeneralproblemsolving.
Lauratriedtomakechangestotheoldcurriculumbutfoundshewasconstrainedin
doingso.Theoldcurriculumwassobroadinitsscopeandsequence.Whensheattempted
tomakechanges,shefounditthrewoffthepacing.Herstudentscompletedaprojectatthe
endoftheyearthatwasbasedonalltheyear’slessons.Shehadtokeepupwiththelesson
pacingforherstudentstobereadyforthefinalproject.
Thisisnottosaythatallaspectsoftheoldcurriculumwerenegative.Laurafound
thelabanddataanalysisexperiencesbeneficialforthestudents.Evenso,theseexperiences
didnotreflecthowscientistsworkedintherealworld.Studentswerenotaskingtheirown
questions,theywerenotdevelopingmethodstoanswerthosequestions,theywerenot
reflectingontheirwork,andtheywerenotrefiningtheirpractice.Instead,thestudents
followedacookbookrecipeandhopedtheoutcomestheyreachedwerethesameasthe
expectedoutcomescontainedintheteacher’sbook.Consequently,Laurafoundthe
curriculumlackedmeaningforthestudents.Studyingmass,volume,andotherphysical
propertiesofmatterwerenotrelevantforherstudents.
Laurawasexcitedwiththeadoptionofthenewcurriculum.Shefoundherroleasa
teacherchangedfrombeingtheholderofinformationtoaguideforthestudents.Laura
wasgladherstudentshadanewrole,too.Herstudentsnolongerworkedtowardsfinding
therightanswer.Rather,theymimickedwhatscientistsdidintherealworld.Theywould
openlyexploretopicsinordertodeveloppursuablequestions.Thestudentshadtofind
waystoanswerthosequestions,reflectontheirfindings,andfigureoutwhattodonext.
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Thetextbookthataccompaniedthecurriculumwaslowoncontentandputafocusonthe
processofhowscienceisdone.
AlthoughthenewcurriculumwasalignedwithLaura’sbeliefs,shefoundtherewere
stillsomethingstobedesired.Shefeltthegeneraltopicsweretoosimplisticforher
studentsandtheyneededsomethingmorechallenging.Laurafeltthereweretimeswhere
thecontentwastoospecificanddidn’taddresssomeofthelargerideasshewantedthe
studentstolearn.Inresponse,Lauramodifiedthecurriculumtomakeitmorealignedwith
thesebeliefs.
ThechangesLauramadeincludedaddressingbroaderconcepts(e.g.structureand
function).Shebroughtinaspectsofthestudents’localcommunitytomakethelearning
morerelevantforherstudents.Lauraandhercolleaguesbroughtinadditionalresourcesto
fillinwhattheyfeltweregapsinthecurriculum.Sheandhercolleaguesalsoalignedthe
curriculumtoNGSS,whichpresentedmoreopportunitiestorevisethecurriculum.
Delores
Deloresstruggledforyearstomaketheoldcurriculumalignwithwhatshebelieved.
Theoldcurriculumdidnotofferstudentsmeaningfulexperiences.Thefocusonphysical
sciencewasnotengagingforthestudents.Whileshemadechangestotheoldcurriculum,
theotherteachersinDelores’departmentdidnotsupporther.Sheknewtheywouldnot
changetheirteachingpracticesastheyhadbeenteachingtheoldcurriculumforovertwo
decades.
Toremedythisissue,Deloressoughtoutsideprofessionaldevelopment.Itwas
throughprofessionaldevelopmentthatDeloressawwaysshecouldmakechangestothe
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oldcurriculum.Sheimplementedchangesinhercurriculumandfeltitwasbecominga
betterfitforherandherstudents.Deloreswantedthestudentstolearnscienceinaway
thatwouldpersonallyconnectwiththem.Andshefoundthechangeswerehelpingherdo
that.
Whenthedistrictplannedtodesigntheframeworkforthenewcurriculum,Delores
appliedtoandwasacceptedtothereviewcommittee.Theconsultantthatwashiredwas
knowledgeableinbestpracticesandwasfamiliarwiththeupcomingNGSS.Thus,shewas
supportedinthechangesshewantedtomake.Theresultwasacurriculummapthat
reflectedDelores’beliefsandvaluesinteachingscience.Shenowhadthetaskoffinding
curricularpackagesthatmatchedthemap.
Shestruggledinfindinganewcurriculumthatmatchedherbeliefs.Shefoundthe
inquirykitswereeithertoosimpleorchallengingforherstudents.Sheeventuallysettled
onwhatshefeltwasabestfitforherandherstudents.Asshetaughtthenewcurriculum,
Deloresbeganmodifyingitsoitbecameabetterfit.Sheeventuallygottoapointwhereshe
nolongerusedtothetextbookbecauseitdidnotreflectherideaofinquiry.
ButthisreflectedwhatDeloresbelievedwasimportantinscienceandtoherself:
change.Scienceasadisciplinechangedwithnewdiscoveriesandtheorieswereupdatedto
includenewevidence.Further,Deloresneversettledforachievement;shedoesnotwant
herstudentstojustmeetabenchmarkorstandard.Shebelievedinpersonalgrowth:her
studentsshouldgrowbeyondtheirinitialunderstandingofthetopicsshetaught.
Therefore,itisnotsurprisingthatDeloresmademanychangestothenewcurriculum.
Deloresreflectedonwhatshetaughtunderthenewcurriculum,whichwas
consistentwithherbeliefinacceptingthatchangeispartofherprofessionanddiscipline.
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Deloresstatedsheneverwantedtobetheteacherwhoworkedoutofafolder.Shekept
notesonwhatshebelievedworkedwellandwhatdidnotworkwellwithherlessons.She
routinelymodifiedherworkinordertoimproveit.
Deloresaccomplishedthis,inpart,bymakingpersonalandrelevantconnectionsfor
herstudents.Herwaterstudiesunitculminatedinafieldtriptoalocalriparianecosystem.
Shealsotiedinnaturaldisastersthatincludedwatertreatmentasaconcern.Forexample,
acholeraoutbreakinHaitimadelearningexcitingasherstudentswantedtoproblem
solve:howdoyoufilterwaterwhentherearelimitedresources?
Designingandimplementingthenewcurriculumwasaprocessofliberationfor
Delores.Shewasnolongerconstrainedbyherformercolleaguesandcouldinstillher
valuesandbeliefsintothecurriculummap.
ResearchQuestion2
Havingestablishedtheexperiencesoftheteachersinimplementingnewscience
inquiry-curriculaitispossibletoanswerthesecondresearchquestion.Thesecond
questionis:Whataretheessencesoftheirexperiences?Inotherwords,whatisthe
experienceofimplementingthenewcurriculumsuchthatIcannowbetterunderstand
whatthisexperienceislikeforotherteachers?Examiningthecrosscuttingthemesthat
emergedinanalyzingthedataanswersthisquestion.Thesethemesare:feelingtrapped,
findingafit,makingameaningfulexperience,andfindingbalance.
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FeelingTrapped
Eachoftheteachershadexperiencedafeelingofbeingtrappedbytheold
curriculum.Theywereunabletoprovideaninquiry-basedexperiencefortheirstudents.
Thiswastheresultoftheoldcurriculums’focusoncontentandnotonscientificpractice.
Consequently,theteachersallmademodificationstotheoldcurriculumtomakeitmore
inquiryoriented,thusaligningitwiththeirbeliefs.However,theteachersencountered
strugglesindoingso.Thesestrugglesincludedbalancingcontentwithskills,findingtopics
thatweremeaningfulforthestudents,constraintsofa40-minuteclassperiod,andthe
curriculums’fastpace.
Whentheteachersreceivedthenewcurriculum,theywereexciteditwasinquirybasedandalignedwithhowtheybelievedscienceshouldbetaughtandlearned.Theytried
tofaithfullyimplementitaswrittenbutfounditwasstillnotaperfectfitfortheirstudents.
Becauseofthis,theteachersbeganmakingchangestothecurriculum.
FindingaFit
Eachoftheteachershadmodifiedtheoldcurriculumtofittheirbeliefsandvaluesin
teachingandlearningscience.Theysimilarlydidthesamewhenthenewcurriculumwas
implemented.Theteacherswereexcitedtousethekitsastheywereinquiry-basedand
weremorealignedwiththeirvisionsofhowscienceshouldbetaught.However,asthey
usedthekitstheyfoundthattheydidnotfitperfectlywiththeirbeliefsanddidnotmeetall
theneedsoftheirstudents.Therefore,theymadechangestothekitsthattheyfeltwere
appropriate.
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Judyreplacedthetextbookwithpacketsthatshecreatedintheoldcurriculum.She
usedanabundanceofresourcestohelphercreatepacketsthatmettheneedsofher
students.Forsomestudents,thismeantreceivingpacketsthatmadetheideasmore
accessibleorextendedtheideasbeyondwhatwasrequiredbytheschooldistrict.Italso
affectedhowJudytaught.Shewasanentertainerwiththeoldcurriculum.Shewantedto
bringittolife.WiththenewcurriculumJudyfoundabetterfitbutstillmadechangesso
herbeliefswerepresentinthecurriculum.Shemodifiedthestructureofthelessonsto
incorporateherfavoriteaspectsoftwodifferentcurriculakits.
Elizabethstrivedtomakelearningfunforherstudents.Thismeantreducingthe
focusincontentintheoldcurriculumandincludingmoregamesandphysicalactivities.
Shealsofeltthatthecontentwastoonarrowandmissedlarger,moreimportantconcepts.
Elizabethfoundabetterfitforhervaluesandbeliefsinthenewcurriculum.She,too,hadto
modifythenewcurriculumtoensurethathervaluesandbeliefswerepresent.She
eliminatedlessonsthatshefeltwerenotalignedwithwhatshebelievedwasimportantin
teachingscience.Theseincludedlessonsthatweretoocontent-focused,didnotallow
studentstoengagetheircuriosity,anddidnotincreasethestudents’appreciationnorgive
themasenseofresponsibilityfortheirworld.
Laurafoundtheoldcurriculumtobetoocontent-focused.Duetoitslargescopeand
sequence,specialattentionhadtobepaidtopacingthelessons.Thisdidnotleavemuch
roomforhertomakemodificationsandshefoundherselftrappedunderanoutdatedstyle
ofteaching.Thenewcurriculumprovidedmoreoptionsfordifferentiation,whichwasin
linewithwhatLaurabelievedtobeimportant.Shepulledinmorelocalcontextsforthe
studentssotheycouldseethemeaninginwhattheywerelearning.
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Deloresaspiredtoremovetheoldcurriculumfromtheschoolandreplaceitwitha
newcurriculumthatwasinquiryfocused.Asacommitteememberinchargeofselecting
thecurriculumforeighthgrade,Deloresstruggledtofindakitthatmatchedtheneedsof
herstudentsandwhatshebelievedwasimportantinteachingscience.Thekitsshedid
selectweresoonmodifiedtofitherbeliefs.Shenolongerusedthetextbookandmade
changestoherlessonseachyeartokeepthemuptodateandmeaningfulforherstudents.
MakingaMeaningfulExperience
Eachteacherhadindicatedgranderpurposesforteachingscienceandincorporated
thosepurposesintothecurriculum.Theinquirycurriculaseemedtonaturallyallowthisto
happen.Judywantedherstudentstobecomeproblemfindersandproblemsolvers.
Elizabethwantedherstudentstohaveasenseofwondersotheycanhaveagreater
appreciationfortheworldtheylivein.Lauraaspiredtoequipherstudentswithnecessary
skillsthatwillhelptheminfuturecareersandproblemsolving.Deloressimilarlywanted
herstudentstobeequippedtohandlefutureproblems(e.g.lossoffossilfuelresourcesand
ensuringaccesstocleandrinkingwater).
FindingBalance
Eachteacherfoundthatmodificationtothecurriculumwasaccompaniedwitha
needtofurtherfindbalance.Whiletheteachersmoldedthecurriculumtofittheirvalues
andbeliefs,theyhadtoensurethatthecurriculumstilladdressedothercomponentsof
learning.ThiswasveryevidentwithJudyandElizabeth.Bothteachersstruggledin
balancingscientificpracticeswithscientificcontent.Bothteacherswantedthefocustobe
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onthescientificpracticesbutthecontentwasthemeansthroughwhichthepracticeswere
addressed.Yet,inevaluatingthestudents,bothJudyandElizabethcouldlosesightofthe
practicesandhoneinthestudents’useofgrammar,spelling,writingstyles,
misconceptions,andcontent.
Inane-mailfollowupinterview,Deloressharedacopyofareportpublishedbythe
district.Thereportsurveyedthepreviousyear’sfreshmenonhowpreparedtheyfeltfor
eachofthecontentareasintheirfirstyearofhighschool.Thereportstatedthatonly57%
studentsfeltpreparedforhighschoolscienceclasses.Thiscontrastswiththeover80%of
studentsreportingtheyfeltpreparedwhentheylearnedsciencewiththeold,traditional
curriculum.ThiswasconcerningtoDeloresasshefeltthenewcurriculumiswhatthe
studentsneeded.
ThereportdiscussedhowDeloreshadfollowedupwiththehighschoolandfound
thattheircurriculumfollowedatraditionalteacher-directedstyleblendedwithinquiry
opportunities.Thisseeminglyexplainedwhystudentsinprioryearshadfeltmore
prepared.However,sheandLaurafeltthattheymustbalancetheirdesiretoteachthrough
inquirywithtraditionalskillstheythoughtwerenolongernecessary.Thesetraditional
skillsincludepreparingfortraditionalassessments,processingnon-fictiontexts,andbeing
abletotakenotesfromlectures.
AnalysisofThemes
Thefourthemesdonotstandalone.Thatis,thethemesworktogethertorevealthe
essencesoftheteachers’experiencewithimplementingthenewinquiry-basedcurriculum.
Figure5.1demonstratesthisasananalyticaldiagram.
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Thediagramshowshowthethemesinteractwitheachothertoprovidean
understandingoftheteachers’experiences.First,theteachersfelttrappedbytheold,
traditionalsciencecurriculum.Itsfocusonsciencecontentoverpracticedidnotalignwith
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theteachers’beliefsofthepurposesofsciencenordiditalignwiththeirbeliefsofhow
scienceshouldbetaughtthroughinquiry.Thediagramvisualizesthiswithajailcell:the
barsrepresenttheoldcurriculumpreventingtheteachersfromteachingscienceasthey
believeitshouldbetaught.Whilethechangestheymadetothecurriculumprovidedsome
relieffortheirvaluesandbeliefs,itdidnotaffectthefacttheircurriculumwasgroundedin
anon-inquiryframework.
Thenewinquiry-basedkits,however,providedanopportunityfortheteachersto
embedtheirvaluesandbeliefsintothenewcurriculum.Thisledtheteacherstofindafit
throughachievingabalancebychangingthenewcurriculum.Thesechangesincluded
addingandremovinglessons,eliminatingthetextbook,bringinginadditionalresources,
connectingthelearningexperiencetolocalecosystemsandglobalproblems,andfocusing
ontheprocessesmoresothanthecontent.However,thisallleadtofindingasenseof
balancefortheteachers.Theteachershadtobalancetheirbeliefsandvaluesofscience
educationwithotheraspectsofthecurriculum.Forexample,theirformerstudentsfeel
moreunpreparedforhighschoolclasses.Theteachersfeltresponsibleforaddressingother
contentareasbyworkingwithstudentsontheirreadingandwritingskills.Thismeantthe
teachershadtofocusoncontenttopreparethestudentsforhighschoolandensurethey
werehelpingthestudentsimprovetheirreadingandwritingskills.
Examiningthefourthemesuncoveredtheessenceoftheseteachers’experience:
freedomandreconciliation.Theideaoffreedomisexperiencedinthetransitionfromthe
old,traditionalcurriculumtothenew,inquiry-basedcurriculum.Theteachersexperienced
freedomastheirbeliefswerenolongertrappedbytheoldcurriculum’sframework.The
teachersnowhadthelibertytofullyteachthroughtheirheldbeliefs.However,thisliberty
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wasnotwithoutlimitation.Theteacherswerestillrequiredtomeetthegoalsofother
reformefforts,suchasCommonCore,expectationsofbeingpreparedforhighschool
science,andtheirownnegativelyheldviewsonaspectsofteachingandlearningscience
(e.g.content)thatarefoundinboththeoldandnewcurricula.Thus,theteachershadto
reconciletheirteachingwiththesesourcesoflimitation.
Implications
Thisdissertationhasshownthatphenomenologicalmethodsareabletoreveal
scienceteachers’valuesandbeliefsinteachingscience.Examiningthesevaluesandbeliefs
inconjunctionwiththeirexperiencesofthecurriculumallowedforthedevelopmentofthe
analyticaldiagrampresentedearlier.Thisdiagramvisualizedtherelationshipscience
teachershavewiththeircurriculumandhowtheyexperiencedthetransitionfroma
traditionalcurriculumtoaninquiry-basedcurriculum.
Thepresentedanalyticaldiagramalsoshowedhowthefourscienceteachers’values
andbeliefsinteractedwiththeoldandnewcurricula.Thediagramshowedthatthenew
inquiry-basedcurriculaprovidedabetteralthoughnotperfectfitfortheirvaluesand
beliefs.Thisleavestheteacherswithabalancingactofincorporatingwhattheyandothers
feelisimportantintheirclassrooms.Ifthisbalanceisshiftedawayfromthephilosophyof
thenewcurricula(e.g.theteachersbeginfocusingoncontentratherthanprocess),then
thesuccessofthenewinquiry-basedcurriculumisinjeopardy.However,thechangesthey
madetothekitsdidnotunderminethekits’philosophies.Rather,thechangestheymade
weredonetoensuretheirvaluesandbeliefswereinthecurriculumkits.
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BothLauraandDelorestaughtthreeSEPUPunits.TheSEPUPunitsareissue
oriented.SEPUP’s(2009)issueorientedcurriculumhasthreegoals:
1. Engagestudentsinscientificlearning,
2. Havestudentsusescientificevidencetomakedecisions,and
3. Educatestudentsontheapplicationofscientificknowledgetoeverydaylife.
WhileneitherLauranorDeloresconsistentlytaughttheirSEPUPcurriculumaswrittenby
thepublisher,thechangestheymadetothecurriculumappearedalignedwiththegoalsof
issue-orientedscience.Deloresspokeatlengthaboutmakingthecurriculummore
meaningfulforherstudentsbybringinginlocalconnections.Shealsodiscussedhowshe
wouldconnectdisasterstowhatthestudentswerelearning.Sheredesignedthe
investigationstoreflectwhatshebelievesarefutureproblemsforthestudents(e.g.access
tocleanwaterandrenewableenergysolutions).
JudyandElizabethteachusingtheSTCSecondarycurriculum.TheSmithsonian
Institution(2013)—thedevelopersoftheSTCprogram—notedtwogoalswiththeir
curriculumpackages.First,theywanttoprovidestudentswithstandards-alignedcurricula
(i.e.theNationalScienceEducationStandardspriortothereleaseofNGSS).Second,they
wantstudentstoengageinauthenticscientificpracticessuchthattheycandevelop
scientificknowledgeandattitudesthatwillpreparethemforSTEMcareersandmakethem
scientificallyliterate.JudyandElizabeth’smodificationstothecurriculumdonotseemto
violatethesegoals.Instead,theirchangesseemtoprovideforstudentsmeetingthegoalsof
theSTCprogram.BothJudyandElizabethfocusheavilyonscientificpracticesintheir
classroomandworktoinstillasenseofaweandwonderintheirstudents.Inaddition,they
191
worktoensuretheirstudentsarelearningskillsthatwillbenecessaryintheirfuture
careers.
Thechangestheteachersmadetothenewcurriculumweremeanttoensuretheir
valuesandbeliefswererepresented.However,theteachersexperiencedabalancingactas
theystruggledtoreconcilecomponentsoftheoldtraditionalandnewinquiry-based
curricula.Contentwasacentralcomponentofthetraditionalcurriculum.Eachofthe
teachershadmodifiedtheoldcurriculumtodecentralizethecontentinordertogive
prioritytotheirbeliefsofwhatisimportantinteachingandlearningscience.Theyhadto
reconcilethisformerdecentralizedrolewithhowcontentissituatedwithinthenew
curriculum.Thus,theyquestionedhowtointegratecontentintotheirinstruction.For
example,Judyaskedifsheshouldteachstudentscertainvocabularytermspriorto
inquiriesinordertohelpguidestudentsthroughthelearningprocess.Similarly,she
wonderedhowmuchcontentisneededtounderstandthebrainasacomponentofthe
body’snervoussystem.Asanotherexample,Elizabethquestionedhowmuchtofocuson
contentasitissoeasilyavailablefromin-classandonlineresources.
BothJudyandElizabethhadquestionsabouthowtogradetheirstudents.Bothwant
tofocusongradingthestudents’understandinganddemonstrationofscientificpractices.
However,theyfindthemselvesgettinglostinotheraspectsofwriting:grammar,spelling,
punctuation,andcitations.Thisslowsdowntheirgradingprocessandleadstofrustration.
Theyarestrugglingonhowtoassesstheirstudents’scientificpractices.Thesescience
teachersneedguidanceinhowtoaddresstheseaspectsofthecurriculumthattheyare
questioningorattemptingtoreconcilewiththeirbeliefs.
192
Theanalyticaldiagramprovidesawaytohelptheteachersaccomplishthis
reconciliation.Thediagramvisualizeswhatfuture,ongoing,transformativeprofessional
developmentisneededtoensurethesuccessofthenewcurricula.Forexample,the
diagramshowsthattheteachersfelttrappedbytheoldcurriculum.Understandingwhy
theyfelttrappedintheoldcurriculumandwhattheydidtofindreliefrevealedtheirvalues
andbeliefsinteachingscience.Administratorsandcurriculumspecialistscanlookatthis
informationtopredictwhatmighthappenwithanewcurriculum.Fromthesepredictions,
theycouldprovideprofessionaldevelopmentthatwouldhelpreifytheteachers’reformalignedbeliefsorprovidethemopportunitiestoexpanduponthem.
Afterthetransitionhadoccurred,thefindingsrevealedtheteachersinabalancing
act.Ononesideofthebalancearewhattheteachers’findimportantinteachingtheir
studentsscience.Ontheothersideiswhattheteachersfeelistakingawayfromwhatthey
wanttheirstudentstoexperience.Forexample,theteachersarebeingtoldtheirstudents
donotfeelpreparedforhighschoolscience.Theteachersarenowintegratingpracticesin
theirclassroom(e.g.lectureandtraditionalassessments)thattheyfeelarecountertotheir
beliefs.Theseteachers’administratorsorcurriculumspecialistscoulddesignorfind
professionaldevelopmentthatwouldhelpthemresolvethisconflict.
Thisanalyticaldiagramcouldalsoserveasawaytoanalyzeotherteachers’values
andbeliefsinthecontextofatransitionfromatraditionaltoinquiry-basedcurriculum.
Althoughthisstudyisnotmeanttobegeneralizableduetoitsphenomenological
methodology,thediagrampresentedcanserveasaskeletonforanalyzingteachers’values
andbeliefs.Forexample,interviewingotherscienceteacherswithdifferentbackgrounds
193
couldrevealtherelationshiptheirvaluesandbeliefshavewithatraditionalcurriculumand
howthosewouldfitwithinthephilosophyofaninquiry-basedcurriculum.Thiscould
provideguidancetowardstargetedprofessionaldevelopmentneededtoensurethesuccess
ofthenewinquiry-basedcurriculum.
Recommendations
Academicresearchhasshownthatteacherswillmodifycurriculumtofittheir
valuesandbeliefs(Keys&Brian,2001;Crawford,2014).However,ifthevaluesandbeliefs
areincongruentwiththecurriculum,thiscouldbedetrimentaltothesuccessful
implementationofthecurriculum’sphilosophy.Yet,thisdissertationhasshownthateven
whentheteachers’beliefsarealignedwiththecurriculumphilosophy,theywillstillmake
changestoensureabetterfitwiththeirbeliefsandstudents’needs.However,theystruggle
tofindaperfectfit.Theyalsohaduncertaintyingradingandtheroleofcontentduetotheir
priorexperienceswithatraditionalcurriculum.
Cronin-Jones(1991)arguedthatteachersaregoingtomakechangestothe
curriculum;administratorsandcurriculumdesignerscannotexpectacurriculumtobe
implementedwithoutchange.Cronin-Jones(1991)furtherarguedthatcurriculum
developerstakeadditionalstepstobetterunderstandteachers’beliefsaboutscience
education.Asurveyofbeliefscouldallowthedeveloperstointegratethesebeliefsinto
theircurriculumdesignprocess.ThisdissertationextendsCronin-Jones’(1991)
recommendationbyproposingcurriculumdevelopersbuildflexibilitywiththelessons;
giveteachersoptionsonhowtomeetthephilosophyofthecurriculumratherthanhaving
rigidlessonswithlittleflexibility.TheSEPUPmaterialsusedbyJudy,Delores,andLaura
194
includedastatementtotheteacherstellingthemnotmakemodificationstothelessons
theirfirsttimethroughinordertoknowhowthelessonsarestructured.Thepublishers
seemedtorecognizeteacherswillmakechangesinordertoaccommodatetheneedstothe
studentsandtheteachers’beliefs.Yet,Judyreceivedamessagecountertothiswhenshe
wentthroughtrainingonthekits.
Theprofessionaldevelopment,ortraining,offeredtotheteachersforthenew
curriculumvariedinsuccess.Judystruggledwithbothtrainingsshereceived.Shefeltthe
SEPUPtrainingwastoorigidanddidnotlikethatthecurriculumwassoprescribed.While
shesawthebenefitinwhytheytrainedherinthewayshedid,itwentagainstherpersonal
beliefsofhowscienceistaughtandlearned.Incontrast,Elizabethfoundthathertrainingin
theSTCkitswasverybeneficialasthetraineradaptedthesessionstofittheneedsofthe
teachers.Deloresfoundshewasfightingwiththedistricttoreceivetrainingpriorto
implementingthenewcurriculum.
ForJudy,LauraandDelores,thetrainingofferedonthecurriculumwasthefirst
timetheteachersinteractedwiththecurriculummaterials.Thisshouldbeapositive
experiencefortheteachers.Astheirviewofthecurriculumcanbemoldedatthispoint,
effortsshouldbetakentoensurethattheteachers’valuesandbeliefsarealignedwiththe
newcurriculumandthattheirexperienceinlearningthenewcurriculumisasfreeof
frustrationaspossible.Deloresinteractedwiththecurriculummaterialspriortotraining
asshehadselectedthem.However,shefoundresistancefromherdistrictinprovidingher
andhercolleaguestrainingpriortoimplementingthenewcurriculum.Instead,thedistrict
wantedtoofferthetrainingtotheteachersatthesametimetheywereimplementingthe
curriculum.
195
Professionaldevelopment,ortraining,ofnewcurriculumshouldhappeninadvance
ofitsimplementation.Teachersneedtimetointeractwiththematerials.Theyneedtimeto
seewheretheirvaluesandbeliefsfitintothelessons.Itispossiblethatteacherswillbegin
makingmodificationstothematerialspriortotraining.Therefore,thetrainingcanserveas
acheckpointforadministratorstoensurethatanychangesmadetothecurriculumbythe
teachersarealignedwithscienceeducationreform.
Whatprofessionaldevelopmentisneededfortheteacherscanberevealedthrough
phenomenologicalmethods.Thisisnottosaythatadministratorsorcurriculumspecialists
shouldconductfullphenomenologicalinterviewswiththeirteachers.However,byasking
theteacherstheirbeliefsandvaluesinscienceeducation,thoseinchargeofcurriculum
designandimplementationcanbetterunderstandwhattheirteacherswillbeexperiencing
andhowtohelpthemensurethesuccessofthenewinquiry-basedcurriculum.
Districtsshouldalsoprovideopportunitiesforteacherstoreflectonmodifications
tothecurriculum.Theteachersshouldbeallowedtosuggestthosemodificationsbe
incorporatedintothecurriculummaporscopeandsequenceifthemodificationsare
alignedwiththecurriculum’sphilosophy.Theteachersstudiedinthisdissertationwere
providedsuchanopportunity.Thefourteachersimplementedtheircurriculumfaithfully
forthefirstfewmonthsbeforetheybeganmakingchanges.Atvariouspointsafter
implementingthecurriculum,theteachersweregiventheopportunitytoreviewthe
curriculummapsandmakechanges.TheywerealsoaskedtoalignthecurriculumtoNGSS.
This,too,providedanopportunitytomakechanges,asthesequenceoflessonsintheirkits
didnotalwaysalignwithNGSSstrands.
196
Anyprofessionaldevelopmentprovidedtotheteachersshouldbetransformative
professionaldevelopment(Thompson&Zeuli,1999).Thisprofessionaldevelopment
shouldbeprovidedassoonaspossibleafteracurriculummaporscopeisdeveloped.
Successfulchangefromprofessionaldevelopmentcannotbedeliveredthroughaone-time
workshop.Rather,itmustbeconsistentoveranextendedperiodtoeffectivelybring
changetotheteacher’svaluesandbeliefs(Johnson,2006;Loucks-Horselyetal.,2010;Luft
andHewson,2014).Althoughtheteachersinthisdissertationholdbeliefsalignedwith
reformefforts,theystillneedguidanceinhowtoreconciletheirbeliefswiththenew
curriculum,otherreforms,andtheirownuncertaintiesofaspectsfoundinboththeoldand
newcurriculum.Transformativeprofessionaldevelopmentcanserveasawaytoguide
teachersthroughthatreconciliationandensurethesuccessofthenewinquiry-based
curriculum.
SituatingFindingsintotheAcademicLiterature
Thefindingsofthisstudyareconsistentwithotherstudiesthathaveexaminedthe
relationshipbetweenscienceteachers’beliefsandthecurriculumtheyteach.Thesestudies
revealthatscienceteachersembedtheirvaluesandbeliefsintothecurriculumandaffect
howtheyteachtheircurriculum.TobinandMcRobbie’s(1996)studyofahighschool
chemistryteacherfoundthathisbeliefsofbeingpowerlessintransformingthechemistry
curriculumpreventedhimfrommakingreform-basedchanges.Cotton(2006)foundthat
environmentalscienceteachersavoidedthepro-environmentalagendaofthecurriculum
becausetheydidnotbelieveitwastheirplacetoinfluencestudents’attitudes.Inageneral
educationstudy,WallaceandPriestly(2011)foundthatteacherswhoheldbeliefscloseto
197
reformeffortsmodifiedtheirteachingpracticestobealignedwiththosereforms.Butfew
studieshavelookedattherelationshipbetweenacurriculumtransitionandtheteachers’
valuesandbeliefs.
Cronin-Jones’(1991)studywasonethatdidexaminethistransitioninlightof
teachers’valuesandbeliefs.Herstudyrevealedthatscienceteachers’beliefsabout“how
studentslearn,ateacher’sroleintheclassroom,theabilitylevelsofstudents…,andthe
relativeimportanceofcontenttopics”(p.235)impactstheimplementationofinquirybasedcurriculum.Thosebeliefs,whicharenotalwaysalignedwithreformefforts,threaten
thesuccessfulimplementationofinquiry-basedcurricula.Theseteacherswouldprohibit
successfulimplementationbyrelyingonteacher-centeredpedagogyandfocusingon
contentratherthanprocess.Thesearecountertothephilosophyofthecurriculumthey
wereimplementing.Inthisdissertation,eachofthefourteachersmadechangestothe
curriculum.Yet,unlikeinCronin-Jones’(1991)study,thefourscienceteachersstudiedin
thisdissertationheldbeliefsthatwerealignedwiththeirnewcurriculumkits.Thechanges
theymadetothekitsdidnotunderminethekits’philosophies.
Cronin-Jones’(1991)studywasconductedinpartinordertocontributeevidence
towardsthedevelopmentofagroundedtheorythatdescribeshowscienceteachers’beliefs
affecttheimplementationofsciencecurriculum.Anexampleofsuchatheorythathasbeen
developedisBrown’s(2009)teacher-toolrelationshiptheory.Brown’s(2009)theory
offersanexplanationastowhyteachersmakesuchchangestothecurriculum.This
relationshipincludesatwo-wayinfluence.Theteacherisinfluencedbythecurriculumand
theteacheraffectshowthecurriculumisimplemented.Hearguedthecurriculumbecomes
ameansthroughwhichtheteachercanexpresstheirvaluesandbeliefs.Thus,ifthe
198
curriculumisnotfullyalignedwiththevaluesandbeliefs,teacherswillmakechangestoit.
Brown(2009)supportedhistheorywithabodyofresearchthatrecognizedteachers
changetheimplementationofcurriculum.Hediscussedthatthisoccursasaprocessof
selection,interpretation,reconciliation,accommodation,andmodification.Eachofthese
componentsisrootedwithintheteacher’sknowledge,beliefs,skills,andgoals.This
dissertationaddsfurtherevidencetothistheory.
Thisdissertationcontributestofindingsfromsimilarstudies(Munby,1984;CroninJones,1991;TobinandMcRobbie,1996;Wallace&Kang,2004;Cotton,2006;Ozel&Luft,
2013)bylookingatveteranmiddleschoolandjuniorhighteacherswhosevaluesand
beliefsarealignedwithscienceeducationreform.Thisdissertationfindssimilarresultsto
teacherschangingcurriculumtomatchtheirbeliefs;however,itfindsthattheypositively
modifiedthecurriculumtoensureitmettheirreform-alignedbeliefs.Thisdissertationalso
contributesthattheseteachers’reform-alignedvaluesandbeliefsarechallengedbythe
traditionalmodelofscienceteachingatthehighschooltheirstudentswillsoonattend.The
teachersfeelunderpressuretoensuretheirstudentsfeelpreparedfortheirtraditional
highschoolscienceclasses.And,duetothephilosophyofinquiry-basedcurriculaandtheir
experienceswiththetraditionalcurricula,theteachersareexperiencinguncertaintyinthe
roleofcontentanduncertaintyinhowtogradestudentwork.
Thisdissertationalsofillsagapinthephenomenologicalresearchrevealingthe
essenceoftheexperience.Italsorespondstothecallforadditionaldescriptivestudiesthat
examineteacherexperienceswithinquirylearningandteaching.Crawford(2014),ina
comprehensivereviewofliteratureonteachersandinquiry,concludedthat“descriptive
andinterpretivestudies…arevitalinunderstandingallthecomplexitiesinvolvedwhena
199
teacherstrivestocarryoutteachingscienceasinquiry”(p.529).Thisdissertation
respondstothecallhavingexaminedagroupofscienceteacherswhosevaluesandbeliefs
arealignedwithreformefforts.
Tosummarize,thisdissertationaddstothelimitedresearchonhowexperienced
scienceteacherswhosebeliefsarealignedwithreformeffortsexperiencethe
implementationofnewinquiry-basedcurriculum.Theanalyticaldiagramcreatedfromthat
experiencecanbeusedasaguideforfutureprofessionaldevelopment.Theframeworkof
thediagrammaybeapplicabletotheexperiencesofotherteachersaswellandmayalso
guidetheirprofessionaldevelopment.However,furtherresearchwouldneedtobedoneas
thisstudywasphenomenologicaland,consequently,haslimitedgeneralizability.
Thisdissertationaddstothislimitedbodyshowingthatexperienced,reformalignedscienceteachers:
•
makechangestothecurriculum,albeitwithoutnegatingthephilosophyofthe
curriculum,
•
experiencefreedomfortheirbeliefsfromtheoldcurriculumandembedthem,
althoughnotperfectly,intothenewinquiry-basedcurriculum,
•
mustreconciletheirbeliefsduetonegativelyheldperceptionsofaspectsoftheold
curriculum(e.g.theroleofcontent),otherreformefforts(e.g.CommonCore),and
thefutureneedsoftheirstudents(e.g.preparationforhighschool),and
•
needsupportandguidancewithothercurricularaspects(e.g.incorporatingcontent,
grading)thatcanbedifferentinaninquirycurriculum.
200
LimitationsandQuestionsforFutureStudies
Thisdissertationusedaphenomenologicalmethodologytounderstandthe
experienceoffourveteranscienceteachersimplementingnewinquirycurricula.The
findingsshowedthatthecurriculabecameatoolthroughwhichtheteacherscould
implementtheirvaluesandbeliefsinteachingscience.Theteachersgrappledwiththe
curriculumtofindawaytofittheirbeliefsandvaluesofscienceeducationintoit.These
teachersengagedinabalancingactbetweenensuringtheirbeliefsareinthecurriculum
andtheotherpurposesoflearning(e.g.processinganon-fictiontextorhowtostudyfora
test).And,theteachersfoundwaystomakethecurriculummoremeaningfulfortheir
students.Althoughtheteachersmademodificationstothekits,theoverallphilosophyof
thecurriculumwasnotundermined.
Thisdissertation,likeallacademicresearch,isnotwithoutitslimitations.In
examiningthelimitations,however,itispossibletoconceivefutureresearchstudies.One
ofthelimitationsofthisstudyisthelackofgeneralizability.Itisdifficulttogeneralize
findingsfromthisdissertationasitemployedaqualitative,phenomenological
methodology.Thesamplesizeissmallandtheexaminedexperiencemaybeuniquetothe
cohortofteachersstudied.Aquestioncanberaisedwithregardtothetransferabilityofthe
findingsofthisdissertationtosimilarcontextwithotherscienceteachers.Dootherveteran
scienceteachersviewthetransitionfromtraditiontoinquiry-basedcurriculumasthese
teachersdid?Dotheyexperiencethecurriculumasamalleablestructurethatcan
accommodatetheirvaluesandbeliefswhilestillmaintainingthephilosophyofthe
curriculum?
201
Thisdissertationhadamodifiedversionoftheoriginalinterviewplans.Theoriginal
methodsplannedforthreeinterviewswiththeteachers.Yet,IRBaskedforthefirsttwo
interviewstobeconsolidatedtogethertoreducethenumberoftimestheteacherswould
havetomeet.Althoughthisdidnotimpacttheoveralltimecommitmentforeachteacher
nordiditimpactthefindings,thisconsolidationofinterviewseliminatedachanceto
increasethetrustworthinessofthefindings.Inqualitativeresearch,askingsimilar
questionsbetweeninterviewstoseeiftheanswersremainconsistentcanincrease
trustworthiness.Forexample,theteacherwhoparticipatedinthepilotstudyalso
participatedinthedissertation.Incomparingtheresponsesfromthepilotstudytothe
dissertation,Ifoundnodifferenceorvariation.Thatispowerfulinidentifyingthatwhat
shesaidiswhatshetrulymeansandbelieves.
Thisdissertationrecruitedteacherswithspecificcriteria.Theteacherswere
experienced:twooftheteachershaveMaster’sdegreesinScienceEducation;oneteacheris
anNSTANewTeacherAcademyfellow;theteachershavebeenteachingformanyyears;
eachhasastrongunderstandingofsciencepedagogy.Thepurposefulselectionofthese
teacherswasintentionalinordertoexamineaspecificexperience.Thisleavesopenfurther
questionsbasedonmodifyingtheselectioncriteria.Potentialquestionsincludehowdothe
experiencesoftheteachersinthisstudycompareto:
•
non-veteranteachers?
•
elementaryornon-specializedteachers?
•
toveteranscienceteacherswhodonotteachthroughbestpractice?
•
toteachersindifferentsocioeconomicdistricts?
•
toteachersindistrictsinstateswhereNGSSisnotadoptedorisresisted?
202
Similarly,thedevelopedanalyticalmodelwasbasedontheexperiencesofthese
foursimilarscienceteachers.Additionalresearchisneededwithproposedanalytical
modeltodetermineifthismodelworkswithteacherswhobelieveintraditionalscience
education,inexperiencedscienceteachers,andthosewhoteachindifferentsocioeconomic
communities.
ResearcherReflection
Toconcludethisdissertation,Iwouldliketoshareabriefself-reflectiononmy
process.Conductingacademicresearchisahugeundertakingandthisdissertationwasno
different.Thetimetowritethisdissertation,fromitsinitialpilotstudytothefinaldefense
wasalmost4years.Itishardtofindtimetowritewhenyouarenotactivelyenrolledin
coursesattheuniversity.It’sfreelanceworkthatrequiresaconsiderableamountofenergy,
motivation,andpersistence.
However,theendresultisextremelyrewarding.Workingwiththefourteachersin
thisdissertationhasgivenmeanewappreciationofwhathappensbehindthescenes,soto
say,withcurriculumimplementation.Ifeelwetakeforgrantedwhatteachersexperience.
Wesometimesforgetthatteachingisnotjustanexerciseintransferringknowledgeto
studentsorpreparinglessonsforthem.Teaching,instead,isacomplexprocessthat
involvesdeeplyrootedbeliefs,thosebeliefsinfluencingourdecisionsofwhathappensin
ourclassrooms,reflectionsonwhatwe’vedoneandwhatwecandobetter,andgrappling
withthemanyaspectsoflearningthattrytogetashareofcontrolinourclassrooms.
Partofmychoiceinmakingthisstudyphenomenologicalwastorevealthatcomplex
process.And,Ifeelmychoicewaswellmade.Speakingwitheachoftheteachersand
203
hearingthepassion,frustration,andexcitementastheytalkedwasincrediblypowerful.
Theprocessprovidedreflectionfortheteachersandreflectionformyself.Readingthrough
mycompletedstudymademeaskquestionsaboutmyownteaching.Whataremybeliefsin
teachingscience?Havethesebeliefschangedovertime?Whatroledoescontenthaveinmy
classroom?
I’malsoleftwithexcitementforfuturestudiesIcanconduct.Conductingmy
literaturereviewandidentifyingmystudy’slimitationshaveprovidedfuturequestionsto
research.Idonotwanttheendofmydoctoralprogramtoalsomarktheendofmydesire
todoresearch.Ihopetocontinueaskingquestionsandfindinganswers.
Again,Iexpressmanythanksandappreciationtoallofthosewhohavehelpedmein
completingthisdissertation.
204
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AppendixA:
InterviewGuide–InterviewOne
Opening:Thankyoufortakingtimetohaveaninterviewwithme.Asteachers,weencounter
changestowhatweteach.Thesechangesbringwiththemmanyemotions,feelings,struggles,
andsuccessesaswenavigatetoadoptthemintoourclassrooms.Theseinterviewswillhelp
meunderstandhowscienceteachersexperiencetheadoptionofanewcurriculum.Your
interviewwillbehelpfulinaddingtothelimitedamountofresearchonteacherexperiencesin
adoptingsciencecurriculumkits.Iaskthatyoupleasebeasdescriptiveaspossiblein
respondingtothesequestions,asitwillhelpmeunderstandyourexperiencesand
background.Donotbeworriedifyoufeelathoughtorideaisincompleteasanythingyouadd
tothisconversationwillbevaluable.
Thisconversationisbeingrecordedforresearchpurposes.Pleaseletmeknownowifyoudo
notagreetobeingrecorded.Youmayrequestthattherecordingstopatanytime.The
recordingwillbetranscribedverbatim.Pleaseknowthatyouridentity,theidentitiesof
anyoneyoumention,andlocationswillbekeptconfidentialwiththeuseofpseudonyms.
Wouldyouliketoselectapseudonymtousebeforewebegin?
Arethereanyquestionsyouhaveformebeforewebegin?
Primary Question
Guides
Please tell me about how
What were your inspirations?
you decided to go into
What were your feelings about school growing up?
teaching.
How did you come to be a
science teacher?
What were some positive experiences you had with science
while growing up?
What were your feelings about science while growing up?
What was your background in college with science?
What kind of science classes did you take?
What was your “science major”?
What is your teaching
background?
How long have you been teaching?
Have you always taught at the same school?
What motivated you to change schools?
What subjects have you taught?
What do you currently teach?
What professional development have you taken related to
208
science education?
What is your teaching
philosophy?
What is the foundation for your philosophy?
How do you implement your philosophy in your classroom?
What challenges do you face in following your teaching
philosophy?
How do you identify
yourself as a science
educator?
How would you describe your understanding of science? Why?
How would you define a scientist?
Do you identify yourself as a scientist? Why or why not?
What does it mean to be a science teacher?
What do you believe is important in teaching science?
If you had unlimited
resources and time, how
would you teach science?
Why do we have our
students learn science?
What do you believe
students struggle with the
most in science?
What is a typical science
unit/lesson like in your
classroom?
Can you please describe for
me what you taught prior to
the new curriculum
adoption?
What resources would you want?
Why would you teach it that way?
How does this compare to the resources you currently have to
teach with?
What is the purpose of students learning science?
What are the most important things for students to learn in
science? Why?
How do you respond to these struggles?
What are your roles as the teacher?
What are the roles of the students?
How do students participate in the lessons?
What was your experience in learning the old curriculum?
What were the major, underlying goals or purposes of the
curriculum?
What specific topics were taught?
What types of resources did you use to teach the curriculum?
Describe the balance of content and activity.
How did student obtain content knowledge?
How often were students given content?
What was the role of activities, labs, or experiments in the
curriculum? (What purpose did they serve?)
What role did the students have in the curriculum? (More open
exploration, guided, procedural, etc.?)
How were students assessed with this curriculum?
209
What was being assessed? (Content knowledge, skill,
application of ideas, etc.?)
What do you feel were the
No probes.
strengths and weaknesses of
the old curriculum?
Describe any changes you
made to the former
curriculum to meet the
needs of the students.
How did you add or remove lessons? (What lessons were added
or removed and why?)
How did you address the needs of students with learning
disabilities?
How did you address the needs of students who are above grade
level?
Are your teaching
philosophy and beliefs of
science represented by the
old curriculum?
How did the curriculum align with your beliefs as a science
educator? (Explain why.)
How comfortable were you
teaching the old
curriculum?
How long did you teach it?
How did the curriculum align with your beliefs of what science
is, how it is done, and how it should be taught? (Provide
examples to support this.)
What was your experience like teaching it for the first time?
How does this compare to your experience teaching it now?
Doaquickcheckoftopicstomakesureeverythingwascovered.
Closing:Thankyouforyourtime.Beforeweendtheinterview,isthereanythingelseyou
wouldliketoadd?
Ifno….
Telltheparticipant:Iwille-mailyouaPDFofthetranscriptwithinthenext3-4days.When
youreceivethetranscript,pleasereviewitandletmeknowifthereisanythingyouwouldlike
toclarify,revise,orremove.Youcaneithere-mailthosechangestomeortellmeatthenext
interview.Ifyouneedmoretimetoreviewthetranscripts,pleaseletmeknowandIwill
accommodateyourrequest.
Confirmscheduledtimefornextinterview.
Thankyouagainformeetingwithme!
210
AppendixB:
InterviewGuide–SecondInterview
Opening:Thankyouagainfortakingtimetohaveasecondinterviewwithme.Inourfirst
interview,wediscussedtheoldcurriculumthatwastaughtinyourschool.Now,I’dliketo
focusonthenewcurriculum:whyitwaschanged,howitwaschanged,whatwaschanged,
andhowthecurriculumchangefelttoyou.
Thisconversationisbeingrecordedforresearchpurposes.Pleaseletmeknownowifyoudo
notagreetobeingrecorded.Youmayrequestthattherecordingstopatanytime.The
recordingwillbetranscribedverbatim.Pleaseknowthatyouridentity,theidentitiesof
anyoneyoumention,andlocationswillbekeptconfidentialwiththeuseofpseudonyms.
Arethereanyquestionsyouhaveformebeforewebegin?
Primary Question
Guides
Why was the curriculum
What were the deciding factors in deciding to change the
changed?
curriculum?
How was the new curriculum
designed?
Were you part of the design process?
What concerns did you have
as the new curriculum was
being designed?
Who did you address these concerns to?
How were you trained for the
new curriculum?
What was your experience like?
What is being taught under
the new curriculum?
What are the major goals of the curriculum?
How were your opinions about the curriculum incorporated into
the design process?
How were your concerns handled?
How were you treated as a teacher? (In context of your own
background)
What are the specific topics being taught?
What curriculum kit(s) are you using? Describe it briefly.
What do lessons look like in
the new curriculum?
What role do the students,
the teacher, and the content
play in the curriculum?
What are the expectations of the students?
How is the teacher positioned in the classroom? Are they a
guide, lecturer, etc.?
How do students receive content in the lessons?
What are the strengths and
weaknesses of the new
curriculum?
No probes
How have you felt while
teaching lessons from the
new curriculum?
Can you describe in a detail a lesson you did?
How comfortable are you
teaching the new curriculum?
How does the new
curriculum align with how
you vision science being
taught?
Please describe for me the
Next Generation Science
Standards.
211
How did you feel about that lesson?
What would you change about that lesson for the next time you
do it?
How does it align with what you believe students should be
doing in science?
How does it align with your personal beliefs about why students
should learn science?
What is the purpose of the new standards?
How do you feel about the new standards (as compared to the
previous state/national standards)?
How do the standards align with your personal beliefs about
how and why students should be taught science?
How does the curriculum (and science kit) align with the new
standards?
Do you think the curriculum is successful in meeting the
standards?
How have you incorporated the standards into your curriculum?
Doaquickcheckoftopicstomakesureeverythingwascovered.
Closing:Thankyouforyourtime.Beforeweendtheinterview,isthereanythingelseyou
wouldliketoadd?
Ifno….
Telltheparticipant:Iwille-mailyouaPDFofthetranscriptwithinthenext3-4days.When
youreceivethetranscript,pleasereviewitandletmeknowifthereisanythingyouwouldlike
toclarify,revise,orremove.Youcane-mailthosechangestome.
Inthesamee-mail,Imayaskyoutoclarifywhatyouhavesaidintheinterview.Ifthat
happens,pleaseincludethatwithyourreply.Iaskthatyoue-mailanychangesandresponse
toclarificationquestionswithinaweek.Ifyouneedmoretimethanthat,pleaseletmeknow
andIwillaccommodateyourrequest.
212
Pleasedonothesitatetocontactme,myfacultyadvisor,ortheDePaulOfficeofResearch
Servicesifyouhaveanyquestionsregardingthestudy.
Thankyouagainforprovidingtimetomeetwithmeandshareyourexperiences.Itisgreatly
appreciated!