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LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE E3 STEMTP GRANT PROJECT TO IMPROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHING
DAVID WŸSS RUDGE
The Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
MARY ANN BURKE
The Mallinson Institute for Science Education
Vicksburg Community Schools, Vicksburg, MI 49097
ENLIST, EQUIP AND EMPOWER (E3) is an integrated approach to improving the quality of middle school science teaching. Developed at Western Michigan University and funded by the National Science Foundation, it is now in its second year. This innovative approach to teacher preparation includes activities aimed at recruiting caring and qualified individuals into the profession, the development of a new program of instruction at WMU specific to the needs of middle school science teachers, and meetings and workshops that empower inservice teachers during the crucial first years of their careers. In addition to making substantial progress with respect to each of its stated goals and objectives, the project has provided the project staff with invaluable insights into the ongoing problem of how to improve science teaching in the face of changing circumstances at the local, state and national levels. In particular, we draw attention to three lessons we have learned. First, activities aimed at recruitment must be developed in ways that help participants appreciate the value of information and training recognized as important by experienced teachers and administrators. Second, the long term success of large lecture course revisions by science faculty depends upon the extent to which changes are made not only with respect to the overall goals of the project, but also the needs of faculty members and their students. Finally, we draw attention to the importance of aligning professional development activities for inservice teachers with the needs of school districts, as well as state and federal mandates.
E3: A Brief Overview
Michigan, like the rest of the nation, faces a critical shortage of qualified middle school science teachers expected to worsen as retirements add to attrition. Approximately 25% of Michigan school districts already report great difficulty recruiting qualified middle school science teachers and another 60% report moderate difficulty [1]. The causes of this shortage reflect longstanding problems associated with enlisting people into the profession, equipping them with a deeper understanding of science (content and process), and empowering and supporting them to continue teaching at the middle school level.
Enlisting intelligent, capable and caring individuals into the teaching profession is increasingly problematic. Many students entering education programs at Western Michigan University, currently the nation's fourth largest producer of teachers [2], do so from a widespread perception that a teaching credential can serve as job insurance [3]. Most are not interested or prepared to teach science at the middle school level.
Equipping individuals to teach science is also problematic. To teach effectively, teachers must have a thorough grasp of content, understand how children learn, and be able to use inquiry based methods [3] [4]. As is common nationwide, WMU undergraduates hired as middle school teachers are often prepared as elementary teachers, leaving them short on content depth [5], or as secondary school teachers, providing them with depth in one area of science, but not the breadth of knowledge needed at the middle school level.
Empowering and supporting qualified middle school science teachers is also a challenge, since many teachers change careers within the first five years [6]. The National Science Education Standards [7] emphasizes that the ongoing professional development of science teachers must provide teachers with opportunities to engage in scientific inquiry, reflect on the nature of science, and enhance and refine their pedagogy [8] [9] [10]. Beyond this, professional development programs must foster support and collegiality among teachers. Without ongoing support, it is not surprising that many middle school science teachers leave the profession [3].
The unfortunate but all too predictable consequences of this situation are reflected in scores on standardized tests of science literacy, such as the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP), a statewide testing program that includes science assessments in grades 5, 8, and 11. Data from the 1998 test show that approximately 40% of Michigan 5th grade students tested at proficient level in science. By 8th grade, this value drops to 23% [11]. Clearly something happens at the middle school grades.
In order to address local needs as well as model excellence in teacher preparation, for the past two years the E3 project at Western Michigan University has pursued an integrated approach to enlisting, equipping, and empowering middle school science teachers. Our recruitment efforts have included the creation of a brochure and project web site [12], a series of presentations at introductory courses attended by over 650 elementary education students, presentations to area high school students, the creation of a data base of over 100 self identified prospective middle school science teachers, and a series of informal meetings developed to foster the development of a professional learning community. We are pursuing the creation of a 36 credit hour integrated science major (see Appendix below), which is currently under review in WMU's College of Education, and have concurrently assisted faculty responsible for large lecture science content courses in four separate departments revise their courses in ways that make them more student centered and inquiry based. Three inquiry based science content courses currently offered through the Mallinson Institute for Science Education as part of its curriculum for elementary education majors have also been exported to two community colleges (Lake Michigan College and Southwestern Michigan College) as part of the suggested program of instruction. Beyond this, we have also worked with area school districts to promote the professional development of area inservice middle school science teachers at three participating school districts (Kalamazoo Public Schools, Portage Public Schools and Vicksburg Community Schools), through a series of meetings offered during the school year and week long science content workshops during the summer. Much of the success of our project is due to the full time assistance of a full time middle school science teacher in residence, who has been intimately associated with the planning and execution of each of these activities.
In the following paper we discuss several lessons we have learned in the process of pursuing each of the major goals of our project.
Enlist
One major goal of our project has been that of recruiting caring and qualified individuals into the profession, including students preparing for professional careers who may have, for a variety of reasons, decided that their initial career path was not for them. We have pursued this by creating a recruitment brochure sent out to advisors in departments throughout Western Michigan University, developing a web site with resources for prospective, preservice and inservice teachers [12], and a series of presentations at introductory courses taken by elementary education majors.
We discovered early on that sharing information about the program of instruction we are developing alone is insufficient to attract students to the major. Recruitment efforts must be targeted specifically to potential middle school science teachers, and further, they must be presented at times convenient for the participants, and in ways that will be valued by them despite their lack of experience. To address the first concern, our teacher in residence asked instructors of science content courses taken by education majors to invite those who were interested in pursuing a career in middle school science teaching to put their names on a mailing list which has been used to inform them of opportunities of interest to them. This has streamlined the process by which we are disseminating information, and has also helped us ensure that financial incentives, such as registration for attending a local science education conference, are directed to individuals seriously considering a career in middle school science teaching.
We have also come to recognize the importance of developing activities that are of immediate value to our target audience. Discussions with administrators at WMU, our colleagues in the College of Education, members of our advisory board, and, in particular, area middle school science teachers, have made us particularly cognizant of what middle school science teachers need to succeed. These discussions have further heightened our awareness of upcoming changes to state and federal mandates regarding certification requirements. The importance of the information we have to share, however, is not always readily appreciated by individuals who have little or no experience teaching and who may be attracted to the profession for reasons other than a desire to teach science at the middle school level per se. We have, therefore, developed a series of monthly informal meetings with students that are centered around topics of particular and immediate interest to them. Our primary goal has been that of developing a sense of community among these students, who at times feel quite isolated in the context of programs focused primarily at the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers. The meetings provide students with opportunities to discuss their concerns with area inservice science teachers. Beyond this, the meetings have also furnished students with information about the realities of the career students may be less familiar with (such as changes to state and federal requirements for teachers), as well as greater insight into what they really need to succeed as middle school science teachers. We believe these experiences have made them more receptive to the sorts of training and information they may not at first recognize as important to their overall education.
We have also targeted potential high school students in connection with a local education for employment program. In connection with this, we have come to recognize the importance of developing a strategy for recruitment specific to the needs of minority students who might consider teaching as a career. This will be a major focus of our project during our third year.
Equip
A second major goal of our project has been developing a program of instruction specific to the needs of middle school science teachers. WMU, currently has formal programs of instruction specific to the needs of elementary (K-8) and secondary (7-12) teachers. At least part of the reason for low retention rates among middle school science teachers is that neither of these existing programs is adequate for their needs. Individuals trained to teach at the elementary level lack sufficient science content to succeed at the middle school level; whereas individuals trained to teach at the secondary level are often specialized to teach one science to the detriment of their content knowledge in other sciences taught at the middle school level.
We decided early on to develop a program of instruction based upon a successful program of science instruction for elementary education majors at WMU for two reasons. First, we anticipate that most of the individuals who enter into the middle school program will be drawn from the ranks of students pursuing elementary education majors. Second, the science content courses currently taught as part of this elementary program exemplify student centered inquiry based approach. Thus, while not quite providing all the science content middle school science teachers need, they serve to effectively model how these future teachers should one day teach. In view of these considerations, and after consulting with our advisory board and several other individuals knowledgeable about the needs of middle school science teachers, we approached several faculty responsible for large lecture science content courses that could round out the science content requirements of our suggested program of instruction for preservice middle school science teachers (see Appendix below).
To accomplish our stated goal, we had to consider how to approach science faculty about the prospect of revising their courses to make them more inquiry based and student centered without coming across as suggesting we knew how to teach the courses better than they did. Part of the solution, we decided early on, was that of helping faculty recognize that the suggested reforms would not only help future middle school science teachers (who are a distinct minority in their classes), but also majors and non-majors alike. We drew their attention to research in science education that deepened their understanding of teaching and learning issues [13], and have played a pivotal role in helping them understand and translate techniques used at other schools to their own instructional setting.
We also decided, particularly in view of ensuring the sustainability of the project, that it would be better to have the science faculty set the agenda for changes to their courses, provided they did so cognizant of relevant science education literature and the needs of middle school science teachers. Indeed, it is precisely because we have portrayed work on this project as an opportunity to address ongoing problems these instructors have wanted to do for some time, but have not been able to for lack of time, funding and guidance by science educators, that we believe the project will be an effective catalyst for long term change.
Beyond this, we had to contend with several logistic problems, such as integrating our suggested program into an ongoing set of revisions to the elementary education program at WMU, shifting state and federal mandates regarding how future teachers should be prepared, and the availability of faculty both at WMU and at local colleges to participate on the project. All of these considerations have led us to recognize the importance of assessing the needs, resources and availability of potential collaborators on teacher preparation projects during the proposal stage.
Empower
The third major goal of the project has been that of providing additional support for area inservice middle school science teachers. We learned early on that our proposed plan for professional development overlapped with several existing programs, and as such, developed an alternative set of activities that would better meet the needs of teachers at our three participating school districts. Our ultimate goal has been the creation of professional learning communities that promote the use of inquiry based instruction.
Our teacher in residence has been instrumental in developing professional development activities that accommodate the diverse schedules and needs of teacher from three different school districts. We have also developed science content courses offered during the summer months to assist area inservice science teachers in strengthening their science content knowledge as well as address their pedagogical concerns.
Like the meetings we have arranged for prospective teachers, part of our focus has been on the development of activities that address immediate needs of inservice teachers, as well as lay the foundation for ongoing reflective discussions about best practices, how to incorporate ideas that are useful, practical and research based, how to assess learning, and how to help instructors become more self-reflective about their own practice.
Summary and Conclusions
In summary, over the course of the past two years in pursuit of the E3 project's goals and objectives, we have reaffirmed the basic premise of our project, namely that the improvement of middle school science teaching requires an integrated approach. Individuals at all levels of preparation need support in developing and maintaining a sense of professional identity in the face of systemic features that lead individuals to feel alone and without the support they need to succeed.
Rather than thinking about the recruitment of prospective middle school science teachers in isolation, we have come to recognize that the recruitment phase is part of a broader socialization of individuals into the profession. As such, students who enter our program need to start developing a sense of professional identity by: meeting other undergraduates who share their career aspirations; meeting faculty associated with their program of instruction at WMU in informal, supportive contexts, taking advantage of opportunities to meet inservice science teachers at local, state and national conferences.
Teacher preparation likewise must help students who have limited or no experience teaching in K-12 settings appreciate the value of information, techniques and experiences that administrators and experienced teachers recognize as of obvious importance. We need to do more in the way of helping students appreciate how the various elements of their teacher preparation program are interrelated to one another, as well as help them recognize the value of extracurricular experiences as part of their overall training. Likewise, it must be done with reference to the fact that many of the science content courses they take as part of their professional development are concurrently taken by other students for other reasons. Successful revision of science content courses will require not only recognition of the specific needs of middle school science teachers, but also support for faculty that helps them recognize that suggested reforms to make the courses more inquiry based and student centered will help all students who take these courses.