PROFILES meeting, Talline, May 20111 ReflectionReflection Rachel Mamlok-Naaman PROFILES - Tallinn workshop 22-23 May 2011.

PROFILES meeting, Talline, May 2011 1

ReflectionReflectionReflectionReflection

Rachel Mamlok-NaamanRachel Mamlok-Naaman

PROFILES - Tallinn workshop 22-23 May 2011

PROFILES - Tallinn workshop 22-23 May 2011


The current reform in science education is characterized by:

* The development of new science curricula

*The professionalization of science teachers

Content knowledge, Curriculum knowledge, knowledge of science teaching and learning theory


Bybee (1995)

The Professional Development Standards describe the criteria for the preparation and ongoing opportunities that teachers must have to gain and maintain the knowledge base and skills, and to provide the learning opportunities for students that the teaching standards define.


Planning for professional development should consist of a combination of strategies in order to form a unique design

Action Research


Why?

· Teachers are intelligent, inquiring individuals with important expertise and experiences.

· By contributing to or formulating their own questions teachers grow professionally.

· Teachers are motivated to use effective practices when they are investigating the results of their action in the classroom.

Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles (1998)

6

Accomplished teaching should always occur simultaneously with reflection, in order to improve the teaching strategy.

It should be followed by protocols assembled in a portfolio, which can be used to demonstrate evidence-based accomplished practice in science teaching, in an effort to achieve more effective teaching.

The portfolio should document the activities, interactions, and behavior in the chemistry laboratory where inquiry-type experiments are implemented. It can be viewed as a systematic and organized collection of evidence used to monitor the growth of a learner's knowledge, skills, and attitudes in a specific content area.

How should we strive at accomplished teaching ?


Action Research

*The teachers select teaching problems in their own teaching environment and investigate them.

*The investigators are also the customers. Therefore, they can draw conclusions and apply them in class.

*This kind of research is usually done in collaboration between colleagues, and it endorses team work.


Action Research

*Inquiry into their teaching and their students‘ learning in their own classroom.

*Teachers research their own practice of teaching.

Feldman & Minstrel (2000)


Action Research

*To try to find out what is actually going on.

*To monitor and thereby formatively influence the direction of new developments.

*To evaluate what is already taking place.

Lewis and Munn (1987)


Action Research - Why?

*Scientists from academic institutions are usually unfamiliar with the “culture” and atmosphere in

class.

*Academic research is usually performed in a traditional manner.

*The teachers take interest in the individual rather than in the class.


The program

*Twenty-two high-school chemistry teachers

*Weekly meetings at the National Center for Chemistry Teachers

*The Action Research workshop was part of the program and consisted of eight meetings


The objectives of the workshop:

1. To use Action Research as a tool for the professional development of the chemistry teachers.

2. To encourage the creation of a professional community of chemistry teachers.

3. To establish a leading–teachers’ team that will perform Action Research with teachers.


The teachers:

22 teachers

At least 10 years of experience

At least a B.Sc. in chemistry and twelve teachers had an even higher academic degree


The main emphasis of the program was in three domains:

Content knowledge

Curriculum development

Pedagogical content knowledge


The Workshop Syllabus

*Action research principles

*Qualitative research approach

*Methodology (rationale for choosing a subject

for the research; defining a meaningful research

question; research tools and data collection; data

analysis(…*Reflection on each of the stages

*Written reports


2. Planning the research

3. Data collecting

and analyzing

4. Implementing

the change

6 .Evaluating

and reflecting

1. Identification of the problem and selecting a

research question

5. Data collecting

and analyzing

The Various Stages of Action Research


Examples of the research questions

Pedagogical

What will happen to my students’ understanding if I quicken my teaching pace?

Which teaching strategy is more effective for problem solving regarding “Proteins”: graphic demonstrations or table presentation?


Affective

How do alternative assessment methods influence students’ attitudes toward chemistry studies?

What is the impact of integrating group work, using technology tools on the chemistry classroom environment?


Behavioral

What is more effective: presentation of test corrections or having the students work on them in class?

Will the changes implemented in the classroom motivate and improve the non-science-oriented students’ behavior in the science class?


Cognitive

How can the teacher cope with students’ difficulties in understanding the subject “chemical equilibrium”?


The case study

Research question

Will the changes implemented in the classroom

motivate and improve the non-science-oriented

students’ behavior in the science class?


Research Tools Developed by the Teachers

Semi-structured interviews

A questionnaire consisting of eight open-ended questions


Categorization techniques (for the qualitative data) recommended by Shkedi (2003):

(1) Categorizing each interview by its content.

(2) Developing more general categories across the interviews.

(3) Mapping all interviews according to the chosen domain.

(4) Proposing assertions based on the accumulated data, which will contribute to a better understanding of the teachers’ professional development.


Categorization of “change”

1. Enactment followed by reflection

2. Being a member of a professional community

3. Having contact with science teaching experts

Teachers’ reflections


"I certainly think that I will use Action Research tools in my teaching. This year I taught chemistry by the inquiry approach and the students were already used to the group that they had experienced last year. Moreover, I assessed the change in my teaching strategy, using the tools that I had experienced within the Action Research workshop."

Enactment followed by reflection


Being a member of a professional community

"During the workshop meetings we consulted each other; we kept contact through email and exchanged information and ideas. For instance, the discussions in the workshop helped me define my Action Research question. I presented my project to the group and I received meaningful feedback."


Team work “Our teamwork in school was definitely influenced by my activities in the workshop, I instructed a member of our team who did not participate in the workshop, and this year we are working together and teaching in the same chemistry courses.”


Having contact with science teaching experts

“I think that without the close contact and the instruction of the coordinators, I would not have been able to conduct an Action Research study. I was a science researcher before and I had to change the way I think. It took me some time to understand the research methodology, but through the workshop I developed it.”


Summary

The teachers experienced a new process in their for professional development

*Obtained new insights regarding their teaching

*Were able to improve and promote their classroom instruction


*The teachers started to investigate their own work and to explore systematically how their students learn the subject matter

*The collaboration between the teachers in the group was fruitful and promoted their practical knowledge and teaching strategies.

*The teachers started to develop necessary leadership skills.


*The teachers learned to better understand their students and how they think and learn

*The teachers enhanced their professional esteem and shared their experiences with their colleagues

*The teachers successfully implement changes in the classroom


The teachers worked on several aspects of their practice and selected research questions from several domains:

Pedagogical

Affective

Behavioral

Cognitive


Action Research - a tool for the professional development of teachers

Provides an environment of:

*Support - regarding its methodology , procedures, and activities (designing tools , collecting data, analyzing, and interpreting

the results, applying the findings in the science classroom, etc (


Action Research - a Tool for the Professional Development of Teachers

*Collegiality

*Collaboration with professional researchers

Encourages teachers to reflect on their practice


Thank you!

הערכת עבודה על הערכת עבודה על מדעןמדען

רמת ביצוע נמוכה

רמת ביצוע בינונית

רמת ביצוע גבוהה

רמות

ביצוע

קריטריונים

התייחסות רק לחלק המדעי

אחד הגורמים חסר, התמונה

המוצגת חלקית

אפיון התקופה

כולל את כל ההיבטים

ומתאר תמונה שלמה

רקע קצר על

התקופהיכולת אפיון

התקופה מבחינה מדעית

טכנולוגית וחברתית

הערכההערכה ......




רמות

ביצוע


תיאור התגליות השונות בלבד

כפי שמובא במקורות

השונים ללא סינתזה ביניהם

ניתוח חלקי בלבד

ניתוח הייחודיות של עבודת המדען

ותרומתה למדע

ולחברה, שלמים

תיאור עבודתו המדעית

יכולת הניתוח של הייחודיות

של עבודת המדען המסוים ותרומתה למדע

ולחברה




רמות

ביצוע


עבודה שאיננה כוללת את כל

הסעיפים

רצף רעיונות לא מסודר,

התשובות לנקודות

שהוצגו ללא בניית הקשרים

העבודה כוללת את כל

הסעיפים שהוגדרו במטלה,

הרעיונות מוצגים ברצף הגיוני, ציטוט

נכון של מקורות בגוף

העבודה

סדר, ארגוןמבנה העבודה, עבודה שכוללת

את כל הסעיפים שהוגדרו

במטלה, הצגת הרעיונות ברצף

הגיוני






רמות ביצוע


חסרים מקורותוהמקורות

רשומים לא נכון

רשימה חלקית חסרים מקורות

שצוטטו בעבודה

רשימה מלאה של כל

המקורות שצוטטו בעבודה.

סדר אלפביתי,

הוספת תאריך וכד'

רשימת מקורות

הצגה נכונה של רשימת מקורות

Rubrics given to the students for

”Critical reading of scientific articles” Instructions Accomplished

5 points

Developing

3 points

Beginning

1 point

Identify at least five

scientific concepts

whose meaning you do

not know. Use reference

books including

dictionaries. Indicate the

reference of each

explanation.

Identification and

explanation of at

least five scientific

concepts that are

new to the student,

indicating the

reference to each

explanation.

Identification

and explanation

of at least five

scientific

concepts that are

new to the

student, without

indicating the

reference to each

explanation.

Identification

and explanation

of less than five

scientific

concepts that are

new to the

student, and lack

references to

each

explanation.

Rubrics given to the students for ”Critical reading of scientific articles”Instructions Accomplished

5 points

Developing

3 points

Beginning

1 point

Compile questions that

raise criticism of the

article’s contents:

*The questions should be

formulated clearly

*The questions should link

the article’s contents with

other fields of knowledge

studied in class.

*The answers should

appear in the article.

The questions are

formulated clearly,

link the article’s

contents with other

fields of

knowledge studied

in class, and the

answers appear in

the article.

The questions

are formulated

clearly, link the

article’s contents

with other fields

of knowledge

studied in class,

but the answers

do not appear in

the article.

The questions

are not

formulated

clearly, do not

link the article’s

contents with

other fields of

knowledge

studied in class,

and the answers

do not appear in

the article.

Rubrics given to the students for ”Critical reading of scientific articles”Instructions Accomplished

5 points

Developing

3 points

Beginning

1 point

Answer the

questions that you

compiled: Use

precise, complete

answers.

All the questions

that the student

compiled are

answered clearly

and precisely.

75% of the

questions that

the student

compiled are

answered

clearly and

precisely.

50% of the

questions that

the student

compiled are

answered

clearly and

precisely.

PROFILES meeting, Talline, May 20111 ReflectionReflection Rachel Mamlok-Naaman PROFILES - Tallinn workshop 22-23 May 2011.

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