A Collaborative Model of Science Teacher ...

A goal for most science teachers is to promote students’ ability and desire to use scientific information outside of the classroom. The realization of this goal, however, requires not only a general understanding of scientific concepts, but also an understanding of how scientific data and claims are generated. Our team of project scientists and science educators worked with highly skilled high school teachers in a novel professional development program to test hypotheses regarding the association between teaching about how ecological scientists gather evidence and students’ broader understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS). In particular, we sought to work with a small group of master teachers to develop a curricular framework for an ecology focused nature of science (ENOS) and associated assessments to determine the extent to which students are able meet framework related goals. To do so, we focused on students’ interactions with ecologists and ecological data, and on embedded rubric-based assessments. Teachers were given sole responsibility for addressing the framework within their curricula. Additionally, teachers were asked to conduct an evaluation of the materials they used and to design means by which these materials could be shared with other teachers. Here we describe a novel professional development opportunity, including the partnerships with scientists, and provide evidence regarding the association between this opportunity and changes in teacher practices. Although this work has been conducted with a small number of teachers, the results have implications for future professional development efforts, collaborations with scientists, and the teaching of ENOS.