Enhancing Science Teachers' Learning in IBSE through Collaborative TPD

1. Science teachers’ individual and social learning related to IBSE in the frames of a large-scale, long-term, collaborative TPD project ESERA 2012 -Symposium 07.09.2013 Birgitte Lund Nielsen & Martin Sillasen

2. Agenda Primary and lowersecondary • The TPD project QUEST QUalifying in-service Education of Science Teachers • Design: research based consensus criteria • Research Questions • Methods • Findings • Discussion and perspectives

3. TPD: Research based consensus criteria • DURATION and sustainability • Teachers’ ACTIVE and inquiry based learning • COLLABORATIVE learning • COHERENCE • FOCUS on teaching and learning of science Desimone, 2009; Ostermeier, Prenzel & Duit, 2010 • SCHOOL organisational conditions van Driel, Meirink, Veen & Zwart, 2012

4. Duration and sustainability Implementation Institutionalisation First data

5. Active, inquiry based and collaborative:QUEST-rhythm Science team meeting at school Science team meeting at school EXPERIENCESINQUIRIESSUGGESTIONS EXPERIENCESINQUIRIESSUGGESTIONS NEW KNOWLEDGEACTIVITIES NEW KNOWLEDGEACTIVITIES Individual & collaborative enactments at local schools Course module 13 days Course module 31 day Course module 21 day Period of 3-4 months

6. Coherence • Large scale • 5 municipalities • 43 schools • 450 teachers • Consistency school and policy level Desimone, 2009; van Driel et al., 2012 • Bottom-up meeting top-down Darling-Hammond, 2005 • External support and knowledge-sharing between schools in Network Learning Communities Jackson & Temperley, 2007

7. FOCUS on teaching and learning of science - the first module: IBSE • Inquiry-based instructional practices and student learning in science Minner, Levy & Century, 2009 • Teaching ressources from www.fibonacci-project.eu/(2012) • Learning units: Sink or float

8. Research Questions • What characterizes individual science teachers’ construction of understanding of IBSE - their reflections - and their enactments in own classroom? • What characterizes the science teachers’ social construction of understanding of IBSE – their collaborative reflections - and their enactments as local PLCs? • What factors can, in the interplay between individual and social learning, be seen as supporting or hampering local sustainable development focused on student learning in science?

9. Looking for changes - teacher learning • Individual learning • Reflection and enactment Borko, 2004; Clarke & Hollingsworth, 2002 • The importance of teacher beliefs and attitudes Lumpe et al., 2012 • Agency: Enactive mastery experiences Bandura, 1997 • Social learning • A shared focus on student learning outcomes Stoll et al., 2006 • Science team and networking between schools • Collective agency ≠ just the sum Bandura, 1997 Organisational conditions and contextual factors van Driel et al, 2012 • Possibilities and challenges • Factors supporting or hampering sustainability

10. Mixed methods • Quantitative data • Base-line data + questionnaires after each module • Likert scale • Open reflections (data-based coding) • Qualitative data • In depth case-studies at 9 schools • Classroom observation & artifacts from classroom • Teacher interview • Student group interviews • School leader interviews • Observation at PLC-meetings • Observation from all seminar activities • + questionnaires: comparative overview of 43 schools

12. Teacher reflections categorized

13. Summing up based on questionnaires • Individual reflection and enactments: • Positive outcomes from IBSE module and trying IBSE in own class • Support from QUEST rhythm • Indications of enactive experiences: • ….encouraged me to throw myself into what is sometimes “dangerous and unknown”…. • But more focus on hands-on than minds-on? • About the collaborative • 75 % report about positive changes • Discussing student learning not just practical stuff • But… 25 % only small changes …in depth knowledge from case studies….

14. Change qualitatively different? • Trying out IBSE example from the module at a special science day • Collaborative re-design of local practice

15. Possibilities (supporting sustainability) • Teachers’ positive attitude (perceived outcomes) and ownership • QUEST rhythm • to “IBSE” something (as a verb) • Enactments • in local classrooms (inquiring into student learning) • discussing student learning in the PLC • Practitioner knowledge - from tacit to shared • …. automatized practice in a theoretical context.. this has enabled me to be more conscious about my own practice…. • Engaged school leaders/local supportive environment

16. Challenges (hampering sustainability) • IBSE interpreted as “activity-mania” • “..I do what I can to let students learn themselves without too much leading them..” • filtered through beliefs in students’ free-inquiries • IBSE examples from seminars as a prefixed “packet”directly applicable in own practice • A few schools reporting no changes - hard to engage colleagues • School-leaders engaged in a range of (other) projects

17. Supporting/hampering sustainability • Hard to involve local colleagues • Teachers seeing themselves as “receivers” not co-developers • If there is too high a threshold • QUEST rhythm • Research knowledge meeting practitioner knowledge • Enactive mastery experiences • Responsibility and focus on student learning • Practitioner knowledge from tacit to shared • Acknowledgment from school leader, colleagues etc. • Collaborative re-design • Experiencing salient outcomes: student learning/ cooperation

18. Looking forward • Design: • Module 2: A focus on • how to support mind-on activities – students exploratory talk • how teachers can inquire into student learning • Module 3: Explicit use of • the term re-design • local capacity-building Darling-Hammond, 2005 • Balance between known and unknown • Teacher learning: evolution not revolution • The role of the local change agents • A need for tools to use in the PLC

19. Perspectives/discussion • Nuances – consensus criteria - yes – but still much to be learned • QUEST: knowledge about local contextual factors are crucial • The rhythm in the various PD projects discussed in this symposium • Long-term in various ways • What happens at school/outside school? • Research knowledge meeting practitioner knowledge – how? • Sustainability: criteria

20. References • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman • Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3–15. • Clarke, D., & Hollingsworth, H. (2002). Elaborating a model of teacher professional growth. Teaching and Teacher Education, 18, 948–967. • Darling-Hammond, L. (2005). Policy and change: Getting beyond bureaucracy. In: A. Heargreaves (eds.), Extending educational change (362-387). Netherlands: Springer • Desimone, L. M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher, 38, 181–199. • Lumpe, A., Czerniak, C., Hany, J., & Beltyukova, S. (2012). Beliefs about teaching science: The relationship between elementary teachers’ participation in professional development and student achievement. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2), 153-166 • Minner, D.D., Levy, A.J. & Century, J. (2009). Inquiry-based science instruction – what is it and does it matter? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(4), 474-496. • Ostermeier, C., Prenzel, M., & Duit, R. (2010). Improving science and mathematics instruction: The SINUS project as an example for reform as teacher professional development. International Journal of Science Education, 32(3), 303–327. • Stoll, L., Bolam, R., McMahon, A., Wallace, M., & Thomas, S. (2006). Professional learning communities: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Change, 7(4), 221-258 • van Driel, J.H., Beijaard, D., & Verloop, N. (2001). Professional Development and Reform in Science Education: The Role of Teachers' Practical Knowledge. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(2), 137-158 • van Driel, J., Meirink, J.A., van Veen, K. & Zwart, R.C. (2012). Current trends and missing links in studies on teacher professional development in science education: a review of design features and quality of research. Studies in Science Education, 48(2), 129-160