Investigating the Impact of NGSS-Aligned Professional Development on PreK-3 Teachers’ Science Content Knowledge and Pedagogy

Abstract

This pilot study investigates the impact of a 2-week professional development Summer Institute on PK-3 teachers’ knowledge and practices. This Summer Institute is a component of [program], a large-scale early-childhood science project that aims to transform PK-3 science teaching. The mixed-methods study examined concept maps, lesson plans, and classroom observations to measure possible changes in PK-3 teachers’ science content knowledge and classroom practice from 11 teachers who attended the 2014 Summer Institute. Analysis of the concept maps demonstrated statistically significant growth in teachers’ science content knowledge. Analysis of teachers’ lesson plans demonstrated that the teachers could design high quality science inquiry lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards following the professional development. Finally, examination of teachers’ pre- and post-Summer Institute videotaped inquiry lessons showed evidence that teachers were incorporating new inquiry practices into their teaching, especially regarding classroom discourse. Our results suggest that an immersive inquiry experience is effective at beginning a shift towards reform-aligned science and engineering instruction but that early elementary educators require additional support for full mastery.

Appendix: Lesson plan rubric

Feature	Missing = 0	Needs improvement = 1	Acceptable = 2	Accomplished = 3	Points
Introductory details
Lesson summary	Description of learning is missing	Description of learning is vague and/or, the appropriateness of the lesson is not convincing	Description of learning is general and the appropriateness of the lesson is convincing clear	Description of learning is clear and the appropriateness is appropriate and highly convincing
Total for introductory details section (out of 3)
Content and education standards
Content statement	Choice of statement is missing	Choice of statement(s) is minimally aligned with learning activity plan (parts of the lesson) and disciplinary core idea listed	Choice of statement(s) is generally aligned with learning activity plan (parts of the lesson) and disciplinary core idea listed	Choice of statement(s) is highly aligned with learning activity plan (parts of the lesson) and disciplinary core idea listed
Enduring understanding	Description is omitted	Description is neither applicable nor connected to lesson	Description is too general and not connected to lesson and/or authentic situations	Description fully accounts for understandings that will emerge from the lesson and are valid to lesson and/or authentic situations
NGSS—three dimensions	No dimension of the NGSS is included	Only one of the following is included: a practice, crosscutting concept and core idea	Two of the following are included: a practice, crosscutting concept and core idea	Contains 3-dimensional learning (a practice, crosscutting concept and core idea)
NGSS dimensions	Dimensions are not applicable	Dimensions are minimally applicable to lesson	Dimensions are generally aligned with lesson	Dimensions are very clear and applicable to lesson
Student learning objectives/performance expectations	No learning objective/performance expectation is included	Fails to identify what the student is expected to know and/or be able to do as a result of the lesson	Identifies what the student is expected to know and/or be able do as a result of the lesson	Identifies and explains what the student is expected to know and/or be able do as a result of the lesson
Total for content and education standards section (out of 15)
Lesson content
Assessment	Assessment is not included	Assessment is inappropriate for identifying student learning success and/or is not sufficient to clearly identify what students will do	Describes appropriate pre-assessment, formative and summative [if applicable] assessments that will be used to identify student success in meeting lesson objectives; detail is sufficient to clearly communicate what students will do	Describes appropriate pre-assessment, formative and summative [if applicable] assessments that will be used to identify student success in meeting lesson objectives; detail is sufficient to clearly communicate what students will learn and how the assessment meets the objective
Discourse plan	No opportunities to foster learning conversations are included	Learning conversations are checked off, one sided and not applicable to lesson topic	Learning conversations are included but there is no balance of teacher/student talk and student/student talk about the lesson topic	Learning conversations are threaded throughout the lesson demonstrating a balance of teacher/student talk and student/student talk about the lesson topic
Differentiation	Teacher does not consider differing developmental levels within the classroom and provides no information on how he/she will accommodate children for whom the activity is too easy or too difficult	Teacher considers differing developmental levels within the classroom, but does not describe how he/she will accommodate children for whom the activity is too easy or too difficult	Teacher considers differing developmental levels within the classroom, and provides examples of possible adaptations/accommodations to meet the needs of all learners	Teacher considers differing developmental levels within the classroom, provides examples of possible adaptations/accommodations to meet the needs of all learners, AND provides a rationale for why the accommodations are necessary and/or how they will impact
Introduction and launch	No introduction and/or launch included	Only introduction and/or launch included but does not spark student’s interest and aligns with one of the following: content or performance expectations	The introduction and/or launch activity is likely to spark student interest, but does not align with the content and/or performance expectations	Both introduction and/or launch spark student interest, is meaningful and relative to students’ lives and align with the content and performance expectations
Strategies/activities: [indicate learning strategies employed in the lesson individualized, small group, and whole group}	Emphasis is completely didactic teaching; no emphasis on students constructing understanding from experiences; student groupings are omitted	Emphasis is more on didactic teaching; little emphasis on students constructing understanding from experiences; student groupings are not considered	Emphasis is an equal mix of teacher- centered and student-centered pedagogy; some consideration for student groupings, but no description	Emphasis demonstrates diverse and student centered effective teaching procedures; student groupings are explained addressing inquiry and classroom management
Questioning	Teacher’s questions do not encourage children to construct their own explanations and/or think critically. (They do not offer opportunities for higher-order thinking and/or responses that require critical thinking appropriate for the developmental level)	Teacher’s questions rarely encourage children to construct their own explanations and/or think critically. (They offer very few opportunities for higher-order thinking and/or responses that require critical thinking appropriate for the developmental level)	Teacher’s questions generally encourage children to construct their own explanations and/or think critically. (They offer some opportunities for higher-order thinking and/or responses that require critical thinking appropriate for the developmental level)	Teacher’s questions frequently encourage children to construct their own explanations and/or think critically. (They offer many opportunities for higher-order thinking and/or responses that require critical thinking appropriate for the developmental level)
Materials/technology	Materials and technology for activities are omitted	Materials and technology for activities in the lesson are unclear and it would be very difficult for another person to complete the lesson	All materials/technology for activities in the lesson are present, but descriptions need to be more explicit and detailed. Another person may not be able to complete the lesson	All materials/technology for activities in the lesson are present and stated in an explicit and detailed manner so that anyone could complete the lesson
Inquiry/engineering quality	Inquiry/engineering activities are not goal-oriented	Inquiry/engineering activities are minimally goal-oriented and/or the teacher does not appropriately scaffold student understanding during the activities	Inquiry/engineering activities are generally goal-oriented and the teacher appropriately scaffolds student understanding during the activities	Inquiry/engineering activities are highly goal-oriented and the teacher appropriately scaffolds student understanding during the activities
Closure	No closure is indicated or discussed in lesson plan	A closure is present and aligns or does not align with the performance expectation, but does not offer a detailed description	A detailed description of a closure is present and aligns with the performance expectation	A highly detailed description of a closure is stated and is explicitly linked to the performance expectation
Total for lesson content section (out of 27)

Metacognition topics (check all that apply)
___ Vocabulary and expository text Scientist need to communicate their finding clearly and using appropriate vocabulary	_____ Using mathematical and computational thinking In science, mathematics and computation are fundamental tools for representing physical variables and their relationships
______ Developing and using models Science often involves the construction and use of models and simulations to help develop explanations bout natural phenomena	____ Analyzing and interpreting data Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed to derive meaning. Scientists use a range of tools to identify significant features and patterns in data
____ Asking questions and planning for investigations Scientists have the ability to formulate empirically answerable questions about phenomena to establish what is already known, to determine what questions have yet to be satisfactorily answered. A major practice of scientists is planning and carrying out systematic scientific investigations that require identifying variables and clarifying what counts as data	___ Engaging in argument from evidence/constructing In science, reasoning and argument are essential for clarifying strengths and weaknesses of a line of evidence and for identifying the best explanations for a natural phenomenon. The goal of science is the construction of theories that provide explanatory accounts of the material world. Construction of theories that provide explanatory accounts of the material
__ Discourse In science, the use of language in context is useful in constructing norms and expectations for the field	[Adapted from: NRC (2012), National Science Teachers Association (2012)]