Educating Teachers of Science, Mathematics, and Technology New Practices for the New Millennium (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Pages 1-14
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Indeed, many teachers themselves report frustration with current methods of and approaches to teacher education. After extensive review of the research literature and the recommendations of professional societies, the National Research Council's Committee on Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation (CSMTP)
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Unlike in other professions, in education, few specific requirements and even fewer opportunities exist for teachers to engage in meaningful professional development (often called inservice education)
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These kinds of amorphous requirements for teachers may actually reduce the number of experienced teachers in classrooms, since many teachers who continue with their education pursue degrees in educational administration, allowing them to take better paying jobs outside of the classroom. In sum, current expectations for continuing education may not contribute to the retention of experienced teachers.
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The CSMTP believes that these and other studies have clear implications for teacher preparation. Science and mathematics educators as well as practitioners have conclu(le(1 that content knowledge must be a central focus of a science or mathematics teacher's preparation, with the result being a deeper understanding of the fundamental science, mathematics, or technology that he or she wall need to teach.
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Standards for K-12 teaching coupled with increasing demands for improved teacher quality have created unprece(lente(1 opportunities for all players in the education community (with input and cooperation from the larger community, inclu(ling in(lustrial and research scientists and mathematicians) to design and implement new collaborative approaches to teacher education.
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Thus, a PDS encourages educators to restructure teacher education comprehensively, as opposed to incrementally and in a series of disjointed reforms. The PDS provides more systematic teaching experiences for preservice and novice teachers, where content and pedagogy are integrated and where teacher education takes place in environments that more closely resemble the classrooms in which these future teachers wall work.
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The approaches taken by PDSs, the vast body of literature that is reported and analyzed here, and the many examples of effective teacher education programs and policies and practices of other professions in the United States reviewed for this report by the CSMTP led committee members to develop a vision for a new type of partnership for teacher education. In the committee's vision (articulated in Chapter 6)
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6. Many more scientists, mathematicians, and engineers must become well informed enough to become involved with local and national efforts to provide the appropriate content knowledge and pedagogy of their disciplines to current and future teachers.3 To initiate action base(1 on these principles, the committee envisions a new partnership arrangement between K-12 schools and the higher education community, with support and assistance from the broader community, that is (lesigne(1 to promote high-quality teacher education over the continuum of a teacher's career.
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The partnerships would base their approaches to improve(1 teacher education on the scholarly literature, recommendations about improving teacher education from professional and (lisciplinary organizations, anti an ongoing analysis and evaluation of the partnership itself. A major component of this evaluation would be the academic 4The committee emphasizes in this report that all colleges and universities, including those that do not have formal teacher education programs, should become more involved with improving teacher education because the nation's teacher workforce consists of many individuals who have matriculated at all types of two- and four-year institutions of higher education.
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Faculty in schools of education could play an especially critical role in directing some of their research efforts to evaluating systemically the efficacy of teacher education programs in these partnerships. The committee acknowledges that achieving this vision wail not be straightforward, easily accomplished, or inexpensive.
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For the Higher Education Community Science, mathematics, anti engineering departments at two- and fouryear colleges and universities should assume greater responsibility for offering college-level courses that provi(le teachers with strong exposure to appropriate content anti that mo(lel the kin(ls of pe(lagogical 5A recent survey by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) has concluded that nearly 40 percent of science teachers in the United States are considering leaving their jobs.
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5. Following a period of collaborative planning anti preparation, two- anti four-year colleges and universities in a partnership for teacher e(lucaEDUCATING TEACHERS OF SCIENCE, tion should assume primary responsibility for providing professional development opportunities to experienced teachers of science, mathematics, and technology.
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in efforts to improve teacher education. Professional disciplinary societies in science, mathematics, and engineering, and higher education organizations also should work together to align their policies and recommen(lations for improving teacher education in science, mathematics, and technology.
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However, the authors noted that a "disconnect" in teacher education programs actually stems from a major problem that teacher educators face. In the current education system, most teachers do not have access to high-quality, ongoing opportunities for professional development.
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