Elementary Science Simulations to Advance Undergraduate Elementary Teacher Preparation

Syracuse University, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

Future elementary teachers, known as elementary teacher candidates, are taught how to teach science through college coursework. Yet, due to a strong emphasis on reading and mathematics in elementary school classrooms, teacher candidates across the nation experience few opportunities to actually practice teaching science. Since 1963, future doctors have been practicing their medical knowledge and skills through clinical simulations, where they interact one-to-one with carefully trained standardized patients who portray distinct health concerns. This project utilizes the concept of clinical simulations in support of future elementary teachers. Researchers will situate future elementary teachers in six different elementary science simulations, challenging them to guide standardized students (actors who are carefully trained to present content errors, questions, and/or concerns consistent with elementary school students) toward better understanding of elementary science concepts. Through this project, the researchers will investigate how future teachers translate what they know about teaching elementary science--from college coursework--into how they actually teach elementary science concepts--in simulations. The benefit to the education community is generation of the elementary science simulations, their potential to help bridge the gap between teacher preparation and teacher practice, and what the project will learn from investigating and generating evidence-based findings. Financial support for this project comes from NSF's Improving Undergraduate Education (IUSE) program and the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program. The project contributes to the improvement of undergraduate education by improving the teaching and learning of science by elementary teacher candidates. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) outline clear expectations for K-12 science content and eight instructional practices--such as the practice of constructing scientific explanations--to support content exploration (NGSS Lead States, 2013). While the NGSS call for knowledge of science content and scientific practices, elementary teacher candidates experience very few opportunities to engage in the practices associated with teaching science in elementary classrooms (Olson et al., 2015). This project will adapt the long-standing medical education pedagogy of clinical simulations to (1) provide elementary teacher candidates multiple opportunities to engage in the teaching of elementary science phenomena, and (2) explore if elementary teacher candidates develop in their capacity to guide students in the specific NGSS practice of constructing scientific explanations of elementary science concepts. Assessing elementary teacher candidates in their collegiate Elementary Science Methods coursework, and through their subsequent interactions in six elementary science simulations, the researchers will investigate candidates' potential advances in science teaching efficacy and their ability to construct--and guide students toward constructing--scientific explanations of elementary science concepts. This study contributes to the broader scientific community by carefully examining if and how science teacher preparation coursework is shaping the daily practices of teachers as they teach science to students. This study seeks to identify how elementary science simulations may serve as one of the "new functions of the undergraduate learning and teaching enterprise" consistent with the IUSE program intent.