Preparing Elementary Prospective Teachers to Teach Early Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hohensee, Charles

2017-01-01

Researchers have argued that integrating early algebra into elementary grades will better prepare students for algebra. However, currently little research exists to guide teacher preparation programs on how to prepare prospective elementary teachers to teach early algebra. This study examines the insights and challenges that prospective teachers…

Common Threads: Teaching Immigration in Elementary Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McBee, Robin Haskell; Bone, Kristine; Mossop, Gail; Owens, Carrie

1998-01-01

Brings together ideas on teaching about immigration from a number of elementary-school teachers in New Jersey and summarizes common themes. Outlines three specific projects based on the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, family history, and children's fiction. Includes a brief list of children's literature and other teaching resources. (DSK)

Rural Nebraska Elementary School Educators Teach Nutrition Concepts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pohlman, H. Darlene; Driskell, Judy A.

2002-01-01

A survey completed by 464 Nebraska elementary teachers found that 68 percent thought the teaching of nutrition had high priority in the elementary curriculum. Teachers in rural, mid-sized, and urban counties did not differ in attitudes toward nutrition instruction, most instructional practices, their own nutritional training, or available…

Teaching about the Middle East in Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marek, Rosanne J.

1983-01-01

Most elementary teachers are inadequately prepared to teach about the Middle East. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that elementary texts dehumanize Middle Eastern peoples by reducing them to mere caricatures. Needed are the involvement of Middle Eastern studies experts in writing textbooks and the improvement of teacher's manuals. (RM)

Investigating the Self-Perceived Science Teaching Needs of Local Elementary Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carver, Cynthia G.

Elementary teachers in one school system have expressed low self-efficacy teaching science and desire more support teaching science. However, little research has been conducted on how best to meet these teachers' needs. The theories of perceived self-efficacy, social cognition, and behaviorism make up the conceptual framework of this study. The focus of this qualitative project study was on the needs of local elementary educators. These teachers were asked what they felt they needed most to be more effective science educators. The methodology of phenomenology was used in this study in which local elementary teachers were questioned in focus groups regarding their own science teaching efficacy and perceived needs. Using inductive analysis, data were coded for links to discussion questions as well as any additional patterns that emerged. Findings indicated that local elementary teachers desire improved communication among administrators and teachers as well as better science content support and training. Focus group participants agreed that teacher self-efficacy affects the time spent, effort toward, and quality of elementary science education. Using the results of the study, a science mentor program was developed to support the needs of elementary teachers and increase teacher self-efficacy, thus improving local elementary science education. Implications for positive social change include the development and support of elementary science programs in other school systems with the goal of improving science education for elementary students.

In search of elementary spin 0 particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krasny, Mieczyslaw Witold, E-mail: krasny@lpnhep.in2p3.fr; Płaczek, Wiesław

2015-01-15

The Standard Model of strong and electroweak interactions uses point-like spin 1/2 particles as the building bricks of matter and point-like spin 1 particles as the force carriers. One of the most important questions to be answered by the present and future particle physics experiments is whether the elementary spin 0 particles exist, and if they do, what are their interactions with the spin 1/2 and spin 1 particles. Spin 0 particles have been searched extensively over the last decades. Several initial claims of their discoveries were finally disproved in the final experimental scrutiny process. The recent observation of themore » excess of events at the LHC in the final states involving a pair of vector bosons, or photons, is commonly interpreted as the discovery of the first elementary scalar particle, the Higgs boson. In this paper we recall examples of claims and subsequent disillusions in precedent searches spin 0 particles. We address the question if the LHC Higgs discovery can already be taken for granted, or, as it turned out important in the past, whether it requires a further experimental scrutiny before the existence of the first ever found elementary scalar particle is proven beyond any doubt. An example of the Double Drell–Yan process for which such a scrutiny is indispensable is discussed in some detail. - Highlights: • We present a short history of searches of spin 0 particles. • We construct a model of the Double Drell–Yan Process (DDYP) at the LHC. • We investigate the contribution of the DDYP to the Higgs searches background.« less

Elementary teachers' acquisition of science knowledge: Case-studies and implications for teaching preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, Morton

Elementary school is a key time for students to develop their understanding of basic science concepts as well as their attitudes towards science and science learning. Yet many elementary teachers do not feel comfortable teaching science; as a result, they are likely to devote less time on that subject and to be less effective as science teachers. The literature suggests that weaknesses in elementary teachers' knowledge of science could be a main cause of this problem and, furthermore, that current elementary teacher preparation programs have contributed to this weakness. This study aims at gaining more knowledge about how elementary teachers who are successful in teaching science have acquired their science content knowledge and how such knowledge could be best acquired, with the ultimate goal of informing the design of more effective elementary teacher preparation programs. More specifically, this study addresses the following research questions: Which science learning experiences for elementary teachers seem most conducive to develop the kind of science content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge needed to support the teaching of science as called for by the most recent national and state standards? Which of these experiences should be included in elementary teacher preparation programs, and how? The core of this study consists of case studies of eight elementary school teachers who were identified as successful in teaching science. These subjects were selected so as to ensure differences in their teacher preparation programs, as well as gender and years of teaching experience. Information about each teacher's self-efficacy and motivation with respect to teaching science, history of pre-service and in-service preparation with respect to science, and how his/her current science knowledge was acquired, was sought through a series of interviews with each subject and triangulated with data collected from other sources. A cross-case analysis revealed some

Burnout in Prospective Elementary School Teachers: Is It Related to Reasons for Choosing the Elementary School Teaching Major, Beliefs about the Teaching Career and Satisfaction with the Choice?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dundar, Sahin

2014-01-01

The present study was carried out to examine the relationships between elementary school teacher candidates' motivations for choosing the teaching profession, beliefs about the teaching profession, satisfaction with the choice, and burnout. The study was carried out with 171 senior elementary school teacher candidates at one public university in…

Learning and Teaching Elementary Subjects. Advances in Research on Teaching. Volume 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, Jere, Ed.

This publication is the fifth volume in the "Advanced in Research on Teaching" series, which has been established to provide state-of-the-art conceptualization and analysis of the processes involved in functioning as a classroom teacher. This volume focuses on the work of the Center for the Learning and Teaching of Elementary Subjects in…

Mathematics Anxiety and Preservice Elementary Teachers' Confidence to Teach Mathematics and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bursal, Murat; Paznokas, Lynda

2006-01-01

Sixty-five preservice elementary teachers' math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach elementary mathematics and science were measured. The confidence scores of subjects in different math anxiety groups were compared and the relationships between their math anxiety levels and confidence levels to teach mathematics and science were…

The effect of electronic networking on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy and attitude towards science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathew, Nishi Mary

Preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy and attitude towards science teaching are important determinants of whether and how they will teach science in their classrooms. Preservice teachers' understanding of science and science teaching experiences have an impact on their beliefs about their ability to teach science. This study had a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design (N = 60). Preservice elementary teachers in this study were networked through the Internet (using e-mail, newsgroups, listserv, world wide web access and electronic mentoring) during their science methods class and student practicum. Electronic networking provides a social context in which to learn collaboratively, share and reflect upon science teaching experiences and practices, conduct tele-research effectively, and to meet the demands of student teaching through peer support. It was hoped that the activities over the electronic networks would provide them with positive and helpful science learning and teaching experiences. Self-efficacy was measured using a 23-item Likert scale instrument, the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument, Form-B (STEBI-B). Attitude towards science teaching was measured using the Revised Science Attitude Scale (RSAS). Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data, with pretest scores as the covariate. Findings of this study revealed that prospective elementary teachers in the electronically networked group had better science teaching efficacy and personal science teaching efficacy as compared to the non-networked group of preservice elementary teachers. The science teaching outcome expectancy of prospective elementary teachers in the networked group was not greater than that of the prospective teachers in the non-networked group (at p < 0.05). Attitude towards science teaching was not significantly affected by networking. However, this is surmised to be related to the duration of the study. Information about the

A Huge Responsibility: Three Keys to Teaching Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davison, Leslie

2014-01-01

Based on her 20 years of teaching Spanish, Leslie Davison strives for a holistic approach to teaching and learning that is authentic and relevant to her young language learners. Herein, she shares three keys to teaching elementary level students in a way that ensures they will have a "Can Do" attitude in terms of language proficiency and…

An analysis of elementary teachers' perceptions of teaching science as inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domjan, Heather Nicole

The purpose of this study is to describe elementary school teachers' perceptions of science as inquiry in science instruction. A descriptive survey research design was used to collect data regarding elementary science teachers' knowledge and beliefs related to inquiry and its role in science education. The written section of the survey was analyzed and interpreted descriptively through phenomenological data and the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The researcher used the constant comparative method to identify statements, perceptions, and impressions that occurred over time during the study (Janesick, 1994). Ninety-two elementary school teachers who teach science in a large suburban district southwest of Houston, Texas were administered a three part Understanding Science as Inquiry Survey (USAI) developed by the researcher. Participants communicated in writing personal definitions of inquiry in elementary science as well as determined to what extent inquiry was used in four elementary science classroom scenarios. The survey items were based on the following four components of inquiry described by Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2000): (1) conceptual knowledge, (2) process skills, (3) nature of science, and (4) affect. The study describes elementary school teachers' perceptions about science as inquiry. Conclusions for Part A of the USAI Survey indicate that participants define inquiry as: mostly process skills, some conceptual knowledge, and very little affect with no perception of the nature of science. The Likert scale ratings for the scenarios in Part B of the USAI Survey reveal that participants have varied perceptions regarding teaching science as inquiry. The written section of Part B reveals participants' perceptions to be similar to that of their Likert scale ratings except in scenario one. The researcher concludes that the participants in this study appear to have an incomplete understanding

Elementary Teacher's Conceptions of Inquiry Teaching: Messages for Teacher Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, Joseph E.; Watters, James J.; Brownlee, Jo; Lupton, Mandy

2012-02-01

This study explored practicing elementary school teacher's conceptions of teaching in ways that foster inquiry-based learning in the science curriculum (inquiry teaching). The advocacy for inquiry-based learning in contemporary curricula assumes the principle that students learn in their own way by drawing on direct experience fostered by the teacher. That students should be able to discover answers themselves through active engagement with new experiences was central to the thinking of eminent educators such as Pestalozzi, Dewey and Montessori. However, even after many years of research and practice, inquiry learning as a referent for teaching still struggles to find expression in the average teachers' pedagogy. This study drew on interview data from 20 elementary teachers. A phenomenographic analysis revealed three conceptions of teaching for inquiry learning in science in the elementary years of schooling: (a) The Experience-centered conception where teachers focused on providing interesting sensory experiences to students; (b) The Problem-centered conception where teachers focused on engaging students with challenging problems; and (c) The Question-centered conception where teachers focused on helping students to ask and answer their own questions. Understanding teachers' conceptions has implications for both the enactment of inquiry teaching in the classroom as well as the uptake of new teaching behaviors during professional development, with enhanced outcomes for engaging students in Science.

Teaching Science as Science Is Practiced: Opportunities and Limits for Enhancing Preservice Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy for Science and Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avery, Leanne M.; Meyer, Daniel Z.

2012-01-01

Science teaching in elementary schools, or the lack thereof, continues to be an area of concern and criticism. Preservice elementary teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science is a major part of this problem. In this mixed-methods study, we report the impacts of an inquiry-based science course on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy…

Preparing Elementary Mathematics-Science Teaching Specialists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, L. Diane

1992-01-01

Describes a professional development program to train math/science specialists for the upper elementary school grades. Using results from an interest survey, 30 teachers were chosen to participate in a 3-year program to become math/science specialists. Presents the teaching model used and the advantages for teachers and students in having subject…

Imagery Teaches Elementary Economics Schema Efficiently.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenzie, Gary R.

In a complex domain such as economics, elementary school students' knowledge of formal systems beyond their immediate experience is often too incomplete, superficial, and disorganized to function as schema or model. However, visual imagery is a good technique for teaching young children a network of 10 to 20 propositions and the relationships…

The Profession of Elementary Teaching from the Perspective of School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turan, Mehmet; Turhan, Muhammed

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify how school administrators perceive the elementary teaching profession and elementary teachers. The population of the study comprised the administrators of elementary schools located in the center of Elazig, Adana and Malatya. A total of 185 questionnaires were sent to the school administrators included and…

Teaching Elementary Particle Physics, Part II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobson, Art

2011-01-01

In order to explain certain features of radioactive beta decay, Wolfgang Pauli suggested in 1930 that the nucleus emitted, in addition to a beta particle, another particle of an entirely new type. The hypothesized particle, dubbed the neutrino, would not be discovered experimentally for another 25 years. It's not easy to detect neutrinos, because…

Five male preservice elementary teachers: Their understandings, beliefs and practice regarding science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoover, Barbara Grambo

Many factors influence teacher choices concerning the frequency, instructional methods, and content of science teaching. Although the role of gender in science learning has been studied extensively, the gender of elementary teachers as it intersects their teaching of science has not been investigated. In this ethnographic study, I focused on five male preservice elementary teachers as they experienced their student teaching internship, aiming to understand their underlying beliefs about science and science teaching and how those beliefs influenced their practice. In an attempt to illuminate the complex interplay of personality, experience, interests, and gender in the professional lives of these men, this study emphasized the importance of context in the formation and expression of their science beliefs and pedagogy. For this reason, I collected data from a number of sources. From September, 2001 to May, 2002, I observed my participants in their science methods courses and on multiple occasions as they taught science in elementary classrooms in a suburban school district. I reviewed journal entries required for the science methods class and examined documents such as handouts, readings and teacher guides from their elementary teaching experience. I conducted semi-structured and informal interviews. I analyzed data from these sources using grounded theory methodology. Although these five men had many similarities, they differed in their love of science, their exposure to science, their avocational interests, and their views of science pedagogy. This study, however, revealed a unifying theme: each participant had his own set of personal and academic resources that he carried into the classroom and used to construct a distinctive science learning environment. Some of these resources intersect with gender. For example, several men had science-related avocational interests. There was a common emphasis on creating a relaxed, enjoyable, hands-on teaching environment as

The Challenge of Teaching Elementary Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Aline D.

2006-01-01

In this article, Aline Wolf discusses the challenges of teaching elementary reading at present time. She also raises her concern not only about the declining of reading skills, but also about the declining number of books that students actually read which creates a dilemma for teachers. She believes that the Montessori community must give priority…

Challenging the Expanding Environment Model of Teaching Elementary Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Jesse

1989-01-01

Looks at criticism of the Expanding Environments Model in the elementary school social studies curriculum. Cites recent reports that recommend a history-centered elementary curriculum. States that teaching methods may be the cause of historical, civic, and geographic illiteracy rather than the Expanding Environments Model. (LS)

Latest AMS Results on elementary particles in cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kounine, Andrei; AMS Collaboration

2017-01-01

AMS-02 is a particle physics detector collecting data on the International Space Station since May 2011. Precision measurements of all elementary charged cosmic ray particles have been performed by AMS using a data sample of 85 billion cosmic ray events collected during the first five years of operations on the Station. The latest AMS results on the fluxes and flux ratios of the elementary cosmic ray particles are presented. They show unique features that require accurate theoretical interpretation as to their origin, be it from dark matter collisions or new astrophysical sources. On behalf of the AMS Collaboration.

Teaching planetary sciences to elementary school teachers: Programs that work

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebofsky, Larry A.; Lebofsky, Nancy R.

1993-01-01

Planetary sciences can be used to introduce students to the natural world which is a part of their lives. Even children in an urban environment are aware of such phenomena as day and night, shadows, and the seasons. It is a science that transcends cultures, has been prominent in the news in recent years, and can generate excitement in young minds as no other science can. Planetary sciences also provides a useful tool for understanding other sciences and mathematics, and for developing problem solving skills which are important in our technological world. However, only 15 percent of elementary school teachers feel very well qualified to teach earth/space science, while better than 80 percent feel well qualified to teach reading; many teachers avoid teaching science; very little time is actually spent teaching science in the elementary school: 19 minutes per day in K-3 and 38 minutes per day in 4-6. While very little science is taught in elementary and middle school, earth/space science is taught at the elementary level in less than half of the states. It was pointed out that science is not generally given high priority by either teachers or school districts, and is certainly not considered on a par with language arts and mathematics. Therefore, in order to teach science to our youth, we must empower our teachers, making them familiar and comfortable with existing materials. In our earlier workshops, several of our teachers taught in classrooms where the majority of the students were Hispanic (over 90 percent). However, few space sciences materials existed in Spanish. Therefore, most of our materials could not be used effectively in the classroom. To address this issue, NASA materials were translated into Spanish and a series of workshops for bilingual classroom teachers from Tucson and surrounding cities was conducted. Our space sciences workshops and our bilingual classroom workshops and how they address the needs of elementary school teachers in Arizona are

Health Education Teaching Ideas: Elementary. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hakala, Jane, Ed.; Buckner, W. P., Jr., Ed.; King, Karen, Ed.

This guide contains innovative learning activities and teaching ideas to enhance classroom instruction. The 40 papers are divided into 12 areas: "Health Attitudes and Values" (e.g., understanding elementary students' perceptions of health through art, narrative and discussion); "Mental Health" (e.g., building community through…

Teaching College Physics at the Local Elementary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagedorn, Eric A.

2006-12-01

For several years physics faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have taught physics to pre-service elementary and middle school teachers in an unusual location: the local elementary school! The participating pre-service elementary and middle school teachers are typically in their last semester and are fully immersed in their internships (called "student teaching" elsewhere. See Fig. 1). Rather than bringing the students back to campus for class during four of their field semesters, UTEP sends education, mathematics, and physics faculty out to the schools as part of what is referred to as the "field-based program" (FBP) even though some of this program occurs on campus.

How to Measure Elementary Teachers' Interest in Teaching Chemistry?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herranen, Jaana Kristiina; Vesterinen, Veli-Matti; Aksela, Maija Katariina

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to create an instrument to measure elementary teachers' interest in teaching chemistry. The interest in chemistry teaching instrument (ICTI) was created to measure both the affective and cognitive components of interest. After establishing the face and content validity of the instrument, the internal consistency of the…

Self-Efficacy for Science Teaching Scale Development: Construct Validation with Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yangin, Selami; Sidekli, Sabri

2016-01-01

The measurement of teacher self-efficacy has a history of more than 30 years. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the development and validation of a new scale to measure the science teaching self-efficacy of elementary school teachers. Therefore, a scale has been created to measure elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy and…

Teaching Elementary Particle Physics, Part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobson, Art

2011-03-01

In order to explain certain features of radioactive beta decay, Wolfgang Pauli suggested in 1930 that the nucleus emitted, in addition to a beta particle, another particle of an entirely new type. The hypothesized particle, dubbed the neutrino, would not be discovered experimentally for another 25 years. It's not easy to detect neutrinos, because they respond to neither the EM force nor the strong force. For example, the mean free path (average penetration distance before it interacts) of a typical beta-decay neutrino moving through solid lead is about 1.5 light years! Enrico Fermi argued that neutrinos indicated a new force was at work. During the 1930s, he quickly adapted ideas from the developing new theory of QED to this new force, dubbed the weak force. Fermi's theory was able to predict the half-lives of beta-emitting nuclei and the range of energies of the emitted beta particles.

Strategies for Teaching Elementary and Junior High Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Consuegra, Gerard F.

1980-01-01

Discusses the applications of Piaget's theory of cognitive development to elementary and junior high school science teaching. Topics include planning concrete experiences, inductive and hypothetical deductive reasoning, measurement concepts, combinatorial logic, scientific experimentation and reflexive thinking. (SA)

Elementary Particles and Weak Interactions

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Lee, T. D.; Yang, C. N.

1957-01-01

Some general patterns of interactions between various elementary particles are reviewed and some general questions concerning the symmetry properties of these particles are studied. Topics are included on the theta-tau puzzle, experimental limits on the validity of parity conservation, some general discussions on the consequences due to possible non-invariance under P, C, and T, various possible experimental tests on invariance under P, C, and T, a two-component theory of the neutrino, a possible law of conservation of leptons and the universal Fermi interactions, and time reversal invariance and Mach's principle. (M.H.R.)

Measuring Practices of Teaching for Social Justice in Elementary Mathematics Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reagan, Emilie Mitescu; Pedulla, Joseph J.; Jong, Cindy; Cannady, Mac; Cochran-Smith, Marilyn

2011-01-01

This study used the Teaching for Social Justice Observation Scale (TSJOS) of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol-Plus (RTOP+) to examine the extent to which twenty-two novice elementary teachers implemented practices related to teaching for social justice in their mathematics instruction. In addition, this study sought to examine the extent…

Reflective Teaching and Conceptual Change in an Interdisciplinary Elementary Methods Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomkiewicz, Warren C.

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which writing to learn and reflective teaching within an interdisciplinary elementary methods course gave undergraduates the opportunity to change their perspective from student to teacher. Participants were 31 preservice elementary education majors enrolled in a one semester interdisciplinary…

Electron, Muon, and Tau Heavy Lepton--Are These the Truly Elementary Particles?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perl, Martin L.

1980-01-01

Discussed is the present concept of the ultimate nature of matter--the elementary particle. An explanation is given for why the lepton family of particles--the electron, muon, and tau--may be truly elementary. The tau lepton is described in more detail. (Author/DS)

Caught in the Balance: An Organizational Analysis of Science Teaching in Schools with Elementary Science Specialists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marco-Bujosa, Lisa M.; Levy, Abigail Jurist

2016-01-01

Elementary schools are under increasing pressure to teach science and teach it well; yet, research documents that classroom teachers must overcome numerous personal and school-based challenges to teach science effectively at this level, such as access to materials and inadequate instructional time. The elementary science specialist model…

The Interaction between Teaching Practices and the Change in Motivation of Elementary-School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karsenti, Thierry P.; Thibert, Gilles

This study took an in-depth, global look at the entirety of the teaching practices of six elementary school teachers in Canada who are known to be highly motivating instructors. The study investigated the interaction between teaching practices and the change in elementary-school student motivation. Three teachers were chosen for their reputation…

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taştan Kırık, Özgecan

2013-12-01

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of pr-service elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management beliefs and science teaching attitudes. Science education majors ( n = 71) and elementary education majors ( n = 262) were compared with respect to these variables. Finally, the predictors of two constructs of science teaching efficacy beliefs, personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), were examined by multiple linear regression analysis. According to the results, participation in extracurricular activities has a significant but low correlation with science concept knowledge, science teaching attitudes, PSTE and STOE. In addition, there is a small but significant correlation between science concept knowledge and outcome expectancy, which leads the idea that preservice elementary teachers' conceptual understanding in science contributes to their science teaching self-efficacy. This study reveals a moderate correlation between science teaching attitudes and STOE and a high correlation between science teaching attitudes and PSTE. Additionally, although the correlation coefficient is low, the number of methodology courses was found to be one of the correlates of science teaching attitudes. Furthermore, students of both majors generally had positive self-efficacy beliefs on both the STOE and PSTE. Specifically, science education majors had higher science teaching self-efficacy than elementary education majors. Regression results showed that science teaching attitude is the major factor in predicting both PSTE and STOE for both groups.

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers. Practice Guide Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

An early foundation in writing offers students a valuable tool for learning, communication, and self-expression. Authored by a panel of experts, the "Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers" practice guide presents four recommendations educators can use to help elementary students strengthen their writing skills. The…

Active Ways to Teach Health Concepts in the Elementary Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Julie

2015-01-01

This article provides three movement-based activities for teaching health concepts to elementary school students. Two activities focus on nutrition concepts and the other focuses on teaching body systems. Diagrams are provided to show the setup of activities, as well as links for accessing materials to help implement the activities.

Elementary Teacher's Conceptions of Inquiry Teaching: Messages for Teacher Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ireland, Joseph E.; Watters, James J.; Brownlee, Jo; Lupton, Mandy

2012-01-01

This study explored practicing elementary school teacher's conceptions of teaching in ways that foster inquiry-based learning in the science curriculum (inquiry teaching). The advocacy for inquiry-based learning in contemporary curricula assumes the principle that students learn in their own way by drawing on direct experience fostered by the…

Integrating E-Books into Science Teaching by Preservice Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ching-San

2016-01-01

This study aims to discuss the issues of integrating e-books into science teaching by preservice elementary school teachers. The study adopts both qualitative and quantitative research methods. In total, 24 preservice elementary school teachers participated in this study. The main sources of research data included e-books produced by preservice…

Elementary teachers past experiences: A narrative study of the past personal and professional experiences of elementary teachers who use science to teach math and reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acre, Andrea M.

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of four elementary teachers who have elected to use science to teach math and reading/language arts in an attempt to identify what motivates them to do so. Identifying what experiences have motivated these teachers to go against the gain and teach elementary science in this current era of high-stakes tests is of the upmost importance given that science is being eliminated from the elementary curriculum and it is during the elementary years that students' nurture and develop their interest in science. Additionally, the United States is failing to produce enough college graduates in STEM areas to fill the thousands of STEM jobs each year. Through a review of the literature, the past trends and current trends of elementary science education were explored as well as teacher training. Furthermore, the literature reviewed inquiry teaching which is considered to be the most effective teaching method when teaching science at any level. Using John Dewey's Interest and Effort Relationship Theory and the Self-Determination Motivation Theory to guide this study, there were five prominent themes which emerged from the reconstructed stories of the four teachers: positive experiences with science, neutral/negative experiences with science, seeks meaningful professional development, influence and support from others, and regret/wants to do more.

Dispositions Supporting Elementary Interns in the Teaching of Reform-Based Science Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eick, Charles J.; Stewart, Bethany

2010-01-01

Dispositions supporting the teaching of science as structured inquiry by four elementary candidates are presented. Candidates were studied during student teaching based on their positive attitudes toward teaching science with reform-based materials in their methods course. Personal learning histories informed their attitudes, values, and beliefs…

Changes in Preservice Elementary Teachers' Personal Science Teaching Efficacy and Science Teaching Outcome Expectancies: The Influence of Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hechter, Richard P.

2011-01-01

This study investigated contextual changes in perceptions of science teaching self-efficacy through pre-, post- and retrospective administrations of the Science Teaching Expectancy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) among preservice elementary teachers when exposed to a science teaching methods course. Findings revealed that the number of postsecondary…

Urban Elementary Teachers' Perspectives on Teaching Science to English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Okhee; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Buxton, Cory; Penfield, Randall; Secada, Walter G.

2009-01-01

This descriptive study examined urban elementary school teachers' perceptions of their science content knowledge, science teaching practices, and support for language development of English language learners. Also examined were teachers' perceptions of organizational supports and barriers associated with teaching science to nonmainstream students.…

TEACHING OF ADVANCED MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS TO CULTURALLY DISADVANTAGED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RUPLEY, WILLIAM H.

THE SUCCESS OF DISCOVERY MATHEMATICS TEACHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WAS TESTED OVER A 1-YEAR PERIOD. THE PROJECT WAS INTENDED TO SEE IF A TRAINED MATHEMATICIAN WORKING AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN COULD (1) MOTIVATE THE CHILDREN TO BE INTERESTED IN SCHOOL WORK BY INTERESTING THEM IN MATHEMATICS AND (2) COMMUNICATE WITH…

Investigating How Nontraditional Elementary Pre-service Teachers Negotiate the Teaching of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shelton, Mythianne

This qualitative study was designed to investigate the influences on nontraditional preservice teachers as they negotiated the teaching of science in elementary school. Based upon a sociocultural theoretical framework with an identity-in-practice lens, these influences included beliefs about science teaching, life experiences, and the impact of the teacher preparation program. The study sample consisted of two nontraditional preservice teachers who were student teaching in an elementary classroom. Data, collected over a five-month period, included in-depth individual interviews, classroom observations, audio recordings, and reviews of documentations. Interviews focused on the participants' beliefs relating to the teaching of science, prior experiences, and their teacher preparation program experiences relating to the teaching of science. Classroom observations provided additional insights into the classroom setting, participants' teaching strategies, and participants' interactions with the students and cooperating teacher. A whole-text analysis of the interview transcripts, observational field notes, audio recordings and documents generated eight major categories: beliefs about science teaching, role of family, teaching science in the classroom, teacher identity, non-teacher identity, relationships with others, discourses of classroom teaching, and discourses of teachers. The following significant findings emerged from the data: (a) the identity of nontraditional student teachers as science teachers related to early life experiences in science classes; (b) the identity of nontraditional student teachers as science teachers was influenced by their role as parents; (c) nontraditional student teachers learned strategies that supported their beliefs about inquiry learning; and (d) nontraditional student teachers valued the teacher preparation program support system. The results from this qualitative study suggest that sociocultural theory with an identity

Pre-service elementary science teaching self-efficacy and teaching practices: A mixed-methods, dual-phase, embedded case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sangueza, Cheryl Ramirez

This mixed-method, dual-phase, embedded-case study employed the Social Cognitive Theory and the construct of self-efficacy to examine the contributors to science teaching self-efficacy and science teaching practices across different levels of efficacy in six pre-service elementary teachers during their science methods course and student teaching experiences. Data sources included the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) for pre-service teachers, questionnaires, journals, reflections, student teaching lesson observations, and lesson debriefing notes. Results from the STEBI-B show that all participants measured an increase in efficacy throughout the study. The ANOVA analysis of the STEBI-B revealed a statistically significant increase in level of efficacy during methods course, student teaching, and from the beginning of the study to the end. Of interest in this study was the examination of the participants' science teaching practices across different levels of efficacy. Results of this analysis revealed how the pre-service elementary teachers in this study contextualized their experiences in learning to teach science and its influences on their science teaching practices. Key implications involves the value in exploring how pre-service teachers interpret their learning to teach experiences and how their interpretations influence the development of their science teaching practices.

Factors Influencing Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs in Reform-Based Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawyer, Amanda Gantt

2017-01-01

I investigated a reform based teachers' beliefs about the nature of mathematics, teaching mathematics, and learning mathematics, and the factors leading to their formation. I interviewed and observed a reform-based elementary mathematics teacher with 13 years' experience teaching first grade. She held a Platonist/problem solver view of…

Approaches to Inquiry Teaching: Elementary teacher's perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, Joseph; Watters, James J.; Lunn Brownlee, J.; Lupton, Mandy

2014-07-01

Learning science through the process of inquiry is advocated in curriculum documents across many jurisdictions. However, a number of studies suggest that teachers struggle to help students engage in inquiry practices. This is not surprising as many teachers of science have not engaged in scientific inquiry and possibly hold naïve ideas about what constitutes scientific inquiry. This study investigates teachers' self-reported approaches to teaching science through inquiry. Phenomenographic interviews undertaken with 20 elementary teachers revealed teachers identified six approaches to teaching for inquiry, clustered within three categories. These approaches were categorized as Free and Illustrated Inquiries as part of an Experience-centered category, Solution and Method Inquiries as part of a Problem-centered category, and Topic and Chaperoned Inquiries as part of a Question-centered category. This study contributes to our theoretical understanding of how teachers approach Inquiry Teaching and suggests fertile areas of future research into this valued and influential phenomenon broadly known as 'Inquiry Teaching'.

Elementary Teachers' Past Experiences: A Narrative Study of the Past Personal and Professional Experiences of Elementary Teachers Who Use Science to Teach Math and Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acre, Andrea M.

2014-01-01

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of four elementary teachers who have elected to use science to teach math and reading/language arts in an attempt to identify what motivates them to do so. Identifying what experiences have motivated these teachers to go against the gain and teach elementary science in this current era of…

The Science Teaching Self-Efficacy of Prospective Elementary Education Majors Enrolled in Introductory Geology Lab Sections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Kathryn A.

2014-01-01

This study examined prospective elementary education majors' science teaching self-efficacy while they were enrolled in an introductory geology lab course for elementary education majors. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument Form B (STEBI-B) was administered during the first and last lab class sessions. Additionally, students were…

Learning by doing? Prospective elementary teachers' developing understandings of scientific inquiry and science teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haefner, Leigh Ann; Zembal-Saul, Carla

This study examined prospective elementary teachers' learning about scientific inquiry in the context of an innovative life science course. Research questions included: (1) What do prospective elementary teachers learn about scientific inquiry within the context of the course? and (2) In what ways do their experiences engaging in science investigations and teaching inquiry-oriented science influence prospective elementary teachers' understanding of science and science learning and teaching? Eleven prospective elementary teachers participated in this qualitative, multi-participant case study. Constant comparative analysis strategies attempted to build abstractions and explanations across participants around the constructs of the study. Findings suggest that engaging in scientific inquiry supported the development more appropriate understandings of science and scientific inquiry, and that prospective teachers became more accepting of approaches to teaching science that encourage children's questions about science phenomena. Implications include careful consideration of learning experiences crafted for prospective elementary teachers to support the development of robust subject matter knowledge.

Teaching for Conceptual Change in Elementary and Secondary Science Methods Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marion, Robin; Hewson, Peter W.; Tabachnick, B. Robert; Blomker, Kathryn B.

1999-01-01

Describes and analyzes two science methods courses at the elementary and secondary levels for how they addressed four ideas: (1) how students learn science; (2) how teachers teach science to students; (3) how prospective science teachers learn about the first two ideas; and (4) how methods instructors teach prospective science teachers about the…

Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Prerequisite Algebra Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welder, Rachael M.; Simonsen, Linda M.

2011-01-01

The current study investigated the effects of an undergraduate mathematics content course for pre-service elementary teachers. The participants' content knowledge was quantitatively measured using an instrument comprised of items from the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Measures (Hill, Schilling, & Ball, 2004). Using a one-group…

Associations between Perceived Teaching Behaviours and Affect in Upper Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnard, Allison D.; Adelson, Jill L.; Pössel, Patrick

2017-01-01

We explored the associations between student-perceived teaching behaviours and negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in upper elementary age students, both before and after controlling for perceived parenting behaviours. The Teaching Behaviour Questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule…

Preservice elementary teachers' alternative conceptions of science and their self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koc, Isil

The present study was conducted to investigate the extent to which preservice elementary teachers held alternative conceptions in fundamental elementary science concepts from earth/space science, life science, and physical science along with their self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching and to determine the relationship between these two issues. Eighty-six preservice elementary education majors enrolled in the four sections of the course titled "07E:162 Methods Elementary School Science" offered in the Science Education Center, College of Education, the University of Iowa during the 2005-2006 academic year participated in this study. Twelve preservice elementary teachers participated in follow-up interviews. Data were collected through the use of Alternative Conceptions in Science Instrument constructed by Schoon and Boone (1998), Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) constructed by Enochs and Riggs (1990), a participant information form, and through utilization of interviews. The results from the alternative conception instrument indicated that the majority of preservice elementary teachers held a number of alternative conceptions with most being in the physical sciences followed by earth/space, and then life science. Various sources of alternative conceptions emerged during the interview sessions. Participants mainly cited science teachers, science textbooks, and previous science experiences as sources of their alternative conceptions. On the other hand, the analysis of the self-efficacy instrument and follow-up interviews revealed generally positive self-efficacy beliefs. Findings from the study also confirmed that science courses completed in high school and college do not seem to have influenced participants' number and types of alternative conceptions regarding earth/space science, life science, and physical science and self-efficacy beliefs about science teaching. The results also indicate that participants with the lowest number of

The Relationships among Mathematics Teaching Efficacy, Mathematics Self-Efficacy, and Mathematical Beliefs for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briley, Jason S.

2012-01-01

Ninety-five elementary pre-service teachers enrolled in a mathematics content course for elementary school teachers completed 3 surveys to measure mathematics teaching efficacy, mathematics self-efficacy, and mathematical beliefs. The pre-service teachers who reported stronger beliefs in their capabilities to teach mathematics effectively were…

Four different animated sub-particles as the origins of the life and creator of different angular momentums of elementary particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholibeigian, Hassan; Gholibeigian, Zeinab

2015-04-01

Understanding the internal structure of the proton is crucial challenge for QCD, and one important aspect of this is to understand how the spin of the nucleon is build-up from the angular momentum of its quarks and gluons. In this way, what's the origin of differences between angular momentums of fundamental particles? It may be from their substructures. It seems there are four sub-particles of mater, plant, animal and human in substructure of each fundamental particle (string) as the origins of life and cause of differences between spins of those elementary particles. Material's sub-particle always is on and active. When the environmental conditions became ready for creation of each field of the plant, animal and human, sub-particles of their elementary particles became on and active and then, those elementary particles participated in processes of creation in their own field. God, as the main source of information, has been communicated with their sub-particles and transfers a package (bit) of information and laws (plus standard ethics for human sub-particles) to each of them for process and selection (mutation) of the next step of motion and interaction of their fundamental particles with each other in each Plank's time. This is causality for particles' motion in quantum area.

Collaborating to Improve Inquiry-Based Teaching in Elementary Science and Mathematics Methods Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magee, Paula A.; Flessner, Ryan

2012-01-01

This study examines the effect of promoting inquiry-based teaching (IBT) through collaboration between a science methods course and mathematics methods course in an elementary teacher education program. During the collaboration, preservice elementary teacher (PST) candidates experienced 3 different types of inquiry as a way to foster increased…

Teaching Experimental Design to Elementary School Pupils in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karampelas, Konstantinos

2016-01-01

This research is a study about the possibility to promote experimental design skills to elementary school pupils. Experimental design and the experiment process are foundational elements in current approaches to Science Teaching, as they provide learners with profound understanding about knowledge construction and science inquiry. The research was…

Elementary particles in the early Universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gromov, N.A., E-mail: gromov@dm.komisc.ru

The high-temperature limit of the Standard Model generated by the contractions of gauge groups is discussed. Contraction parameters of gauge group SU(2) of the Electroweak Model and gauge group SU(3) of Quantum Chromodynamics are taken identical and tending to zero when the temperature increases. Properties of the elementary particles change drastically at the infinite temperature limit: all particles lose masses, all quarks are monochromatic. Electroweak interactions become long-range and are mediated by neutral currents. Particles of different kind do not interact. It looks like some stratification with only one sort of particles in each stratum. The Standard Model passes inmore » this limit through several stages, which are distinguished by the powers of the contraction parameter. For any stage intermediate models are constructed and the exact expressions for the respective Lagrangians are presented. The developed approach describes the evolution of the Standard Model in the early Universe from the Big Bang up to the end of several nanoseconds.« less

THE USE OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC MECHANICAL MODELS IN TEACHING ASPECTS OF THE THEORETICAL CONCEPT, THE PARTICLE NATURE OF MATTER.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PELLA, MILTON O.; ZIEGLER, ROBERT E.

THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO TYPES OF MECHANICAL MODELS FOR TEACHING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS TO USE THE PARTICLE IDEA OF MATTER TO EXPLAIN CERTAIN PHYSICAL PHENOMENA WAS INVESTIGATED. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM STUDENTS ENROLLED IN GRADES TWO THROUGH SIX IN A SCHOOL SYSTEM. A SERIES OF DEMONSTRATIONS AND RELATED QUESTIONS WERE…

Quantum Optics, Diffraction Theory, and Elementary Particle Physics

ScienceCinema

Glauber, Roy

2018-05-22

Physical optics has expanded greatly in recent years. Though it remains part of the ancestry of elementary particle physics, there are once again lessons to be learned from it. I shall discuss several of these, including some that have emerged at CERN and Brookhaven.

Developing an Assessment Instrument to Measure Early Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoen, Robert C.; Bray, Wendy; Wolfe, Christopher; Tazaz, Amanda M.; Nielsen, Lynne

2017-01-01

This study reports on the development and field study of K-TEEM, a web-based assessment instrument designed to measure mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) at the early elementary level. The development process involved alignment with early elementary curriculum standards, expert review of items and scoring criteria, cognitive interviews with…

Learning to Teach Elementary Students in Democratic Field Placements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Payne, Katherina A.

2013-01-01

This multicase study employs sociocultural theories to analyze the learning to teach process and identity development of six novice elementary school teachers, who were immersed in a semester-long democratic field placement. Broadly, this study explored the field experience as part of democratic teacher education, and how the field experience can…

Predicting Elementary Classroom Teaching Practices from Teachers' Educational Beliefs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauch, Patricia A.

Using data from the national research project "A Study of Schooling," researchers sought to describe teachers' educational beliefs and to relate those beliefs to the teachers' classroom teaching practices. From 13 elementary schools in the national survey, 182 teachers were selected, based on their scores on two dimensions of belief:…

A Study of Implicit Theories and Beliefs about Teaching in Elementary School Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcelo, Carlos

In this study interactive teaching of two math teachers at elementary schools in Spain was observed. Focus was on the description of the principles of the practice which guide the teaching activities of the subjects, because it was felt these principles form the base of teachers' theories with respect to the teaching and the students. During a…

Physics through the 1990s: Elementary-particle physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the field is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.

Physics through the 1990s: Elementary-particle physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the field is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.

Supporting elementary science education for English learners: An evaluation instrument to promote constructivist teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbons, Beatrice Lowney

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an evaluation instrument to be used by elementary school administrators in the promotion of constructivist teaching of elementary science for English Learners using a qualitative and quantitative design that identified effective instructional strategies to be included on the evaluation instrument. This study was conducted in fifth grade classrooms of predominately English Learners whose teachers are CLAD-certified, tenured teachers with at least three years of teaching experience. The classroom observations took place within a multicultural school district with predominantly Hispanic and Filipino students in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. The evaluation instrument was used to observe these teachers teach elementary science lessons to classrooms of predominately English Learners. The frequency of the use of the ELD/SDAIE instructional strategies were noted on the evaluation instrument with a check mark, indicating the fact that an instructional technique was employed by the teacher. These observation visits revealed what type of instructional strategies were being utilized in the teaching of science to fifth grade English Learners, whether these CLAD-certified teachers were using ELD strategies, and whether the incidence of ELD/SDAIE constructivist instructional techniques increased with the repeated use of the evaluation instrument. As a result of this study, an evaluation instrument to be utilized by school administrators in the evaluation of elementary science instruction to English Learners was developed. The repeated use of this evaluation instrument coupled with preobservation and postobservation conferences may result in the increase in frequency of ELD/SDAIE methodology and constructivist strategies listed on the evaluation instrument in the elementary science classroom.

Learning from the best: Overcoming barriers to reforms-based elementary science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banchi, Heather May

This study explored the characteristics of elementary science teachers who employ reforms-based practices. Particular attention was paid to the consistency of teachers' practices and their beliefs, the impact of professional development experiences on practices, and how teachers mitigated barriers to reforms-based instruction. Understanding how successful elementary science teachers develop fills a gap in the science reforms literature. Participants included 7 upper elementary science teachers from six different schools. All schools were located within two suburban school districts in the south-Atlantic United States and data was collected during the spring of 2008. Data collection included use of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to evaluate the level of reforms-based instruction, as well as 35 hours of classroom observation field notes and 21 hours of audio-taped teacher interviews. The variety of data sources allowed for triangulation of evidence. The RTOP was analyzed using descriptive statistics and classroom observations and interview data were analyzed using Erickson's (1986) guidelines for analytic induction. Findings indicated (a) reforms-based elementary science teaching was attainable, (b) beliefs and practices were consistent and both reflected reforms-based philosophies and practices, (c) formal professional development experiences were limited and did not foster reforms-based practices, (d) informal professional development pursued by teachers had a positive impact on practices, (e) barriers to reforms-based instruction were present but mitigated by strong beliefs and practical strategies like curriculum integration. These findings suggest that there are common, salient characteristics of reforms-based teachers' beliefs, practices, and professional development experiences. These commonalities contribute to an understanding of how reforms-based teachers develop, and inform efforts to move all elementary teachers in the direction of

Children Exploring Their World: Theme Teaching in Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walmsley, Sean A.

With this book as a guide, elementary school teachers can build classroom themes that offer students substantive encounters with knowledge, literature, and language. The book discusses a rationale for theme teaching; an explanation of the different kinds of themes; a variety of ways in which themes can be treated in the classroom; a detailed…

Developing Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy through Field-Based Science Teaching Practice with Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Ingrid M.

2015-01-01

Thirty preservice teachers enrolled in a field-based science methods course were placed at a public elementary school for coursework and for teaching practice with elementary students. Candidates focused on building conceptual understanding of science content and pedagogical methods through innovative curriculum development and other course…

Elementary Pre-Service Teachers: Can They Experience Mathematics Teaching Anxiety without Having Mathematics Anxiety?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Amy Bingham; Westenskow, Arla; Moyer-Packenham, Patricia S.

2011-01-01

Elementary pre-service teachers report high levels of mathematics anxiety (MA), but the construct less widely addressed is their mathematics teaching anxiety (MTA). This study investigated the frequency with which MA stemming from prior experiences leads to MTA. Fifty-three elementary pre-service teachers' written reflections were analyzed, using…

The Impact of Problem Posing on Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematics and Mathematics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Angela T.; Cates, Janie M.

2006-01-01

This study investigated the impact of incorporating problem posing in elementary classrooms on the beliefs held by elementary teachers about mathematics and mathematics teaching. Teachers participated in a year-long staff development project aimed at facilitating the incorporation of problem posing into their classrooms. Beliefs were examined via…

Teaching about the Child and World Environment: Elementary Teacher's Kit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Donald M.

Three environmental education units relating environmental concerns to elementary school students' own experiences are described in this materials packet. Emphasis is on helping students become more sensitive to human and personal dimensions of environmental upset. Designed to teach children about themselves and their air, water, and land…

Developing an Assessment Instrument to Measure Early Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoen, Robert C.; Bray, Wendy; Wolfe, Christopher; Tazaz, Amanda M.; Nielsen, Lynne

2017-01-01

This study reports on the development and field study of K-TEEM, a web-based assessment instrument designed to measure mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) at the early elementary level. The development process involved alignment with early elementary curriculum standards, expert review of items and scoring criteria, cognitive interviews with…

100 years of elementary particles [Beam Line, vol. 27, issue 1, Spring 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pais, Abraham; Weinberg, Steven; Quigg, Chris

1997-04-01

This issue of Beam Line commemorates the 100th anniversary of the April 30, 1897 report of the discovery of the electron by J.J. Thomson and the ensuing discovery of other subatomic particles. In the first three articles, theorists Abraham Pais, Steven Weinberg, and Chris Quigg provide their perspectives on the discoveries of elementary particles as well as the implications and future directions resulting from these discoveries. In the following three articles, Michael Riordan, Wolfgang Panofsky, and Virginia Trimble apply our knowledge about elementary particles to high-energy research, electronics technology, and understanding the origin and evolution of our Universe.

100 years of Elementary Particles [Beam Line, vol. 27, issue 1, Spring 1997

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Pais, Abraham; Weinberg, Steven; Quigg, Chris; Riordan, Michael; Panofsky, Wolfgang K. H.; Trimble, Virginia

1997-04-01

This issue of Beam Line commemorates the 100th anniversary of the April 30, 1897 report of the discovery of the electron by J.J. Thomson and the ensuing discovery of other subatomic particles. In the first three articles, theorists Abraham Pais, Steven Weinberg, and Chris Quigg provide their perspectives on the discoveries of elementary particles as well as the implications and future directions resulting from these discoveries. In the following three articles, Michael Riordan, Wolfgang Panofsky, and Virginia Trimble apply our knowledge about elementary particles to high-energy research, electronics technology, and understanding the origin and evolution of our Universe.

Emotions and elementary school science teaching: Postmodernism in practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zembylas, Michalinos

This is an ethnographic study about an elementary school teacher's emotions in her science teaching and pedagogy. This study is an interdisciplinary account of emotions in teaching and draws both methodologically and theoretically from a variety of disciplines: philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies and feminist studies. The account developed here is based on my understanding of the role of one teacher's (Catherine) emotions in her classroom life for three years. I describe my approach in terms of what I call emotional genealogies of teaching; referring to an account of the events, objects, persons and their relationships that are present or absent in the realization of emotions, and the ways that these emotions are experienced in relation to the self (individual reality), the others (social interactions) and the world in general (sociopolitical context). Applied to my study, an emotional genealogy of Catherine's science teaching seeks not to trace the gradual evolution of her emotions but to record the singularity of various events that make some emotions present and others absent. My study shows how certain emotions are constructed in the science classroom and how they are transformed over the years (as mediated by values, philosophies, beliefs and so on). Catherine's emotions in science teaching is a "history of the present," a history of her emotions' "presences and absences" in her daffy interactions with her students, parents and administrators in the context of the science classroom. This work raises important questions that go beyond the meaning and interpretation of teachers' emotions: How can teachers' emotions become a legitimate topic in (science) education as well as in efforts for science curricular reform? Further, how can educational institutions (universities and schools) and elementary school science teachers themselves support their personal and professional emotional growth?

A Qualitative Inquiry of Elementary Co-Teachers' Perceptions of Professional Development for Co-Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jason S.

2017-01-01

This dissertation investigated regular and special education co-teachers' perceptions of professional development programs and their readiness to co-teach in the elementary mathematics classroom. A gap in co-teaching literature exists regarding how teachers perceived co-teaching professional development and how it impacts their readiness to…

Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching Science and Classroom Practice: An Examination of Pre/Post NCLB Testing in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, Andrea R.; Sondergeld, Toni A.; Demir, Abdulkadir; Johnson, Carla C.; Czerniak, Charlene M.

2012-01-01

The impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandated state science assessment on elementary teachers' beliefs about teaching science and their classroom practice is relatively unknown. For many years, the teaching of science has been minimized in elementary schools in favor of more emphasis on reading and mathematics. This study examines the…

Pathways in Learning to Teach Elementary Science: Navigating Contexts, Roles, Affordances and Constraints

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Deborah C.; Jang, Shinho

2011-01-01

This case study of a fifth-year elementary intern's pathway in learning to teach science focused on her science methods course, placement science teaching, and reflections as a first-year teacher. We studied the sociocultural contexts within which the intern learned, their affordances and constraints, and participants' perspectives on their roles…

In-Service Turkish Elementary and Science Teachers' Attitudes toward Science and Science Teaching: A Sample from Usak Province

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turkmen, Lutfullah

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to reveal Turkish elementary teachers' and science teachers' attitudes toward science and science teaching. The sample of the study, 138 in-service elementary level science teachers from a province of Turkey, was selected by a clustered sampling method. The Science Teaching Attitude Scale-II was employed to measure the…

Physics through the 1990s: elementary-particle physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1986-01-01

The volume begins with a non-mathematical discussion of the motivation behind, and basic ideas of, elementary-particle physics theory and experiment. The progress over the past two decades with the quark model and unification of the electromagnetic and weak interactions is reviewed. Existing theoretical problems in the field, such as the origin of mass and the unification of the fundamental forces, are detailed, along with experimental programs to test the new theories. Accelerators, instrumentation, and detectors are described for both current and future facilities. Interactions with other areas of both theoretical and applied physics are presented. The sociology of the fieldmore » is examined regarding the education of graduate students, the organization necessary in large-scale experiments, and the decision-making process involved in high-cost experiments. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for maintaining US excellence in theory and experiment are given. Appendices list both current and planned accelerators, and present statistical data on the US elementary-particle physics program. A glossary is included.« less

The Influence of University Courses and Field Experiences on Chinese Elementary Candidates' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youngs, Peter; Qian, Hong

2013-01-01

In this article, we draw on survey data to investigate associations between Chinese elementary teaching candidates’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and their experiences in mathematics courses, mathematics methods courses, and student teaching. In our study, we found that (a) Chinese teaching candidates' completion of courses in number…

Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs and the Lived Experience of Preservice Elementary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kettler, Karen A.

The current study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine the science teaching efficacy beliefs (STEB) of preservice elementary teachers as they participated in a Science Methods course. The following questions were addressed using quantitative survey data and qualitative interviews: What are the STEB of preservice elementary teachers as they progress through a Science Methods course?; How do the STEB of preservice elementary teachers with higher and lower personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) beliefs change as they progress through a Science Methods course?; What is the nature of the lived experiences of preservice elementary teachers with higher and lower PSTE beliefs as they progress through a Science Methods course?; and How does the meaning developed during the lived experience of preservice elementary teachers with higher and lower PSTE beliefs influence their STEB? The participants (n = 21) included preservice elementary teachers registered for a Science Methods course as part of the "Block" semester, during their final year of teacher preparation prior to the student teaching experience. Quantitative data was obtained via Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument- form B (STEBI-B) surveys taken at the beginning and end of the Science Methods course. This data was utilized to categorize participants into low, medium, and high efficacy groups, depending on how they scored in relation to one another. Qualitative data was obtained concurrently, through in-depth interviews with four "lower" efficacy participants and four "higher" efficacy participants, and was conducted after the "pre" survey and before the "post" survey, utilizing transcendental phenomenological methodology. Results showed a significant difference between pre- and post- survey data, indicating that the participants, as a whole, experienced an increase in PSTE during the Science Methods course (p<0.001). An examination of the specific subgroups (low, medium, and high efficacy) show a

Exploring Elementary Science Methods Course Contexts to Improve Preservice Teachers' NOS of Science Conceptions and Understandings of NOS Teaching Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akerson, Valarie L.; Weiland, Ingrid; Rogers, Meredith Park; Pongsanon, Khemmawaddee; Bilican, Kader

2014-01-01

We explored adaptations to an elementary science methods course to determine how varied contexts could improve elementary preservice teachers' conceptions of NOS as well as their ideas for teaching NOS to elementary students. The contexts were (a) NOS Theme in which the course focused on the teaching of science through the consistent teaching…

Rethinking Difficulties of Teaching Inquiry-Based Practical Work: Stories from elementary pre-service teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Mijung; Tan, Aik-Ling

2011-03-01

To alleviate teachers' reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of teachers' conflicts in practical work, this study examines teachers' ideas about teaching and learning that influence teachers' decision-making and action on teaching practical work. More important than knowing technical-rational aspects of practical work is to understand the internal contradictions that teachers have to resolve within themselves regarding their capabilities and beliefs about science teaching and practical work. Using stories and experiences of 38 third-year university students in a science method course in Korea, we seek to understand the conflicts and negotiations that they experience as they make decisions regarding practical work throughout their course. Reflective writings and group discussions on their lived experiences and concerns were used to probe participants' ideas on teaching using practical work. From written and verbal data, themes were saturated in terms of the aspects which could (dis)encourage their practice. Results suggest that there are multifactorial challenges in pre-service teachers' understandings and concerns in practical work. Besides time, materials, and curriculum, pedagogical assumptions and values also compositely challenge the minds of teachers. As the pre-service elementary teachers negotiated within themselves the importance of science in classroom and social levels, the question is raised about their identities as pre-service elementary teachers to appreciate the balance between science teaching and practical work.

The Challenges of Science Inquiry Teaching for Pre-Service Teachers in Elementary Classrooms: Difficulties on and under the Scene

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Joung, Yong Jae; Kim, Mijung

2012-01-01

In the context of the emphasis on inquiry teaching in science education, this study looks into how pre-service elementary teachers understand and practice science inquiry teaching during field experience. By examining inquiry lesson preparation, practice, and reflections of pre-service elementary teachers, we attempt to understand the difficulties…

An Analysis of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Understanding of Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Carole K.; Shea, Marilyn

2016-01-01

This study examines how pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) view inquiry-based science learning and teaching, and how the science methods course builds their confidence to teach inquiry science. Most PSETs think that inquiry is asking students questions rather than a formal set of pedagogical tools. In the present study, three groups of PSETs…

Investigating Classroom Teaching Competencies of Pre Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gokalp, Murat

2016-01-01

The study has sought answers to two major questions: What is the current situation in Elementary Mathematics Education programs at Faculty of Education in terms of classroom teaching competencies? To what extent do pre service teachers acquire these competencies? The research was conducted on 202 senior pre service teachers studying at the…

Intercultural Awareness in Rural Title 1 Elementary School Teaching Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leventhal, Mary Wilson

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine cultural dissonance between teachers and students with its implications for student achievement in a rural Title 1 elementary school. Most U.S. teachers share a White, monolingual, middle-class, female teaching culture that is a mismatch with their increasingly multicultural student population. That problem…

Current experiments in elementary particle physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wohl, C.G.; Armstrong, F.E., Oyanagi, Y.; Dodder, D.C.

1987-03-01

This report contains summaries of 720 recent and current experiments in elementary particle physics (experiments that finished taking data before 1980 are excluded). Included are experiments at Brookhaven, CERN, CESR, DESY, Fermilab, Moscow Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Tokyo Institute of Nuclear Studies, KEK, LAMPF, Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute, Saclay, Serpukhov, SIN, SLAC, and TRIUMF, and also experiments on proton decay. Instructions are given for searching online the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries. Properties of the fixed-target beams at most of the laboratories are summarized.

Measuring Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Instructional Tasks for Teaching Elementary Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Insook; Ko, Bomna

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure preservice teachers' knowledge of instructional tasks for teaching three manipulative skills in elementary physical education. Method: Data were collected to measure preservice teachers' entry and exit knowledge of instructional tasks that require selecting developmentally and sequentially…

A Simple Mathematical Model for Standard Model of Elementary Particles and Extension Thereof

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Ashok

2016-03-01

An algebraically (and geometrically) simple model representing the masses of the elementary particles in terms of the interaction (strong, weak, electromagnetic) constants is developed, including the Higgs bosons. The predicted Higgs boson mass is identical to that discovered by LHC experimental programs; while possibility of additional Higgs bosons (and their masses) is indicated. The model can be analyzed to explain and resolve many puzzles of particle physics and cosmology including the neutrino masses and mixing; origin of the proton mass and the mass-difference between the proton and the neutron; the big bang and cosmological Inflation; the Hubble expansion; etc. A novel interpretation of the model in terms of quaternion and rotation in the six-dimensional space of the elementary particle interaction-space - or, equivalently, in six-dimensional spacetime - is presented. Interrelations among particle masses are derived theoretically. A new approach for defining the interaction parameters leading to an elegant and symmetrical diagram is delineated. Generalization of the model to include supersymmetry is illustrated without recourse to complex mathematical formulation and free from any ambiguity. This Abstract represents some results of the Author's Independent Theoretical Research in Particle Physics, with possible connection to the Superstring Theory. However, only very elementary mathematics and physics is used in my presentation.

The Effect of Student Teaching Experience on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs for Technology Integration in the UAE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Awidi, Hamed Mubarak; Alghazo, Iman Mohammad

2012-01-01

This study examines the effect of the student teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and the sources of their beliefs about technology integration in teaching in the UAE. The participants were 62 pre-service elementary teachers at the United Arab Emirates University. Pre- and post-survey was administered to…

Elementary Physical Education Teachers' Experiences in Teaching English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sato, Takahiro; Hodge, Samuel R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to describe and explain the views on teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) held by six elementary physical education (PE) teachers in the Midwest region of the United States. Situated in positioning theory, the research approach was descriptive-qualitative. The primary sources of data were face-to-face…

Discovering Animal Ways, Elementary School Science, Level Three, Teaching Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Helen E.

This pilot teaching unit is one of a series developed for use in elementary school science programs. This unit is designed to promote children's natural curiosity and to help those who show a reluctance to work with animals to overcome some of their fears. The student activities employ important scientific processes, such as observation,…

Sources of Science Teaching Self-Efficacy for Preservice Elementary Teachers in Science Content Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menon, Deepika; Sadler, Troy D.

2018-01-01

Self-efficacy beliefs play a major role in determining teachers' science teaching practices and have been a topic of great interest in the area of preservice science teacher education. This qualitative study investigated factors that influenced preservice elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs in a physical science content…

Improving Elementary School Students' Understanding of Historical Time: Effects of Teaching with "Timewise"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Groot-Reuvekamp, Marjan; Ros, Anje; van Boxtel, Carla

2018-01-01

The teaching of historical time is an important aspect in elementary school curricula. This study focuses on the effects of a curriculum intervention with "Timewise," a teaching approach developed to improve students' understanding of historical time using timelines as a basis with which students can develop their understanding of…

Culturally Responsive Teaching with New Taiwanese Children: Interviews with Class Teachers in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Su-Ling; Hsiao, Yun-Ju; Hsiao, Hsi-Chi

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand how elementary school teachers implemented culturally responsive teaching in their classes in Taiwan. Data were collected through interviews from five teachers with new Taiwanese children in their classes. The results indicated that teachers practised culturally responsive teaching based on the…

Learning to teach science for all in the elementary grades: What do preservice teachers bring?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howes, Elaine V.

2002-11-01

Implicit in the goal of recent reforms is the question: What does it mean to prepare teachers to teach science for all? Through a teacher research study, I have encountered characteristics that may assist prospective elementary teachers in developing effective, inclusive science instruction. I describe these strengths, link them to requirements for teaching, and suggest how science teacher educators might draw on the strengths of their own students to support teaching practices aimed at universal scientific literacy. My conceptual framework is constructed from scholarship concerning best practice in elementary science education, as well as that which describes the dispositions of successful teachers of diverse learners. This study is based on a model of teacher research framed by the concept of research as praxis and phenomenological research methodology. The findings describe the research participants' strengths thematically as propensity for inquiry, attention to children, and awareness of school/society relationships. I view these as potentially productive aspects of knowledge and dispositions about science and about children that I could draw on to further students' development as elementary science teachers.

Free Teaching Materials: Classroom and Curriculum Aids for Elementary School Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raimist, Roger J.; Mester, Rose A.

Free teaching materials suitable for elementary school science available from 168 agencies and companies are listed. Materials include booklets, teacher's source books and guides, charts and posters, and concrete materials such as mineral samples. Suggestions and materials for student activities range from experiments to song sheets. Topics…

The Effects of Using Space to Teach Standard Elementary School Curriculum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ewell, Robert N.

1996-01-01

This brief report and recommendation for further research brings to a formal close this effort, the original purpose of which is described in detail in The effects of using space to teach standard elementary school curriculum, Volume 1, included here as the Appendix. Volume 1 describes the project as a 3-year research program to determine the effectiveness of using space to teach. The research design is quasi experimental using standardized test data on students from Aldrin Elementary School and a District-identified 'control' school, which shall be referred to as 'School B.' Students now in fourth through sixth grades will be compared now (after one year at Aldrin) and tracked at least until the present sixth graders are through the eighth grade. Appropriate statistical tests will be applied to standardized test scores to see if Aldrin students are 'better' than School B students in areas such as: Overall academic performance; Performance in math/science; and Enrollments in math/science in middle school.

Fostering nature of science teaching in elementary pre-service teachers through developing reflection on teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pongsanon, Khemmawadee

Although teacher educators have successfully helped K-12 teachers' develop adequate views of NOS, their views have not been transferred to their students. It is evident that K-12 students' understanding of NOS still does not align with the recommendation of the reforms document, indicating that holding an adequate view of NOS is insufficient for teaching NOS effectively. Instead, to teach NOS, teachers must develop the knowledge for translating their understanding of NOS into the forms accessible to students. The current study investigated the influence of four contexts of reflective practice on prospective elementary teachers' learning of how and intention to teach NOS. The participants were 18 pre-service teachers enrolled in a science methods course that was tied to a field experience course. To understand the development of the participants' intentions, knowledge of instructional strategies, and knowledge of assessment for teaching NOS, multiple data were collected throughout the science methods course and the field experience. Data sources included different versions of participants' lesson plans, video recordings of their teaching and teaching debriefings, online weekly teaching reflections, final semester reflection and other artifacts from the methods course. Content analysis was conducted with all data. The data revealed that the participants' knowledge of how and intentions to teach NOS were developed throughout the science methods course. Toward the conclusion of the semester, the participants showed intention to include NOS in their science instruction. With regard to strategies, participants planned to apply explicit reflective NOS instruction in the context of inquiry-based activities and stories from children's literature. They also planned to use age-appropriate language to refer to the targeted NOS aspects. In terms of assessment, by the conclusion of the semester the participants tended to use more formal assessment strategies. They reported

Science Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: Examination of the Multiple Factors Reported as Influential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tastan Kirik, Özgecan

2013-01-01

This study explores the science teaching efficacy beliefs of preservice elementary teachers and the relationship between efficacy beliefs and multiple factors such as antecedent factors (participation in extracurricular activities and number of science and science teaching methods courses taken), conceptual understanding, classroom management…

Graduate Teaching Assistants' Enactment of Reasoning-and-Proving Tasks in a Content Course for Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Kimberly Cervello; Steele, Michael D.

2016-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants serve as instructors of record for numerous undergraduate courses every semester, including serving as teachers for mathematics content courses for elementary preservice teachers. In this study, we examine 6 teaching assistants' teaching practices in the context of a geometry content course for preservice teachers by…

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Science to Improve Student Content Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, Robert L.

The majority of Grade 5 students demonstrate limited science knowledge on state assessments. This trend has been documented since 2010 with no evidence of improvement. Because state accountability formulas include proficiency scores and carry sanctions against districts that fail to meet proficiency thresholds, improved student performance in science is an important issue to school districts. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions about their students' science knowledge, the strategies used to teach science, the barriers affecting science teaching, and the self-efficacy beliefs teachers maintain for teaching science. This study, guided by Vygotsky's social constructivist theory and Bandura's concept of self-efficacy, was a bounded instrumental case study in which 15 participants, required to be teaching K-5 elementary science in the county, were interviewed. An analytic technique was used to review the qualitative interview data through open coding, clustering, and analytical coding resulting in identified categorical themes that addressed the research questions. Key findings reflect students' limited content knowledge in earth and physical science. Teachers identified barriers including limited science instructional time, poor curricular resources, few professional learning opportunities, concern about new state standards, and a lack of teaching confidence. To improve student content knowledge, teachers identified the need for professional development. The project is a professional development series provided by a regional education service agency for K-5 teachers to experience science and engineering 3-dimensional learning. Area students will demonstrate deeper science content knowledge and benefit from improved science instructional practice and learning opportunities to become science problem solvers and innovative contributors to society.

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching with Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-01-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in…

Rockets: A Teaching Guide for an Elementary Science Unit on Rocketry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogt, Gregory L.

Utilizing simple and inexpensive equipment, elementary and middle school science teachers can conduct interesting, exciting, and productive units on rockets, the oldest form of self-contained vehicles in existence. This teaching guide contains the following: (1) a brief history of experimentation and research on rockets and rocket propulsion from…

An Investigation of Elementary Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy for Teaching Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giles, Rebecca McMahon; Byrd, Kelly O.; Bendolph, Angelia

2016-01-01

Research has consistently shown that teacher efficacy is related to a variety of desirable student outcomes, thus, making teacher efficacy an important factor in high quality mathematics instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine elementary preservice teachers' self-efficacy beliefs related to teaching mathematics. Forty-one…

Elementary particles, dark matter candidate and new extended standard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jaekwang

2017-01-01

Elementary particle decays and reactions are discussed in terms of the three-dimensional quantized space model beyond the standard model. Three generations of the leptons and quarks correspond to the lepton charges. Three heavy leptons and three heavy quarks are introduced. And the bastons (new particles) are proposed as the possible candidate of the dark matters. Dark matter force, weak force and strong force are explained consistently. Possible rest masses of the new particles are, tentatively, proposed for the experimental searches. For more details, see the conference paper at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308723916.

Current experiments in elementary particle physics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wohl, C.G.; Armstrong, F.E.; Trippe, T.G.

1989-09-01

This report contains summaries of 736 current and recent experiments in elementary particle physics (experiments that finished taking data before 1982 are excluded). Included are experiments at Brookhaven, CERN, CESR, DESY, Fermilab, Tokyo Institute of Nuclear Studies, Moscow Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna), KEK, LAMPF, Novosibirsk, PSI/SIN, Saclay, Serpukhov, SLAC, and TRIUMF, and also several underground experiments. Also given are instructions for searching online the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries. Properties of the fixed-target beams at most of the laboratories are summarized.

Current experiments in elementary particle physics. Revision

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galic, H.; Armstrong, F.E.; von Przewoski, B.

1994-08-01

This report contains summaries of 568 current and recent experiments in elementary particle physics. Experiments that finished taking data before 1988 are excluded. Included are experiments at BEPC (Beijing), BNL, CEBAF, CERN, CESR, DESY, FNAL, INS (Tokyo), ITEP (Moscow), IUCF (Bloomington), KEK, LAMPF, Novosibirsk, PNPI (St. Petersburg), PSI, Saclay, Serpukhov, SLAC, and TRIUMF, and also several underground and underwater experiments. Instructions are given for remote searching of the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries.

Are Prospective Elementary School Teachers' Social Studies Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Related to Their Learning Approaches in a Social Studies Teaching Methods Course?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dündar, Sahin

2015-01-01

This study aimed to contribute to the growing literature on learning approaches and teacher self-efficacy beliefs by examining associations between prospective elementary school teachers' learning approaches in a social studies teaching methods course and their social studies teaching efficacy beliefs. One hundred ninety-two prospective elementary…

Observing and Producing Sounds, Elementary School Science, Level Four, Teaching Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, Helen E.

This pilot teaching unit is one of a series developed for use in elementary school science programs. This unit is designed to help children discover specific concepts which relate to sound, such as volume, pitch, and echo. The student activities employ important scientific processes, such as observation, communication, inference, classification,…

Does Teaching Geometry with Augmented Reality Affect the Technology Acceptance of Elementary School Mathematics Teacher Candidates?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Önal, Nezih; Ibili, Emin; Çaliskan, Erkan

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of augmented reality technology and geometry teaching on elementary school mathematics teacher candidates' technology acceptance and to examine participants' views on augmented reality. The sample of the research was composed of 40 elementary school mathematics teacher candidates who were…

Learning to Teach Elementary Science in an Experiential, Informal Context: Culture, Learning, and Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Carolyn S.; Brooks, Lori

2015-01-01

Lack of time for teaching science in traditional classroom placements in the United States has led some science teacher educators to provide practice teaching time for elementary education students in informal science settings. The purposes of this study were to describe the culture of one science methods course taught in conjunction with a K-7…

Teaching Conceptually Oriented Social Science Education Programs in the Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahlios, Marc C.

Approaches to elementary social studies education that focus on concept and inquiry learning are outlined. The basic goal of the teacher in concept teaching is to aid the student in developing relationships among factual learning, conceptualization, and personal behavior. Learning activities should focus on the process concept (i.e., one that is…

Current experiments in elementary particle physics. Revised

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galic, H.; Wohl, C.G.; Armstrong, B.

This report contains summaries of 584 current and recent experiments in elementary particle physics. Experiments that finished taking data before 1986 are excluded. Included are experiments at Brookhaven, CERN, CESR, DESY, Fermilab, Tokyo Institute of Nuclear Studies, Moscow Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, KEK, LAMPF, Novosibirsk, Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Saclay, Serpukhov, SLAC, SSCL, and TRIUMF, and also several underground and underwater experiments. Instructions are given for remote searching of the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries.

A Comparison of Two Methods of Teaching an Elementary School Science Methods Course at Hunter College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graeber, Mary

The typical approach to the teaching of an elementary school science methods course for undergraduate students was compared with an experimental approach based upon activities appearing in the Conceptually Oriented Program in Elementary Science (COPES) teacher's guides. The typical approach was characterized by a coverage of many topics and a…

Elementary Particle Spectroscopy in Regular Solid Rewrite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trell, Erik

The Nilpotent Universal Computer Rewrite System (NUCRS) has operationalized the radical ontological dilemma of Nothing at All versus Anything at All down to the ground recursive syntax and principal mathematical realisation of this categorical dichotomy as such and so governing all its sui generis modalities, leading to fulfilment of their individual terms and compass when the respective choice sequence operations are brought to closure. Focussing on the general grammar, NUCRS by pure logic and its algebraic notations hence bootstraps Quantum Mechanics, aware that it ''is the likely keystone of a fundamental computational foundation'' also for e.g. physics, molecular biology andmore » neuroscience. The present work deals with classical geometry where morphology is the modality, and ventures that the ancient regular solids are its specific rewrite system, in effect extensively anticipating the detailed elementary particle spectroscopy, and further on to essential structures at large both over the inorganic and organic realms. The geodetic antipode to Nothing is extension, with natural eigenvector the endless straight line which when deployed according to the NUCRS as well as Plotelemeian topographic prescriptions forms a real three-dimensional eigenspace with cubical eigenelements where observed quark-skewed quantum-chromodynamical particle events self-generate as an Aristotelean phase transition between the straight and round extremes of absolute endlessness under the symmetry- and gauge-preserving, canonical coset decomposition SO(3)xO(5) of Lie algebra SU(3). The cubical eigen-space and eigen-elements are the parental state and frame, and the other solids are a range of transition matrix elements and portions adapting to the spherical root vector symmetries and so reproducibly reproducing the elementary particle spectroscopy, including a modular, truncated octahedron nano-composition of the Electron which piecemeal enter into molecular structures or compressed

Relationships between Prospective Elementary Teachers' Classroom Practice and Their Conceptions of Biology and of Teaching Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Helen; Tabachnick, B. Robert; Hewson, Peter W.; Lemberger, John; Park, Hyun-Ju

1999-01-01

Discusses three prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of teaching science and selected portions of their knowledge base in life science. Explores how these teachers' conceptions, along with their teaching actions, developed during the course of a teacher-education program. Contains 21 references. (Author/WRM)

Investigating Alignment between Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education and Graduates' Teaching of Mathematics for Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jansen, Amanda; Berk, Dawn; Meikle, Erin

2017-01-01

In this article, Amanda Jansen, Dawn Berk, and Erin Meikle investigate the impact of mathematics teacher education on teaching practices. In their study they interviewed six first-year teachers who graduated from the same elementary teacher education program and who were oriented toward teaching mathematics conceptually. They observed each teacher…

Teaching Teachers: Bringing First-Rate Science to the Elementary Classroom. An NSTA Press Journals Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Betty, Ed.

This document presents a collection of papers published in the "Teaching Teachers" column in the elementary-level journal, "Science and Children." Contents include: (1) "Science is Part of the Big Picture: Teachers Become Science Learners" (Anita Greenwood); (2) "Reaching the Reluctant Science Teacher: Learning How To Teach Inquiry-Based Science"…

Effect of structure in problem based learning on science teaching efficacy beliefs and science content knowledge of elementary preservice teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasser, Selena Kay

This study examined the effects of differing amounts of structure within the problem based learning instructional model on elementary preservice teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs, including personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy, and content knowledge acquisition. This study involved sixty (60) undergraduate elementary preservice teachers enrolled in three sections of elementary science methods classes at a large Midwestern research university. This study used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent design to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. Participants completed instruments designed to assess science teaching efficacy beliefs, science background, and demographic data. Quantitative data from pre and posttests was obtained using the science teaching efficacy belief instrument-preservice (STEBI-B) developed by Enochs and Riggs (1990) and modified by Bleicher (2004). Data collection instruments also included a demographic questionnaire, an analytic rubric, and a structured interview; both created by the researcher. Quantitative data was analyzed by conducting ANCOVA, paired samples t-test, and independent samples t-test. Qualitative data was analyzed using coding and themes. Each of the treatment groups received the same problem scenario, one group experienced a more structured PBL setting, and one group experienced a limited structure PBL setting. Research personnel administered pre and posttests to determine the elementary preservice teachers' science teaching efficacy beliefs. The results show elementary preservice teachers'science teaching efficacy beliefs can be influence by the problem based learning instructional model. This study did not find that the amount of structure in the form of core ideas to consider and resources for further research increased science teaching efficacy beliefs in this sample. Results from the science content knowledge rubric indicated that structure can increase

Teaching Elementary Students with Moderate Intellectual Disabilities How To Shop for Groceries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morse, Timothy E.; Schuster, John W.

2000-01-01

A study investigated the effectiveness of an instructional strategy in teaching 10 elementary-aged students with moderate intellectual disabilities how to shop for groceries. Following the intervention, which consisted of in vivo training using constant time delay and simulation training using a pictorial storyboard, six students achieved…

The Effect of the Teaching Practice Course on Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Technology Integration Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ünal, Erhan; Yamaç, Ahmet; Uzun, Ahmet M.

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the teaching practice course on preservice elementary teachers' TISE level. In this research both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The participants were 43 pre-service elementary teachers from a state university in Turkey. In the quantitative part of the study, these…

Common Mistakes in Teaching Elementary Math--And How to Avoid Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Fuchang

2017-01-01

Learn the most effective ways to teach elementary math, no matter how much experience you have with the subject. In this book, Fuchang Liu takes you through many common mistakes in math instruction and explains the misunderstandings behind them. He points out practices that should be avoided, helping you to adjust your lessons so that all students…

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Experimental Physics of Elementary Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bednyakov, V. A.; Russakovich, N. A.

2018-05-01

The year 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, an international intergovernmental organization for basic research in the fields of elementary particles, atomic nuclei, and condensed matter. Highly productive advances over this long road clearly show that the international basis and diversity of research guarantees successful development (and maintenance) of fundamental science. This is especially important for experimental research. In this review, the most significant achievements are briefly described with an attempt to look into the future (seven to ten years ahead) and show the role of JINR in solution of highly important problems in elementary particle physics, which is a fundamental field of modern natural sciences. This glimpse of the future is full of justified optimism.

Exploring Teacher Knowledge and Actions Supporting Technology-Enhanced Teaching in Elementary Schools: Two Approaches by Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Figg, Candace; Jamani, Kamini Jaipal

2011-01-01

Two approaches to teaching with technology to highlight practice-based teacher knowledge and actions for teaching technologically enhanced lessons are presented. Participants were two elementary pre-service teachers teaching during practicum. Qualitative data sources included verbatim transcripts of participant interviews, field notes of planning…

Music-Themed Mathematics Education as a Strategy for Improving Elementary Preservice Teachers' Mathematics Pedagogy and Teaching Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Song A.; Tillman, Daniel A.; Paez, Carlos R.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effects upon elementary preservice teachers' mathematics teaching self-efficacy and interdisciplinary lesson design strategies, which resulted from an educational intervention that emphasized integrated music-mathematics instruction. The participating elementary preservice teachers (n = 152) were recruited for this…

Teaching Physical Science through Children's Literature. 20 Complete Lessons for Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gertz, Susan E.; Portman, Dwight J.; Sarquis, Mickey

This guide focuses on teaching hands-on, discovery-oriented physical science in the elementary classroom using children's literature. Each lesson is an integrated learning episode with a clearly defined science content objective which is supported and enriched through literature, writing, and mathematics. The three sections are: (1) "Properties of…

The Effectiveness of Teaching Aids for Elementary Students' Renewable Energy Learning and an Analysis of Their Energy Attitude Formation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chou, Ying-Chyi; Yen, Hsin-Yi; Yen, Hong-Wei; Chao, Yu-Long; Huang, Ying-Hsiu

2015-01-01

As an examination of the influences of a renewable energy teaching activity employing teaching aids on elementary students' knowledge of, attitude toward, and behavior of energy saving and carbon reduction, this study designed a teaching experiment in which experimental group was subjected to the teaching with four teaching aids for students to…

Adopting Just-in-Time Teaching in the Context of an Elementary Science Education Methodology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osmond, Pamela; Goodnough, Karen

2011-01-01

In this self-study, Pamela, a new science teacher educator, adopted Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) in the context of an elementary science education methodology course. JiTT is a teaching and learning strategy involving interaction between web-based study assignments and face-to-face class sessions. Students respond electronically to web-based…

Status of teaching elementary science for English learners in science, mathematics and technology centered magnet schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Alyson Kim

According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2001), one in three students speaks a language other than English. Additionally, the Commission stated that a student is considered to be an English learner if the second language acquisition is English. In California more than 1.4 million English learners enter school speaking a variety of languages, and this number continues to rise. There is an imminent need to promote instructional strategies that support this group of diverse learners. Although this was not a California study, the results derived from the nationwide participants' responses provided a congruent assessment of the basic need to provide effective science teaching strategies to all English learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of elementary science teaching practices used with English learners in kindergarten through fifth grade in public mathematics, science, and technology-centered elementary magnet schools throughout the country. This descriptive research was designed to provide current information and to identify trends in the areas of curriculum and instruction for English learners in science themed magnet schools. This report described the status of elementary (grades K-5) school science instruction for English learners based on the responses of 116 elementary school teachers: 59 grade K-2, and 57 grade 3-5 teachers. Current research-based approaches support incorporating self-directed learning strategy, expository teaching strategy, active listening strategies, questioning strategies, wait time strategy, small group strategy, peer tutoring strategy, large group learning strategy, demonstrations strategy, formal debates strategy, review sessions strategy, mediated conversation strategy, cooperative learning strategy, and theme-based instruction into the curriculum to assist English learners in science education. Science Technology Society (STS) strategy, problem-based learning strategy, discovery learning

Saudi Elementary School Science Teachers' Beliefs: Teaching Science in the New Millennium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alghamdi, Amani K. Hamdan; Al-Salouli, Misfer Saud

2013-01-01

This study explored Saudi elementary school science teachers' beliefs about the process of teaching and learning science. This involved the exploration of their views about the new Saudi science curriculum, which emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving. Comprehensive interviews were held in 8 schools with 4 male and 6 female--2 of whom…

A Longitudinal Study of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Personal and Science Teaching Efficacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ginns, Ian S.; Watters, James J.

This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study into the personal and science teaching efficacy of a group of preservice elementary teachers. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in the study. Using a pretest and a post-test one group research design, quantitative data were obtained from the administration of a…

An Investigation of How a Physics Professional Development Course Influenced the Teaching Practices of Five Elementary School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, Danielle B.

2014-02-01

This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to teach science to elementary children. While some teachers transferred pedagogical practices along with the content, others transformed the content to be useful in already existing pedagogical frameworks, and still others show little or no evidence of transfer. The range of transfer is explained by considering how each teacher interacted with the learning context (the PET curriculum) and their initial ideas about teaching science.

Teachers' Perceptions of Effective Teaching: A Comparative Study of Elementary School Teachers from China and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meng, Lingqi; Muñoz, Marco

2016-01-01

This international study investigated Chinese and American elementary school teachers' perceptions of effective teaching. The sample comprised Chinese (n = 108) and US (n = 110) participating teachers. The Effective Teaching Quality Survey (ETQS) was adopted for this comparative education research, an instrument that operationalized Stronge's…

"Students Get Bogged Down": How Religious Israeli Elementary Teachers View Problems and Solutions in Bible Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walfish, Ruth A.; Brody, David L.

2018-01-01

Bible teachers in contemporary society confront serious problems related to the nature of the biblical text and the socio-cultural context of their teaching. This study, based on semi-structured interviews, examines the problems that five expert religious Israeli elementary school teachers encounter in their teaching and the solutions they employ.…

Elementary Mathematics Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fennell, Francis; Kobett, Beth McCord; Wray, Jonathan A.

2013-01-01

Elementary school mathematics leaders often come to the realization that their position, however titled and determined, although dedicated to addressing needs in math teaching and learning, also entails and directly involves leadership. Elementary school math specialists/instructional leaders (referenced here as elementary mathematics leaders, or…

Elementary School English Teachers' Professional Learning from Teaching Demonstrations as Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chien, Chin-Wen

2017-01-01

This study used interviews, observations and documentary evidence to analyze the professional learning of sixteen elementary school English teachers and two expert teachers during the pre-observation conference, observation, and post-observation conference from three-step teaching demonstrations. This study has the following major findings. First,…

Reading, Reforms, and Resources: How Elementary Teachers Teach Literacy in Contexts of Complex Educational Policies and Required Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldron, Chad H.

2014-01-01

This descriptive, mixed method study investigated the literacy-related contextual factors and local curricular decision-making of experienced elementary literacy teachers in one large U.S. public school district. The study's guiding research question was: How do elementary in-service teachers teach literacy within the contexts of required literacy…

Teacher collaboration and elementary science teaching: Using action research as a tool for instructional leadership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Sara Hayes

The primary purpose of this action research study was to explore an elementary science program and find ways to support science education as an administrator of an elementary school. The study took place in a large suburban school system in the southeastern United States. Seven teachers at a small rural school volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant became an active member of the research by determining what changes needed to take place and implementing the lessons in science. The study was also focused on teacher collaboration and how it influenced the science instruction. The data collected included two interviews, ten observations of science lessons, the implementation of four science units, and informal notes from planning sessions over a five month period. The questions that guided this study focused on how teachers prepare to teach science through active learning and how instruction shifts due to teacher collaboration. Teachers were interviewed at the beginning of the study to gain the perceptions of the participants in the areas of (a) planning, (b) active learning, (c) collaboration, and (d) teaching science lessons. The teachers and principal then formed a research team that determined the barriers to teaching science according to the Standards, designed units of study using active learning strategies, and worked collaboratively to implement the units of study. The action research project reviewed the National Science Education Standards, the theory of constructivism, active learning and teacher collaboration as they relate to the actions taken by a group of teachers in an elementary school. The evidence from this study showed that by working together collaboratively and overcoming the barriers to teaching science actively, teachers feel more confident and knowledgeable about teaching the concepts.

The Effects of Mentored Problem-Based STEM Teaching on Pre-Service Elementary Teachers: Scientific Reasoning and Attitudes Toward STEM Subjects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caliendo, Julia C.

Problem-based learning in clinical practice has become an integral part of many professional preparation programs. This quasi-experimental study compared the effect of a specialized 90-hour field placement on elementary pre-service teachers' scientific reasoning and attitudes towards teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. A cohort of 53 undergraduate elementary education majors, concurrent to their enrollment in science and math methods classes, were placed into one of two clinical practice experiences: (a) a university-based, problem-based learning (PBL), STEM classroom, or (b) a traditional public school classroom. Group gain scores on the Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR) and the Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes Toward STEM Survey-Elementary Teachers (T-STEM) survey were calculated. A MANCOVA revealed that there was a significant difference in gain scores between the treatment and comparison groups' scientific reasoning (p = .011) and attitudes towards teaching STEM subjects (p = .004). The results support the hypothesis that the pre-service elementary teachers who experienced STEM mentoring in a PBL setting will have an increase in their scientific reasoning and produce positive attitudes towards teaching STEM subjects. In addition, the results add to the existing research suggesting that elementary pre-service teachers require significant academic preparation and mentored support in STEM content.

The Challenges of Science Inquiry Teaching for Pre-Service Teachers in Elementary Classrooms: Difficulties on and under the Scene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Joung, Yong Jae; Kim, Mijung

2012-06-01

In the context of the emphasis on inquiry teaching in science education, this study looks into how pre-service elementary teachers understand and practise science inquiry teaching during field experience. By examining inquiry lesson preparation, practice, and reflections of pre-service elementary teachers, we attempt to understand the difficulties they encounter and what could result from those difficulties in their practice. A total of 16 seniors (fourth-year students) in an elementary teacher education program participated in this study. In our findings, we highlight three difficulties `on the lesson' that are related to teaching practices that were missing in the classrooms: (1) developing children's own ideas and curiosity, (2) guiding children in designing valid experiments for their hypotheses, (3) scaffolding children's data interpretation and discussion and another three difficulties `under the lesson' that are related to problems with the pre-service teachers' conceptualization of the task: (4) tension between guided and open inquiry, (5) incomplete understanding of hypothesis, and (6) lack of confidence in science content knowledge. Based on these findings, we discuss how these difficulties are complexly related in the pre-service teachers' understandings and action. Several suggestions for science teacher education for inquiry teaching, especially hypothesis-based inquiry teaching, are then explored.

The Teaching of Food Guide Pyramid Concepts by Nebraska Elementary School Educators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, H. Darlene; Driskell, Judy A.

2001-01-01

In an analysis of food selection education using the Food Guide Pyramid for students in grades 1-4, over two-thirds of teachers (n=464) responded that nutrition should be a high priority in the elementary curriculum. Fewer than half teach pyramid concepts consistently or frequently, younger teachers (20-29) more rarely than older teachers.…

Teacher Perceptions of Professional Role and Innovative Teaching at Elementary Schools in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Chih-Lun; Li, Feng-Chin

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study is to explore the association between primary school teachers' perceptions of professional role and their innovative teaching in Central Taiwan. Quantitative research methods were employed, and data were collected from 554 Central Taiwanese teachers. The results of the present study indicated that elementary school…

Reading and Reflecting: Elementary Preservice Teachers' Conceptions about Teaching Mathematics for Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Christa; Jong, Cindy

2017-01-01

Teaching mathematics for equity is critical because it provides opportunities for all students, especially those who have been traditionally marginalised, to learn mathematics that is rigorous and relevant to their lives. This article reports on our work, as mathematics teacher educators, on exposing and engaging 60 elementary preservice teachers…

Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: Are New Mexico's Education School Graduates Ready to Teach Reading and Mathematics in Elementary Classrooms?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenberg, Julie; Jacobs, Sandi

2009-01-01

As a follow up to National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ's) national studies of how well elementary teachers are prepared to teach reading and mathematics, NCTQ looks at preparation in both subjects in all undergraduate teacher preparation programs in New Mexico. This analysis evaluated New Mexico's eight undergraduate elementary teacher…

Construction of teacher knowledge in context: Preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics and science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowery, Maye Norene Vail

1998-12-01

The purposes of this study were to further the understanding of how preservice teacher construct teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of elementary mathematics and science and to determine the extent of that knowledge in a school-based setting. Preservice teachers, university instructors, inservice teachers, and other school personnel were involved in this context-specific study. Evidence of the preservice teachers' knowledge construction (its acquisition, its dimensions, and the social context) was collected through the use of a qualitative methodology. Collected data included individual and group interviews, course documents, artifacts, and preservice teaching portfolios. Innovative aspects of this integrated mathematics and science elementary methods course included standards-based instruction with immediate access to field experiences. Grade-level teams of preservice and inservice teachers planned and implemented lessons in mathematics and science for elementary students. An on-site, portable classroom building served as a mathematics and science teaching and learning laboratory. A four-stage analysis was performed, revealing significant patterns of learning. An ecosystem of learning within a constructivist learning environment was identified to contain three systems: the university system; the school system; and the cohort of learners system. A mega system for the construction of teacher knowledge was revealed in the final analysis. Learning venues were discovered to be the conduits of learning in a situated learning context. Analysis and synthesis of data revealed an extensive acquisition of teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge through identified learning components. Patience, flexibility, and communication were identified as necessities for successful teaching. Learning components included: collaboration with inservice teachers; implementation of discovery learning and hands-on/minds-on learning; small groupwork; lesson planning

Embedding argumentation discourse within elementary inquiry teaching: Implications for professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borger, Laurie Landon

The National Research Council's most recent report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K-8, (2007) has suggested a redefinition of science proficiency. "This framework rests on a view of science as both a body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises knowledge" (p.2). Therefore embedding argumentation discourse within inquiry teaching includes educating students to voice their own evidence based explanations and justifications for acceptance, refinement, or possible rejection by their peers. This new perspective will require elementary teachers to challenge their own knowledge, beliefs, and practices about science proficiency. It will necessitate the creation of professional development opportunities that are specific to the needs of the teachers who are facilitating the reform during a time period when the NCLB (2001) legislation requires 100% proficiency for all students in reading and math. This intrinsic case study involved the purposive sampling of 30 regular elementary education teachers in one rural school district in Pennsylvania. A grounded theory perspective was used to examine the elementary teachers' beliefs, practices, and barriers as a means to specify the necessary supports needed to accept the challenges associated with the redefinition of science proficiency. Data was collected through a survey, observational inventory, checklist, and interviews. Using constant comparison analysis, this researcher and the district's Science Department Head, identified and refined emerging trends into the following four essential themes: equity and accountability, teacher's beliefs, isolation, and curriculum rigor. Each theme influenced instructional practices. Most notably the implementation of the teacher evaluation plan encouraged teachers to view science as a lower priority and hindered their desire to improve it. Isolation kept teachers' science knowledge and

Saudi EFL Teachers' Readiness and Perceptions of Young Learners Teaching at Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahd Al Malihi, Joza

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate EFL elementary school teachers' perception of their own readiness to teach young learners at Saudi schools as it has been recently introduced at this level. Further, it inspects their major needs that should be considered when developing teacher-training programs. A questionnaire was distributed targeting elementary…

Teaching Iranian Elementary EFL Learners to Say "No" Politely: An Interlanguage Pragmatic Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sa'd, Seyyed Hatam Tamimi; Gholami, Javad

2017-01-01

This quasi-experimental study adopted a pretest/posttest design to investigate the effect of instructional intervention in teaching polite refusal strategies explicitly on Iranian EFL learners' performance of the speech act of refusing. The participants, consisting of 24 male elementary EFL learners aged 12-18, responded to a discourse completion…

A Diagnostic-Remediation Teaching System for Enhancing Elementary Students' Science Listening Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Sheau-Wen; Liu, Yu

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore elementary students' listening comprehension changes using a Web-based teaching system that can diagnose and remediate students' science listening comprehension problems during scientific inquiry. The 3-component system consisted of a 9-item science listening comprehension test, a 37-item diagnostic test,…

Impact of instructional Approaches to Teaching Elementary Science on Student Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kensinger, Seth H.

Strengthening our science education in the United States is essential to the future success of our country in the global marketplace. Immersing our elementary students with research-based quality science instruction is a critical component to build a strong foundation and motivate our students to become interested in science. The research for this study pertained to the type of elementary science instruction in correlation to academic achievement and gender. Through this study, the researcher answered the following questions: 1. What is the difference in achievement for elementary students who have been taught using one of the three science instructional approaches analyzed in this study: traditional science instruction, inquiry-based science instruction with little or no professional development and inquiry-based science instruction with high-quality professional development? 2. What is the difference in student achievement between inquiry-based instruction and non-inquiry based (traditional) instruction? 3. What is the difference in student achievement between inquiry with high quality professional development and inquiry with little or no professional development? 4. Do the three instructional approaches have differentiated effects across gender? The student achievement was measured using the 2010 fourth grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in Science. Data was collected from 15 elementary schools forming three main groupings of similar schools based on the results from the 2009 third grade PSSA in Mathematics and student and community demographics. In addition, five sub-group triads were formed to further analyze the data and each sub-group was composed of schools with matching demographic data. Each triad contained a school using a traditional approach to teaching science, a school utilizing an inquiry science approach with little or no professional development, and a school incorporating inquiry science instruction with high quality

"What Do We Know about 'Elementary' Social Studies?": Novice Secondary Teacher Educators on Learning to Teach Elementary Social Studies Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Logan, Kimberly; Butler, Brandon M.

2013-01-01

This collaborative self-study examines the critical friendship of two doctoral students charged with teaching a methods course in elementary social studies. The authors formed a critical friendship in Fall 2010, initiated by participation in a teacher educator community of practice that encouraged collaboration. With limited experience in…

Predicting Turkish Preservice Elementary Teachers' Orientations to Teaching Science with Epistemological Beliefs, Learning Conceptions, and Learning Approaches in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin, Elif Adibelli; Deniz, Hasan; Topçu, Mustafa Sami

2016-01-01

The present study investigated to what extent Turkish preservice elementary teachers' orientations to teaching science could be explained by their epistemological beliefs, conceptions of learning, and approaches to learning science. The sample included 157 Turkish preservice elementary teachers. The four instruments used in the study were School…

What Are the Effects of Teaching Experience on In-Service Elementary Science Teachers' Conceptions of the Nature of Science?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akarsu, Bayram

2007-01-01

This study investigates relationships between understanding of nature of science and four key factors elementary science teachers possess, which are: (1) Their specializations in different science areas (Physics, chemistry, and biology), (2) Gender issues, (3) How long they have been teaching in elementary school environments, (4) Their…

Supporting Pre-Service Elementary Teachers in Their Understanding of Inquiry Teaching through the Construction of a Third Discursive Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greca, Ileana M.

2016-01-01

Several international reports promote the use of the inquiry teaching methodology for improvements in science education at elementary school. Nevertheless, research indicates that pre-service elementary teachers have insufficient experience with this methodology and when they try to implement it, the theory they learnt in their university…

Under One Big Sky: Elementary Pre-Service Teachers Use Inquiry to Learn about the Moon, Construct Knowledge, and Teach Elementary Students around the World via the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Luann Christensen

2011-01-01

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More…

Improving Elementary Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning: Lessons from a School-University Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norman, Patricia J.; Nordine, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

The challenges of teaching elementary mathematics and science, particularly in urban settings, have been well documented. While evidence exists that sustained professional development in mathematics and science can promote inquiry-oriented instruction and bolster student achievement, little has been written about the particular challenges…

The Path to Presidency: Tips for Teaching Elementary Students about the Election Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conrad, Marika

2016-01-01

Teaching about presidential elections at the elementary level can seem a bit daunting at times. Students are quick to share their strong opinions on the current candidates running for office. These opinions often involve repeating feelings and phrases shared by parents around the dinner table the night before. For the average seven- or…

Using Video as a Stimulus to Reveal Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barlow, Angela T.; Gaddy, Angeline K.; Baxter, Wesley A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to explore the usefulness of a video-based tool for measuring teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching. Unique to this tool is the use of a video featuring a mathematical disagreement that occurred in an elementary classroom. The authors define mathematical disagreements as instances in which students challenge…

The Potential Impacts of Upcoming High-Stakes Testing on the Teaching of Science in Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pringle, Rose M.; Martin, Sarah Carrier

2005-09-01

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany high-stakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science.

Sustaining Reform-Based Science Teaching of Preservice and Inservice Elementary School Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan-Watts, Barbara K.; Nowicki, Barbara L.; Shim, Minsuk K.; Young, Betty J.

2013-08-01

This study examined the influence of a professional development program based around commercially available inquiry science curricula on the teaching practices of 27 beginning elementary school teachers and their teacher mentors over a 2 year period. A quantitative rubric used to score inquiry elements and use of data in videotaped lessons indicated that education students assigned to inquiry-based classrooms during their methods course or student teaching year outperformed students without this experience. There was also a significant positive effect of multi-year access to the kit-based program on mentor teaching practice. Recent inclusion of a "writing in science" program in both preservice and inservice training has been used to address the lesson element that received lowest scores—evaluation of data and its use in scientific explanation.

Turkish Preservice Elementary Science Teachers' Conceptions of Learning Science and Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs: Is There a Relationship?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahcivan, Eralp; Kapucu, Serkan

2014-01-01

This study has been conducted to investigate conceptions of learning science (COLS) and personal science teaching efficacy belief (PSTE) of Turkish preservice elementary science teachers (PSTs) and to explore the relationship between these variables. Two instruments COLS questionnaire and PSTE subscale of Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs…

The effect of concept mapping on preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of science inquiry teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Diann Carol

This study examined the effect of concept mapping as a method of stimulating reflection on preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of science inquiry instruction methods. Three intact classes of science education preservice teachers participated in a non-randomized comparison group with a pretest and posttest design to measure the influence of mapping on participants' knowledge of inquiry science instruction. All groups followed the same course syllabus, in class activities, readings, assignments and assessment tasks. The manner in which they presented their ideas about inquiry science teaching varied. Groups constructed pre-lesson, post-lesson, and homework lists or maps across three inquiry based instruction modules (ecosystems, food chains, and electricity). Equivalent forms of the Teaching Science Inventory (TSI) were used to investigate changes in preservice teachers' propositional knowledge about how to teach using inquiry science instruction methods. Equivalent forms of the Science Lesson Planning (SLP) test were used to investigate changes in preservice teachers' application knowledge about how to teach using inquiry science instruction methods. Data analysis included intrarater reliability, ANOVAs, ANCOVAs, and correlations between lists and maps and examination responses. SLP and TSI scores improved from the pretest to the posttest in each of the three study groups. The results indicate that, in general, there were basically no relationships between the treatment and outcome measures. In addition, there were no significant differences between the three groups in their knowledge about how to teach science. Conclusions drawn from this study include, first, the learners did learn how to teach science using inquiry. Second, in this study there is little evidence to support that concept mapping was more successful than the listing strategy in improving preservice elementary teachers' knowledge of teaching science using inquiry science instruction methods.

The Development, Field Test and Validation of Scales to Assess Teachers' Attitudes Toward Teaching Elementary School Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Richard W.

The project described in this report is an attempt to develop scales to assess teachers' attitudes toward teaching elementary school science. The instrument produced, Science Teaching Attitude Scales, consists of six scales, each of which has a statement of the attitude to be assessed and five statements to determine the extent to which the…

Rethinking Difficulties of Teaching Inquiry-Based Practical Work: Stories from Elementary Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Mijung; Tan, Aik-Ling

2011-01-01

To alleviate teachers' reluctance toward practical work, there has been much discussion on teachers' pedagogical content knowledge, teaching materials, and failsafe strategies for practical work. Despite these efforts, practical work is still regarded as a challenging task for many elementary science teachers. To understand the complexity of…

Perspectives on Failure in the Classroom by Elementary Teachers New to Teaching Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lottero-Perdue, Pamela S.; Parry, Elizabeth A.

2017-01-01

This mixed methods study examines perspectives on failure in the classroom by elementary teachers new to teaching engineering. The study participants included 254 teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade who responded to survey questions about failure, as well as a subset of 38 of those teachers who participated in interviews about failure. The…

Analyzing the Psychological Symptoms of Students in Undergraduate Program in Elementary Mathematics Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masal, Ercan; Koc, Mustafa; Colak, Tugba Seda; Takunyaci, Mithat

2013-01-01

The main purpose of this research is to analyse whether there is a difference or not in levels of having psychological symptoms of the students of undergraduate program in elementary mathematics teaching. Another aim of the research is to determine whether the levels of having psychological symptoms of the students differ or not regarding various…

Supporting Academic Language Development in Elementary Science: A Classroom Teaching Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Karl Gerhard

Academic language is the language that students must engage in while participating in the teaching and learning that takes place in school (Schleppegrell, 2012) and science as a content area presents specific challenges and opportunities for students to engage with language (Buxton & Lee, 2014; Gee, 2005). In order for students to engage authentically and fully in the science learning that will take place in their classrooms, it is important that they develop their abilities to use science academic language (National Research Council, 2012). For this to occur, teachers must provide support to their students in developing the science academic language they will encounter in their classrooms. Unfortunately, this type of support remains a challenge for many teachers (Baecher, Farnsworth, & Ediger, 2014; Bigelow, 2010; Fisher & Frey, 2010) and teachers must receive professional development that supports their abilities to provide instruction that supports and scaffolds students' science academic language use and development. This study investigates an elementary science teacher's engagement in an instructional coaching partnership to explore how that teacher planned and implemented scaffolds for science academic language. Using a theoretical framework that combines the literature on scaffolding (Bunch, Walqui, & Kibler, 2015; Gibbons, 2015; Sharpe, 2001/2006) and instructional coaching (Knight, 2007/2009), this study sought to understand how an elementary science teacher plans and implements scaffolds for science academic language, and the resources that assisted the teacher in planning those scaffolds. The overarching goal of this work is to understand how elementary science teachers can scaffold language in their classroom, and how they can be supported in that work. Using a classroom teaching experiment methodology (Cobb, 2000) and constructivist grounded theory methods (Charmaz, 2014) for analysis, this study examined coaching conversations and classroom

A case of learning to teach elementary science: Investigating beliefs, experiences, and tensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryan, Lynn Ann

This study examines how preservice elementary teacher beliefs and experiences within the context of reflective science teacher education influence the development of professional knowledge. From a cognitive constructivist theoretical perspective, I conducted a case analysis to investigate the beliefs about science teaching and learning held by a preservice teacher (Barbara), identify the tensions she encountered in learning to teach elementary science, understand the frames from which she identified problems of practice, and discern how her experiences influenced the process of reflecting on her own science teaching. From an analysis of interviews, observation, and written documents, I constructed a profile of Barbara's beliefs that consisted of three foundational and three dualistic beliefs about science teaching and learning. Her foundational beliefs concerned: (a) the value of science and science teaching, (b) the nature of scientific concepts and goals of science instruction, and (c) control in the science classroom. Barbara held dualistic beliefs about: (a) how children learn science, (b) the science students' role, and (c) the science teacher's role. The dualistic beliefs formed two contradictory nests of beliefs. One nest, grounded in life-long science learner experiences, reflected a didactic teaching orientation and predominantly guided her practice. The second nest, not well-grounded in experience, embraced a hands-on approach and predominantly guided her vision of practice. Barbara encountered tensions in thinking about science teaching and learning as a result of inconsistencies between her vision of science teaching and her actual practice. Confronting these tensions prompted Barbara to rethink the connections between her classroom actions and students' learning, create new perspectives for viewing her practice, and consider alternative practices more resonant with her visionary beliefs. However, the self-reinforcing belief system created by her

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Elementary particles and cosmology (Metagalaxy and Universe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozental', I. L.

1997-08-01

The close relation between cosmology and the theory of elementary particles is analyzed in the light of prospects of a unified field theory. The unity of their respective problems and solution methodologies is indicated. The difference between the concepts of 'Metagalaxy' and 'Universe' is emphasized and some possible schemes for estimating the size of the Universe are pointed out.

Agriculture in Elementary School: A Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crunkilton, John R.

1975-01-01

The article delineates an approach to teaching agriculture in the elementary grades: the extensive development of materials, lesson guides, and teaching aids which elementary teachers could use in their instructional programs, while local agriculture teachers could serve as consultants. (AJ)

Elementary Teacher Education in Papua New Guinea: Towards a Culturally Connected Perspective of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahambu, Casper; Brownlee, Joanne M.; Petriwskyj, E. Anne

2012-01-01

Global and national agendas for quality education have led to reforms in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) elementary education, but criticism of the learner-centred Western pedagogies has emerged. One key influence on quality teacher education relates to perspectives of teaching. Existing research shows teachers' beliefs and perceptions of teaching…

Videos for Teachers: Successful Teaching Strategies in Elementary and Middle School Classrooms. [CD-ROM].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teachers Network, New York, NY.

This CD-ROM provides information on successful teaching strategies for elementary and middle school teachers. One section offers links to curriculum and lesson planning strategies in the areas of English as a Second Language, library, arts, classroom management, English/language arts, foreign languages, global education, health/physical education,…

Teaching and Learning Science in Authoritative Classrooms: Teachers' Power and Students' Approval in Korean Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jeong-A.; Kim, Chan-Jong

2017-09-01

This study aims to understand interactions in Korean elementary science classrooms, which are heavily influenced by Confucianism. Ethnographic observations of two elementary science teachers' classrooms in Korea are provided. Their classes are fairly traditional teaching, which mean teacher-centered interactions are dominant. To understand the power and approval in science classroom discourse, we have adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Based on CDA, form and function analysis was adopted. After the form and function analysis, all episodes were analyzed in terms of social distance. The results showed that both teachers exercised their power while teaching. However, their classes were quite different in terms of getting approval by students. When a teacher got students' approval, he could conduct the science lesson more effectively. This study highlights the importance of getting approval by students in Korean science classrooms.

Pathways in Learning to Teach Elementary Science: Navigating Contexts, Roles, Affordances and Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Deborah C.; Jang, Shinho

2011-12-01

This case study of a fifth-year elementary intern's pathway in learning to teach science focused on her science methods course, placement science teaching, and reflections as a first-year teacher. We studied the sociocultural contexts within which the intern learned, their affordances and constraints, and participants' perspectives on their roles and responsibilities, and her learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants. Audiotapes of the science methods class, videotapes of her science teaching, and field notes were collected. Data were transcribed and searched for affordances or constraints within contexts, perspectives on roles and responsibilities, and how views of her progress changed. Findings show the intern's substantial progress, the ways in which affordances sometimes became constraints, and participants' sometimes contradictory perspectives.

Teaching, Learning, and Evaluating: Handwriting in Uruguayan Public Elementary Schools in the 1830s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viacava, Juan

2017-01-01

This article examines the Uruguayan state approach to the teaching of writing in public elementary education during the 1830s, and is an attempt to explain why state officials advanced new pedagogical methods aimed at increasing rationalisation and standardisation. While many different handwriting styles existed in the past, the school system…

"I Love Knowing That What I'm Doing Has Purpose": Male Instrumentalists Who Choose to Teach Elementary General Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shouldice, Heather Nelson

2017-01-01

Few entering music education students plan to teach in an elementary general music (EGM) setting, and the majority of those who teach EGM are female and have vocalist backgrounds. The purpose of this collective case study was to examine six male instrumentalists' decisions to pursue a career in EGM teaching rather than secondary instrumental…

The Sources of Science Teaching Self-efficacy among Elementary School Teachers: A mediational model approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ya-Ling; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Wei, Shih-Hsuan

2015-09-01

This study aimed to investigate the factors accounting for science teaching self-efficacy and to examine the relationships among Taiwanese teachers' science teaching self-efficacy, teaching and learning conceptions, technological-pedagogical content knowledge for the Internet (TPACK-I), and attitudes toward Internet-based instruction (Attitudes) using a mediational model approach. A total of 233 science teachers from 41 elementary schools in Taiwan were invited to take part in the study. After ensuring the validity and reliability of each questionnaire, the results indicated that each measure had satisfactory validity and reliability. Furthermore, through mediational models, the results revealed that TPACK-I and Attitudes mediated the relationship between teaching and learning conceptions and science teaching self-efficacy, suggesting that (1) knowledge of and attitudes toward Internet-based instruction (KATII) mediated the positive relationship between constructivist conceptions of teaching and learning and outcome expectancy, and that (2) KATII mediated the negative correlations between traditional conceptions of teaching and learning and teaching efficacy.

Transforming beliefs and practices: Elementary teacher candidates' development through shared authentic teaching and reflection experiences within an innovative science methods course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naidoo, Kara

Elementary teachers are criticized for failing to incorporate meaningful science instruction in their classrooms or avoiding science instruction altogether. The lack of adequate science instruction in elementary schools is partially attributed to teacher candidates' anxiety, poor content and pedagogical preparation, and low science teaching self-efficacy. The central premise of this study was that many of these issues could be alleviated through course modifications designed to address these issues. The design tested and presented here provided prospective elementary educators' authentic science teaching experiences with elementary students in a low-stakes environment with the collaboration of peers and science teacher educators. The process of comprehensive reflection was developed for and tested in this study. Comprehensive reflection is individual and collective, written and set in dialogic discourse, focused on past and future behavior, and utilizes video recordings from shared teaching experiences. To test the central premise, an innovative science methods course was designed, implemented and evaluated using a one-group mixed-method design. The focus of the analysis was on changes in self-efficacy, identity and teaching practices as a function of authentic science teaching experiences and comprehensive reflection. The quantitative tools for analysis were t-tests and repeated-measures ANOVA on the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument-B (STEBI-B) and weekly self-rating on confidence as a learner and a teacher of science, respectively. The tools used to analyze qualitative data included thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis. In addition, theoretically grounded tools were developed and used in a case study to determine the ways one prospective educator's science teaching identity was influenced by experiences in the course. The innovative course structure led the development of teacher candidates' science teaching identity

The Effect of an Integrated Science and Mathematics Content-Based Course on Science and Mathematics Teaching Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moseley, Christine; Utley, Juliana

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an earth systems science course (integrated mathematics and science content) on preservice elementary teachers' mathematics and science teaching efficacy. Paired t-tests revealed that the personal mathematics and science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy significantly…

Mathematics teaching experiences of elementary preservice teachers with high and low mathematics anxiety during student teaching: A multiple case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nisbet, Leslie Deanna

This study investigated the teaching experiences of six elementary preservice teachers (EPTs), three with high mathematics anxiety and three with low mathematics anxiety, during their student teaching semester. The EPTs were selected from an initial pool of 121 EPTs who took the Abbreviated Mathematics Anxiety Scale. The cases were compared in a cross case analysis to highlight mathematics teaching experiences among EPTs. Data sources included EPT and researcher journal entries, interview transcripts, pre-lesson surveys, field notes, lesson plans, and artifacts of observed lessons. Data were coded using Shulman's content knowledge, Graeber's mathematics pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematics anxiety characteristics. Findings revealed both similarities and differences across EPTs as related to four major categories: (a) planning and resources used, (b) role of the cooperating teacher, (c) content knowledge, and (d) pedagogical content knowledge. All EPTs used mostly direct instruction and relied on the course textbook and their respective cooperating teacher as their primary resources for planning. Additionally, across participants, the cooperating teacher influenced EPTs' perceptions of students and teaching. Also, EPTs with high mathematics anxiety were weaker with respect to content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Findings suggest a need to re-design methods courses to address improving the pedagogical content knowledge of EPTs with mathematics anxiety. Findings also suggest a need to develop content specific mathematics courses for EPTs to improve their content knowledge. Future studies could include a longitudinal study to follow highly anxious EPTs who take content specific elementary mathematics courses to observe their content knowledge and mathematics anxiety.

Cross National Study on Pre-Service Elementary and Science Teachers' Opinions on Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Šorgo, Andrej; Pipenbaher, Nataša; Šašic, Slavica Šimic; Prokop, Pavol; Kubiatko, Milan; Golob, Nika; Erdogan, Mehmet; Tomažic, Iztok; Bilek, Martin; Fancovicova, Jana; Lamanauskas, Vincentas; Usak, Muhammet

2015-01-01

Cross national study on opinions on science teaching was revealed on a sample of 1799 (596 males, 1203 females) pre-service elementary and science teachers' enrolled in various departments at selected universities in Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey. Three factors explaining 43.4% of variance were extracted from a…

Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School: A Cognitive and Cultural Approach. Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buxton, Cory A.; Provenzo, Eugene F., Jr.

2010-01-01

Featuring an increased emphasis on the way today's changing science and technology is shaping our culture, this Second Edition of "Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School" provides pre- and in-service teachers with an introduction to basic science concepts and methods of science instruction, as well as practical strategies for the…

The Impact of Video Case Content on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Decision-Making and Conceptions of Effective Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Joanne K.; Bruxvoort, Crystal N.; Vande Haar, Andrea J.

2016-01-01

Little is known about how the content of a video case influences what preservice teachers learn about science teaching. This study was designed to determine the impact of two different video cases on preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of multiple aspects of effective science teaching, with one video selected to focus attention on the role…

Construction of the radiation oncology teaching files system for charged particle radiotherapy.

PubMed

Masami, Mukai; Yutaka, Ando; Yasuo, Okuda; Naoto, Takahashi; Yoshihisa, Yoda; Hiroshi, Tsuji; Tadashi, Kamada

2013-01-01

Our hospital started the charged particle therapy since 1996. New institutions for charged particle therapy are planned in the world. Our hospital are accepting many visitors from those newly planned medical institutions and having many opportunities to provide with the training to them. Based upon our experiences, we have developed the radiation oncology teaching files system for charged particle therapy. We adopted the PowerPoint of Microsoft as a basic framework of our teaching files system. By using our export function of the viewer any physician can create teaching files easily and effectively. Now our teaching file system has 33 cases for clinical and physics contents. We expect that we can improve the safety and accuracy of charged particle therapy by using our teaching files system substantially.

The effects of a summer science camp teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy, science content knowledge, and understanding of the nature of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logerwell, Mollianne G.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a summer science camp teaching experience on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching efficacy, science content knowledge, and understanding of the nature of science. Master's degree students enrolled in the elementary Fairfax Partnership Schools (FPS, n = 21) cohort served as the treatment group, while those enrolled in the Loudoun Partnership Schools (LPS, n = 15) and Professional Development Schools (PDS, n = 24) cohorts at George Mason University served as the control groups. The treatment group planned for and taught a two-week inquiry- and problem-based summer science camp as part of their science methods course, while the control groups did not. The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI), a science content assessment, a personal data questionnaire, and a modified version of the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire (VNOS-C) were administered to the participants at the beginning and end of their science methods course. Analyses revealed significant increases for the FPS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, science teaching outcome expectancy, general science knowledge, biology content knowledge, chemistry content knowledge, and understanding of NOS; the LPS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, chemistry content knowledge, and understanding of NOS; and, the PDS group in general science teaching efficacy, personal science teaching efficacy, and chemistry content knowledge. Additionally, the FPS group had significantly higher general science teaching efficacy than both control groups, personal science teaching efficacy than the PDS group, and understanding of NOS than the LPS group. Overall, the findings indicate that course length is not as important for developing preservice teachers' teaching efficacy and understanding of content as having connected, authentic field-based teaching experiences

Investigation of Factors Mediating the Effectiveness of Authentic Projects in the Teaching of Elementary Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spence, Dianna J.; Sharp, Julia L.; Sinn, Robb

2011-01-01

Four instructors used authentic research projects and related curriculum materials when teaching elementary statistics in secondary and undergraduate settings. Projects were authentic in that students selected their own variables, defined their own research questions, and collected and analyzed their own data. Classes using these projects were…

The Relationship among Principals' Technology Leadership, Teaching Innovation, and Students' Academic Optimism in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Chuan-Chung; Yen, Hung-Chin; Kuan, Liu-Yen

2014-01-01

This study empirically investigates the relationships among principals' technology leadership, teaching innovations, and students' academic optimism by surveying elementary school educators across Taiwan. Of the total 1,080 questionnaires distributed, 755 valid surveys were returned for a 69.90% return rate. Teachers were asked to indicate the…

Under one big sky: Elementary pre-service teachers use inquiry to learn about the moon, construct knowledge, and teach elementary students around the world via the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Luann Christensen

This study examined the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) constructed by a group of 24 pre-service elementary teacher participants as they learned about the moon's phases, inquiry learning, and use of the Internet message boards as a teaching tool as a part of their science teaching methods course. The MOON Project (More Observations On Nature), an exploration of inquiry teaching via e-learning, matched the pre-service elementary teacher participants with schoolchildren in grades 4-8 around the world. Upon completion of a 4-week moon observation phase, the participants led the schoolchildren in a discussion of their observations via Blackboard(TM). This mixed methods study followed a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design. The participants' content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and perceptions about their knowledge were documented using questionnaires, essays, and tests as they entered this experience and again as they exited. Qualitative and quantitative methods and analysis established that the increase in pre-service teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) as well as their perceptions of the knowledge gained was statistically significant at the conclusion of the project. However, they took away understandings of why the moon changes shape that were basic at best and fraught with a statistically significant increase in misconceptions. None of the instruments supported the pre-service teachers' perceptions of increased PCK. The pre-service teachers had mixed perceptions about teaching over the Internet, mostly due to the degree to which their elementary student groups responded with focus to questions and discussions or, in some cases, participated at all. The findings and recommendations speak to teacher educators about the methodology used in teacher education programs.

Teaching Information & Technology Skills: The Big6[TM] in Elementary Schools. Professional Growth Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenberg, Michael B.; Berkowitz, Robert E.

This book about using the Big6 information problem solving process model in elementary schools is organized into two parts. Providing an overview of the Big6 approach, Part 1 includes the following chapters: "Introduction: The Need," including the information problem, the Big6 and other process models, and teaching/learning the Big6;…

Using Student Video Cases to Assess Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Engineering Teaching Responsiveness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalvi, Tejaswini; Wendell, Kristen

2017-01-01

Our study addresses the need for new approaches to prepare novice elementary teachers to teach both science and engineering, and for new tools to measure how well those approaches are working. This in particular would inform the teacher educators of the extent to which novice teachers are developing expertise in facilitating their students'…

Teaching Stimulus Control via Class-Wide Multiple Schedules of Reinforcement in Public Elementary School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torelli, Jessica N.; Lloyd, Blair P.; Diekman, Claire A.; Wehby, Joseph H.

2017-01-01

In elementary school classrooms, students commonly recruit teacher attention at inappropriately high rates or at inappropriate times. Multiple schedule interventions have been used to teach stimulus control by signaling to students when reinforcement is and is not available contingent on an appropriate response. The purpose of the current study…

Preparing Elementary Preservice Teachers for Urban Elementary Science Classrooms: Challenging Cultural Biases Toward Diverse Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Felicia M.

2008-02-01

This study reports the learning of elementary preservice teachers regarding diversity and teaching science in diverse urban elementary classrooms. From participating in a semester-long book club, the preservice teachers reveal their cultural biases, connect and apply their knowledge of diversity, and understand that getting to know their students are important elements for teaching science in diverse classrooms. These 3 things connect in ways that allow the preservice teachers to understand how their cultural biases impede student learning and gain new knowledge of diversity as they change their cultural biases. Implications of this study reveal that preservice teachers need opportunities to reveal, confront, challenge, and change their cultural models and to develop new models for teaching science in urban elementary classrooms.

The Effect of Teaching Methods and Learning Styles on Capabilities of Writing Essays on Elementary School's Students in East Jakarta

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wuryani; Yufiarti

2017-01-01

The objective of this research was to discover the effect of teaching methods and learning styles on the student's ability to write essays. This study was conducted in elementary school in East Jakarta. The population of this studies was 3rd-grade elementary school students who study in East Jakarta. Samples were taken with stratified cluster…

Preservice elementary teachers learning to use curriculum materials to plan and teach science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunckel, Kristin Lee

New elementary teachers rely heavily on curriculum materials, but available science curriculum materials do not often support teachers in meeting specified learning goals, engaging students in the inquiry and application practices of science, or leveraging students' intellectual and cultural resources for learning. One approach to supporting new elementary teachers in using available science curriculum materials is to provide frameworks to scaffold preservice teachers' developing lesson planning and teaching practices. The Inquiry-Application Instructional Model (I-AIM) and the Critical Analysis and Planning (CA&P) tool were designed to scaffold preservice teachers' developing practice to use curriculum materials effectively to plan and teach science. The I-AIM identifies functions for each activity in an instructional sequence. The CA&P provides guides preservice teachers in modifying curriculum materials to better fit I-AIM and leverage students' resources for learning. This study followed three elementary preservice teachers in an intern-level science method course as they learned to use the I-AIM and CA&P to plan and teach a science unit in their field placement classrooms. Using a sociocultural perspective, this study focused on the ways that the interns used the tools and the mediators that influenced how they used the tools. A color-coding analysis procedure was developed to identify the teaching patterns in the interns' planned instructional approaches and enacted activity sequences and compare those to the patterns implied by the I-AIM and CA&P tools. Interviews with the interns were also conducted and analyzed, along with the assignments they completed for their science methods course, to gain insight into the meanings the interns made of the tools and their experiences planning and teaching science. The results show that all three interns had some successes using the I-AIM and CA&P to analyze their curriculum materials and to plan and teach science

Inertial mass of an elementary particle from the holographic scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giné, Jaume

2017-03-01

Various attempts have been made to fully explain the mechanism by which a body has inertial mass. Recently, it has been proposed that this mechanism is as follows: when an object accelerates in one direction, a dynamical Rindler event horizon forms in the opposite direction, suppressing Unruh radiation on that side by a Rindler-scale Casimir effect whereas the radiation on the other side is only slightly reduced by a Hubble-scale Casimir effect. This produces a net Unruh radiation pressure force that always opposes the acceleration, just like inertia, although the masses predicted are twice those expected, see Ref. 17. In a later work, an error was corrected so that its prediction improves to within 26% of the Planck mass, see Ref. 10. In this paper, the expression of the inertial mass of a elementary particle is derived from the holographic scenario giving the exact value of the mass of a Planck particle when it is applied to a Planck particle.

Search for free fractional electric charge elementary particles using an automated millikan oil drop technique

PubMed

Halyo; Kim; Lee; Lee; Loomba; Perl

2000-03-20

We have carried out a direct search in bulk matter for free fractional electric charge elementary particles using the largest mass single sample ever studied-about 17.4 mg of silicone oil. The search used an improved and highly automated Millikan oil drop technique. No evidence for fractional charge particles was found. The concentration of particles with fractional charge more than 0. 16e ( e being the magnitude of the electron charge) from the nearest integer charge is less than 4.71x10(-22) particles per nucleon with 95% confidence.

Applications of Piagetian Theory to the Teaching of Elementary Number Concepts: A Theory-into-Practice Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irmen, Anne

After a brief description of three Piagetian stages (pre-operational, transition to concrete operations, and concrete operations), the author identifies 12 key statements from Piaget's writings. These statements, together with related implications for teaching elementary school mathematics, methods of diagnosing stage acquisition, and examples are…

Religion in the Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirman, Joseph M.

2001-01-01

Discusses the teaching of religion in the elementary classroom. Suggests activities and discusses cautions and concerns, dealing with absolutism, using religious literature, and parental rights. Compares teaching about religion with teaching for religious observance. (CMK)

Teaching Science for Social Justice: An Examination of Elementary Preservice Teachers' Beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eslinger, James C.

This qualitative study examines the beliefs and belief changes of eleven elementary preservice teachers about teaching science for social justice. Using constructivist grounded theory, it forwards a new theory of belief change about teaching science for social justice. The theory posits that three teaching and learning conditions may facilitate belief change: preservice teachers need to recognize (1) the relationship between science and society; (2) the relationship between individuals and society; and (3) the importance of taking action on socioscientific issues. This research responds to calls by critical scholars of teacher education who contend that beliefs in relation to equity, diversity, and multiculturalism need to be explored. They have found that many preservice teachers hold beliefs that are antithetical to social justice tenets. Since beliefs are generally considered to be precursors to actions, identifying and promoting change in beliefs are important to teaching science for social justice. Such a move may lead to the advancement of curricular and pedagogical efforts to promote the academic participation and success in elementary science of Aboriginal and racialized minority students. The study was undertaken in a year-long science methods course taught by the researcher. It was centered on the preservice teachers -- their beliefs, their belief changes, and the course pedagogies that they identified as crucial to their changes. However, the course was based on the researcher-instructor's review of the scholarly literature on science education, teacher education, and social justice. It utilized a critical -- cultural theoretical framework, and was aligned to the three dimensions of critical nature of science, critical knowledge and pedagogy, and sociopolitical action. Findings indicate that, at the beginning of the year, preservice teachers held two types of beliefs (liberal and critical) and, by the end of the course, they experienced three kinds of

Using Interactive Board and Communication in Teaching English at Lower-Secondary Stage of Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dobrovolná, Alena

2015-01-01

The contribution brings part of the research results on using interactive boards in teaching English at lower-secondary stage of elementary schools in the Czech Republic. The whole research focused on ways of using this modern device, on types of interaction and mainly tried to find out whether there is sufficient space for developing…

A Quarter Century of Changes in the Elementary and Secondary Teaching Force: From 1987 to 2012. Statistical Analysis Report. NCES 2017-092

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingersoll, Richard; Merrill, Lisa

2017-01-01

This report utilizes the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) to examine changes in the elementary and secondary teaching force in the United States over the quarter century from 1987-88 to 2011-12. The report focuses on three key demographic characteristics: the size of the teaching force, the level of teaching experience…

Elementary General Music Teachers' Reflections on Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Diane W.

2011-01-01

A qualitative study was completed to identify and study the content of selected elementary general music teachers' evaluations of their own instruction and the instruction of another elementary general music teacher. Participants represented a variety of educational backgrounds and teaching experience: Teacher A (9 years teaching Grades 4-6 at…

The Relationship between Elementary Teachers' Background in Mathematics, Teaching Self-Efficacy, and Teaching Outcome Expectancy When Implementing the Common Core State Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stuart, Jennifer Lynn

2017-01-01

The purpose of this correlation study was to identify a possible relationship between elementary teacher background in mathematics as measured by completed college math credit hours, district-provided professional development hours of training in Common Core math standards, and years of teaching experience, and teacher efficacy in math as measured…

Time Spent Teaching Core Academic Subjects in Elementary Schools. Comparisons across Community, School, Teacher, and Student Characteristics. Statistical Analysis Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perie, Marianne; And Others

The proportion of time that elementary school teachers use to teach core academic subjects (English/reading/language arts, mathematics, social studies, science) is an important aspect of instruction. Spending a large proportion of time teaching core curriculum subjects may be important not only in terms of school quality, but also in terms of…

Departmentalize Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Tak Cheung; Jarman, Delbert

2004-01-01

In elementary schools today, most students receive their education in a single classroom from one teacher who is responsible for teaching language arts, social studies, math, and science. The self-contained classroom organization is predicated on the assumption that an elementary school teacher is a Jack (or Jill)-of-all-trades who is equally…

The Intuitive Physics of the Equilibrium of the Lever and of the Hydraulic Pressures: Implications for the Teaching of Elementary Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masin, Sergio Cesare; Crivellaro, Francesco; Varotto, Diego

2014-01-01

The research field of intuitive physics focuses on discrepancies between theoretical and intuitive physical knowledge. Consideration of these discrepancies can help in the teaching of elementary physics. However, evidence shows that theoretical and intuitive physical knowledge may also be congruent. Physics teaching could further benefit from…

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers: Q&A with Dr. Natalie Olinghouse and Alisha Bollinger. REL Mid-Atlantic Event

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, 2013

2013-01-01

This event focused on the Institute of Education Sciences' practice guide, "Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers" (2012) (see ED533112). Dr. Natalie Olinghouse and Alisha Bollinger presented effective strategies for teaching writing while familiarizing attendees with the recommendations and methods described in the…

Measurement Approach to Teaching Fractions: A Design Experiment in a Pre-Service Course for Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bobos, Georgeana; Sierpinska, Anna

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a design experiment in a "Teaching Mathematics" course for prospective elementary teachers where we sought to develop a "measurement approach" to fractions. We focus on the conceptualization of the mathematical content of the approach. We attribute our progress in the conceptualization to our efforts…

What Level of English Proficiency Do Elementary School Teachers Need to Attain to Teach EFL? Case Studies from Korea, Taiwan, and Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Y. G.

2004-01-01

Responding to the growing need to foster communicative abilities in English, many Asian countries where English is taught as a foreign language have recently introduced English at the elementary school level. However, the majority of elementary school teachers in such countries might not be adequately prepared to teach English; improving their…

The Effect of Using an Explicit General Problem Solving Teaching Approach on Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Ability to Solve Heat Transfer Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mataka, Lloyd M.; Cobern, William W.; Grunert, Megan L.; Mutambuki, Jacinta; Akom, George

2014-01-01

This study investigate the effectiveness of adding an "explicit general problem solving teaching strategy" (EGPS) to guided inquiry (GI) on pre-service elementary school teachers' ability to solve heat transfer problems. The pre-service elementary teachers in this study were enrolled in two sections of a chemistry course for pre-service…

Coming to Our Senses: An Environmental Approach to Teaching at the Elementary Level. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bock, Judith; And Others

This booklet contains activities and teaching suggestions that will help elementary students become aware of their environment. It will help teachers foster among their pupils an understanding of their place in nature, a sense of wonder, a reverence for life, thoughtful use of resources, and the realization that the earth is a home to be shared.…

Understanding Learning and Teaching in Papua New Guinea: Elementary Teacher Trainers Engaged in Cultural Authorship in the Context of National Educational Reforms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brownlee, Joanne M.; Farrell, Ann; Davis, Julie

2012-01-01

Over the last decade, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has pursued educational reform in elementary teacher education. Because elementary teachers and teacher education are central to the reform agenda, there is a need to gain empirical evidence about how PNG teacher trainers' understandings about learning and teaching impact on their practice. The study…

Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and Practices: Understanding the Influence of Teaching in a STEAM Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Negreiros, Melissa

2017-01-01

Many elementary mathematics teachers hold beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics and enact practices that are not aligned with the recommendations of reform efforts in the field of mathematics education (Stigler & Hiebert, 2009). For standards-based reform to gain any significant success, many teachers will have to alter the…

A Project-Based Learning Approach to Teaching Physics for Pre-Service Elementary School Teacher Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Olzan

2016-01-01

This paper describes the impact of the project-based learning (PBL) approach on learning and teaching physics from the perspective of pre-service elementary school teacher education students and an instructor. This approach promoted meaningful learning (mainly in the scope of projects), higher motivation, and active involvement of students in…

Acceptance of ICT-Mediated Teaching/Learning Systems for Elementary School Teachers: Moderating Effect of Cognitive Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, ChienHsing; Liu, Chia-Fang

2015-01-01

Literature has paid limited attention to the preference of instructors to adopt e-teaching/learning system (ET/LS) by considering the cognitive styles. The current study proposes a research model to describe the effects of technology acceptance behavior and innovation diffusion behavior on ET/LS adoption for elementary school instructors. A…

Resources for Using a Global Approach in Elementary Social Studies. TeachERIC Resource Series, No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social Science Education Consortium, Inc., Boulder, CO.

This annotated bibliography, one of four separate resources in the "Teach ERIC Resource Series," cites materials that will help elementary teachers incorporate a global approach into social studies instruction. All materials listed are available through the ERIC system and in journal articles. The purpose of the Series is to help familiarize…

Teaching Healthy Eating to Elementary School Students: A Scoping Review of Nutrition Education Resources.

PubMed

Peralta, Louisa R; Dudley, Dean A; Cotton, Wayne G

2016-05-01

School-based programs represent an ideal setting to enhance healthy eating, as most children attend school regularly and consume at least one meal and a number of snacks at school each day. However, current research reports that elementary school teachers often display low levels of nutritional knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills to effectively deliver nutrition education. The purpose of this review was to understand the availability and quality of resources that are accessible for elementary school teachers to use to support curriculum delivery or nutrition education programs. The review included 32 resources from 4 countries in the final analysis from 1989 to 2014. The 32 resources exhibited 8 dominant teaching strategies: curriculum approaches; cross-curricular approaches; parental involvement; experiential learning approaches; contingent reinforcement approaches; literary abstraction approaches; games-based approaches; and web-based approaches. The resources were accessible to elementary school teachers, with all the resources embedding curriculum approaches, and most of the resources embedding parental involvement strategies. Resources were less likely to embed cross-curricular and experiential learning approaches, as well as contingent reinforcement approaches, despite recent research suggesting that the most effective evidence-based strategies for improving healthy eating in elementary school children are cross-curricular and experiential learning approaches. © 2016, American School Health Association.

Video-Enhanced Training to Support Professional Development in Elementary Science Teaching: A Beginning Teacher's Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamel, Christine; Viau-Guay, Anabelle; Ria, Luc; Dion-Routhier, Justine

2018-01-01

Elementary teachers are expected to teach complex and authentic lessons and integrating multiple disciplines. In so doing, they must take many elements into account, such as disciplinary content, learning standards, and pedagogical knowledge, in an ever more complex environment, including pupils' increasingly heterogeneous characteristics. Our…

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about Nature of Science and Constructivist Teaching in the Content-Specific Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Byoung Sug

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore how Korean preservice elementary teachers' beliefs about nature of science (NOS) and their beliefs about constructivist teaching were structured and related and if any relation was prevalent in the content-specific contexts. As the same format, three versions of questionnaires were developed in three…

Effects of a Science Content Course on Elementary Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy of Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Daniel J.; Morphew, Jason

2015-01-01

The preparation of elementary teachers to successfully teach science in their classrooms is a central issue in science education. The teacher preparation program at a large Midwestern university was modified to include a new science content course aimed at this need. A pre-/postassessment research model involved participants (N = 154) completing a…

Effects of an Additional Mathematics Content Course on Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs and Knowledge for Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Marvin E.; Swars, Susan L.; Smith, Stephanie Z.; Hart, Lynn C.; Haardorfer, Regine

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study examines the effects of changes in an elementary teacher preparation program on mathematics beliefs and content knowledge for teaching of two groups of prospective teachers (N = 276): (1) those who completed a program with three mathematics content courses and two mathematics methods courses and (2) those who completed a…

Teaching Healthful Food Choices to Elementary School Students and Their Parents: The Nutrition Detectives[TM] Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, David L.; Katz, Catherine S.; Treu, Judith A.; Reynolds, Jesse; Njike, Valentine; Walker, Jennifer; Smith, Erica; Michael, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a nutrition education program designed to teach elementary school students and their parents, and to distinguish between more healthful and less healthful choices in diverse food categories. Methods: Three schools were assigned to receive the Nutrition Detectives[TM] program and…

Growing Up in a Nuclear World: A Resource Guide for Elementary School Teachers. Teaching Nuclear Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meier, Paulette; McPherson, Beth

Provided in this guide are annotated lists of teacher and student resources for teaching and learning about nuclear issues in the elementary/junior high school (grades K-8). Resources are grouped into five major sections. The first section (background reading for teachers) contains books and articles focusing on nuclear issues (nuclear war; arms…

Training in Courtesy: Suggestions for Teaching Good Manners in Elementary Schools. Bulletin, 1917, No. 54

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNaught, Margaret S.

1918-01-01

Realizing the difficulty of teaching morals and manners, subjects which the laws of many States require to be taught, this bulletin on good manners has prepared as a help to elementary teachers. Though written for the teachers, it is addressed to the children and may be used in various way: It may be read silently by the teacher and discussed with…

The Effect of Principals' Technological Leadership on Teachers' Technological Literacy and Teaching Effectiveness in Taiwanese Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, I-Hua

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among principals' technological leadership, teachers' technological literacy, and teaching effectiveness. The survey target population consists of 1,000 teachers randomly selected from Taiwanese elementary schools. The survey asked teachers to measure the effectiveness of principals'…

Elementary Education Program for Engineering by Dual System of Workshop and Teaching Program with Practical Subject

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Toshitsugu

Elementary education program for engineering by the dual system combined with workshop program and teaching program with practical subject was discussed. The dual system which consists of several workshop programs and fundamental subjects (such as mathematics, English and physics) with practical material has been performed for the freshmen. The elementary workshop program (primary course) has four workshops and the related lectures. Fundamental subjects are taught with the practical or engineering texts. English subjects are taught by specified teachers who have ever worked in engineering field with English. The dual system was supported by such systems as the center for success initiative and the English education center.

Effective Teaching in Elementary Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Tom V.; Armstrong, David G.

This book is designed for use in elementary social studies methods classes, as a source for discussion in advanced curriculum classes, and as a personal reference for elementary social studies teachers. This book has four major divisions with each division offering a list of lesson ideas. Part 1, "Contexts for the Social Studies," includes: (1)…

Collaborative Planning and Decision Making in the Elementary School: A Qualitative Study of Contemporary Team Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, John F.

This longitudinal study examined elementary teachers' perceptions of the collaborative planning and decision-making process and their role in it. Nine teachers participated in grade- level teaming. Teachers ranged in experience from 1-9 years, with 3 teachers new to the team and 5 in their first or second year of teaching. Participants completed…

An Examination of Cooperating Teachers' Observations of Their Student Teachers in the Areas of Personal, Teaching, and Musical Skills in the Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Mark R.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the observations of elementary school music teachers regarding the level of preparation of their most recent student teachers at the beginning of their student teaching experience. Twenty-seven elementary music teachers participated in a survey rating the preparedness of their student teacher in…

Approximations of Practice in the Preparation of Prospective Elementary Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Michele M.

2011-01-01

Elementary teacher education involves learning to teach science. Even in elementary school, teaching science is demanding work--teachers must orchestrate a complex set of teaching practices to support students' science learning. This dissertation examines the application of Grossman and colleagues' (2009) cross-professional learning framework,…

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching With Professional Learning Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-11-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in personal self-efficacy and outcome expectancy among teachers engaged in PLCs that featured Demonstration Laboratories, Lesson Study, and annual Summer Institutes. Significant changes favoring the experimental group were found on all quantitative measures of self-efficacy. Structured clinical interviews revealed that observed changes were largely attributable to a wide range of direct (mastery) and vicarious experiences, as well as emotional reinforcement and social persuasion.

The science knowledge, conceptions of the nature of science, attitudes about teaching science, and science instructional strategies of bilingual and English-only elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alegria, Adelina Victoria

The goal of this study was to explore bilingual and English-only elementary teachers' science knowledge, their conceptions of the nature of science, their attitudes about teaching science, and their self-reported science instructional skills. In this study, a bilingual teacher was defined as a teacher who provides instruction in Spanish and English in core academic subjects and has completed and/or is completing a bilingual certification program. An English-only teacher was defined as a monolingual teacher that only speaks and instructs in English. The principal questions guiding this dissertation investigation were the following: How do bilingual elementary teachers differ from English-only elementary teachers in (a) their science knowledge, (b) their conceptions of the nature of science, (c) their attitude about teaching science, and (d) their self-reported science instructional skills? This dissertation study is a component of a three-year long Eisenhower Project granted to Hueneme School District and the University of California, Santa Barbara Southcoast Science Project. While the Project will last three years (1997--2000), this dissertation study was developed to answer only a subset of questions of the entire project and data was collected in 1998. The research design for this study consisted of a self-administered questionnaire that was given to Hueneme School District elementary teachers that teach science and was developed by reviewing the relevant literature about teachers' science knowledge, their conceptions of the nature of science, their attitudes about teaching science, and the instructional strategies that support science learning. The findings showed that both the bilingual and the English-only respondents demonstrated a similar science knowledge base, which is suggested, by this researcher, to be limited. That both bilingual and English-only teacher respondents demonstrated similar positive attitudes about teaching science and both reported making

20th Century Perspectives on Teaching Written Composition in the Elementary School: A Review of Authoritative Opinion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haley-James, Shirley M.

A committee of the National Council of Teachers of English collected data on the elementary composition teaching perspectives observed in literature between 1900 and 1950. The committee's report on two categories of their collected data--position statements and state-of-the art reviews--shows that English teachers have trended from emphasizing…

Attitude toward Science Teaching of Spanish and Turkish In-Service Elementary Teachers: Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korur, Fikret; Vargas, Rocío Vargas; Torres Serrano, Noemí

2016-01-01

Elementary school teachers' having a positive attitude toward science teaching might encourage students to develop positive attitudes toward science learning. This cross-cultural study aimed to validate the seven-factor structure of the Dimensions of Attitude toward Science (DAS) scale by applying it in two countries. Moreover, it aimed to…

Toward Improving the Mathematics Preparation of Elementary Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardetti, Fabiana; Truxaw, Mary P.

2014-01-01

Research suggests the importance of mathematics knowledge for teaching (MKT) for enabling elementary school teachers to effectively teach mathematics. MKT involves both mathematical content knowledge (M-CK) and mathematical pedagogical content knowledge (M-PCK). However, there is no consensus on how best to prepare elementary preservice teachers…

Developing Elementary Science PCK for Teacher Education: Lessons Learned from a Second Grade Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradbury, Leslie U.; Wilson, Rachel E.; Brookshire, Laura E.

2017-06-01

In this self-study, two science educators partnered with two elementary teachers to plan, implement, and reflect on a unit taught in second grade classrooms that integrated science and language arts. The researchers hoped to increase their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for elementary science teaching so that they might use their experiences working in an elementary context to modify their practices in their elementary science method instruction. The research question guiding the study was: What aspects of our PCK for elementary science teaching do we as science educators develop by co-planning, co-teaching, and reflecting with second grade teachers? Data include transcripts of planning meetings, oral reflections about the experience, and videos of the unit being enacted. Findings indicate that managing resources for science teaching, organizing students for science learning, and reflecting on science teaching were themes prevalent in the data. These themes were linked to the model of PCK developed by Park and Oliver (Research in Science Education, 38, 261-284, 2008) and demonstrate that we developed PCK for elementary science teaching in several areas. In our discussion, we include several proposed changes for our elementary science methods course based on the outcomes of the study.

Final Report May 1, 2012 to May 31, 2015: "Theoretical Studies in Elementary Particle Physics"

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Collins, John C.; Roiban, Radu

2015-08-19

This final report summarizes work at Penn State University from May 1, 2012 to May 31, 2015. The work was in theoretical elementary particle physics. Many new results in perturbative QCD, in string theory, and in related areas were obtained, with a substantial impact on the experimental program.

Using Student Video Cases to Assess Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Engineering Teaching Responsiveness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalvi, Tejaswini; Wendell, Kristen

2017-10-01

Our study addresses the need for new approaches to prepare novice elementary teachers to teach both science and engineering, and for new tools to measure how well those approaches are working. This in particular would inform the teacher educators of the extent to which novice teachers are developing expertise in facilitating their students' engineering design work. One important dimension to measure is novice teachers' abilities to notice the substance of student thinking and to respond in productive ways. This teacher noticing is particularly important in science and engineering education, where students' initial, idiosyncratic ideas and practices influence the likelihood that particular instructional strategies will help them learn. This paper describes evidence of validity and reliability for the Video Case Diagnosis (VCD) task, a new instrument for measuring pre-service elementary teachers' engineering teaching responsiveness. To complete the VCD, participants view a 6-min video episode of children solving an engineering design problem, describe in writing what they notice about the students' science ideas and engineering practices, and propose how a teacher could productively respond to the students. The rubric for scoring VCD responses allowed two independent scorers to achieve inter-rater reliability. Content analysis of the video episode, systematic review of literature on science and engineering practices, and solicitation of external expert educator responses establish content validity for VCD. Field test results with three different participant groups who have different levels of engineering education experience offer evidence of construct validity.

"Elementary, My Dear Shakespeare." Producing a Shakespearean Festival in the Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engen, Barbara; Campbell, Joy

Intended to give teachers usable information and prepared materials that are ready-to-reproduce for students, this book compiles research, tips, and teaching ideas into a sourcebook on teaching and producing William Shakespeare's plays in the elementary classroom. It is designed to bring the student into an awareness of Shakespeare's art and…

Variability in Anxiety for Teaching Mathematics among Pre-service Elementary School Teachers Enrolled in a Mathematics Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Gavrielle

This investigation traced changes in anxiety for teaching mathematics (ATM) among pre-service elementary school teachers (n=36) enrolled in a mathematics methods course by analyzing their weekly journal entries. Journal entries were coded for high level of ATM (ATM-high) or absence of ATM (ATM-absent) during the first class session, as well as…

ELECTRON AS A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTARY PARTICLE. PART I

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kakinuma, U.

1962-12-01

Elementary particles may be nothing but an electron existing under a certain condition, or a group of electrons that are formed to a certain combined state. Therefore, the knowledge of the electron structure is the starting point of our investigation about matter. To obtain the structure, the electron in an absolutely statical state is considered first and is studied by use of the gage- transformation defined in a modified way. This leads to the discovery oi a revised expression for the electromagnetic energy-tensor inside the electron as well as the wave equation for the electron formally similar to the Schrodingermore » equation for the hydrogen atom. However, our wave equation is interpreted as indicating the mode of energy distribution in the electron. To linearize the wave equation, a complex Riemannian geometry has been developed with results promising to be serviceable for further studies. (auth)« less

Discussing Princess Boys and Pregnant Men: Teaching about Gender Diversity and Transgender Experiences within an Elementary School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Caitlin L.; Patraw, Jasmine M.; Bednar, Maree

2013-01-01

This study shares the experiences and outcomes of teaching about gender diversity in an elementary school classroom. It outlines how an urban public school teacher included discussions of transgender and gender-nonconforming people within the curriculum and documents the ways in which her students responded to those lessons. By making discussions…

The Influence of an Extensive Inquiry-Based Field Experience on Pre-Service Elementary Student Teachers' Science Teaching Beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Sumita; Volk, Trudi; Lumpe, Andrew

2009-06-01

This study examined the effects of an extensive inquiry-based field experience on pre service elementary teachers’ personal agency beliefs, a composite measure of context beliefs and capability beliefs related to teaching science. The research combined quantitative and qualitative approaches and included an experimental group that utilized the inquiry method and a control group that used traditional teaching methods. Pre- and post-test scores for the experimental and control groups were compared. The context beliefs of both groups showed no significant change as a result of the experience. However, the control group’s capability belief scores, lower than those of the experimental group to start with, declined significantly; the experimental group’s scores remained unchanged. Thus, the inquiry-based field experience led to an increase in personal agency beliefs. The qualitative data suggested a new hypothesis that there is a spiral relationship among teachers’ ability to establish communicative relationships with students, desire for personal growth and improvement, ability to implement multiple instructional strategies, and possession of substantive content knowledge. The study concludes that inquiry-based student teaching should be encouraged in the training of elementary school science teachers. However, the meaning and practice of the inquiry method should be clearly delineated to ensure its correct implementation in the classroom.

Elementary School Teachers and Teaching with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varol, Filiz

2013-01-01

This study aims to identify the relationship between elementary school teachers' ICT engagement with their attitudes towards technology. To this end, one hundred elementary school students were asked to fill out questionnaires related to their ICT knowledge, usage, and attitude towards technology. The results show that teachers' ICT knowledge and…

US Urban Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Practices in Teaching Science to English Language Learners: Results from the First Year of a Professional Development Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santau, Alexandra O.; Secada, Walter; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Cone, Neporcha; Lee, Okhee

2010-01-01

The study examined US elementary teachers' knowledge and practices in four key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students. The four domains included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content, (2) teaching practices to promote scientific understanding, (3) teaching practices to promote scientific inquiry, and (4)…

Elementary School Philosophy: A Response

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wartenberg, Thomas E.

2012-01-01

This article is a response to criticism of my book "Big Ideas for Little Kids." The main topics addressed are: Who is the audience for the book? Can people without formal philosophical training can be good facilitators of elementary school philosophy discussions? Is it important to assess attempts to teach philosophy in elementary school? Should…

The Educational Approaches of Turkish Pre-Service Elementary Mathematics Teachers in Their First Teaching Practices: Traditional or Constructivist?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doruk, Bekir Kürsat

2014-01-01

This research aimed to identify the educational approaches that pre-service elementary mathematics teachers adopt for their first teaching practice (TP) and the reasons for their choices. It was carried out with thirteen pre-service teachers (PTs). These PTs were observed during their first TP in a real school setting, and interviews were…

An Investigation of How a Physics Professional Development Course Influenced the Teaching Practices of Five Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harlow, Danielle B.

2014-01-01

This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to…

The impact of science methods courses on preservice elementary teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs: Case studies from Turkey and the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bursal, Murat

Four case studies in two American and two Turkish science methods classrooms were conducted to investigate the changes in preservice elementary teachers' personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) beliefs during their course periods. The findings indicated that while Turkish preservice elementary teachers (TR sample) started the science methods course semester with higher PSTE than their American peers (US sample), due to a significant increase in the US sample's and an insignificant decline in the TR sample's PSTE scores, both groups completed the science methods course with similar PSTE levels. Consistent with Bandura's social cognitive theory, describing four major sources of self-efficacy, the inclusion of mastery experiences (inquiry activities and elementary school micro-teaching experiences) and vicarious experiences (observation of course instructor and supervisor elementary teacher) into the science methods course, providing positive social persuasion (positive appraisal from the instructor and classmates), and improving physiological states (reduced science anxiety and positive attitudes toward becoming elementary school teachers), were found to contribute to the significant enhancement of the US sample's PSTE beliefs. For the TR sample, although some of the above sources were present, the lack of student teaching experiences and inservice teacher observations, as well as the TR samples' negative attitudes toward becoming elementary school teachers and a lack of positive classroom support were found to make Turkish preservice teachers rely mostly on their mastery in science concepts, and therefore resulted in not benefiting from their science methods course, in terms of enhancing their PSTE beliefs. Calls for reforms in the Turkish education system that will include more mastery experiences in the science methods courses and provide more flexibility for students to choose their high school majors and college programs, and switch between them are made. In

The development and validation of the Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Equitable Science Teaching and learning instrument for prospective elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Jennifer M.

1999-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop, validate and establish the reliability of an instrument to assess the self-efficacy beliefs of prospective elementary teachers with regards to science teaching and learning for diverse learners. The study used Bandura's theoretical framework, in that the instrument would use the self-efficacy construct to explore the beliefs of prospective elementary science teachers with regards to science teaching and learning to diverse learners: specifically the two dimensions of self-efficacy beliefs defined by Bandura (1977): personal self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. A seven step plan was designed and followed in the process of developing the instrument, which was titled the Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Equitable Science Teaching or SEBEST. Diverse learners as recognized by Science for All Americans (1989) are "those who in the past who have largely been bypassed in science and mathematics education: ethnic and language minorities and girls" (p. xviii). That definition was extended by this researcher to include children from low socioeconomic backgrounds based on the research by Gomez and Tabachnick (1992). The SEBEST was administered to 226 prospective elementary teachers at The Pennsylvania State University. Using the results from factor analyses, Coefficient Alpha, and Chi-Square a 34 item instrument was found to achieve the greatest balance across the construct validity, reliability and item balance with the content matrix. The 34 item SEBEST was found to load purely on four factors across the content matrix thus providing evidence construct validity. The Coefficient Alpha reliability for the 34 item SEBEST was .90 and .82 for the PSE sub-scale and .78 for the OE sub-scale. A Chi-Square test (X2 = 2.7 1, df = 7, p > .05) was used to confirm that the 34 items were balanced across the Personal Self-Efficacy/Outcome Expectancy and Ethnicity/LanguageMinority/Gender Socioeconomic Status/dimensions of the content matrix. Based on

Practicing and Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Representations of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Jessica Kristine

2012-01-01

This qualitative exploratory study investigated practicing and pre-service elementary teachers' representations of the nature of matter and the ways in which those representations were transformed into teaching representations. Seven practicing elementary teachers from a rural elementary school and five pre-service elementary teachers were…

Integrating Environmental Education into the Elementary School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hua, Bian

2004-01-01

Elementary education in China is mainly subject-based and courses are offered by discipline. Because of this, it is impossible to offer a special course in environmental education in elementary schools. This article explains that the best approach to teach environmental education to elementary schools is to integrate environmental education by…

Japanese at Mimosa Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uchihara, Azusa

2001-01-01

Describes the Japanese program at Mimosa Elementary School in Roswell, Georgia. The success of the program has been aided by collaborative team teaching, a spiraled curriculum, creative teaching methods, Teacher -made materials, and communication among teachers, parents, and administrators. he challenges are also discussed. (Author/VWL)

Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School. IES Practice Guide. NCEE 2014-4012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Scott; Lesaux, Nonie; Jayanthi, Madhavi; Dimino, Joseph; Proctor, C. Patrick; Morris, Joan; Gersten, Russell; Haymond, Kelly; Kieffer, Michael J.; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Newman-Gonchar, Rebecca

2014-01-01

As English learners face the double demands of building knowledge of a second language while learning complex grade-level content, teachers must find effective ways to make challenging content comprehensible for students. This updated English learner practice guide, "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and…

Assessment of Training Programs for Elementary Mathematics Teachers on Developed Curricula and Attitudes towards Teaching in Najran-Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aly, Hassan Shawky; Abdulhakeem, Hassan Daker

2016-01-01

This study aimed at assessing the training programs for Mathematics teachers at elementary stage on developed Curricula and attitudes toward teaching at Najran educational administration in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this objective, two instruments were developed, one of them measures the opinions of Mathematics teachers about the training programs…

Features of Computerized Educational Games in Sciences of the Elementary Phase in Jordan from the Point of View of Specialists in Teaching Science and Computer Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Sarhan, Khaled Ali; AlZboon, Saleem Odeh; Olimat, Khalaf Mufleh; Al-Zboon, Mohammad Saleem

2013-01-01

The study aims at introducing the features of the computerized educational games in sciences at the elementary school in Jordan according to the specialists in teaching science and computer subjects, through answering some questions such as: What are the features of the computerized educational games in sciences at the elementary schools in Jordan…

Reconceptualizing Elementary Teacher Preparation: A Case for Informal Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avraamidou, Lucy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways in which 3 different informal science experiences in the context of an elementary methods course influenced a group of prospective elementary teachers' ideas about science teaching and learning as well as their understandings about the role of informal science environments to teaching and…

Improving the Science Teaching Self-Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers: A Multiyear Study of A Hybrid Geoscience Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cervato, Cinzia; Kerton, Charles

2017-01-01

We describe the impact of a hybrid Earth and space science course, taught online and complemented by a 2-hour face-to-face lab, on the science teaching self-efficacy of elementary preservice teachers over a 3-year span. Guided by the two overarching objectives of engaging students in the content and increasing their comfort level with teaching…

Experimental Longitudinal Test of the Influence of Autonomy-Supportive Teaching on Motivation for Participation in Elementary School Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leptokaridou, Elisavet T.; Vlachopoulos, Symeon P.; Papaioannou, Athanasios G.

2016-01-01

The present study examined the efficacy of autonomy-supportive teaching during elementary school physical education (PE) in influencing pupils' enjoyment, fear of failure, boredom and effort. A sample of 54 pupils attending fifth and sixth grades comprised the control group (typical instruction; n = 27) and the experimental group…

This Land Was Made for You and Me: Teaching for Economic Justice in Upper Elementary and Middle School Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucey, Thomas A.; Laney, James D.

2009-01-01

Teaching for economic justice can be challenging for upper elementary and middle school teachers. Many teachers may feel uncomfortable with the subject matter and thus avoid addressing sensitive social issues related to economic/financial inequities. This article describes how selected songs and works of visual art, expressions of social protest…

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs and Science Experiences of a Cohort of Preservice Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deehan, James; Danaia, Lena; McKinnon, David H.

2017-01-01

This paper assesses the relationship between participation in two tertiary science courses and the science teaching efficacy beliefs (STEBs) of one cohort of preservice elementary teachers over a four-year period. Two Type II case studies were conducted within the courses. Data were collected through 26 administrations of the Science Teaching…

Project science inquiry: An exploration of elementary teachers' beliefs and perceptions about science teaching and learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, Dawn Renee

This dissertation examined elementary teachers' beliefs and perceptions of effective science instruction and documents how these teachers interpret and implement a model for Inquiry-Based (I-B) science in their classrooms. The study chronicles a group of teachers working in a large public school division and documents how these teachers interpret and implement reform-based science methods after participating in a professional development course on I-B science methods administered by the researcher. I-B science teaching and its implementation is discussed as an example of one potential method to address the current call for national education reform to meet the increasing needs of all students to achieve scientific literacy and the role of teachers in that effort. The conviction in science reform efforts is that all students are able to learn science and consequently must be given the crucial opportunities in the right environment that permits optimal science learning in our nation's schools. Following this group of teachers as they attempted to deliver I-B science teaching revealed challenges elementary science teachers face and the professional supports necessary for them to effectively meet science standards. This dissertation serves as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at George Mason University.

A Collaborative Approach for Elementary Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, George D.; Landel, Carolyn C.

2007-01-01

The authors question whether elementary students will have access to effective science and mathematics instruction within the current structure of elementary schools, in which each classroom teachers is expected to possess the expertise to teach all subjects well. They review research showing that good teachers are the key to student achievement…

A study to define and verify a model of interactive-constructive elementary school science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriques, Laura

This study took place within a four year systemic reform effort collaboratively undertaken by the Science Education Center at the University of Iowa and a local school district. Key features of the inservice project included the use of children's literature as a springboard into inquiry based science investigations, activities to increase parents' involvement in children's science learning and extensive inservice opportunities for elementary teachers to increase content knowledge and content-pedagogical knowledge. The overarching goal of this elementary science teacher enhancement project was to move teachers towards an interactive-constructivist model of teaching and learning. This study had three components. The first was the definition of the prototype teacher indicated by the project's goals and supported by science education research. The second involved the generation of a model to show relationships between teacher-generated products, demographics and their subsequent teaching behaviors. The third involved the verification of the hypothesized model using data collected on 15 original participants. Demographic information, survey responses, interview and written responses to scenarios were among the data collected as source variables. These were scored using a rubric designed to measure constructivist practices in science teaching. Videotapes of science teaching and revised science curricula were collected as downstream variables and scored using an the ESTEEM observational rubric and a rubric developed for the project. Results indicate that newer teachers were more likely to implement features of the project. Those teachers who were philosophically aligned with project goals before project involvement were also more likely to implement features of the project. Other associations between reported beliefs, planning and classroom implementations were not confirmed by these data. Data show that teachers reported higher levels of implementation than their

Assessment, Autonomy, and Elementary Social Studies Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitchett, Paul G.; Heafner, Tina L.; Lambert, Richard

2014-01-01

Background/context: In an era of accountability and standardization, elementary social studies is consistently losing its curricular foothold to English/language arts, math, and science instruction. Purpose: This article examines the relationship between elementary teachers' perceptions of instructional autonomy, teaching context, state testing…

Male Elementary General Music Teachers: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robison, Tiger

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the essence of being a male elementary general music teacher (MEGMT). I sought answers for two research questions. First, what are the perceived uniquely male experiences in elementary general music teaching? Second, in what ways might gender be a consideration in the preparation of elementary general…

Sources of Efficacy Information in an Inservice Program for Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, David

2011-01-01

Low teacher self-efficacy is an important factor constraining the teaching of science at the elementary level. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of particular sources of efficacy information for enhancing the science teaching self-efficacy of practicing elementary teachers. Twelve teachers participated in an intervention…

Differential Use of Elementary Science Kits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Gail; Robertson, Laura; Gardner, Grant E.; Dotger, Sharon; Blanchard, Margaret R.

2012-01-01

The use of kits in elementary science classes is a growing trend in some countries. Kits provide materials and inquiry lessons in a ready-to-teach format for teachers to use in their science instruction. This study examined elementary teachers' instructional strategies, classroom practices, and assessment types in relation to the frequency of…

Using Citizen Science to Engage Preservice Elementary Educators in Scientific Fieldwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Catherine M.

2016-01-01

Preservice elementary teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science is an ongoing concern. Only 29% of elementary teachers in the field felt "very well prepared to teach life science," according to the National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education. Research has suggested that bridging informal and formal science education can…

Analyses of Teaching Strategies and Learning of Concepts of Astronomy in Elementary Education II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voelzke, Marcos Rincon; Poffo, M. Roberta

2012-07-01

The proposed curricular of the State of Sao Paulo suggests for the discipline of Physical and Biological Sciences contents related to Astronomy for the Elementary Education. In 2010, a study was realised in a public school in Santo Andr to examine the pupils' previous knowledge. Only 19% of them reached a satisfactory note. In this year the contents were presented with three different teaching strategies. In the first class an expositive lesson with audiovisual aids was held, in the second one an expositive lesson in dialogue form was used, and in the third class a textbook research. After the approach a clear improvement of the performance was observe, and the class where the contents had been presented in an expositive lesson with dialogue showed the best effectsciency. This study facilitates analyses of the learning procedure and teaching strategies to improve the Astronomy education in the discipline of Science.

Elementary School Teachers' Attitudes toward Willingness to Teach Students with ADHD in Their Classrooms in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abaoud, Abdulrahman A.

2013-01-01

The present study was designed to measure differences in elementary school teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia through a descriptive non-experimental quantitative research instrument. The study examined relationships among many variables through teachers' level of…

Learning to Teach Elementary Science Through Iterative Cycles of Enactment in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bottoms, SueAnn I.; Ciechanowski, Kathryn M.; Hartman, Brian

2015-12-01

Iterative cycles of enactment embedded in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts provide rich opportunities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to enact core practices of science. This study is situated in the larger Families Involved in Sociocultural Teaching and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (FIESTAS) project, which weaves together cycles of enactment, core practices in science education and culturally relevant pedagogies. The theoretical foundation draws upon situated learning theory and communities of practice. Using video analysis by PSTs and course artifacts, the authors studied how the iterative process of these cycles guided PSTs development as teachers of elementary science. Findings demonstrate how PSTs were drawing on resources to inform practice, purposefully noticing their practice, renegotiating their roles in teaching, and reconsidering "professional blindness" through cultural practice.

The Influence of Theoretical Mathematical Foundations on Teaching and Learning: A Case Study of Whole Numbers in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambris, Christine

2018-01-01

This paper examines the existence and impact of theoretical mathematical foundations on the teaching and learning of whole numbers in elementary school in France. It shows that the study of the New Math reform--which was eventually itself replaced in the longer term--provides some keys to understanding the influence of mathematical theories on…

Effects of 3D Printing Project-based Learning on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Science Attitudes, Science Content Knowledge, and Anxiety About Teaching Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Elena; Wisdom, Sonya

2018-05-01

3D printing technology is a powerful educational tool that can promote integrative STEM education by connecting engineering, technology, and applications of science concepts. Yet, research on the integration of 3D printing technology in formal educational contexts is extremely limited. This study engaged preservice elementary teachers (N = 42) in a 3D Printing Science Project that modeled a science experiment in the elementary classroom on why things float or sink using 3D printed boats. The goal was to explore how collaborative 3D printing inquiry-based learning experiences affected preservice teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs, anxiety toward teaching science, interest in science, perceived competence in K-3 technology and engineering science standards, and science content knowledge. The 3D printing project intervention significantly decreased participants' science teaching anxiety and improved their science teaching efficacy, science interest, and perceived competence in K-3 technological and engineering design science standards. Moreover, an analysis of students' project reflections and boat designs provided an insight into their collaborative 3D modeling design experiences. The study makes a contribution to the scarce body of knowledge on how teacher preparation programs can utilize 3D printing technology as a means of preparing prospective teachers to implement the recently adopted engineering and technology standards in K-12 science education.

Helping Boys and Girls Discover the World: Teaching About Global Concerns and the United Nations in Elementary and Middle Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenworthy, Leonard S., Ed.; And Others

This guide for elementary and middle school teachers, curriculum specialists, and administrators answers 40 questions most frequently asked about global concerns and the work of the United Nations. Topics include the importance of teaching about the world and the United Nations; the need for beginning international understanding in the home;…

Learning to Teach English Language Learners: A Study of Elementary School Teachers' Sense-Making in an ELL Endorsement Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Shannon M.; Pray, Lisa

2017-01-01

Using Jarvis's (2009) framework of adult learning, this study examines how in-service elementary school teachers make sense of instruction that is responsive to multilingual learners. Case studies of two teachers reveal their nuanced attempts to improve practice during a 1-year, graduate-level, add-on certification program for teaching English…

The Effect of Using Arabic Language for Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Stage Schools in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dmour, Ahmad

2015-01-01

This paper aims at investigating the effect of using Arabic language for teaching English as a Foreign Language in a Jordanian context at elementary school stages in Al-Karak Directorate of Education. English language teachers usually intend to focus on using English in their classes, but they come across a big problem which is the lack of…

Particle Accelerators Test Cosmological Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schramm, David N.; Steigman, Gary

1988-01-01

Discusses the symbiotic relationship of cosmology and elementary-particle physics. Presents a brief overview of particle physics. Explains how cosmological considerations set limits on the number of types of elementary particles. (RT)

Confidence Demonstrated by Students of Pedagogy on the Teaching of Astronomy in the Initial Years of the Elementary School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welington, Cerqueira, Jr.; dos Santos Almeida, Robenil; do Santos da Conceição, Regiane; Dutra, Glênon

2015-12-01

This work attempts to identify the level of confidence of some students of the course in Pedagogy of a public University located in the interior of the Bahia state, for the teaching of contents of Astronomy in the initial years of the Elementary School. The data was obtained from the application of a questionnaire, answered by 16 students. The analysis of these results took into account several factors, like the framework of the curriculum of the graduation course in Pedagogy, the reading profile of the students and the level of experience regarding their teaching in classroom. The obtained results point to a great insecurity of the students regarding the teaching of contents of Astronomy, being compatible with previous findings of other investigators of the area.

Development of an Instrument to Assess Prospective Elementary Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Equitable Science Teaching and Learning (SEBEST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Jennifer M.; Boone, William J.; Rubba, Peter A.

2001-06-01

This paper presents an overview of the procedures used to develop and validate an instrument to measure the self-efficacy beliefs of prospective elementary teachers about equitable science teaching and learning. The instrument, titled the SEBEST, was based on the work of Ashton and Webb (1986a, 1986b) and Bandura (1977, 1986). It was modeled after the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) (Riggs, 1988) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for Prospective Teachers (STEBI-B) (Enochs & Riggs, 1990). Based on the standardized development procedures used and associated evidence, the SEBEST appears to be a content and construct valid instrument, with high internal reliability qualities. "Most probable response" plots are introduced and used to bring meaning to SEBEST raw scores.

The effect of site-based preservice experiences on elementary science teaching self-efficacy beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wingfield, Mary E.

Current reform in science education has focused on the need for improvement of preservice teacher training (National Science Education Standards, 1996). As a situation specific construct (Bandura, 1977), self-efficacy studies have been conducted to investigate factors that impact preservice teachers' sense of confidence as it relates to their ability to become successful science teachers. This descriptive study identified factors in the site based experiences that affected preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy as measured by the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBL-B) (Enochs and Riggs, 1990). The sample consisted of the entire population of undergraduate elementary preservice teachers in the site based teacher education program during the fall semester of 1997 at a large south central urban university. The 131 paired, pretest posttests of the entire STEBL-B and the two constructs were analyzed for significance in mean score gains. Results of the paired t test yielded a t value of 11.52 which was significant at p <.001. An analysis of covariance using the pretest as the covariate yielded an F value of 6.41 which was statistically significant at p <.001. These quantitative results were supported by interviews and by written comments on questionnaires that determined ratings for the extent of impact on self-efficacy from site based experiences. Results of this study indicate that the experiences of the site based program has a significant positive impact on the preservice teachers' self-efficacy. The implication for teacher educators is that this specific affective dimension can be significantly enhanced. The site based program can provide the four factors Bandura identified as sources of information used to determine self-efficacy. These include performance accomplishments through authentic teaching experiences, vicarious experiences through observation of the site based teachers, and verbal persuasion and physiological states from feedback

Teaching Sight Words to Elementary Students with Intellectual Disability and Autism: A Comparison of Teacher-Directed versus Computer-Assisted Simultaneous Prompting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Mari Beth; Cherry, Rebecca A.; Moore, Tara C.; Yujeong, Park; Cihak, David F.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of teacher-directed simultaneous prompting to computer-assisted simultaneous prompting for teaching sight words to 3 elementary school students with intellectual disability. Activities in the computer-assisted condition were designed with Intellitools Classroom Suite software whereas traditional…

Instructional Design Using an In-House Built Teaching Assistant Robot to Enhance Elementary School English-as-a-Foreign-Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Wen-Chi Vivian; Wang, Rong-Jyue; Chen, Nian-Shing

2015-01-01

This paper presents a design for a cutting-edge English program in which elementary school learners of English as a foreign language in Taiwan had lively interactions with a teaching assistant robot. Three dimensions involved in the design included (1) a pleasant and interactive classroom environment as the learning context, (2) a teaching…

University and Elementary School Perspectives of Ideal Elementary Science Teacher Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sewart, Bethany Bianca

Teacher education knowledge, skills, and dispositions have recently become a well-discussed topic among education scholars around the nation, mainly due to its attention by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) over the past few years. Accrediting agencies, such as NCATE and the Interstate New Teacher and Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), have sought to improve the quality of teacher education programs by examining knowledge, skills, and dispositions as factors in preparing highly-qualified teachers. There is a paucity of research examining these factors for elementary science teachers. Because these factors influence instruction, and students are behind in scientific and mathematical knowledge, elementary science teachers should be studied. Teacher knowledge, skills, and dispositions should be further researched in order to ultimately increase the quality of teachers and teacher education programs. In this particular case, by determining what schools of education and public schools deem important knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to teach science, higher education institutions and schools can collaborate to further educate these students and foster the necessary qualities needed to teach effectively. The study of knowledge, skills, and dispositions is crucial to nurturing effective teaching within the classroom. Results from this study demonstrated that there were prominent knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified by teachers, administrators, and science teacher educators as important for effective teaching of elementary science. These characteristics included: a willingness to learn, or open-mindedness; content knowledge; planning, organization, and preparation; significance of teaching science; and science-related assessment strategies. Interestingly, administrators in the study responded differently than their counterparts in the following areas: their self-evaluation of teacher effectiveness; how the

Case Study of Instructional Innovation among Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCracklin, Patricia

2012-01-01

In one mid-western elementary school, teachers received training designed to change their teaching methods in their classrooms. Research has shown teachers have difficulty changing teaching behaviors. The research questions addressed teachers' beliefs and understandings of teaching in a new way. The theoretical framework for this study is…

Video-Mediated Physics Instruction from Preservice Teachers to Elementary Students: Experiences and Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laherto, Antti; Laherto, Jussi

2018-01-01

Addressing the widely reported deficiencies in elementary teachers' competence in technology use and in inquiry-based science instruction, we present and assess a novel teaching experiment conducted in a university-school collaboration. Preservice elementary teachers planned and produced teaching videos in which they gave instructions on…

An elective course to engage student pharmacists in elementary school science education.

PubMed

Woodard, Lisa J; Wilson, Judith S; Blankenship, James; Quock, Raymond M; Lindsey, Marti; Kinsler, Janni J

2011-12-15

To develop and assess the impact of an elective course (HealthWISE) on student pharmacists' skills in communication and health promotion and elementary school students' knowledge of and attitudes toward science. Three colleges and schools of pharmacy collaborated to develop a 1-credit elective course that used online and classroom teaching and learning techniques to prepare student pharmacists to teach science in elementary school classrooms. Student pharmacists delivered 6 science lessons to elementary students over the course of 2 months. In weekly journal reflections and a final paper, student pharmacists reported improved communication and health promotion skills. Elementary teachers reported they were satisfied with student pharmacists' performance in the classroom. On pretest and posttest evaluations, elementary students demonstrated increased science knowledge and enhanced enthusiasm for science following the lessons taught by student pharmacists. The HealthWISE elective course provided positive benefit for student pharmacists, elementary school teachers, and elementary students.

Understanding the masses of elementary particles: a step towards understanding the massless photon?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greulich, K. O.

2011-09-01

A so far unnoticed simple explanation of elementary particle masses is given by m = N * melectron/α, where alpha (=1/137) is the fine structure constant. On the other hand photons can be described by two oppositely oscillating clouds of e / √α elementary charges. Such a model describes a number of features of the photon in a quantitatively correct manner. For example, the energy of the oscillating clouds is E = h ν, the spin is 1 and the spatial dimension is λ / 2 π. When the charge e / √α is assigned to the Planck mass mPl, the resulting charge density is e / (mPl√α) = 8,62 * 10-11 Cb / kg. This is identical to √ (G / ko) where G is the gravitational constant and ko the Coulomb constant. When one assigns this very small charge density to any matter, gravitation can be completely described as Coulomb interaction between such charges of the corresponding masses. Thus, there is a tight quantitative connection between the photon, nonzero rest masses and gravitation / Coulomb interaction.

Development of interest in science and interest in teaching elementary science: Influence of informal, school, and inquiry methods course experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulunuz, Mizrap

Inquiry-based science instruction is a major goal of science education reform. However, there is little research examining how preservice elementary teachers might be motivated to teach through inquiry. This quantitative study was designed to examine the role of background experiences and an inquiry science methods course on interest in science and interest in teaching science. The course included many activities and assignments at varying levels of inquiry, designed to teach content and inquiry methods and to model effective teaching. The study involved analyses of surveys completed by students in the course on their experiences with science before, during, and at the end of the course. The following questions guided the design of this study and analysis of the data: (1) What science background experiences (school, home, and informal education) do participants have and how do those experiences affect initial interest in science? (2) Among the hands-on activities in the methods course, is there a relationship between level of inquiry of the activity and the motivational quality (interesting, fun, and learning) of the activity? (3) Does the course affect participants' interest and attitude toward science? (4) What aspects of the course contribute to participants' interest in teaching science and choice to teach science? Descriptive and inferential analysis of a background survey revealed that participants with high and low initial interest in science differed significantly on remembering about elementary school science and involvement in science related activities in childhood/youth. Analysis of daily ratings of each hands-on activity on motivational qualities (fun, interest, and learning) indicated that there were significant differences in motivational quality of the activities by level of inquiry with higher levels of inquiry rated more positively. Pre/post surveys indicated that participants increased in interest in science and a number of variables reflecting

Science for All: Empowering Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plonczak, Irene

2008-01-01

This article addresses issues that are related to the empowerment of elementary teachers through teaching and learning science in socially and culturally meaningful contexts. It is based on the analysis of the attitudes and relationship to science of 10 elementary school teachers from inner city schools in Caracas, Venezuela. In the context of a…

Science for the Elementary School. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victor, Edward

This book has been revised to reflect changes that have taken place in elementary science and to present the latest thinking and philosophy for teaching science in the elementary school. The book is intended to be useful for both prospective and experienced teachers to organize and conduct meaningful science learning experiences in the elementary…

Introducing Engineering Design to a Science Teaching Methods Course through Educational Robotics and Exploring Changes in Views of Preservice Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaya, Erdogan; Newley, Anna; Deniz, Hasan; Yesilyurt, Ezgi; Newley, Patrick

2017-01-01

Engineering has become an important subject in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which have raised engineering design to the same level as scientific inquiry when teaching science disciplines at all levels. Therefore, preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) need to know how to integrate the engineering design process (EDP) into their…

"I'm Not the Science Type": Effect of an Inquiry Biology Content Course on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Intentions about Teaching Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weld, Jeffrey; Funk, Lucas

2005-01-01

Inquiry Into Life Science is a content biology course expressly for the fulfillment of the General Education life science laboratory course requirement of elementary education majors at this university. The course is modeled on the Teaching Standards and Content Standards of the National Science Education Standards [National Research Council.…

Chalk dustfall during classroom teaching: particle size distribution and morphological characteristics.

PubMed

Majumdar, Deepanjan; William, S P M Prince

2009-01-01

The study was undertaken to examine the nature of particulate chalk dust settled on classroom floor during traditional teaching with dusting and non-dusting chalks on two types of boards viz. rough and smooth. Settling chalk particles were collected for 30 min during teaching in glass Petri plates placed in classrooms within 3 m distance from the teaching boards. Particle size distribution, scanning electron microscopic images of chalk dusts and compressive strength of two types of chalks were tested and evaluated. Results showed that a larger proportion of dusts generated from anti-dusting chalks were of <4.5 and <2.5 microm size on both smooth and rough boards, as compared to dusting chalks. Non-dusting chalks, on an average, produced about 56% and 62% (by volume) of <4.5 microm (respirable) diameter, on rough and smooth boards, respectively, while the corresponding values for dusting chalks were 36% and 45%. Also, on an average, 83% and 94% (by volume) of the particles were <11 microm (thoracic) in case of non-dusting chalks against 61% and 72% for dusting chalks on rough and smooth boards, respectively. Interestingly, taking into account the mass of chalk dust produced per unit time, which was higher in dusting chalks than non dusting chalks, the former was actually producing higher amount of PM <4.5 and <11 particles from both types of boards. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that chalk particles had random shape, although in dusting chalks prevalence of elongated particles was observed, apparently due to the longitudinal breaking of the chalks during writing, which was confirmed during compressive strength testing. We could conclude that dusting chalks could be potentially more harmful than anti dusting chalks, as they produced higher amount of potentially dangerous PM 4.5 and PM 11.

An Elective Course to Engage Student Pharmacists in Elementary School Science Education

PubMed Central

Wilson, Judith S.; Blankenship, James; Quock, Raymond M.; Lindsey, Marti; Kinsler, Janni J.

2011-01-01

Objective. To develop and assess the impact of an elective course (HealthWISE) on student pharmacists’ skills in communication and health promotion and elementary school students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward science. Design. Three colleges and schools of pharmacy collaborated to develop a 1-credit elective course that used online and classroom teaching and learning techniques to prepare student pharmacists to teach science in elementary school classrooms. Student pharmacists delivered 6 science lessons to elementary students over the course of 2 months. Assessment. In weekly journal reflections and a final paper, student pharmacists reported improved communication and health promotion skills. Elementary teachers reported they were satisfied with student pharmacists’ performance in the classroom. On pretest and posttest evaluations, elementary students demonstrated increased science knowledge and enhanced enthusiasm for science following the lessons taught by student pharmacists. Conclusions. The HealthWISE elective course provided positive benefit for student pharmacists, elementary school teachers, and elementary students. PMID:22345722

Supporting pre-service elementary teachers in their understanding of inquiry teaching through the construction of a third discursive space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greca, Ileana M.

2016-03-01

Several international reports promote the use of the inquiry teaching methodology for improvements in science education at elementary school. Nevertheless, research indicates that pre-service elementary teachers have insufficient experience with this methodology and when they try to implement it, the theory they learnt in their university education clashes with the classroom practice they observe, a problem that has also been noted with other innovative methodologies. So, it appears essential for pre-service teachers to conduct supportive reflective practice during their education to integrate theory and practice, which various studies suggest is not usually done. Our study shows how opening up a third discursive space can assist this supportive reflective practice. The third discursive space appears when pre-service teachers are involved in specific activities that allow them to contrast the discourses of theoretical knowledge taught at university with practical knowledge arising from their ideas on science and science teaching and their observations during classroom practice. The case study of three pre-service teachers shows that this strategy was fundamental in helping them to integrate theory and practice, resulting in a better understanding of the inquiry methodology and its application in the classroom.

A New Approach to Teaching Science to Elementary Education Majors in Response to the NGSS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, C.; Daniels, L.; McCoy, C.

2015-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) place an equal emphasis on science process skills and science content. The goal is to have K-12 students "doing" science, not just "learning about" science. However, most traditional college science classes for elementary education majors place a much stronger emphasis on science content knowledge with the hands-on portion limited to a once-a-week lab. The two models of instruction are not aligned. The result is that many elementary school teachers are unprepared to offer interactive science with their students. Without additional coaching, many teachers fall back on the format they learned in college - lecture, handouts, homework. If we want teachers to use more hands-on methods in the classroom, these techniques should be taught to elementary education majors when they are in college. Dickinson State University has begun a collaboration between the Teacher Education Department and the Department of Natural Sciences. The physical science course for elementary education majors has been completely redesigned to focus equally on the needed science content and the science process skills emphasized by the NGSS. The format of the course has been adjusted to more closely mirror a traditional K-5 classroom; the course meets for 50 minutes five days a week. A flipped-classroom model has been adopted to ensure no content is lost, and hands-on activities are done almost every day as new concepts are discussed. In order to judge the effectiveness of these changes, a survey tool was administered to determine if there was a shift in the students' perception of science as an active instead of a passive field of study. The survey also measured the students' comfort-level in offering a hands-on learning environment in their future classrooms and their confidence in their ability to effectively teach science concepts to elementary students. Results from the first year of the study will be presented.

Science as Experience, Exploration, and Experiments: Elementary Teachers' Notions of "Doing Science"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Ashley N.; Luna, Melissa J.; Bernstein, Malayna B.

2017-01-01

Much of the literature on science teaching suggests that elementary teachers lack relevant prior experiences with science. This study begins to reframe the deficit approach to research in science teaching by privileging the experiences elementary teachers have had with science--both in and out of schools--throughout their lives. Our work uses…

Integrating Music into the Elementary Classroom. Fourth Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, William M.; Lawrence, Joy E.

This book emphasizes the importance of enriching children's lives by making music a central part of the elementary school curriculum. The book provides guidelines for elementary teachers with limited experience as well as music specialists. The book is comprehensive, covering music fundamentals as well as materials and methods for teaching music…

Co-Teaching in Student Teaching of an Elementary Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Sau Hou

2018-01-01

Successful co-teaching relied on essential elements and different approaches. However, few studies were found on these essential elements and different approaches in student teaching. The objective of this study was to examine how teacher candidates and cooperating teachers used the essential co-teaching elements and co-teaching approaches.…

Influence of an extensive inquiry-based field experience on pre-service elementary student teachers' science teaching beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Sumita

This study examined the effects of an extensive inquiry-based field experience on pre-service elementary teachers' personal agency beliefs (PAB) about teaching science and their ability to effectively implement science instruction. The research combined quantitative and qualitative approaches within an ethnographic research tradition. A comparison was made between the pre and posttest scores for two groups. The experimental group utilized the inquiry method; the control group did not. The experimental group had the stronger PAB pattern. The field experience caused no significant differences to the context beliefs of either groups, but did to the capability beliefs. The number of college science courses taken by pre-service elementary teachers' was positively related to their post capability belief (p = .0209). Qualitative information was collected through case studies which included observation of classrooms, assessment of lesson plans and open-ended, extended interviews of the participants about their beliefs in their teaching abilities (efficacy beliefs), and in teaching environments (context beliefs). The interview data were analyzed by the analytic induction method to look for themes. The emerging themes were then grouped under several attributes. Following a review of the attributes a number of hypotheses were formulated. Each hypothesis was then tested across all the cases by the constant comparative method. The pattern of relationship that emerged from the hypotheses testing clearly suggests a new hypothesis that there is a spiral relationship among the ability to establish communicative relationship with students, desire for personal growth and improvement, and greater content knowledge. The study concluded that inquiry based student teaching should be encouraged to train school science teachers. But the meaning and the practice of the inquiry method should be clearly delineated to ensure its correct implementation in the classroom. A survey should be

Elementary Teacher Self-Efficacy in Engineering and Student Achievement in Math and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gorena, Jacquelyn L.

2015-01-01

STEM education is a national priority, and more schools are implementing STEM K-12. Elementary teachers are prepared to teach science, mathematics, and technology, but teachers may not feel as prepared to teach engineering. Engineering is a new genre for elementary schools, and it is not typically a content area included in teacher preparation…

Studies on attitude toward teaching science and anxiety about teaching science in preservice elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerback, Mary E.

These studies examined attitude toward teaching science (ATTS) using an adaptation of the Bratt Attitude Test (M-BAT); anxiety about teaching science (ANX-TS), as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI A-State); and selected demographic variables in preservice elementary teachers for the 1977-1978 and 1978-1979 academic years and a follow-up of those students who completed their student teaching in May 1979. The M-BAT and STAI were administered in September at the beginning of Science 6 (earth science and biology course), in December on the next to last day of Science 6, in May on the next to the last day of Science 5 (physical science), and in May 1979 after student teaching. In the two academic years, both ATTS and ANX-TS became more positive during the sequence Science 6-5. Both changes in ATTS and ANX-TS continued to change in a positive direction after completion of Science 6-5, after student teaching. There were differences in the times that the greatest changes in ATTS and ANX-TS occurred. In both studies, the greatest change in ATTS took place between September and December, during Science 6. The greatest change in ANX-TS, however, took place during Science 5 between December and May in the 1977-1978 study. In the 1978-1979 study, the greatest changes in ANX-TS occurred in Science 6, between September and December. The delayed reduction of ANX-TS in the 1977-1978 study may be explained by differences in teaching patterns. In 1977-1978, two teachers taught only their academic specialty, biology or earth science, to students who switched teachers midsemester. In 1978-1979, the same two instructors taught both biology and earth science to the same students. Correlation coefficients for successive and corresponding administrations of both the M-BAT and STAI suggest these variables are related. Students with more positive ATTS tended to have reduced ANX-TS. Neither the number of high school or college science and math courses completed nor the level

Factors contributing to attitude exchange amongst preservice elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, David H.

2002-01-01

Previous research has shown that elementary education majors often dislike science and lack confidence in their ability to teach it. This is an important problem because students who hold these attitudes are likely to avoid teaching science, or teach it poorly, when they become teachers. It is therefore necessary to identify preservice elementary teachers who hold negative attitudes towards science, and attempt to convert these attitudes to positive before they become teachers. This study was designed to identify students whose attitudes had changed from negative to positive (i.e., attitude exchange had occurred) after participating in a one-semester elementary science education course, and to identify the course factors that were responsible. Four participants were individually interviewed. The transcripts indicated that attitude exchange had occurred for each of the four students. Each student described several features of the course that had a positive influence. These were of three main types: personal attributes of the tutor, specific teaching strategies, and external validation. It was proposed that many of the individual factors were effective because they represented either performance accomplishments or vicarious experience as defined by Bandura (Psychological Review, 84, 1977, 191-215).

When is a Particle?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drell, Sidney D.

1978-01-01

Gives a new definition for the concept of the elementary particle in nuclear physics. Explains why the existance of the quark as an elementary particle could be an accepted fact even though it lacks what traditionally identifies a particle. Compares this with the development which took place during the discovery of the neutrino in the early…

Elementary Teachers' Thinking about a Good Mathematics Lesson

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yeping

2011-01-01

In an effort to gain a better understanding of Chinese classroom teaching culture, this study aimed to examine elementary teachers' views about a good mathematics lesson in China. Through analyzing 57 teachers' essays collected from 7 elementary schools in 2 provinces, it is found that Chinese teachers emphasized the most about students and their…

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Ideas About Scientific Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricketts, Amy

2014-10-01

With the goal of producing scientifically literate citizens who are able to make informed decisions and reason critically when science intersects with their everyday lives, the National Research Council (NRC) has produced two recent documents that call for a new approach to K-12 science education that is based on scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. These documents will potentially influence future state standards and K-12 curricula. Teachers will need support in order to teach science using a practices based approach, particularly if they do not have strong science backgrounds, which is often the case with elementary teachers. This study investigates one cohort (n = 19) of preservice elementary teachers' ideas about scientific practices, as developed in a one-semester elementary science teaching methods course. The course focused on eight particular scientific practices, as defined by the National Research Council's A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012). Participants' written reflections, lesson plans and annotated teaching videos were analyzed in fine detail to better understand their ideas about what it means to engage in each of the practices. The findings suggest that preservice elementary teachers hold promising ideas about scientific practices (such as an emphasis on argumentation and communication between scientists, critical thinking, and answering and asking questions as the goal of science) as well as problematic ideas (including confusion over the purpose of modeling and the process of analysis, and conflating argumentation and explanation building). These results highlight the strengths and limitations of using the Framework (NRC 2012) as an instructional text and the difficulties of differentiating between preservice teachers' content knowledge about doing the practices and their pedagogical knowledge about teaching the practices.

Inviting Success in the Elementary Classroom: Putting Theory into Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maaka, Margaret J.; Lipka, Pamela A.

This paper presents one sixth-grade teacher's efforts to advance curriculum at a Hawaii elementary school through continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of her learning and teaching program. Deliberate and careful reflections in personal teaching journals, meetings with an educational consultant, school administrators, and teaching colleagues,…

An analysis of the relationship between K--5 elementary school teachers' perceptions of principal instructional leadership and their science teaching efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Ian

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between K-5 elementary school teachers' perceptions of principal instructional leadership and their science teaching efficacy. The influence of background variables on both leadership and efficacy is also analyzed. A sequential mixed methods approach was used in this study. The survey sample was comprised of teachers in the elementary divisions of schools from the nine international school regional associations. Teacher participation was obtained through an email containing an online survey link. Following the analysis of survey responses (N=356), in-depth interviews (N=17) were conducted. Reliability for the instructional leadership scale was found to be .94 (coefficient alpha) and .69 for the personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) scale. The results show a significant correlation between elementary school teachers' perceptions of principal instructional leadership and their PSTE levels, with the most significant correlation that between the study of a science-related major or minor at college and higher PSTE scores. Strong correlations were also found between PSTE levels and having principals who discussed goals at faculty meetings, participated in science curricular review, supported recognition of student progress, encouraged new skills and concepts, discussed student progress with faculty, and used assessments to see science progress towards easily understood goals. PSTE levels were also higher in schools where principals had grade or school level science coordinators in place and where they supported the use of science kits.

Science as experience, exploration, and experiments: elementary teachers' notions of `doing science'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Ashley N.; Luna, Melissa J.; Bernstein, Malayna B.

2017-11-01

Much of the literature on science teaching suggests that elementary teachers lack relevant prior experiences with science. This study begins to reframe the deficit approach to research in science teaching by privileging the experiences elementary teachers have had with science - both in and out of schools - throughout their lives. Our work uses identity as a lens to examine the complexities of elementary teachers' narrative accounts of their experiences with science over the course of their lives. Our findings identify components of teachers' science-related experiences in order to lay the groundwork for making connections between teachers' personal experiences and professional practice. This work demonstrates that teachers' storied lives are important for educational researchers and teacher educators, as they reveal elements of teaching knowledge that may be productive and resourceful for refining teachers' science practice.

The Science Semester: Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry for Prospective Elementary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Danielle J.; Fifield, Steve; Madsen, John; Qian, Xiaoyu

2013-10-01

We describe the Science Semester, a semester-long course block that integrates three science courses and a science education methods course for elementary teacher education majors, and examine prospective elementary teachers’ developing conceptions about inquiry, science teaching efficacy, and reflections on learning through inquiry. The Science Semester was designed to provide inquiry-oriented and problem-based learning experiences, opportunities to examine socially relevant issues through cross-disciplinary perspectives, and align with content found in elementary curricula and standards. By the end of the semester, prospective elementary teachers moved from naïve to intermediate understandings of inquiry and significantly increased self-efficacy for science teaching as measured on one subscore of the STEBI-B. Reflecting on the semester, prospective teachers understood and appreciated the goals of the course and the PBL format, but struggled with the open-ended and student-directed elements of the course.

A Case Study Exploring the Identity of an In-Service Elementary Science Teacher: a Language Teacher First

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marco-Bujosa, Lisa; Levy, Abigail Jurist; McNeill, Katherine

2018-01-01

Teachers are central to providing high-quality science learning experiences called for in recent reform efforts, as their understanding of science impacts both what they teach and how they teach it. Yet, most elementary teachers do not enter the profession with a particular interest in science or expertise in science teaching. Research also indicates elementary schools present unique barriers that may inhibit science teaching. This case study utilizes the framework of identity to explore how one elementary classroom teacher's understandings of herself as a science specialist were shaped by the bilingual elementary school context as she planned for and provided reform-based science instruction. Utilizing Gee's (2000) sociocultural framework, identity was defined as consisting of four interrelated dimensions that served as analytic frames for examining how this teacher understood her new role through social positioning within her school. Findings describe the ways in which this teacher's identity as a science teacher was influenced by the school context. The case study reveals two important implications for teacher identity. First, collaboration for science teaching is essential for elementary teachers to change their practice. It can be challenging for teachers to form an identity as a science teacher in isolation. In addition, elementary teachers new to science teaching negotiate their emerging science practice with their prior experiences and the school context. For example, in the context of a bilingual school, this teacher adapted the reform-based science curriculum to better meet the unique linguistic needs of her students.

Co-Teaching in Student Teaching of an Elementary Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Sau Hou

2014-01-01

Successful co-teaching relies on essential elements, such as collaborative planning, communication skills, partnership relationship, classroom application, knowledge base, and co-teaching approaches. The objective of this study is to examine if teacher candidates and cooperating teachers use different essential co-teaching elements to implement…

Beyond Concepts: Transfer From Inquiry-Based Physics To Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, Danielle B.; Otero, Valerie K.

2007-01-01

Physics education researchers have created specialized physics courses to meet the needs of elementary teachers. While there is evidence that such courses help teachers develop physics content knowledge, little is known about what teachers transfer from such courses into their teaching practices. In this study, we examine how one elementary teacher changed her questioning strategies after learning physics in a course for elementary teachers.

Big Bang Day: 5 Particles - 3. The Anti-particle

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of 5 of the universe's most significant subatomic particles: the Electron, the Quark, the Anti-particle, the Neutrino and the "next particle". 3. The Anti-particle. It appears to be the stuff of science fiction. Associated with every elementary particle is an antiparticle which has the same mass and opposite charge. Should the two meet and combine, the result is annihilation - and a flash of light. Thanks to mysterious processes that occurred after the Big Bang there are a vastly greater number of particles than anti-particles. So how could their elusive existence be proved? At CERN particle physicists are crashing together subatomic particles at incredibly high speeds to create antimatter, which they hope will finally reveal what happened at the precise moment of the Big Bang to create the repertoire of elementary particles and antiparticles in existence today.

A qualitative case study to identify possible barriers that limit effective elementary science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Donald Carey

The purpose of this case study was to identify barriers that limit the effectiveness of elementary teachers in the teaching of science. It is of the utmost urgency that barriers be first identified, so that possible solutions can be explored to bring about the improvement of elementary science education. This urgency has been imposed by the scheduled national testing of students in science by 2007, as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Using qualitative case study methods, the researcher conducted interviews with 8 elementary teachers from two schools within one school district who taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. These interviews were designed to gain insight into barriers these elementary teachers perceived as factors limiting their effectiveness in teaching science and preparing students for high-stakes testing. Barriers in the areas of teacher background, typical teaching day, curriculum, inservices, and legislative influences were explored. This study concluded that the barriers explored do have a substantial negative affect on the teaching and learning of science in the elementary grades. Specifically, the barriers revealed in this study include the limited science background of elementary teachers, inadequate class time devoted to science, non-comprehensive curriculum, ineffective or lack of inservice training, and pressures from legislated mandates. But it is also clear that these barriers are so intertwined that one cannot remove these barriers one at a time. It will take a collective effort from all involved, including legislators, administrators, teachers, parents, and students, to alleviate these barriers and discover effective solutions to improve elementary science education.

Music Activities as a Meaningful Context for Teaching Elementary Students Mathematics: A Quasi-Experiment Time Series Design with Random Assigned Control Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Song A.; Tillman, Daniel A.

2015-01-01

The purpose of the current research was to examine the effects of a sequence of classroom activities that integrated mathematics content with music elements aimed at providing teachers an alternative approach for teaching mathematics. Two classes of third grade students (n = 56) from an elementary school in the west coast of the United States…

Hybrid-Mentoring Programs for Beginning Elementary Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bang, EunJin

2013-01-01

This study examines four induction models and teacher changes in science teaching practices, as a result of several mentoring programs. It explores three different computer-mediated mentoring programs, and a traditional offline induction program--in terms of interactivity, inquiry-based teaching, and topics of knowledge. Fifteen elementary science…

Teachers' Use of Technology in Elementary Reading Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Peter; Gormley, Kathleen A.

2016-01-01

Proponents claim technology will transform classroom teaching and improve children's engagement and learning. Opponents argue that such benefits are oversold because little evidence exists that technology improves teaching and learning. We examined how elementary teachers in an urban school that was well resourced with technology used it when…

Characteristics and Contributions of School Subjects at the Elementary Level: Results of a Survey of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers from Four Quebec Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebrun, Johanne; Lenoir, Yves; Oliveira, Anderson Araujo; Morin, Marie-Pier; McConnell, Anne Catherine

2011-01-01

This article presents the results of a survey questionnaire involving 841 third and fourth year students enrolled in a French language Bachelors degree program in Elementary Education at four Quebec universities. The questionnaire dealt with pre-service elementary teachers' representations of the teaching and learning of four school subjects:…

National Science Resources Center Project for Improving Science Teaching in Elementary Schools. Appendix A. School Systems With Exemplary Elementary Science Programs. Appendix B. Elementary Science Network

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

Department Campbell, Judy S., Principal Seedling Mile Elementary School Campbell, Kelly, Vice President International Services, Inc. Campbell, Larry...Agency #5 Coverdale, Miles , Principal Baxter Coveyou, Tony, Cowan, Ann, Education Specialist Hanford Science Center Cowan, Margaret, Cowan, Peggy...Science State Department of Education Ezell, James, No. 92 Elementary School Ezzell , Effie, No. 45 Elementary School 09/03/88 NSRC Elementary Science

Teaching Shakespeare in the Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clatanoff, Doris A.

Often regarding the "great books" as too difficult for elementary school age children to comprehend, teachers have given students reading assignments that are less than challenging and have risked causing them to dislike reading because it is relatively uninteresting. However, it is possible to expose very young children to works such as…

Inquire Learning Effects to Elementary School Students' Nanotechnology Instructions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yueh-Yun; Lu, Chow-Chin; Sung, Chia-Chi

2012-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging science that involved in different fields. This research inquired elementary school students' learning effect by using quasi-experiment, expositive-teaching and experiential-teaching methods for nanotechnology in the microcosmic world. By utilized the pretest "Nanotechnology Situational Questionnaire (NSQ)",…

Preservice Elementary Teachers' Instructional Practices and the Teaching Science as Argument Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyer, Elisebeth

2016-12-01

The research reported in this study examines the very first time the participants planned for and enacted science instruction within a "best-case scenario" teacher preparation program. Evidence from this study indicates that, within this context, preservice teachers are capable of implementing several of the discursive practices of science called for in standards documents including engaging students in science investigations and constructing evidence-based explanations. The participants designed experiences that allowed their students to interact with natural phenomena, gather evidence, and craft explanations of natural phenomenon. The study contends that the participants were able to achieve such successes due to their participation in a teacher education program and field placement, which were designed using a comprehensive, conceptual framework. Video of the participant's teaching and annotated self-analysis videos served as the primary data for this study. Implications for future research and elementary science teacher education are discussed.

Practice-Based Measures of Elementary Science Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching: Initial Item Development and Validity Evidence. Research Report. ETS RR-17-43

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mikeska, Jamie N.; Phelps, Geoffrey; Croft, Andrew J.

2017-01-01

This report describes efforts by a group of science teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and content specialists to conceptualize, develop, and pilot practice-based assessment items designed to measure elementary science teachers' content knowledge for teaching (CKT). The report documents the framework used to specify the content-specific…

The Science Semester: Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry for Prospective Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Danielle J.; Fifield, Steve; Madsen, John; Qian, Xiaoyu

2013-01-01

We describe the Science Semester, a semester-long course block that integrates three science courses and a science education methods course for elementary teacher education majors, and examine prospective elementary teachers' developing conceptions about inquiry, science teaching efficacy, and reflections on learning through inquiry. The…

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nowicki, Barbara L.; Sullivan-Watts, Barbara; Shim, Minsuk K.; Young, Betty; Pockalny, Robert

2013-01-01

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This…

Big Bang Day: 5 Particles - 3. The Anti-particle

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2009-10-07

Simon Singh looks at the stories behind the discovery of 5 of the universe's most significant subatomic particles: the Electron, the Quark, the Anti-particle, the Neutrino and the "next particle". 3. The Anti-particle. It appears to be the stuff of science fiction. Associated with every elementary particle is an antiparticle which has the same mass and opposite charge. Should the two meet and combine, the result is annihilation - and a flash of light. Thanks to mysterious processes that occurred after the Big Bang there are a vastly greater number of particles than anti-particles. So how could their elusive existencemore » be proved? At CERN particle physicists are crashing together subatomic particles at incredibly high speeds to create antimatter, which they hope will finally reveal what happened at the precise moment of the Big Bang to create the repertoire of elementary particles and antiparticles in existence today.« less

Cross-Cultural Differences in the Self-Evaluations of American and Finnish Elementary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tirri, Kirsi

This study investigated the cross-cultural differences in American and Finnish elementary teachers' evaluations of their classroom teaching behaviors. The self-evaluation instrument developed for the study was administered to 167 American elementary teachers from Indiana and Texas and to 172 Finnish teachers (also elementary) from two different…

Personality Factors of Elementary and Secondary Pre-Service Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Beatrice; And Others

Research has indicated that numerous factors influence teaching performance, including nonacademic traits such as personality attributes, self-concept, commitment to teaching, and gender. This study compared the personality characteristics of elementary and secondary preservice teachers. Subjects were junior- and senior-level students (N=186) in…

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Their Professional Teaching Competencies: Differences between Teachers of Math/Science Majors and Non-Math/Science Majors in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Li-Chen; Chao, Li-ling; Cheng, Pi-Yun; Tuan, Hsiao-Lin; Guo, Chorng-Jee

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to probe the differences of perceived professional teaching competence between elementary school math/science teachers in Taiwan who are majored in math/science and those who are not. A researcher-developed Math/Science Teachers' Professional Development Questionnaire was used in a nationwide survey, using a two-stage…

Japan: Teaching Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadley, Marilyn, Ed.; And Others

This teaching guide was developed by undergraduate elementary education students as part of the requirements for a social studies methods course. The guide presents nine teaching units about various aspects of Japan. The unit topics range from the broad to the specific, and reflect a variety of approaches for teaching about Japan in the public…

Seeing things through science eyes: A case study of an exemplary elementary teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Andrea Susan

Science-eyed elementary teachers exhibit relentless passions for replacing traditional teaching with realistic, integrated, responsible instruction with science at its core. The purpose of this study was to explore an exemplary elementary teacher's thinking about science and how it serves as a vehicle for the learning that occurs in her primary classroom. Two research questions were investigated in this study. First, what does it mean for an exemplary elementary teacher to view all learning with science eyes? Second, in what ways does the science-oriented elementary teacher use her knowledge of science content, pedagogy, and practical experience to structure her students' learning and her classroom teaching? A naturalistic methodology was employed in this research effort. Classroom observations, teacher interviews, documents, and selected artifacts were analyzed using a constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Lincoln & Guba, 1985) and the analysis tools of HyperRESEARCH (1994) in an effort to unravel the complex, intuitive knowledge of a nationally recognized first grade teacher. Data analyses provided insightful information about this exceptional teacher and how she organizes, plans, and implements effective lessons that integrate science with all subject areas. Four direct observation themes, Best Practice, Just Like a Scientist, Integrating Curriculum - A Balancing Act, and Expert Pedagogy, and six interview themes, Curriculum - What to Teach?, Instruction - How to Teach, Knowing Students, Getting Stuff, Professionalism, and Reflective Practitioner, emerged from independent analyses of two data sets. Three overall themes, Head, Heart, and Hands of an Exemplary Science Elementary Teacher, emerged from a convergent content analysis. The themes provide the foundation for a proposed model of an expert science pedagogue. Ten portrait-like, impressionistic, vignettes are included in this unique study to capture the spirit of the science-eyed elementary

Preparing Rural Elementary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Milo K.

During the past 14 years, the elementary rural teacher training program at Brigham Young University (BYU), Utah, has successfully provided an 8-week student teaching experience which has assisted more than 250 prospective teachers in comparing their lifestyle and interests with those of rural America. Student participants are required to live with…

Reconceptualizing Elementary Teacher Preparation: A case for informal science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avraamidou, Lucy

2015-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to explore the ways in which 3 different informal science experiences in the context of an elementary methods course influenced a group of prospective elementary teachers' ideas about science teaching and learning as well as their understandings about the role of informal science environments to teaching and learning. In order to address this question, data were collected in a period of an academic semester through the following sources: journal entries for each of the 3 experiences, a personal teaching philosophy statement and a 2-hour long semi-structured interview with each of the 12 participants. Open coding techniques were used to analyze the data in order to construct categories and subcategories and eventually to identify emerging themes. The outcomes of the analysis showed that the inclusion of informal science experiences in the context of teacher preparation has the potential to support beginning elementary teachers' development of contemporary ideas about science teaching and learning related to inquiry-based science, the nature of scientific work and the work of scientists, connecting science with everyday life, and making science fun and personally meaningful. These findings are discussed alongside implications for policy, teacher preparation, and research under these themes: (a) addressing reform recommendations; (b) developing positive orientations toward science and science teaching; and (c) constructing understandings about scientists' work.

Elementary Particle Physics and High Energy Phenomena: Final Report for FY2010-13

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cumalat, John P.; de Alwis, Senarath P.; DeGrand, Thomas A.

2013-06-27

The work under this grant consists of experimental, theoretical, and phenomenological research on the fundamental properties of high energy subnuclear particles. The work is conducted at the University of Colorado, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and other facilities, employing neutrino-beam experiments, test beams of various particles, and proton-proton collider experiments. It emphasizes mass generation and symmetry-breaking, neutrino oscillations, bottom particle production and decay, detector development, supergravity, supersymmetry, superstrings, quantum chromodynamics, nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, cosmology, phase transitions,more » lattice gauge theory, and anomaly-free theories. The goals are to improve our understanding of the basic building blocks of matter and their interactions. Data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN have revealed new interactions responsible for particle mass, and perhaps will lead to a more unified picture of the forces among elementary material constituents. To this end our research includes searches for manifestations of theories such as supersymmetry and new gauge bosons, as well as the production and decay of heavy-flavored quarks. Our current work at J-PARC, and future work at new facilities currently under conceptual design, investigate the specifics of how the neutrinos change flavor. The research is integrated with the training of students at all university levels, benefiting both the manpower and intellectual base for future technologies.« less

Review of the Elementary Particles Physics in the External Electromagnetic Fields Studies at KEK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konstantinova, O. Tanaka

2017-03-01

High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK [1]) is a world class accelerator-based research laboratory. The field of its scientific interests spreads widely from the study of fundamental properties of matter, particle physics, nuclear physics to materials science, life science, technical researches, and industrial applications. Research outcomes from the laboratory achieved making use of high-energy particle beams and synchrotron radiation. Two synchrotron facilities of KEK, the Photon Factory (PF) ring and the Photon Factory Advanced Ring (PF-AR) are the second biggest synchrotron light source in Japan. A very wide range of the radiated light, from visible light to X-ray, is provided for a variety of materials science, biology, and life science [2]. KEK strives to work closely with national and international research institutions, promoting collaborative research activities. Advanced research and facilities provision are key factors to be at the frontier of the accelerator science. In this review I am going to discuss KEK overall accelerator-based science, and to consider light sources research and development. The state of arts of the current projects with respect to the elementary particles physics in the external electromagnetic fields is also stressed here.

Autonomy, Beliefs and the Learning of Elementary Mathematics Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warfield, J.; Wood, T.; Lehman, J.D.

2005-01-01

Seven elementary teachers participated in a project designed to help them learn to teach mathematics according to reform recommendations. Teachers were provided opportunities to learn through both private reflection and public inquiry about their teaching and children's learning. The teachers' instruction, reflection, and beliefs were studied. All…

Exploring the impact of an industrial volunteer/school science partnership on elementary teaching strategies and attitudes about future science study: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, Michael Robert

This study reports the results of research designed to explore the impact of industrial volunteer/school partnerships on elementary science teaching behaviors and students' attitudes about future science study. Since these partnerships involved teachers and students in hands-on or laboratory-type science experiences, the study will add an elementary school component to a series of other studies conducted through the Science Education Program at Temple University that have addressed how to improve the learning outcomes from these experiences. Three suburban elementary schools were randomly selected by a single school district's science supervisor to be involved in this study. Two of the buildings were designated as the experimental schools and teachers worked directly with the researcher as an industrial partner. The third school served as a control with no organized industrial partner. An additional school building in a second suburban school district was selected to serve as a comparison school and a second scientist participated as an industrial volunteer. Unlike the researcher, this scientist had no formal training in science education. Each phase of the study included instruments piloted and reviewed by experienced elementary teachers for appropriateness or by objective experts in the field of education. A student attitude survey and selected tasks from the Inventory of Piagetian Developmental Tasks were administered to all students involved in the study. Empirical data collected through videotaped analysis using the validated Modified-Revised Vickery Science Teacher Behavior Inventory led to the development of a pattern of the most frequently used behaviors during elementary science instruction. A profile of each participating teacher was developed through the use of a validated attitude survey, notes taken during classroom interactions and from information collected during ethnographic interviews. A major conclusion drawn from this study is that neither type

Humanities in the Elementary School: A Handbook for Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Lucy

The humanities, an area of study often left out of the elementary curriculum, is essential as society becomes more global in nature. Because of the time restrictions in elementary teaching schedules, the humanities must be incorporated into the school program, not as an extra class, but as an enrichment of what is already taught. The purpose of…

Elementary and High School Teachers: Birds of a Feather?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marston, Susan H.; Brunetti, Gerald J.; Courtney, Victoria B.

2005-01-01

How similar to and different from each other are public elementary and high school teachers with respect to selected issues and values that define their practice? The present study attempted to shed light on this question by examining the motivations of three groups of teachers, two elementary and one high school, for remaining in teaching. The…

The influence of analogical reasoning instruction on the pedagogical reasoning ability of preservice elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, Mark Charles

Novice teachers with little prior knowledge of science concepts often resort to teaching science as a litany of jargon and definitions. The primary objective of this study was to establish the efficacy of analogy-based pedagogy on influencing the teaching performance of preservice elementary teachers, a group that has been identified for their particular difficulties in teaching science content. While numerous studies have focused on the efficacy of analogy-based instruction on the conceptual knowledge of learners, this was the first study to focus on the influence of analogy-based pedagogy instruction on the teaching performance of novice teachers. The study utilized a treatment/contrast group design where treatment and contrast groups were obtained from intact sections of a university course on methods of teaching science for preservice elementary education students. Preservice teachers in the treatment group were provided instruction in pedagogy that guided them in the generation of analogies to aid in the explanation phase of their learning cycle lessons. The process of generating and evaluating analogies for use in teaching was instrumental in focusing the preservice teachers' lesson planning efforts on critical attributes in target concepts, and away from misplaced concentrations on jargon and definitions. Teaching performance was primarily analyzed using coded indicants of Shulman's (1986) six stages of pedagogical reasoning ability. The primary data source was preservice teachers' work submitted for a major course assignment where the preservice teachers interviewed an elementary school student to gauge prior knowledge of Newtonian force concepts. The culmination of the semester-long assignment was the design of an individualized lesson that was presented by the preservice teachers to individual elementary school students. The results of this study strongly suggest that instruction in methods to include analogy-based pedagogy within a learning cycle lesson

Embracing Curriculum Compacting: Teacher Candidates Supporting Differentiated Instruction in Elementary Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livers, Stefanie D.; Paxton, Minda; O'Grady, Nicole; Tontillo, Michael

2018-01-01

This article discusses a collaborative effort to implement curriculum compacting activities with elementary students in conjunction with developing teacher candidates' abilities to teach mathematics. This endeavor included a partnership between a university and a local elementary school. All stakeholders benefited from this project: The elementary…

Classroom Materials for Teaching "The Particle Nature of Matter." Practical Paper No. 173.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pella, Milton O.; And Others

This document presents the lesson plans and tests used in the research study reported in Technical Report 173 (ED 070 658), together with descriptions of models and films developed for the teaching program. Thirty-one lessons are included, covering the topics of matter and energy; making interferences; particles; a model for matter; particles and…

Perceptions of science and art: An interdisciplinary investigation of preservice elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, Michelle Ann

Science and art have been intertwined throughout history. Leading educational organizations and researchers support interdisciplinary connections to maximize teaching scope and effectiveness. Preservice elementary teachers face unique challenges in developing appropriate pedagogical content knowledge in a variety of disciplines, including science and art. This multi-method, case study investigated the relationship between science and art as an example of two disciplines that seem disparate but actually have strong similarities. Attitudes and perceptions towards science and art, and the teaching of science and art were studied with a cohort of twenty-six preservice elementary teachers at a large, Midwestern university. Data was generated from pre- and post-tests, interviews, and observations in the elementary science and art methods courses. Interests and attitudes towards teaching science increased, and participants came to perceive science as a more creative and imaginative endeavor. Perceived self-efficacies towards teaching science and art increased significantly. Attitudes towards art and perceptions of outcome expectancy and cooperative peer relationships in both science and art did not change. Qualitative results suggested inadequate and naive views of science and art at the beginning and more developed views of science and art by the end of the coursework. Creativity and imagination in scientific and artistic inquiry was a pervading theme in the post-course data. Implications are discussed for elementary teacher education and further research in this area.

Mathematics Anxiety and Beliefs of Turkish Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uysal, Figen; Dede, Yüksel

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between pre-service elementary teachers' mathematics teaching beliefs and mathematics anxiety. The participants of the study consist of 96 pre-service elementary teachers from a department of primary education in a state university in Turkey during the 2010-2011 spring term. Mathematics…

Exploring Exemplary Elementary Teachers' Conceptions and Implementation of Inquiry Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrison, Judith A.

2013-01-01

This study was an exploration of the conceptions of inquiry science held by exemplary elementary teachers. The origins of these conceptions were explored in order to establish how best to improve elementary teachers' understanding and implementation of inquiry science teaching. Four focus group sessions were held as well as classroom observations.…

Professional Learning for Cultural Mathematics in Papua New Guinea's Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Kay; Edmonds-Wathen, Cris; Kravia, Geori; Sakopa, Priscilla

2014-01-01

A design of principles for teacher professional learning was developed to improve the teaching of "Cultural Mathematics" in elementary schools in Papua New Guinea. The design's appropriateness for PNG elementary schools is the focus of the research implemented through week-long workshops using technology enhancement. Implementation has…

Elementary Keyboarding Software Product Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, OR.

This report provides detailed product descriptions of 45 software programs designed to teach or improve the keyboarding skills of elementary school students that were identified by the MicroSIFT (Microcomputer Information and Software for Teachers) staff. The descriptions include program titles, producer names, costs, grade levels, hardware,…

Improving Citizenship Education: Elementary Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Edwin L., Ed.

Designed to enrich social studies education at the elementary level, this manual provides teaching strategies and citizenship units for kindergarten through grade 7. Kindergarten students learn about rules, voting, interdependence, wants vs. needs, environmental protection, homes and backgrounds, and goods and services. Grades 1 and 2 focus on the…

Robotics Literacy Captivates Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Madeleine

1986-01-01

Describes a robotics literacy course offered for elementary age children at Broward Community College (Florida) and discusses the motivation for offering such a course, the course philosophy and objectives, and participant reactions. A sampling of robots and robotics devices and some of their teaching applications are included. (MBR)

Increasing Bellevue School District's elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science: Using ideas from contemporary learning theory to inform professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maury, Tracy Anne

This Capstone project examined how leaders in the Bellevue School District can increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science through the use of professional learning activities that are grounded in ideas from human learning theory. A framework for professional development was constructed and from that framework, a set of professional learning activities were developed as a means to support teacher learning while project participants piloted new curriculum called the Isopod Habitat Challenge. Teachers in the project increased their understanding of the learning theory principles of preconceptions and metacognition. Teachers did not increase their understanding of the principle of learning with understanding, although they did articulate the significance of engaging children in student-led inquiry cycles. Data from the curriculum revision and professional development project coupled with ideas from learning theory, cognition and policy implementation, and learning community literatures suggest Bellevue's leaders can encourage peer-to-peer interaction, link professional development to teachers' daily practice, and capitalize on technology as ways to increase elementary teachers' capacity for teaching inquiry-based science. These lessons also have significance for supporting teacher learning and efficacy in other subject areas and at other levels in the system.

Math Is Like a Lion Hunting a Sleeping Gazelle: Preservice Elementary Teachers' Metaphors of Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latterell, Carmen M.; Wilson, Janelle L.

2016-01-01

Preservice elementary teachers hold a variety of beliefs about mathematics and mathematics learning, which influence their teaching. Previous research has shown that preservice elementary teachers believe that mathematics is doing arithmetic. However, it is unclear if preservice elementary teachers truly believe that mathematics is only…

Teacher perspectives on specialisation in the elementary classroom: implications for science instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poland, Susan; Colburn, Amanda; Long, David E.

2017-09-01

In the current educational climate of testing and accountability, many elementary teachers find they lack adequate time and confidence to enact reform-based science teaching due to pressure to perform in reading and mathematics. With this tension in mind, we explore the phenomenon of elementary teacher specialisation in comparison to the traditional, generalist model of teaching, wherein a teacher is responsible for teaching all subjects to one group of students each year. This mixed-methods study examines teacher perspectives on the practice of specialisation and generalisation through teacher interview data. Our teachers spoke candidly about their attitudes towards specialisation, the perceived impacts of specialization on teachers and students, and the role of accountability, administration, and testing in their decisions to specialise. Additionally, our teachers discussed time dedicated to science in specialist and generalist classrooms. Our findings suggest that specialist roles are sought by those who see specialisation as a means of reducing workload, while allowing for content mastery and improved instruction. Alternatively, generalist roles are sought by those who primarily view the role of elementary teaching as the care and development of children, and who prefer to focus on the classroom as a holistic, fluid space. Implications for science teaching are discussed.

Using Smart Boards and Manipulatives in the Elementary Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Susan F.; Shaw, Edward L., Jr.; Daughenbaugh, Lynda

2014-01-01

This study summarizes the results of a survey administered to 48 elementary schools in the largest school district in a southeastern U.S. state, conducted by university faculty to evaluate the use of SMART Boards and hands-on experiences, the objectives of which were to identify preparedness of elementary classroom teachers in teaching elementary…

Ecology, Elementary Teaching Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Iva Helen

In an effort to provide background information and encourage incorporation of ecological understandings into the curriculum, this teacher's guide has been devised for fourth and fifth grade teachers. It utilizes an activity-oriented approach to discovery and inquiry, outlining behavioral objectives, learning activities, teaching suggestions, and…

Methods in Elementary School Foreign Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtain, Helena

1991-01-01

A brief overview of the importance of the use of appropriate methodologies for elementary school foreign language instruction precedes a description of several strategies involving total physical response, story telling, games and songs, props, small-group work, role-play, content-based instruction, cultural and global awareness, language…

Teaching Nutrition in the Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banks, Mary Alice; Dunham, Margaret A.

This teaching manual is divided into three sections: (1) basic information on nutrition for teachers, (2) activities for learning about nutrition, suitable for first through third grades and fourth through sixth, and (3) sources of teaching aids and information on nutrition. Subjects include the four food groups, nutrients and principal food…

Being a Scientist While Teaching Science: Implementing Undergraduate Research Opportunities for Elementary Educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hock, Emily; Sharp, Zoe

2016-03-01

Aspiring teachers and current teachers can gain insight about the scientific community through hands-on experience. As America's standards for elementary school and middle school become more advanced, future and current teachers must gain hands-on experience in the scientific community. For a teacher to be fully capable of teaching all subjects, they must be comfortable in the content areas, equipped to answer questions, and able to pass on their knowledge. Hands-on research experiences, like the Summer Astronomy Research Experience at California Polytechnic University, pair liberal studies students with a cooperative group of science students and instructors with the goal of doing research that benefits the scientific community and deepens the team members' perception of the scientific community. Teachers are then able to apply the basic research process in their classrooms, inspire students to do real life science, and understand the processes scientists' undergo in their workplace.

Integrative Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Training: The Role of Interdisciplinary Collaborative Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiatula, Victoria Oliaku

2015-01-01

This primer summarizes interdisciplinary collaborative mathematics as an integrative approach to train pre-service elementary teachers to teach math utilizing Junior Achievement USA (JA) educational programs within an elementary Math Methods course. The primer provides a JA historical background/program overview, summarizes the interdisciplinary…

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Elementary Grade Schools in Bangkok, Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saifah, Yotsawee

2012-01-01

The purposes of this study were (a) to examine early elementary grade teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and their teaching practices in public schools in Bangkok, (b) to explore the functioning of developmentally appropriate practice in the two chosen early elementary schools, and (c) to determine the factors that influence the…

Preparation for Practice: Elementary Preservice Teachers Learning and Using Scientific Classroom Discourse Community Instructional Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Elizabeth; Dema, Oxana; Harshbarger, Dena

2014-01-01

Despite historical national efforts to improve elementary science education, science instruction continues to be marginalized, varying by state. This study was designed to address the ongoing challenge of educating elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach science. Elementary PSTs are one of the science education community's major links…

Science for Kids Outreach Programs: College Students Teaching Science to Elementary Students and Their Parents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehler, Birgit G.; Park, Lee Y.; Kaplan, Lawrence J.

1999-11-01

For a number of years we have been organizing and teaching a special outreach course during our Winter Study Program (the month of January). College students plan, develop, and present hands-on workshops to fourth-grade students and their parents, with faculty providing logistical support and pedagogical advice. Recent topics have been "Forensic Science", "Electricity and Magnetism", "Chemistry and Cooking", "Waves", "Natural Disasters", "Liquids", "Pressure", "Color and Light", "Momentum and Inertia", "Illusions", and "The Senses". The two-hour workshops, held one weekend on campus, emphasize hands-on experiments involving both the kids and the parents. Handouts for each workshop give instructions for doing several experiments at home. This program has been a great success for all involved: the college students gain insight into an aspect of science and what it takes to develop and teach that topic, the elementary school students participate in an exciting and challenging scientific exploration, and the parents have a chance to learn some science while spending time working on projects with their children. We provide an overview of the pedagogical aims of our current approach and a sense of the time-line for putting together such a program in a month.

Student Growth in Elementary Mathematics: A Cross Level Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Seong Hee

2012-01-01

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effect of knowledge for teaching mathematics and teaching practice on student mathematics achievement growth. Thirty two teachers and 299 fourth grade students in three elementary schools from one school district in urban area participated in the study. Most of them are Hispanic in origin and…

Effects of Elementary Teacher Preparation and Support on Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turpin-Padberg, Sarah

2017-01-01

With the start of every school year, new teachers enter classrooms across our country filled with excitement surrounding the impact they hope to have on students. Some teachers discover that teaching at the elementary level can often times involve more than teaching and loving children. The expectations, demands, and time constraints put on new…

Asthma Education: An Integrated Approach. Ideas for Elementary Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota State Dept. of Health, St. Paul.

This manual contains lesson plans for teaching all children how to monitor their own health and for teaching children with asthma how to play a role in the management of their condition. Each lesson plan is compatible with existing traditional elementary curricula for math, science, health, or language arts. After an introduction that discusses…

Writing in the Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrin, Robert

Twenty-six teachers at a suburban school near Terre Haute, Indiana, responded to a survey to determine the activities used to teach writing in their classrooms. The results suggest the following: (1) writing in elementary classes concentrates heavily on "creative" writing and responses to literature, and should be broadened to include expository…

Wanted: A Revolution in Elementary Science Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, College Park, MD.

Children come to school with a foundation for formal learning from their early experiences with interactions of the natural and technological world. Failure of elementary schools to build on this experience can discourage children, especially those who do not identify readily with the science establishment (girls, blacks, Hispanics, and the…

Looking back and moving forward: A mixed methods study of elementary science teacher preparation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hulings, Melissa

This study sought to understand how science learning experiences, and their potential influence, had on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy and perceptions of science teaching and learning at the beginning of their science methods course. Following an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study first involved the collection of quantitative data and then the collection of more in-depth qualitative data. In the first phase, the quantitative data included the Draw-a-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) of preservice elementary teachers (n = 69). Findings from this phase indicated preservice elementary teachers had a higher level of belief in their abilities to teach science (PSTE subscale) than to affect student outcomes in science (STOE subscale). However, the STOE was not found to be a reliable measure for this group of preservice elementary teachers and was not included in any further analysis. Findings from the DASTT-C images indicated the majority of these drawings could not be classified as student-centered. In the second phase of this study, the researcher explored selected science autobiographies written by these same preservice elementary teachers (n = 19), based on extremely high or low scores on the PSTE subscale and DASTT-C. Analysis of the science autobiographies revealed commonalities and differences. Commonalities included (a) the difficulty in remembering science from elementary school; (b) a mixture of positive and negative experiences in secondary school and college science classes; (c) the descriptions of good science days and good science teachers; and (d) the descriptions of bad science days and bad science teachers. Differences included (a) the people who influenced their attitudes toward science; (b) the types of experiences, when remembered, from elementary school; and (c) visions of their future classrooms. Based on these findings, these preservice

Taking risks with a growth mindset: long-term influence of an elementary pre-service after school science practicum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, T. J.; Hallar, B.

2018-02-01

In this study, we present the long-term influence of an after school science practicum associated with an elementary science methods course. The practicum or field experience could be considered a community-based service learning programme as it is situated both within and for the community. Study participants included eight third- and fifth-grade teachers who had participated in elementary science methods courses; four of these teachers participated in the after school teaching practicum while four participants experienced a more traditional observation-based elementary science practicum. All of these teachers were in their second or third year teaching which was 3-4 years after taking the methods course. Investigation methods included questionnaires, field observations and semi-structured, individual interviews. Teachers more regularly utilised reform-based teaching strategies and cited the after school teaching practicum as preparing them to use these strategies in their own classrooms. All teachers exhibited a growth mindset to some degree, but the after school practicum participants did demonstrate a wider use of reformed-based teaching strategies and a higher growth mindset. Elementary teachers perceive risk associated with these key aspects of instruction: (1) managing instruction and classroom management, (2) teaching science through guided inquiry, and (3) overcoming adoptions in other 'mandated' curriculum like math and reading.

The Archetypes and Philosophical Motivations of Urban Elementary Physical Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Culp, Brian

2011-01-01

Brookfield (1990), Brown (2002) and Weiner (2006) have advocated for the study of teachers' philosophies as integral to understanding motivation for teaching in urban settings. The purpose of this study investigates the teaching philosophies of 13 experienced urban elementary physical educators. Content analysis of the data collected from teachers…

Your Science Classroom: Becoming an Elementary/Middle School Science Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldston, M. Jenice; Downey, Laura

2012-01-01

Designed around a practical "practice-what-you-teach" approach to methods instruction, "Your Science Classroom: Becoming an Elementary/Middle School Science Teacher" is based on current constructivist philosophy, organized around 5E inquiry, and guided by the National Science Education Teaching Standards. Written in a reader-friendly style, the…

Lesson Study: Developing a Knowledge Base for Elementary Writing Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McQuitty, Vicki

2011-01-01

Concern about students' writing skills has led to recommendations that elementary teachers receive more professional development in how to teach writing (National Commission on Writing, 2006). However, there is currently little evidence about the knowledge teachers need to teach writing well, and it is therefore difficult for teacher…

A Comparison of Concerns of Secondary and Elementary Student Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahan, James M.

Elementary and secondary school student teachers were tested before, during, and after their teaching experiences to determine if there were changes in their concerns about teaching. Three categories of concerns, each with eight items, were ranked: methods concerns, pertaining to instructional skills and content knowledge; cultural concerns,…

Using Technology to Engage Preservice Elementary Teachers in Learning about Scientific Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Loretta L.; MacArthur, James R.; Akaygün, Sevil

2011-01-01

Elementary teachers are often required to teach inquiry in their classrooms despite having had little exposure to inquiry learning themselves. In a capstone undergraduate science course preservice elementary teachers experience scientific inquiry through the completion of group projects, activities, readings and discussion, in order to develop a…

An Evaluation of Elementary School Mathematics Programs Utilizing the Mini-Calculator.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Patricia; Virgin, A. E.

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement, attitudes, and teaching/learning experiences in mathematics programs of two groups of elementary-school students in grades 5 and 6. Approximately 150 students in each of two elementary schools were given as a pretest a standardized mathematics achievement test and a questionnaire regarding…

The Richtmyer Memorial Lecture--When is a Particle?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drell, Sidney D.

1978-01-01

Discusses the concept of elementary particles. Reviews the history of the neutrino, and explains why the quarks, although they themselves are not "observed" in isolation, are to be considered elementary particles. (GA)

An Elementary School Museum Celebrates Community Diversity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branen, Karen; Congdon, Kristin

1994-01-01

Asserts that multicultural approaches to art education have increased in number and variety in recent years. Describes an in-school museum elementary art program that teaches students to appreciate the everyday art found in their ethnically diverse homes. (CFR)

Aerospace Concepts at the Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journal of Aerospace Education, 1975

1975-01-01

Presents materials compiled to assist the elementary teacher in preparing teaching units in aerospace education. Suggests specific and general objectives and lists important concepts and questions pertaining to areas such as: history of flight, weather and flying, airplanes, jets, rockets, space travel, and the solar system. (MLH)

Teaching Hearing-Impaired Children in Iraq Using a New Teaching Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, N. D. C.; Mustafa, N.

1986-01-01

Describes a field test and results of a new didactic teaching method involving resource-based learning to teach various aspects of mathematics and science (fractions, magnetism, planets) to elementary aged hearing impaired student in Iraq. The dramatic improvements in language for learners is described and implications of the methods are…

Constructing Gender: Contradictions in the Life of a Male Elementary Teacher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fordice, Debrah J.; Nielsen, Lynn E.

2013-01-01

Drawing upon observations, written communications, and monthly interviews spanning the participant's first year of teaching, this case study reveals contradictions men face as elementary teachers. Entering teaching with a "male" advantage, Brad was isolated within a "female" profession. Becoming the male role model he always…

Theoretical & Experimental Studies of Elementary Particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McFarland, Kevin

2012-10-04

Abstract High energy physics has been one of the signature research programs at the University of Rochester for over 60 years. The group has made leading contributions to experimental discoveries at accelerators and in cosmic rays and has played major roles in developing the theoretical framework that gives us our ``standard model'' of fundamental interactions today. This award from the Department of Energy funded a major portion of that research for more than 20 years. During this time, highlights of the supported work included the discovery of the top quark at the Fermilab Tevatron, the completion of a broad programmore » of physics measurements that verified the electroweak unified theory, the measurement of three generations of neutrino flavor oscillations, and the first observation of a ``Higgs like'' boson at the Large Hadron Collider. The work has resulted in more than 2000 publications over the period of the grant. The principal investigators supported on this grant have been recognized as leaders in the field of elementary particle physics by their peers through numerous awards and leadership positions. Most notable among them is the APS W.K.H. Panofsky Prize awarded to Arie Bodek in 2004, the J.J. Sakurai Prizes awarded to Susumu Okubo and C. Richard Hagen in 2005 and 2010, respectively, the Wigner medal awarded to Susumu Okubo in 2006, and five principal investigators (Das, Demina, McFarland, Orr, Tipton) who received Department of Energy Outstanding Junior Investigator awards during the period of this grant. The University of Rochester Department of Physics and Astronomy, which houses the research group, provides primary salary support for the faculty and has waived most tuition costs for graduate students during the period of this grant. The group also benefits significantly from technical support and infrastructure available at the University which supports the work. The research work of the group has provided educational opportunities for graduate

Higgs Particle: The Origin of Mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Yasuhiro

2007-11-01

The Higgs particle is a new elementary particle predicted in the Standard Model of the elementary particle physics. It plays a special role in the theory of mass generation of quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons. In this article, theoretical issues on the Higgs mechanism are first discussed, and then experimental prospects on the Higgs particle study at the future collider experiments, LHC and ILC, are reviewed. The Higgs coupling determination is an essential step to establish the mass generation mechanism, which could lead to a deeper understanding of particle physics.

Studying Peace in Elementary Schools: Laying a Foundation for the "Peaceable Kingdom."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tabachnick, B. Robert

1990-01-01

Examines peace education at the elementary school level, stressing the need to include interpersonal and international relations when teaching peace. Suggests peace education can lead children to prosocial behavior. Sees peace as a positive of being. Urges the infusion of peace education throughout the elementary social studies curriculum. (CH)

It's Never Too Early: Why Economics Education in the Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meszaros, Bonnie T.; Evans, Stella

2010-01-01

There never seems to be enough time to teach everything that administrators, policy advocates, parents, legislators, and the general public think should be addressed in the elementary classroom. Each year, elementary teachers are asked to add more and more to their already crowded curriculum. Add to this the pressures of state standards and making…

The Role of Struggle in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Experiences as Students and Approaches to Facilitating Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Rachel E.; Kittleson, Julie M.

2012-01-01

Science education researchers are concerned with preparing pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) to teach in ways that support students to learn science in a meaningful way. Preparing elementary teachers to teach science is complicated given that they tend to be generalists and may not have the same experience with science as secondary teachers.…

Engineering Encounters: Teaching Educators about Engineering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tank, Kristina M.; Raman, D. Raj; Lamm, Monica H.; Sundararajan, Sriram; Estapa, Anne

2017-01-01

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance science teaching. This month's issue describes preservice elementary teachers learning engineering principles from engineers. Few elementary teachers have experience with implementing engineering into the classroom. While engineering professional development opportunities for inservice teachers…

Teaching Children Science. Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abruscato, Joseph

This book focuses on science teaching at the elementary school level. It includes chapters dealing with various science content areas and teaching processes including: (1) what is science; (2) why teach science; (3) process skills as a foundation for unit and lesson planning; (4) how to plan learning units, daily lessons, and assessment…

Science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, values, and concerns of teaching through inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assiri, Yahya Ibrahim

This study investigated elementary science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, values, and concerns of teaching through inquiry. A mixed-methods research design was utilized to address the research questions. Since this study was designed as a mixed-methods research approach, the researcher gathered two type of data: quantitative and qualitative. The study was conducted in Mohayel School District, Saudi Arabia. The information was collected from 51 participants using a questionnaire with multiple choice questions; also, 11 participants were interviewed. After collecting the data, descriptive and comparative approaches were used. In addition, themes and codes were used to obtain the results. The results indicated that the mean of elementary science teachers' knowledge was 51.23%, which was less than 60% which was the acceptable score. Also, the qualitative results showed that science teachers had a limited background of teaching through inquiry. In addition, the elementary science teachers had a high level of belief to teach science through inquiry since the mean was 3.99 out of 5.00. These quantitative results were confirmed by the qualitative data. Moreover, the overall mean of elementary science teachers was 4.01, which indicated that they believed in the importance of teaching science through inquiry which was also confirmed by the responses of teachers in the interviews. Also, the findings indicated that elementary school science teachers had concerns about teaching science through inquiry since the overall mean was 3.53. In addition, the interviewees mentioned that they faced some obstacles when they teach by inquiry, such as time, resources, class size, and the teachers' background. Generally, the results did not show any significant differences among elementary science teachers' knowledge, beliefs, values, and concerns depending on gender, level of education, and teaching experience. However, the findings indicated there was one significant difference which was

Health Science Education in Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stier, William F., Jr.

Concern surrounding the status of health education in elementary schools centers around (1) a lack of agreement concerning content, scope, and sequence, (2) its interdisciplinary character, (3) poor teacher preparation, and (4) reliance on incidental teaching and learning situations. Improvement depends upon: (1) defining the areas of concern for…

From the University to the Classroom: Prospective Elementary Mathematics Specialists' Pedagogical Shifts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Kayla D.; Swars, Susan L.; Smith, Stephanie Z.

2016-01-01

This project focuses on the development of prospective Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs) in a K-5 Mathematics Endorsement Program. Program courses emphasized elementary mathematics content and pedagogy while providing opportunities for participants to evidence their learning through classroom teaching practice, all in an attempt to…

Improving Written Expression in the Elementary Schools; A Rationale and Plan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brouillet, Frank B.

This booklet is intended to help people establish goals, objectives, activities, and evaluation tools for teaching elementary writing. The following topics are discussed: practical writing, invention, writing games, voice, personal writing, strategies and techniques teachers can use to enhance personal writing, teaching grammar and writing,…

Teacher Perspectives on Specialisation in the Elementary Classroom: Implications for Science Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poland, Susan; Colburn, Amanda; Long, David E.

2017-01-01

In the current educational climate of testing and accountability, many elementary teachers find they lack adequate time and confidence to enact reform-based science teaching due to pressure to perform in reading and mathematics. With this tension in mind, we explore the phenomenon of elementary teacher specialisation in comparison to the…

Preservice Teachers' Uptake and Understanding of Funds of Knowledge in Elementary Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLaughlin, David S.; Barton, Angela Calabrese

2013-01-01

In this manuscript, we use a "learning to notice" framework to suggest that preservice elementary teachers bring a range of interpretations and responses to their students' funds of knowledge and science teaching and learning. By examining data from three sections of an elementary methods course, we find that preservice teachers recognized…

Integrating Inquiry-Based Science and Education Methods Courses in a "Science Semester" for Future Elementary Teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, J.; Fifield, S.; Allen, D.; Brickhouse, N.; Dagher, Z.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.

2001-05-01

In this NSF-funded project we will adapt problem-based learning (PBL) and other inquiry-based approaches to create an integrated science and education methods curriculum ("science semester") for elementary teacher education majors. Our goal is to foster integrated understandings of science and pedagogy that future elementary teachers need to effectively use inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms. This project responds to calls to improve science education for all students by making preservice teachers' experiences in undergraduate science courses more consistent with reforms at the K-12 level. The involved faculty teach three science courses (biology, earth science, physical science) and an elementary science education methods course that are degree requirements for elementary teacher education majors. Presently, students take the courses in variable sequences and at widely scattered times. Too many students fail to appreciate the value of science courses to their future careers as teachers, and when they reach the methods course in the junior year they often retain little of the science content studied earlier. These episodic encounters with science make it difficult for students to learn the content, and to translate their understandings of science into effective, inquiry-based teaching strategies. To encourage integrated understandings of science concepts and pedagogy we will coordinate the science and methods courses in a junior-year science semester. Traditional subject matter boundaries will be crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based elementary science. We will adapt exemplary approaches that support both learning science and learning how to teach science. Students will work collaboratively on multidisciplinary PBL activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. "Lecture" meetings will be large group active learning sessions that help students understand difficult

Pre-Service Teachers' Views of Inquiry Teaching and Their Responses to Teacher Educators' Feedback on Teaching Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Hye-Gyoung; Kim, Mijung; Kim, Byoung Sug; Joung, Yong Jae; Park, Young-Shin

2013-01-01

This study attempted to explore 15 Korean elementary pre-service teachers' views of inquiry teaching. During a science teaching methods course, pre-service teachers implemented a peer teaching lesson, had a group discussion to reflect on five teacher educators' comments on their first peer teaching practice, and revised and re-taught the lesson as…

A narrative study of novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harrell, Roberta

It is hoped that, once implemented, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will engage students more deeply in science learning and build science knowledge sequentially beginning in Kindergarten (NRC, 2013). Early instruction is encouraged but must be delivered by qualified elementary teachers who have both the science content knowledge and the necessary instructional skills to teach science effectively to young children (Ejiwale, 2012, Spencer, Vogel, 2009, Walker, 2011). The purpose of this research study is to gain insight into novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction. This research suggests that infusion of constructivist teaching in the elementary classroom is beneficial to the teacher's instruction of science concepts to elementary students. Constructivism is theory that learning is centered on the learner constructing new ideas or concepts built upon their current/past knowledge (Bruner, 1966). Based on this theory, it is recommended that the instructor should try to encourage students to discover principles independently; essentially the instructor presents the problem and lets students go (Good & Brophy, 2004). Discovery learning, hands-on, experimental, collaborative, and project-based learning are all approaches that use constructivist principles. The NGSS are based on constructivist principles. This narrative study provides insight into novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction considered through the lens of Constructivist Theory (Bruner, 1960).

Summer Literacy Unit for Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahrenfuss, Diane M.; Weih, Timothy G.

2016-01-01

This paper contains an instructional unit designed for teaching elementary students who struggle with reading comprehension. The literacy strategies that comprise the unit are grounded in the relevant research-based literature that is cited and referenced in the paper. Methods for instructional delivery are included as well as detailed lessons.…

The Self-Efficacy of Preservice Elementary Teachers in Kuwaiti Science Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebrahim, Ali H.

2012-01-01

This study examined educational factors that positively influenced the confidence of students training to be elementary science educators (self efficacy). Specifically, it compared the impacts of a science method course and a practicum teaching course on Kuwait University students. Using a pre/post design, The Science Teaching Efficacy Belief…

The development of elementary teacher identities as teachers of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrier, Sarah J.; Whitehead, Ashley N.; Walkowiak, Temple A.; Luginbuhl, Sarah C.; Thomson, Margareta M.

2017-09-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the contributions of pre-service teachers' memories of science and science education, combined with their experiences in a STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, to their developing identities as elementary school teachers of science. Data collected over three years include a series of interviews and observations of science teaching during elementary teacher preparation and the first year of teaching. Grounded within a theoretical framework of identity and using a case-study research design, we examined experiences that contributed to the participants' identity development, focusing on key themes from teacher interviews: memories of science and science instruction, STEM-focused teacher preparation programme, field experiences, first year of teaching, and views of effective science instruction. Findings indicate the importance of exposure to reform strategies during teacher preparation and are summarised in main assertions and discussed along with implications for teacher preparation and research.

Graduate students teaching elementary earth science through interactive classroom lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caswell, T. E.; Goudge, T. A.; Jawin, E. R.; Robinson, F.

2014-12-01

Since 2005, graduate students in the Brown University Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Studies have volunteered to teach science to second-grade students at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in Providence, RI. Initially developed to bring science into classrooms where it was not explicitly included in the curriculum, the graduate student-run program today incorporates the Providence Public Schools Grade 2 science curriculum into weekly, interactive sessions that engage the students in hypothesis-driven science. We will describe the program structure, its integration into the Providence Public Schools curriculum, and 3 example lessons relevant to geology. Lessons are structured to develop the students' ability to share and incorporate others' ideas through written and oral communication. The volunteers explain the basics of the topic and engage the students with introductory questions. The students use this knowledge to develop a hypothesis about the upcoming experiment, recording it in their "Science Notebooks." The students record their observations during the demonstration and discuss the results as a group. The process culminates in the students using their own words to summarize what they learned. Activities of particular interest to educators in geoscience are called "Volcanoes!", "The "Liquid Race," and "Phases of the Moon." The "Volcanoes!" lesson explores explosive vs. effusive volcanism using two simulated volcanoes: one explosive, using Mentos and Diet Coke, and one effusive, using vinegar and baking soda (in model volcanoes that the students construct in teams). In "Liquid Race," which explores viscosity and can be integrated into the "Volcanoes!" lesson, the students connect viscosity to flow speed by racing liquids down a ramp. "Phases of the Moon" teaches the students why the Moon has phases, using ball and stick models, and the terminology of the lunar phases using cream-filled cookies (e.g., Oreos). These lessons, among many others

Plato's TIMAIOσ (TIMAEUS) and Modern Particle Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machleidt, Ruprecht

2005-04-01

It is generally known that the question, ``What are the smallest particles (elementary particles) that all matter is made from?'', was posed already in the antiquity. The Greek natural philosophers Leucippus and Democritus were the first to suggest that all matter was made from atoms. Therefore, most people perceive them as the ancient fathers of elementary particle physics. It will be the purpose of my contribution to point out that this perception is wrong. Modern particle physics is not just a primitive atomism. More important than the materialistic particles are the underlying symmetries (e. g., SU(3) and SU(6)). A similar idea was first advanced by Plato in his dialog TIMAIOσ (Latin translation: TIMAEUS): Geometric symmetries generate the materialistic particles from a few even more elementary items. Plato's vision is amazingly close to the ideas of modern particle physics. This fact, which is unfortunately little known, has been pointed out repeatedly by Heisenberg (see, e. g., Werner Heisenberg, Across the Frontiers, Harper & Row, New York, 1974).

Physician as teacher: promoting health and wellness among elementary school students.

PubMed

Stefaniak, Jill E; Lucia, Victoria C

2014-01-01

Every day, physicians engage in teaching during their patient encounters. It may be that medical students who are introduced to the principles of teaching and learning are more likely to become good communicators and learners. Service-learning may be an effective way for medical students to practice skills in teaching and communication in a real-world setting, while also filling a need within the community. The purpose of this study was to identify common themes within medical students' reflections on what they learned through participating in a teaching exercise with local elementary school children. As a required component of a longitudinal prevention and public health course that spans the first and second years of undergraduate medical education, second year students at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, in Detroit, Michigan, in the USA completed a service-learning activity, which included teaching a standardized curricular module to local elementary school children. Students were required to complete a reflection assignment based on their teaching experience. Medical students' responses to assignment's three guided questions were qualitatively coded to identify common themes among the responses related to the teaching activity. Qualitative analysis of students' reflections revealed several themes regarding what the students learned and viewed as the benefits of the activity: The importance of early education and parental involvement; the importance of understanding your audience when teaching; the importance of simplifying complex concepts to the audience's level; and the importance of preparation for teaching. Medical students identified the difficulties of communicating at an audience appropriate level and providing patient education outside the confines of a controlled classroom setting. This activity provided medical students with hands-on experience presenting to an audience age-appropriate, health-related topics. Presenting in an

Engineering Professional Development: Elementary Teachers' Self-efficacy and Sources of Self-efficacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Donna Louise

Currently, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a popular buzz word in P-12 education as it represents a means to advance American competitiveness in the global economy. Proponents of the engineering component of STEM advocate additional benefits in teaching engineering, such as its capacity to engage students in collaboration, and to apply critical thinking, systems thinking, negotiation, and communication skills to solve real-life contextual problems. Establishing a strong foundation of engineering knowledge at a young age will provide students with internal motivation as it taps into their curiosity toward how things work, and it also prepares them for secondary science courses. Successful STEM education is often constrained by elementary teachers' low perception of self-efficacy to teach science and engineering. Elementary teachers with low self-efficacy in science are more likely to spend less instructional time teaching science, which suggests that teachers with little to no training in engineering might avoid teaching this topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of engineering professional development on elementary (K-6) teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and perceptions of self-efficacy to teach engineering, and (b) to identify and explain sources influencing self-efficacy. Professional development was conducted in a metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest. Results revealed that after the engineering professional development, teachers experienced statistically significant gains in content, PCK, and self-efficacy to teach engineering. Increases in self-efficacy were mainly attributed to mastery experiences and cultivation of a growth mindset by embracing the engineering design process.

Powerful and Purposeful Teaching and Learning in Elementary School Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Social Education, 2009

2009-01-01

If American young learners are to become effective participants in a democratic society, then social studies must be an essential part of the curriculum in each of the elementary years. The purpose of elementary school social studies is to enable students to understand, participate in, and make informed decisions about their world. Social studies…

Investigating a redesigned physics course for future elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fracchiolla, Claudia

There is a growing concern that the number of students graduating with a STEM major in the U.S. is insufficient to fill the growing demand in STEM careers. In order to fulfill that demand, it is important to increase student retention in STEM majors and also to attract more students to pursue careers in those areas. Previous research has indicated that children start losing interest in science at the elementary level because science is taught with a focus on learning vocabulary and ideas rather than learning through inquiry-based techniques. A factor that affects the quality of science education at the elementary level is the preparation of elementary teachers. Many elementary teachers feel unprepared to teach science because they lack adequate content knowledge as well as the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the subject. Previous studies of teacher preparation in science identified some areas with which pre-service teachers need assistance. One of these areas is understanding children's ideas of science. To address that issue, this dissertation investigates whether the use of an instructional approach that teaches physics phenomena along with an understanding of how children think about the physical phenomena promotes changes in students' knowledge of children's ideas and use of those ideas in instructional and assessment strategies. Results indicated that students who were explicitly exposed to knowledge of children's ideas more often incorporated those ideas into their own microteaching and demonstrated higher levels of sophistication of knowledge of children's ideas, instructional strategies, and assessment strategies that incorporated those ideas. This research explores an instructional model for blending physics content and pedagogical content knowledge.

Conceptual Change in Elementary School Teacher Candidate Knowledge of Rock-Cycle Processes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stofflett, Rene Therese

1994-01-01

Investigates the knowledge of elementary school teacher candidates on rock-cycle processes. Three different instructional interventions were used to improve their knowledge: (1) conceptual-change teaching; (2) traditional didactic teaching; and (3) microteaching. The conceptual-change group showed the most growth in understanding, supporting…

Precision in the Teaching, Learning, and Communication of Elementary School Mathematics: A Reply to Wilson's "Elementary School Mathematics Priorities"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Carolyn; Weber, Keith

2009-01-01

In "Elementary School Mathematics Priorities," Wilson (2009 [this issue]) presents a list of five core concepts that students should master in elementary school so that they can succeed in algebra. As researchers in mathematics education, the authors enthusiastically endorse Wilson's recommendations. Learning algebra is key to further study of…

Elementary/Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Business Education Association, Reston, VA.

Developed through a cooperative effort of many teachers and researchers, this guide is intended to supplement existing elementary and middle school materials on keyboarding. The guide contains sections that are designed for stand-alone use. Topics cover a wide range of strategies, including teaching special needs students. The U.S. Postal Service…

Teaching science in a poor urban school in pakistan: Tensions in the life history of a female elementary teacher

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Upadhyay, Bhaskar; Calabrese Barton, Angela; Zahur, Rubina

2005-09-01

In this paper, we draw from a narrative life history approach to report in depth on the experiences of one teacher, Shagufta, in a high-poverty urban elementary school in Lahore, Pakistan. The purpose of reporting Shagufta's story is twofold. First, we want to make sense of her role as a science teacher - what should the children in her school learn in science, and why, if these children are expected by Pakistani society to leave formal education before the eighth grade? Second, what core tensions mark Shagufta's story as she has tried to craft her science teaching practice?

Examining South Korea's Elementary Physical Education Performance Assessment Using Assessment Literacy Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yongnam

2017-01-01

This study examines the issues pertaining to South Korea's elementary physical education (PE) performance assessment, using an assessment literacy (Hay & Penney, 2013) perspective to propose future directions. Eight elementary teachers currently teaching PE were selected as participants. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth…

Evaluation of Pre-Service Teachers' Images of Science Teaching in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, Hulya; Turkmen, Hakan; Pedersen, Jon E.; Huyuguzel Cavas, Pinar

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary pre-service teachers' image of science teaching, analyze the gender differences in image of science teaching, and evaluate restructured 2004 education reform by using a Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C). Two hundred thirteen (213) pre-service elementary teachers from three…

Dilemmas of Teaching Inquiry in Elementary Science Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, William J., Jr.; Abell, Sandra K.; Hubbard, Paula D.; McDonald, James; Otaala, Justine; Martini, Mariana

2004-01-01

Because various definitions of inquiry exist in the science education literature and in classroom practice, elementary science methods students and instructors face dilemmas during the study of inquiry. Using field notes, instructor anecdotal notes, student products, and course artifacts, science methods course instructors created fictional…

Examining Mathematics Anxiety in Elementary Classroom Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAnallen, Rachel R.

2010-01-01

Test anxiety and mathematics anxiety have been found to relate to mathematics performance in both children and adults. This study investigated mathematics anxiety in elementary teachers and whether those who experience mathematics anxiety also have professional anxiety about teaching mathematics. A researcher-developed instrument called the…

Flipping Preservice Elementary Teachers' Mathematics Anxieties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dove, Anthony; Dove, Emily

2017-01-01

In preparing future elementary educators in mathematics, helping them overcome their anxieties of mathematics and teaching mathematics is paramount. This study examined how different instructional practices (in-class lecture, flipped learning with teacher-created videos, flipped classroom with Khan Academy videos) compared in improving students'…

Common-Sense Classroom Management: Surviving September and Beyond in the Elementary Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindberg, Jill A.; Swick, April M.

This manual contains techniques for creating successful teaching and learning environments in diverse elementary classrooms. Using humor, drawings, and a conversational tone, it provides suggestions for teaching effectively and efficiently. Special highlights include five-steps-or-less strategies that can be adapted into any classroom, an outline…

The Training of Elementary School Teachers in Mathematics in the Countries Represented in the International Commission on the Teaching of Mathematics. Bulletin, 1915, No. 39. Whole Number 666

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kandel, I. L.

1915-01-01

The accompanying report deals with the mathematical training of prospective teachers in elementary schools as described in the reports submitted by the International Commission of the Teaching of Mathematics to the Fifth International Congress of Mathematicians, held at Cambridge, England, in August, 1912. A comparative study of the facts…

Personal Beliefs and Job Satisfaction of Illinois Elementary General Music Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellermeyer, Rebecca J.

2009-01-01

The retention of elementary general music teachers is of primary concern to the music education community. Teachers complete four years of college with additional coursework or masters degrees to improve and enhance their teaching expertise. With increased amounts of time and money involved in the training of these music teaching professionals,…

Qualitative Analysis of Information Communication Technology Use on Teaching-Learning Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akahori, Kanji

This paper describes some of the features of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and its uses in the teaching-learning process in elementary schools. In most schools, it is difficult for ICT to be used effectively in the teaching-learning process. The author observed many classes using ICT in elementary schools. Qualitative data, such as…

Teaching Planetary Sciences in Bilingual Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebofsky, L. A.; Lebofsky, N. R.

1993-05-01

Planetary sciences can be used to introduce students to the natural world which is a part of their lives. Even children in an urban environment are aware of such phenomena as day and night, shadows, and the seasons. It is a science that transcends cultures, has been prominent in the news in recent years, and can generate excitement in young minds as no other science can. It also provides a useful tool for understanding other sciences and mathematics, and for developing problem solving skills which are important in our technological world. However, only 15 percent of elementary school teachers feel very well qualified to teach earth/space science, while better than 80% feel well qualified to teach reading; many teachers avoid teaching science; very little time is actually spent teaching science in the elementary school: 19 minutes per day in K--3 and 38 minutes per day in 4--6. While very little science is taught in elementary and middle school, earth/space science is taught at the elementary level in less than half of the states. Therefore in order to teach earth/space science to our youth, we must empower our teachers, making them familiar and comfortable with existing materials. Tucson has another, but not unique, problem. The largest public school district, the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD), provides a neighborhood school system enhanced with magnet, bilingual and special needs schools for a school population of 57,000 students that is 4.1% Native American, 6.0% Black, and 36.0% Hispanic (1991). This makes TUSD and the other school districts in and around Tucson ideal for a program that reaches students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. However, few space sciences materials exist in Spanish; most materials could not be used effectively in the classroom. To address this issue, we have translated NASA materials into Spanish and are conducting a series of workshops for bilingual classroom teachers. We will discuss in detail our bilingual classroom workshops

Perspectives, Partnerships, and Values in Science Education: A University and Public Elementary School Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herwitz, Stanley R.; Guerra, Marion

1996-01-01

Describes a course teaching planetary science to elementary school students in collaboration with a university. Chronicles how a partnership between an elementary school teacher and a university-based research scientist effectively shaped the teacher's understanding of values and attitudes inherent in science education. Presents a model for…

Factors Influencing Science Content Accuracy in Elementary Inquiry Science Lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowicki, Barbara L.; Sullivan-Watts, Barbara; Shim, Minsuk K.; Young, Betty; Pockalny, Robert

2013-06-01

Elementary teachers face increasing demands to engage children in authentic science process and argument while simultaneously preparing them with knowledge of science facts, vocabulary, and concepts. This reform is particularly challenging due to concerns that elementary teachers lack adequate science background to teach science accurately. This study examined 81 in-classroom inquiry science lessons for preservice education majors and their cooperating teachers to determine the accuracy of the science content delivered in elementary classrooms. Our results showed that 74 % of experienced teachers and 50 % of student teachers presented science lessons with greater than 90 % accuracy. Eleven of the 81 lessons (9 preservice, 2 cooperating teachers) failed to deliver accurate science content to the class. Science content accuracy was highly correlated with the use of kit-based resources supported with professional development, a preference for teaching science, and grade level. There was no correlation between the accuracy of science content and some common measures of teacher content knowledge (i.e., number of college science courses, science grades, or scores on a general science content test). Our study concluded that when provided with high quality curricular materials and targeted professional development, elementary teachers learn needed science content and present it accurately to their students.

Improving Elementary Science Education in a Developing Country: A Case Study From Fiji

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Neil; Maiwaikatakata, Tema; Biukoto, Emele; Suluma, Wili; Coll, Richard K.

2008-01-01

Improved science education is seen as an important goal for many developing countries. The role of elementary science is of particular importance, given that research has shown a high correlation between economic growth and the time spent on elementary science education. However, the teaching of science in many developing countries is dominated by…

Outdoor Education Activities for Elementary School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Connie L.

Outdoor education is an informal method of teaching and learning which offers opportunities for elementary school students, regardless of intellectual abilities, to learn about and appreciate their environment and acquire skills with which to enjoy a lifetime of creative, productive, and healthful living. Outdoor education can enrich, vitalize,…

Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dauer, Victor P.; Pangrazi, Robert P.

This guide offers a functional, child-tested physical education program for elementary students. Chapters in the book discuss the following topics: (a) current educational and sociological trends; (b) rationale for the program; (c) guidelines for program planning; (d) organization for effective teaching; (e) basis of movement learning and…

Teaching Photosynthesis with ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Susan; Shaw, Edward Lewis, Jr.

2010-01-01

Although the teaching of photosynthesis occurs yearly in elementary classrooms, one thing that makes it challenging is the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs). This article presents several activities for teaching and assessing of photosynthesis in a third grade classroom. The activities incorporate the photosynthesis content, teaching…

Introduction to Elementary Particle Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettini, Alessandro

The Standard Model is the most comprehensive physical theory ever developed. This textbook conveys the basic elements of the Standard Model using elementary concepts, without the theoretical rigor found in most other texts on this subject. It contains examples of basic experiments, allowing readers to see how measurements and theory interplay in the development of physics. The author examines leptons, hadrons and quarks, before presenting the dynamics and the surprising properties of the charges of the different forces. The textbook concludes with a brief discussion on the recent discoveries of physics beyond the Standard Model, and its connections with cosmology. Quantitative examples are given, and the reader is guided through the necessary calculations. Each chapter ends in the exercises, and solutions to some problems are included in the book. Complete solutions are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521880213. This textbook is suitable for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students.

From inside the black box: Teacher perceptions of science instruction at the elementary level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrini, Cynthia D.

Science education reform projects aimed at elementary school children arose in the 1960's. The most prevalent of these reforms utilized the inquiry, or hands-on, science method. Billions of dollars have been invested in these reforms. Yet, reports indicate that science is not being taught at the level one might expect in elementary schools. This research was an analysis of the problems and concerns teachers at one school district faced as they tried to implement and sustain elementary inquiry science instruction. The district chosen was a large suburban district in the Western United States. The population was ninety percent Caucasian with a slightly more ethnically diverse school population. This district was chosen because it had an elementary science program for over twenty years and had received national acclaim for that program. The district had a stable and homogeneous staff there was a low administrator and teacher turnover rate and the elementary teaching population was ninety percent Caucasian and ninety percent female. Interviews with administrators and teachers were conducted. Data were collected from focus groups of teachers and science partners. Observations of elementary science classroom instruction and professional development sessions were made. Results of this research indicated that one important key to elementary science reform rests in the hands of teachers. Once the door to the classroom is closed, the teacher can decide to teach or not to teach science. The findings of this research illustrate that teachers hold ideas about science and science instruction that are antithetical to some tenets of inquiry science. Until these ideas are addressed it will be difficult, if not impossible, to implement a systemic elementary inquiry science program. This study demonstrates that professional development for elementary teachers in science needs to change from a focus on the mechanical usage of individual units to a focus on teacher expectations for

Topics in elementary particle physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Xiang

The author of this thesis discusses two topics in elementary particle physics: n-ary algebras and their applications to M-theory (Part I), and functional evolution and Renormalization Group flows (Part II). In part I, Lie algebra is extended to four different n-ary algebraic structure: generalized Lie algebra, Filippov algebra, Nambu algebra and Nambu-Poisson tensor; though there are still many other n-ary algebras. A natural property of Generalized Lie algebras — the Bremner identity, is studied, and proved with a totally different method from its original version. We extend Bremner identity to n-bracket cases, where n is an arbitrary odd integer. Filippov algebras do not focus on associativity, and are defined by the Fundamental identity. We add associativity to Filippov algebras, and give examples of how to construct Filippov algebras from su(2), bosonic oscillator, Virasoro algebra. We try to include fermionic charges into the ternary Virasoro-Witt algebra, but the attempt fails because fermionic charges keep generating new charges that make the algebra not closed. We also study the Bremner identity restriction on Nambu algebras and Nambu-Poisson tensors. So far, the only example 3-algebra being used in physics is the BLG model with 3-algebra A4, describing two M2-branes interactions. Its extension with Nambu algebra, BLG-NB model, is believed to describe infinite M2-branes condensation. Also, there is another propose for M2-brane interactions, the ABJM model, which is constructed by ordinary Lie algebra. We compare the symmetry properties between them, and discuss the possible approaches to include these three models into a grand unification theory. In Part II, we give an approximate solution for Schroeder's equations, based on series and conjugation methods. We use the logistic map as an example, and demonstrate that this approximate

Curriculum-Dependent and Curriculum-Independent Factors in Preservice Elementary Teachers' Adaptation of Science Curriculum Materials for Inquiry-Based Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forbes, Cory T.

2013-01-01

In this nested mixed methods study I investigate factors influencing preservice elementary teachers' adaptation of science curriculum materials to better support students' engagement in science as inquiry. Analyses focus on two "reflective teaching assignments" completed by 46 preservice elementary teachers in an undergraduate elementary science…

FOREWORD: Corfu Summer Institute on Elementary Particle Physics (CORFU2005)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anagnostopoulos, Konstantinos; Antoniadis, Ignatios; Fanourakis, George; Kehagias, Alexandros; Savoy-Navarro, Aurore; Wess, Julius; Zoupanos, George

2006-12-01

These are the Proceedings of the Corfu Summer Institute on Elementary Particle Physics (CORFU2005) (http://corfu2005.physics.uoi.gr), which took place in Corfu, Greece from 4 - 26 September 2005. The Corfu Summer Institute has a very long, interesting and successful history, some elements of which can be found in http://www.corfu-summer-institute.gr. In short, the Corfu Meeting started as a Summer School on Elementary Particle Physics (EPP) mostly for Greek graduate students in 1982 and has developed into a leading international Summer Institute in the field of EPP, both experimental and theoretical, providing in addition a very rich outreach programme to teachers and school students. The CORFU2005 Summer Institute on EPP, although based on the general format that has been developed and established in the Corfu Meetings during previous years, is characterized by the fact that it was a full realization of a new idea, which started experimentally in the previous two Corfu Meetings. The successful new ingredient was that three European Marie Curie Research Training Networks decided to hold their Workshops in Corfu during September 2005 and they managed to coordinate the educational part of their meetings to a huge Summer School called `The 8th Hellenic School on Elementary Particle Physics' (4 - 11 September). The European Networks which joined forces to materialize this project and the corresponding dates of their own Workshops are:

An Assessment of Turkish Elementary Teachers in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagdic, Ali; Sahin, Elvan

2016-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to describe beliefs, perceived barriers and teaching strategy preference of elementary teachers with respect to education for sustainable development. The sample of research survey consisted of 211 elementary teachers who are also participant of projects on environmental education entitled Green Pack and…

Caring, Citizenship, and Conscience: The Cornerstones of a Values Education Curriculum for Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braun, Joseph A., Jr.

1992-01-01

Reviews approaches to teaching values in elementary schools. Describes a model consistent with the core values of the United States. Recommends an elementary curriculum resting on three cornerstones: (1) caring, (2) citizenship, and (3) conscience. Points out that controversial issues must be discussed openly within such a curriculum. (CFR)

Biblio-Therapeutic Book Creations by Pre-Service Student Teachers: Helping Elementary School Children Cope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haeseler, Lisa Ann

2009-01-01

Many elementary school children may cope with difficult life struggles such as disabilities, abuse, loss, and identity issues. This article details original, student generated, biblio-therapeutic book creations and how this genre teaches positive ways for children at-risk to cope with tough life circumstances. Pre-service, elementary college…

Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Interdisciplinary Pedagogy: The Case of Elementary Mathematics-Science Integrated Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Song A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study is to explore how elementary preservice teachers' mathematics-science integrated teaching strategies changed as a result of participating in exemplary interdisciplinary activities with multiple themes across school curricula. The participating elementary preservice teachers (n = 28) were recruited for this study from the…

Teaching Economics in the Mini-Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana State Dept. of Education, Indianapolis.

This booklet produced by the State of Indiana introduces elementary teachers to economic concepts appropriate to the elementary curriculum and explains how to use mini-economy activities to teach these concepts. Chapter 1 describes how the mini-economy works, while chapter 2 introduces basic economic vocabulary and discusses market economy. Ideas…

Lie, Santilli, and nanotechnology: From the elementary particles to the periodic table of the elements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Trell, Erik, E-mail: erik.trell@gmail.com

2014-12-10

Santilli’s revolutionary iso-, geno- and hypermathematics have provided the original straight line Lie groups and algebras with a span and coherence in all dimensions, and thus already at the infinitesimal level an extension in the Cartesian sense, allowing a continuous self-similar cyclical realization of matter from the elementary particle threshold level via the atomic to molecular and visible scale where it meets and marries with modern nanotechnology in the form of an isotropic vector matrix of space-filling octahedron-tetrahedron composition. This is distributed as an electron transition matrix with Bohr shell model stratified signature and is here directly outlining a new,more » centrally coordinated organic composition and chart of the periodic system as specifically exemplified by the noble gases.« less

Elementary Particles and Forces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quigg, Chris

1985-01-01

Discusses subatomic particles (quarks, leptons, and others) revealed by higher accelerator energies. A connection between forces at this subatomic level has been established, and prospects are good for a description of forces that encompass binding atomic nuclei. Colors, fundamental interactions, screening, camouflage, electroweak symmetry, and…

Teaching remote sensing to elementary students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonsson, J.

I was asked if I could help a local elementary school to set up and operate a weather satellite receiving station. Since I am myself studying Space Engineering at the Luleå University of Technology, I accepted the task. With two fellow students I set out to investigate the receiving station. To be honest, we did not know much about satellite receiving systems ourselves, since we had only taken general engineering classes so far, but stimulated by our interest in the subject and the challenge to solve a task different from ordinary assignments, we quickly learned how to set up the equipment. After a while we could receive quite decent pictures from the NOAA polar orbiting weather satellites. The pupils, focusing on grades 5-6, did not have much previous knowledge in physics and technology, and - quite naturally - did not know much about space and satellites. At their age it is probably difficult to understand the services satellites provide us with high up in the sky, watching the earth and the weather. On the other hand, this was part of the challenge we accepted. It was intriguing to observe how the pupils adapted to the situation, initially perhaps uneasy with it, but then enthusiastic about learning how to operate the equipment. They could see what happened if they did something differently. They could compare the actual weather outside the window and the weather images on the screen in front of them. The efforts invested in understanding the system were rewarded by the results achieved. The pupils will be able to use this system in many areas in their education. As it turned out, it was easy to operate when it was once properly set up. Through this system, the students are exposed to ,,hands-on'' education and experience with meteorology, remote sensing, geography and many other areas and applications. It is our hope that we may contribute to make these young pupils aware of the vast knowledge available to them through their efforts at school, to make them

African American Male Elementary Teachers' Perceptions on Factors That Influence Their Retention and Attrition: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Lemanski Chante'

2012-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe and explore American male elementary teachers' perceptions on factors that contribute to decisions to remain in or exit the teaching field, specifically elementary education. Ten African American male elementary teachers participated in the study. The theory from this study was the…

Teaching through Mnemonics in Elementary School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waite-McGough, Arianne

2012-01-01

Mnemonics and songs are used to help students excel and build are their knowledge in all content areas. This method of teaching and reinforcement of information helps students to commit new information to memory and continue to use this material throughout their lives. Using mnemonics is a lessons way to teach and make the classroom a unique…

Alternative Learning Environments in the Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Eugene D.

This paper outlines a program utilized in the Countryside School which offers alternative learning environments in the elementary school. The program includes (1) semi-departmentalization; (2) team teaching; and (3) an open-alternatives program. Each of these areas is outlined and fully discussed in terms of student and parent needs. (YRJ)

"I Know It's so Good, but I Prefer Not to Use It" An Interpretive Investigation of Jordanian Preservice Elementary Teachers' Perspectives about Learning Biology through Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qablan, Ahmad; Al-Ruz, Jamal Abu; Theodora, Debaz; Al-Momani, Ibrahim

2008-01-01

Many researchers emphasize the significance of employing inquiry learning in shaping preservice elementary teachers' tendencies to teach science. Using an interpretive research methodology, this study examined the influence of employing an inquiry-based teaching approach on teaching biology to preservice elementary teachers at the Hashemite…

Modern Elementary Particle Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kane, Gordon

2017-02-01

1. Introduction; 2. Relativistic notation, Lagrangians, and interactions; 3. Gauge invariance; 4. Non-abelian gauge theories; 5. Dirac notation for spin; 6. The Standard Model Lagrangian; 7. The electroweak theory and quantum chromodynamics; 8. Masses and the Higgs mechanism; 9. Cross sections, decay widths, and lifetimes: W and Z decays; 10. Production and properties of W± and Zᴼ; 11. Measurement of electroweak and QCD parameters: the muon lifetime; 12. Accelerators - present and future; 13. Experiments and detectors; 14. Low energy and non-accelerator experiments; 15. Observation of the Higgs boson at the CERN LHC: is it the Higgs boson?; 16. Colliders and tests of the Standard Model: particles are pointlike; 17. Quarks and gluons, confinement and jets; 18. Hadrons, heavy quarks, and strong isospin invariance; 19. Coupling strengths depend on momentum transfer and on virtual particles; 20. Quark (and lepton) mixing angles; 21. CP violation; 22. Overview of physics beyond the Standard Model; 23. Grand unification; 24. Neutrino masses; 25. Dark matter; 26. Supersymmetry.

The Elementary School Experience of Children from Mexico.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strom, Robert D.; Johnson, Aileen

1981-01-01

Presents instructional aspects of elementary education classrooms in Mexico. Topics addressed are conditions of instruction, instructional priorities, types of instruction, evaluation of instruction, teacher-pupil relationships, and home-school relationships. Implications are given for teachers in the United States who teach transfer students from…

The Effects of an Innovative Activity-Centered Biology Program on Attitude toward Elementary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Donald A.

One of the primary goals in many teacher education programs is to design and to implement specific courses, strategies, and methods that promote positive attitude toward science and science teaching among elementary education majors. This paper describes the effects of a biology content course, patterned after innovative elementary school science…