Our four year project
The Project was inspired…
was inspired by the
Private Universe project
• by the Private Universe Project
• Dick Konicek is a professor emeritus at
UMASS Amherst and has been a science
educator for the past 52 years teaching at all levels. He recently published a book
with NSTA Press on teaching science through inquiry entitled Everyday Science
Mysteries and is completing a second volume due to be published in April 2009.
.
• Page Keeley is the current president of NSTA (National Science Teachers
Association) and is the Senior Program Director for Science at the Maine
Mathematics and Science Alliance. Her work at the Maine Mathematics and
Science Alliance (MMSA) involves leadership and professional development for
teachers and leaders in both Maine and nationally. She is also a best selling author
of several books on science assessment.
•
Joyce Tugel A Science Specialist at the Maine Mathematics and Science
Alliance (MMSA). Her work at the MMSA is primarily focused on the areas of
teacher leadership, mentoring, new teacher support, and science professional
development, which includes national support for the Curriculum Topic Study
project. Joyce is a co-author of Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volume 2.
not
The World is^Flat
A Professional Development Model
to Identify and Change Science
Misconceptions
Funded by the Massachusetts Board of Higher
Education’s Improving Teacher Quality program
Our Goals
• Train prospective and veteran teachers identify
student misconceptions
• Develop strategies to change misconceptions
• Evaluate success
Our Partners
• Springfield Science Museum
• Springfield Schools
• Springfield College
Our consultants Maine Alliance for Science and Math
Our Audience
• 30 elementary schools
• 15 science resource teachers
• 45 classroom teachers
• 24 pre-service teachers per year
VIDEO (2 min)
Marisa elicits student responses
Frequency
Physical Science
(N=734)
Mitten (Source of Heat)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
623
61
50
A (lower)
B(higher)
Answers
C (same)
Reasons for choosing B (hotter inside)
• “We wear mittens to keep us warm witch
means the mitten is hot.”
• “…on a winter day mittens warm you up…”
• “…mitten captures the air and makes it
hotter.”
• “…the heat in the mitten is like a blanket it
covers the thermometer…on the table…is no
warmth around the thermometer.”
VIDEO (2:19 min)
Marisa engages students to explore
mitten problem
All mitten data (2008)
(n = 65 pre; 66 post; 63 post 2; 46 post 3)
70
60
Number of Students
50
40
A = lower inside
B = higher inside
30
C = same
20
10
0
Pre data
Post data
Post 2
Response
Post 3
Students responses post
• “…there is no main source of heat in the
mitten.”
• “…mitten needs your hand to make your hand
warm because your hand is letting out the
heat from your body heating up the mitten.”
• “…mitten doesn’t have heat engry in it so you
would have to put your hand in the mitten so
it would change.”
VIDEO (4:00 min)
Marisa evaluates student’s
understanding
Regular Call
backs
Retest with
probe
Annual
Cycle
Implement with
classes
Probe Student
Understandings
Professional
development
Needs of Seeds
“Seeds
sprout and eventually grow into young plants called seedlings. You
want to try to sprout some seeds. Put an X next to the things you think you
need to provide for those seeds in order for them to sprout.”
__ water
__ light
__ soil
__ darkness
__ air
__ warmth
__ food
__ Earth’s gravity
__ fertilizer
Explain your thinking. Describe the “rule” or reasoning you need to decide
what a seed needs in order to sprout.
Needs of Seeds
(n = 16 pre; n = 14 post; n = 16 post 2)
18
Number of Students
16
14
12
pre Nov 07
10
post Jan 08
8
6
post 2 Mar 08
4
2
0
Responses
Mrs. Timmons asked her class to share their ideas
about what causes the different phases of the
moon. This is what some of her students said:
Mona: The moon lights up in different parts at different times of the month.
Jared: The phases of the moon change according to the season of the year.
Sofia: Parts of the moon reflect light depending on the position of the earth in relation
to the sun and moon.
Drew: The earth casts a shadow which causes a monthly pattern in how much of the
moon we can see from Earth.
Trey: Different planets cast a shadow on the moon as they revolve around the sun.
Oofra: The shadow of the sun blocks part of the moon each night causing a pattern of
different moon phases.
Natasha: The clouds cover the parts of the moon that we can’t see.
Raj: The moon grows a little bit bigger each day until it is full and then it gets smaller
again. It repeats this cycle every month.
Going Through a Phase
Class 1
Pre
Post
20
15
10
5
0
Mona
Sofia
Trey
Natasha
Museum Insect Activity
Post
C
Correct
Correct
M Fly
os
C qu i t
en
o
tip
ed
e
G S hr
ra
i
ss m p
ho
p
D pe
ra
r
go
nf
ly
C
M rab
illi
pe
de
Correct
Correct
Pre
T
oc ick
kr
oa
ch
Be
et
le
Sp
id
er
Correct
Correct
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Insect Choices
Museum Insect Activity
Insect Characteristics
k
s
aw
br
ea
e
cl
na
s
te
n
in
g
w
gs
le
6
fu
r
rs
m
en
ea
an
ab
do
ge
rs
Post
fin
Correct
Correct
Correct
Pre
ra
x
Correct
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
th
o
Correct
Correct
ad
Post
2
18
14
0
18
16
1
1
17
18
0
1
Post
18
16
2
15
3
1
18
13
18
3
0
he
Pre
4
14
14
1
14
13
3
0
13
13
1
2
Pre
15
14
1
13
3
1
15
9
9
3
1
Frequency
Insect Pictures
Tick
Cockroach
Beetle
Spider
Fly
Mosquito
Centipede
Shrimp
Grasshopper
Dragonfly
Crab
Millipede
Characteristics
head
thorax
fingers
abdomen
ears
fur
six legs
wings
antennae
claws
beak
Frequency
Museum Results Answers Data
Self-efficacy Results
Physical Science
Pre/Post
Mean pre
Mean post Mean diff
T-value*
Understanding
24.85
29.79
4.94
6.260
Teaching
24.25
28.92
4.67
5.385
Assessing
21.92
28.37
6.44
5.888
• N = 26
• *significant at the alpha level < 0.001
• Confidence levels in all areas significantly increased
immediately after the workshop