Alene Harris & Vicki Metzgar 1
HELPING ALTERNATIVELY CERTIFIED SCIENCE TEACHERS MAXIMIZE
THEIR TEACHING POTENTIAL THROUGH RESEARCH-BASED CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN SCIENCE LABS
ALENE H. HARRIS
Vanderbilt University
alene.harris@vanderbilt.edu
VICKI H. METZGAR
Center for Science Outreach at Vanderbilt University
vicki.h.metzgar@vanderbilt.edu
Abstract: This paper presents a research-informed program for helping science teachers develop
effective management strategies in for science labs. The program, MUSCLE (Managing yoUr
Science Classroom Laboratory Efficiently), was developed within a Math-Science partnership
grant in response to teacher requests. The program engages teachers in planning in terms of (1)
days before students come, (2) just prior to beginning a lab, (3) during students actually doing a
lab, and (4) after students finish a lab exercise. Workshop experiences engage teachers in
examining research in a variety of areas and in planning how to apply key concepts from
research to their own teaching.
An effective science teacher must be prepared not only in content knowledge but also in
knowledge and skills for managing a science classroom and laboratory in ways that support
students’ learning the content knowledge. Wang, Haertel and Walberg (1994) examined over
11,000 statistical findings to determine the factors that most influence students’ learning. They
identified 28 factors, with the number one factor being the teacher’s classroom management
(followed closely by students’ metacognitive skills, their academic abilities, and their home
influence).
For the past two years, the Metropolitan Nashville School System, through a state-sponsored
Math-Science partnership grant, has worked to develop a science classroom and laboratory
workshop for teachers seeking a “highly qualified” status. The program has involved providing
teachers knowledge and skills in four areas: (1) content knowledge, (2) teaching process skills,
(3) state and national standards, and (4) classroom management, especially for labs and hands-on
learning.
The materials and workshop developed for the fourth area of classroom management, entitled
MUSCLE (Managing yoUr Science Classroom Laboratory Efficiently), are grounded in the
research on effective classroom management (please see attached Selected Sources Cited from
MUSCLE) and are tailored specifically for the science content area and laboratory experience.
MUSCLE Development Background. The first year of the grant provided teachers with
training in Classroom Organization and Management Practices (COMP), a nationally
Alene Harris & Vicki Metzgar 2
recognized and federally validated classroom management program that has been used
successfully by several Texas-based teacher alternative certification programs. However,
feedback from teachers indicated the COMP program was too global and not specific
enough to their own classrooms; teachers requested a science classroom- and science
laboratory-specific program. Five educators, who were a part of the grant program, then
worked together to develop a science-specific classroom management program. These
included the COMP co-author (a Research Asst. Professor of Education at Peabody
College of Vanderbilt University who has provided many Texas alternative certification
workshops), the Science Coordinator and the Science Mentor Specialist of Metro
Schools, the Associate Director of Vanderbilt's Center for Science Outreach, and a
Research Asst. Professor of Biomedical Engineering/high school physics teacher.
MUSCLE Program. The program is framed using a “workout” metaphor. Just as in a
program of physical exercise one would follow a systematic approach of (1) planning, (2)
warming up, (3) exercising, and (4) cooling down, so these same four areas relate to a
science lab in terms of (1) days before students come, (2) just prior to beginning a lab,
(3) during students actually doing a lab, and (4) after students finish a lab exercise. The
workshop experiences engage teachers in examining research in a variety of areas (please
see key areas from the MUSCLE Table of Contents in the box below), in relating that
research to what is seen in classrooms, and then in applying the key concepts of the
research findings to their own teaching and making plans for how they might specifically
do things in the science classroom and/or lab.
MUSCLE Table of Contents Outline
INTRO
An Introduction to Developing Muscle
AREA 1: PLANNING: Thoughts on…
… Space and Materials Arrangements
… Planning Safety Rules and Lab Routines
… Student Arrangement – Lab Groups
… Keeping Track of Supplies and Equipment
… Preparing Lab Materials for Students’ Use
… Planning for the Grading of Lab Work
AREA 2: WARMING UP: Thoughts on…
… Preparing Students for the Lab
AREA 3: WORKING OUT: Thoughts on…
… Monitoring Students’ Ongoing Lab Work
… Teacher’s Verbal Interactions
AREA 4: COOLING DOWN: Thoughts on…
… Students’ Physically Cleaning Up the Lab
… Students’ Written Lab Reports
Alene Harris & Vicki Metzgar 3
MUSCLE implementation and teacher feedback. This past summer, 60 teachers
participated in the two-day MUSCLE workshop, made MUSCLE-based commitments on
specific things they planned to implement in their own classroom, and are in the process
of putting their commitments into classroom practice. Feedback from teachers is positive
in terms of actually implementing ideas from the workshop, experiencing smoother and
more successful science lessons, and increased use of and success with hands-on science
experiences for students.
The inclusion of MUSCLE as an integral part of an alternative science certification program
could help equip knowledgeable teachers to structure their classrooms and laboratory
experiences for students in ways that optimize student learning, increase teacher willingness to
engage students in hands-on learning experiences, and minimize teacher frustration and
dissatisfaction – thus increasing job satisfaction and the likelihood that they remain in teaching.
Alene Harris & Vicki Metzgar 4
SOME SELECTED MUSCLE SOURCES CITED
Ames, R. & Ames, C. (1985). Research on Motivation in Education. Orlando: Academic Press.
Arlin, M. (1979). Teacher transitions can disrupt lesson flow in classrooms.
Educational Research Journal, 16, 42-56.
American
Brophy, J. & Good, T. (1974). Teacher-Student relationships: Causes and Consequences. New
York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Cummings, C. (1996). Managing to Teach, 2nd edition. Edmonds, WA: Teaching Inc.
Dixon, P. J. (1995). Encouraging Participation in a Middle School Classroom. In Samuel A.
Spiegel, Angelo Collins, James Lappert (Eds.), Action Research: Perspectives from
Teachers' Classrooms. Tallahassee, FL: FEAT.
Doyle, W. (1983). Academic work. Review of Educational Research, 53, (2), 159-199.
Emmer E.T., Evertson, C.M. & Worsham, M.E. (2002). Classroom Management for Secondary
Teachers (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Evertson, C.M. (1985). Training Teachers in Classroom Management: An experiment in
Secondary Classrooms. Journal of Educational Research, 79, 51-58.
Evertson, C.M. and Harris, A.H (2003) COMP: Creating Conditions for Learning:
Secondary Level Manual. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
The
Green, P. (1995). What types of learning activities are more likely to increase the involvement
of non-participating students? In S. A. Spiegel et al. (Eds.), Action Research: Perspectives
from Teachers' Classrooms (pp.17-32). Tallahassee, FL: South Eastern Regional Vision
for Education.
Harris, A. H. (2004). Getting Off to a Good Start: The First Three Days of School
Johnson, D. W. & Johnson, R. T. (1990). Social skills for successful group work. Educational
Leadership, Dec. 1989-Jan. 1990, 29-33.
Kounin, J. (1970). Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms.
Rinehart & Winston.
New York: Holt,
Newman, F. M. (1992). Student Engagement and Achievement in American Secondary Schools.
New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Shores, R. E., Gunter, P. L., & Jack, S. L. (1993). Classroom management strategies: Are they
events for coercion? Behavioral Disorders, 18 (2), 92-102.
Slavin, R.E. (1990). Research on cooperative learning: Consensus and controversy. Educational
Leadership, 52-54. (Dec 89-Jan 90).
Urdan, T., Midgley, C., & Anderman, E. (1998). The role of classroom goal structure in
students’ use of self-handicapping strategies. American Educational Research Journal,
35(1), 101-122.
Alene Harris & Vicki Metzgar 5
Van Houten, R. et al. (1982). An analysis of some variables influencing the effectiveness of
reprimands. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15 (1), 65-83.
Wang, M.C., Haertel, G.D., & Walberg, J. (1994) What helps students learn? Educational
Leadership, 74-79. (Dec 93-Jan 94).
This paper presents a research-informed program for helping science teachers develop effective
management strategies in for science labs. The program, MUSCLE (Managing yoUr Science
Classroom Laboratory Efficiently), was developed within a Math-Science partnership grant in
response to teacher requests. The program engages teachers in planning in terms of (1) days
before students come, (2) just prior to beginning a lab, (3) during students actually doing a lab,
and (4) after students finish a lab exercise. Workshop experiences engage teachers in examining
research in a variety of areas and in planning how to apply key concepts from research to their
own teaching.