PECASE: Making a Case for New Elementary Science Teachers

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This PECASE award is a longitudinal study of how elementary teachers learn to teach science. Of particular interest is supporting new elementary teachers--preservice teachers and teachers in their first four years ofteaching--in learning to teach inquiry-based science, and investigating how these teachers learn from a supportive, integrated, technology-mediated instructional resource and learning environment.The research will characterize teacher learning and propose a mechanism explaining that learning; investigate ways that specific supports provided using technology and contextual features of their larger environment are related to that learning; and identify links among teachers' learning, their practice, and their students' learning. Research objectives will be met through interrelated series of longitudinal learning studies, design studies, community studies, and context studies.As a context in which teacher learning and ways of supporting that learning can be investigated, an integrated instructional resource and technology-mediated learning environment for teachers called CASES will be developed. CASES will provide teachers with curricular materials they need in their first years of teaching, and will help them make sense of the complex ideas about science teaching in the context of their practice. The development of CASES will be based on a theoretical foundation grounded in current sociocognitive approaches to teaching, learning, and technology design.The teaching plan involves integrating the CASES learning environment in the researcher's elementary science methods courses for undergraduate and masters students preparing to be elementary teachers. The work will also be discussed in a doctoral course, and doctoral students will serve as mentors for new teachers.