PECASE: Making a Case for New Elementary Science Teachers

这个PECASE奖是一个关于小学教师如何学习教科学的纵向研究。特别感兴趣的是支持新的小学教师-副教师和教师在他们的第一个四年的教学-在学习教探究为基础的科学，并调查这些教师如何学习从一个支持性的，综合的，技术为媒介的教学资源和学习环境。调查使用技术提供的具体支持和他们更大环境的背景特征与学习相关的方式;并确定教师学习，他们的实践和学生学习之间的联系。本研究将透过一系列相关的纵向学习研究、设计研究、社区研究及情境研究来达成研究目标，并将发展一个整合教学资源及科技为媒介的教师学习环境，作为研究教师学习及支援教师学习方式的情境。案例将为教师提供他们在教学的第一年所需的课程材料，并将帮助他们在实践中理解科学教学的复杂思想。CASES的开发将基于当前社会认知方法的理论基础，以教学，学习和技术设计为基础。教学计划包括将CASES学习环境整合到研究人员为准备成为小学教师的本科生和硕士生开设的基础科学方法课程中。这项工作也将在博士课程中讨论，博士生将担任新教师的导师。

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.