Out-of-Field Science Teaching Conference: A Focus on Scope, Experience, and Response

这个为期两天的会议讨论了K-12教育中的一个棘手问题，即野外科学教学，或者科学教师经常发现自己要为教学内容或他们专业领域之外的环境负责的现实。例如，专门教小学高年级学生的老师可能会发现自己负责教一年级或幼儿园的学生。或者，在某一科学领域具有专业知识的教师可能会发现自己负责另一个领域的教学内容（例如，获得生物学认证的教师可能会发现自己负责教授化学）。认证政策、下一代科学标准以及跨学科STEM课程和学校的创建，可能会导致更多教师被分配到野外科学教学职责。30位参与者——包括教育研究人员、科学教师教育者、政策制定者和中小学科学教师——将探讨三个问题：(1)在中小学科学环境中，野外科学教学的规模和变化是什么？(2) K-12科学教师如何达成并协商野外科学教学任务？(3)野外科学教学对参与科学教师准备和专业发展的人员有何影响？这次会议的独特之处在于它关注科学教师，讨论教育政策要求；并研究了在小学、初中和高中阶段的科学教学中OOF的范围。会议的一个潜在成果是建立一个关于野外科学教学的研究议程。最终，会议前、会议中和会后的活动将使人们了解野外科学教学的范围和科学教师的经验。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This two-day conference addresses a thorny issue in K-12 education, out-of-field science teaching, or the reality that science teachers regularly find themselves responsible for teaching content or in contexts that are outside their area of expertise. For example, teachers who have expertise working with students in the upper elementary grades might find themselves responsible for teaching first grade or kindergarten. Or, teachers with expertise in one area of science might find themselves responsible for teaching content in a different area (e.g., a teacher who is certified in biology might find herself responsible for teaching chemistry). Certification policies, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the creation of interdisciplinary STEM classes and schools will potentially result in more teachers being assigned out-of-field science teaching responsibilities. Thirty participants--including educational researchers, science teacher educators, policy makers and elementary and secondary science teachers--will explore three questions: (1) What is the magnitude and variation of out-of-field science teaching in elementary and secondary science settings? (2) How do K-12 science teachers arrive at and negotiate out-of-field science teaching assignments? (3) What are the implications of out-of-field science teaching for those involved in science teacher preparation and professional development? The conference is unique in that it focuses on science teachers, addresses educational policy requirements; and looks at the spectrum of OOF teaching in science across the elementary, middle level, and high school grades. One potential outcome of the meeting is the establishment of a research agenda regarding out-of-field science teaching. Ultimately, the activities leading up to the conference, the conference, and the post-conference will allow for an understanding of the scope of out-of-field science teaching and science teachers' experiences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.