Conference Papers by DEBORAH HANUSCIN
To enact new educational reform efforts, it is recognized that teacher leaders are essential to b... more To enact new educational reform efforts, it is recognized that teacher leaders are essential to bring about the needed expertise to implement and sustain such efforts. Yet, little is known about how to support teacher leaders and why teachers implement certain leadership tasks. In order to support teacher leaders, it is essential to understand how teachers define teacher leadership within their professional context, what functions do teachers play as leaders, and what resources facilitate or inhibit their leadership functions. We report on a case study analysis of three 9 th grade science teachers operating within a district implementing a new reform effort -Physics First. Data from multiple sources -demographics questionnaire, individual interviews, individualized leadership action plans, mid-year and year-end action plan progress reports, and teachers' written definitions of teacher leadership -were used to inform this study. Results suggest that eight material/social/cultural resources facilitate teacher leaders implement leadership actions: colleague, administrative, parent and student support; time for professional development; technology; professional development support; collaborative/collegial environment; and confidence/introspective. Teachers' self-image as a leader may influence the choice of leadership functions fulfilled and how they might utilize available resources.
The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the impact of a biology-focused science me... more The purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the impact of a biology-focused science methods course on prospective teachers' preparedness to teach evolution and to explore factors that influence their intentions to teach evolution. The researchers sought to understand the interplay between prospective teachers' personal and contextual issues (including acceptance of evolution and views of the nature of science) on their anticipated plans for teaching evolution. Participants included 3 female and 2 male students. Data collection utilized VNOS-C questionnaire, Measure of Acceptance of Evolution instrument, semi-structured interviews, and instructor and student journals. Profiles were created for each participant, and analyzed to identify cross-case themes. Findings indicate the development of prospective teachers' instructional plans for teaching evolution was mediated by their views of the nature of science and their understanding of evolution. As a result of course activities, there was a shift in the nature of prospective teachers' concerns about teaching evolution; however, although each of the prospective teachers personally accepted the theory of evolution, concerns about their future students', parents', and colleagues' acceptance of evolution played a significant role in their decision whether to teach evolution in their future classrooms.
Paper presented at the annual meeting of NARST (2012)
Increasingly, teacher leadership is being recognized as an essential ingredient in education refo... more Increasingly, teacher leadership is being recognized as an essential ingredient in education reforms ; however, few teachers consider themselves leaders. For many teachers, becoming a leader is not just acquiring knowledge and skills for leadership, but developing a new professional identity. Recent literature notes a number of key challenges that teachers face in becoming leaders, and how their identity as a leader might put them at risk with dominant school culture where norms of egalitarianism, isolation, and seniority persist (Barth, 2006). Luehmann (2008) emphasizes the value in offering opportunities for safe spaces in which teachers can take risks as they 'try on' new identities, such as teacher leaders We utilized a private online environment to support teachers in participating in a community that could nurture the development of common perspectives, commitments, and visions for teacher leadership . In this space, teachers blogged about their experience participating in professional development focused on leadership. Our findings illustrate the potential benefits of blogging for supporting teachers' identity development as leaders. Specifically, by participating in pedagogical transactions, social interactions, and intellectual deliberations via blogs, teachers were able to rethink their roles as teachers and leaders, and receive support and encouragement in their efforts to be leaders in their classrooms, schools, and districts.
Teacher leadership has been recognized as a necessary ingredient to support educational reform ef... more Teacher leadership has been recognized as a necessary ingredient to support educational reform efforts. Leaders provide the needed expertise to ensure reforms are successful in promoting student learning. The overarching goal of the Leadership in Freshman Physics program is to support a cadre of teachers-leaders who will become advocates for "Physics First" by developing their knowledge of physics content and research-based pedagogy. In order to support teachers in developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for effective leadership, it is important to first understand their initial views of teacher leadership and their prior leadership experiences. In this paper we present results from the initial phase of our multi-year research study in which we examine teacher' past leadership experiences, definitions of teacher leadership, and views of themselves as leaders. Participants include a cohort of 36 teachers participating in the program, each of whom has committed to teaching a year-long freshman physics course at their school. Our findings indicate teachers' definitions of leadership are relatively narrow, and often confined to formal leadership roles. Though teachers participate in numerous leadership activities, they don't explicitly consider these to be leadership. Implications for addressing teachers' conceptions through professional development are shared.
Research shows that teachers fail to grasp the 5E Learning Cycle, even after extensive training. ... more Research shows that teachers fail to grasp the 5E Learning Cycle, even after extensive training. We designed a professional development program with an embedded teaching experience that provided K6 teachers an opportunity to practice implementing the 5E model with the support of peers and program staff. Assessment of teachers' (N=23) understanding of and ability to apply the 5E model was evaluated pre and post-program using: (1) a modified 5E version of the Test of Understanding of the Learning Cycle (ULC); (2) a 5E Learning Cycle Card Sort; and teachers' lesson plans. Using a mixed methods (triangulation) analysis, pre-test findings, across all data sources, pinpointed teachers' greatest difficulty was in relation to lesson initiation (early phases of the 5E model), and post-assessments revealed favorable growth on all measures. Furthermore, differences found between new program attendees and returning participants suggests a value-added in multiple-year participation in the program.
While reforms emphasize understanding the nature
Journal Articles by DEBORAH HANUSCIN
This study investigated the processes and pathways of leadership development of teachers in diffe... more This study investigated the processes and pathways of leadership development of teachers in different career stages as they participated in a professional development program. A multiple case study approach with conceptual frameworks of teacher leadership practice and identity was used. The leadership development process across all three teachers involved an alignment and synergy among their leadership views, leadership practices, and identity; however, the particular pathways of leadership development were unique for each teacher depending upon their personal priorities, school context and prior life experiences. This study contributes to the literature by documenting 'how' teachers develop as teacher leaders.
Journal of Science Teacher Education, 2013
While teacher educators have had some success in helping prospective teachers understand the natu... more While teacher educators have had some success in helping prospective teachers understand the nature of science (NOS), they have been less effective in helping prospective teachers teach NOS. Though several studies have alluded to impacts of various interventions on developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for NOS, the nature, source, and development of PCK for NOS has not yet been investigated in any systematic way. This study addresses that gap by identifying critical incidents in the development of PCK for NOS of a prospective elementary teacher as she transitions from her methods course to student teaching. Analysis of data collected over a 2-year period illuminates pedagogical dilemmas faced by the prospective teacher in enacting NOS instruction within a school culture of primarily “traditional” science teaching. Through construction of critical incident vignettes, narrative inquiry is employed to illustrate the changes in her PCK for NOS over time, and the experiences that facilitated these changes. Implications for supporting the development of PCK for NOS within teacher education are discussed.
Journal of Science Teacher Education, 2016
The ‘conceptual storyline’ of a lesson refers to the flow and sequencing of learning activities s... more The ‘conceptual storyline’ of a lesson refers to the flow and sequencing of learning activities such that science concepts align and progress in ways that are instructionally meaningful to student learning of the concepts. Research demonstrates that when teachers apply lesson design strategies to create a coherent science content storyline, student learning is positively impacted (Roth et al., 2011
). Because the conceptual storyline is often implicit within a lesson, and teachers often have difficulty articulating this aspect of lesson design (Lo et al., 2014
), our professional development program engages elementary teachers in analyzing and developing graphic representations of a lesson’s conceptual storyline to make that element explicit. In this exploratory study, we present typologies that represent two primary challenges teachers faced in developing coherent conceptual storylines in their lesson design, and examine the extent to which professional development enhanced their capacity to develop a coherent conceptual storyline
Journal of Science Teacher Education, 2016
Just as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSSs) call for change in what students learn and ... more Just as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSSs) call for change in what students learn and how they are taught, teacher education programs must reconsider courses and curriculum in order to prepare teacher candidates to understand and implement new standards. In this study, we examine the development of prospective elementary teachers’ practical knowledge of the NGSS in the context of a science methods course and innovative field experience. We present three themes related to how prospective teachers viewed and utilized the standards: (a) as a useful guide for planning and designing instruction, (b) as a benchmark for student and self-evaluation, and (c) as an achievable vision for teaching and learning. Our findings emphasize the importance of collaborative opportunities for repeated teaching of the same lessons, but question what is achievable in the context of a semester-long experience.
Studying Teacher Education, 2017
While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science te... more While there is a growing literature focused on doctoral preparation for teaching about science teaching, rarely have recommendations extended to preparation for teaching science content to teachers. We three doctoral students employ self-study as a research methodology to investigate our developing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to teachers during a mentored internship in an elementary teacher professional development program. With our mentor, we examine critical incidents in the experience that supported new insights about teaching teachers and about ways in which beginning teacher educators need to develop their existing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science to students in order to teach science effectively to teachers. We emphasize ways in which doctoral internships can support this learning and how our respective cultures shaped our interactions with and perceptions of teachers as learners.
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Conference Papers by DEBORAH HANUSCIN
Journal Articles by DEBORAH HANUSCIN
). Because the conceptual storyline is often implicit within a lesson, and teachers often have difficulty articulating this aspect of lesson design (Lo et al., 2014
), our professional development program engages elementary teachers in analyzing and developing graphic representations of a lesson’s conceptual storyline to make that element explicit. In this exploratory study, we present typologies that represent two primary challenges teachers faced in developing coherent conceptual storylines in their lesson design, and examine the extent to which professional development enhanced their capacity to develop a coherent conceptual storyline
). Because the conceptual storyline is often implicit within a lesson, and teachers often have difficulty articulating this aspect of lesson design (Lo et al., 2014
), our professional development program engages elementary teachers in analyzing and developing graphic representations of a lesson’s conceptual storyline to make that element explicit. In this exploratory study, we present typologies that represent two primary challenges teachers faced in developing coherent conceptual storylines in their lesson design, and examine the extent to which professional development enhanced their capacity to develop a coherent conceptual storyline