In What Types of Professional Development Activities Do U.S. Science
Teachers Participate?
As a TIMSS 1999 national option, the United States asked science
teachers to describe their professional development during the 1998-99
school year, defined as June 1998 to May 1999. Since no other countries
asked these questions, cross-country comparisons are not possible.
Comparisons, however, can be made to the United States as a whole
and among the Benchmarking jurisdictions. Teachers were asked both
how often they observed and were observed by other teachers (see Exhibit
6.17). In the US overall, these observations of and
by teachers were reported by the science teachers of 24 and 36 percent
of the students, respectively. Among the Benchmarking states, the
results for classroom observation as a professional development approach
resembled the national results. Among districts and consortia, observations
were used more extensively in Guilford County, Montgomery County,
and the Rochester City School District.
The professional development activities teachers were asked about
include the following school- and district-based activities: immersion
or internship activities; receiving mentoring, coaching, lead teaching,
or observation; teacher resource centers; committees or task forces;
and teacher study groups. As shown in Exhibit
6.18, participation on committees or task forces was
the most frequently used of these activities. It was reported nationally
by the science teachers of more than half the eighth graders (54 percent),
and was similarly popular among the Benchmarking participants.
Science teachers were asked about their participation in several
types of workshops, conferences, and networks, including within-district
workshops and institutes; out-of-district workshops and institutes;
teacher collaborative or networks; out-of-district conferences; and
other forms of organized professional development (see Exhibit
6.19). They were also asked about individual activities, including
taking courses for college credit; individual research projects; individual
learning; and other individual professional development activities
(see Exhibit
6.20). Of all of the professional development activities,
within-district workshops or institutes (75 percent of the students)
and individual learning (83 percent) were generally the most frequent
activities in which science teachers of US eighth-grade students participated
during the 1998-99 school year. Even though there was considerable
variation, these activities were also widely reported by teachers
in the Benchmarking jurisdictions.
Teachers’ reports about the areas heavily emphasized in their
professional development are presented in Exhibit
6.21. Nationally, science teachers of 59 percent of
eighth graders reported that curriculum was emphasized quite a lot
or a great deal. The next greatest emphasis was on general pedagogy
(54 percent of students) and content knowledge (51 percent), followed
by subject-specific pedagogy and instructional technology (47 percent
for each). Teachers reported the least emphasis on assessment (38
percent) and leadership development (20 percent). Again, although
there was variation across the Benchmarking participants, the national
pattern held in many jurisdictions.
Further detail about the types of content emphasized in professional
development is provided in Exhibit
6.22. Nationally, teachers reported that the six content
areas (earth science; biology; chemistry; physics; environmental and
resource issues; and the nature of science and scientific inquiry
and skills) were emphasized about equally, with most emphasis on the
nature of science and inquiry skills (60 percent) and least on chemistry
(39 percent). In general, a similar pattern was found in the Benchmarking
states. There was more variation within some districts and consortia.
For example, the Delaware Science Coalition focused relatively more
emphasis on professional development in earth science (75 percent),
environmental and resource issues (62 percent), and the nature of
science and inquiry skills (73 percent) than in the other areas (21
to 29 percent). The Rochester City School District placed little emphasis
on earth science (five percent), but rather more on biology (54 percent).
Science teachers in the United States reported a relatively heavy
focus on curriculum in their professional development activities.
Their reports about familiarity with various curriculum documents
are presented in Exhibit
6.23. Nationally, teachers of most students (more than
90 percent) reported that they were fairly or very familiar with the
curriculum guides for their school and their school district, and
this held across most of the Benchmarking jurisdictions. US science
teachers of only 31 percent of the eighth-grade students reported
being very familiar with the AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
For the Benchmarking states, this ranged from just 15 percent in Idaho
to 61 percent in Maryland. For districts and consortia, it ranged
from 20 percent in the Southwest Pennsylvania Math and Science Collaborative
to 63 percent in the Fremont/Lincoln/Westside Public Schools.
Fewer teachers than might be anticipated reported being at least
fairly familiar with their state curriculum guides. Nationally, 79
percent of the eighth graders had science teachers who so reported.
Among states the figure ranged from 53 percent in Pennsylvania to
97 percent in Massachusetts and South Carolina, and among districts
and consortia from 44 percent in the Southwest Pennsylvania Math and
Science Collaborative to 97 percent in the Delaware Science Coalition
and Guilford County.
