Student-Centered - The UTeach Institute

Persistence of Student-Centeredness in MathPre-Service TeachersTherese Shanahan, EdDKarajean HydeCal TeachUC Irvine

Defining Key Terms A Student-Centered approach to teaching isdefined as opportunities for scientific discussion bystudents between students to apply concepts to real worldsettings and solve problems (Brand & Wilkins, 2007). Theteacher serves the role of guide, while students are activelyengaged in the learning and teaching. A Teacher-Centered approach to teaching isdefined as rote practices, whole class instruction throughlecture, and text and demonstration with little to nointeraction between the teacher and students (Osisioma &Ndunda, 2007).

Opening Question What are some reasons it can be difficult toshift views of teaching from teachercenteredto student-centered during acredential program or in professionaldevelopment? Take 1 minute to record your thoughts andthen 2 minutes to share with a neighbor.

Research Question Among comparison groups of aspiring mathteachers, will those individuals with some priorexposure to the modeling of reform-based matheducation practices, and some introductoryexperience with lesson planning and deliverybased on those reform-based ideas, apply theirknowledge any differently to a lesson planningtask, compared to individuals with no similar priorexperience?

Theoretical Background Pre-service and novice teachers often have a teachercenteredperspective (Dunn, 2005). Prospective teachers perceive a disconnect betweenuniversity course knowledge and field experiences(Peterson, Clark, & Dickson, 1990; Reynolds, 1995; Perrone, 1997; Wideen, Mayer-Smith, & Moon, 1998; Zeichner, 1999; Beeth & Adadan, 2006; Brown & Melear, 2006;Craven & Penick, 2001; Roth & Tobin, 2001; Hiebert, Gallimore, & Stigler, 2002). Preservice teachers should be taught about studentcenteredinstruction using constructivist strategies thatincorporate active learning and student discussion (Yager,1991; Hiebert, Gallimore, & Stigler, 2002). Often these prospective teachers receive lectures byuniversity faculty telling them about studentcenteredness!

The Study The treatment group consists of students who havetaken 2 or more undergraduate courses in aseminar series called CalTeach. N= 23 (20Female, 3 Male) The seminars are comprised of 30 minutes offieldwork discussion, 75 minutes of research/pedagogy/theory and 60 minutes of hands-on,student-centered lessons. Students enrolled in the 1st seminar complete25-85 hours of fieldwork in an elementaryclassroom; the 2nd seminar involves 25-85 hoursin a middle school and the 3rd is 25-85 hours inhigh school.

The Study Seminar meeting time totals 24 hours. Seminars are taught by Master Teachersteacherswho have successfully taught lowperformingstudents and currently leadprofessional development. The Master Teachers select the classrooms inwhich the undergraduates will do fieldwork. Fieldwork consists of hands-on interactionswith students, from tutoring, to small group towhole class instruction, implementing studentcenteredlessons.

The Study The non-treatment group consists of studentsenrolled in the Single Subject Math CredentialProgram who have not been a part ofCalTeach. All students have a minimum of 1education course and have completed aminimum of 30 hours of fieldworkobservations at a middle or high school prior tothe data collection. N=30 (21 Female, 9 Male)

Methods/Instruments Lesson plans and surveys were collected andanalyzed from all treatment students near the endof their completion of the 2nd and/or 3rd seminar. Lesson plans and surveys were collected andanalyzed from all non-treatment students at thebeginning of their coursework for the credentialprogram. Both the rubric for analyzing lesson plans and thesurvey were pilot tested in 2007 and used in a2007-2008 study.

Rubric to Analyze Lessons Rubric was designed to measure the degree towhich a lesson plan was student-centered versusteacher-centered (based on Schwab, 1962; Herron; Garrison & Amaral, 2006;Tsai, 2007). 6 domains: Intent of Lesson; Student Interest andPrior Knowledge; Data, Claims, and Evidence;Teacher Role during the Lesson; Student Role andEngagement; and Group Size and Purpose. Each domain scaled from 1 (teacher-centered) to 4(completely student-centered). Researchers scored the documents independentlyand had 68% agreement.

Survey Survey also intended to measure student-centered perspective vs.teacher-centered perspective. Questions taken from the 2000 National Survey of Science andMathematics Education (Westat), the Teacher PedagogicalPhilosophy Interview (Brown & Melear, 2006) and the TeachingLearning, and Computing: 1998 survey (Anderson & Becker,2001). Survey Section B: Questions about teacher practices Survey Section C: Questions about student objectives Survey Section D: Planned strategies for teaching Survey Section F: Planned student activities (Survey Section A asked for educational history of the studentsand Section E compared 2 scenarios)

Understanding the Rubric Using the rubric provided, take 7 minutes toanalyze the lesson you are given, prior to agroup discussion. Now analyze a second lesson with a partner.

Data Analysis and Results:Lesson Plans ANOVA: conducted to identify any significant differencesin the means of the comparison groups• Intent of the Lesson F (2, 48) = 27.206, p = .000;• Student Interest and Prior Knowledge F (2, 48) = 7.343,p = .010;• Data, Claims and Evidence F (2, 48) = 31.505, p = .000;• Teacher Role during the Lesson F (2, 48) = 31.691,p = .000;• Student Role and Engagement F (2, 48) = 40.631, p = .000; • Group Size and Purpose F (2, 48) = 29.536, p = .000.

Data Analysis and Results:Lesson Plans The treatment group scored significantly higher on all6 domains. The results remained consistent, regardless of whenthe students received treatment. For the three studentsenrolled in the credential program who receivedundergraduate treatment, there are no significantdifferences from their scores as undergraduates totheir scores as graduates even though they wereenrolled in seminar some time before entering thecredential program .

Lesson Plan Mean Scores3.532.521.5105106sem + credgrad10.50intent prior knowl data teacher role student role group size

Data Analysis and ResultsSurvey Survey questions were grouped into twocategories: questions that typify student-centeredlearning and questions that typify teacher-centeredlearning. No significant differences were found between thegroups on their answers to student-centeredquestions. The treatment group scored significantly lower onteacher-centered questions (reflecting theiropposition to this perspective).

ANOVAbdftraditionalaverageBetweenGroupsWithinGroupsSum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.2.433 2 1.216 5.098 .00912.647 53 .239Total 15.080 55ctraditionalaverageBetweenGroupsWithinGroups1.796 2 .898 3.626 .03313.131 53 .248Total 14.927 55

2007-2008 Findings In the 2007-2008 study, the ANOVAshowed the treatment groups’ scores inlesson plans were significantly higher thanthe non-treatment group on all six domains.F(2, 47) = 9.054, p = .001

Conclusions The study results tentatively show thatmodeling of reform-based instructionalpractices in undergraduate educationcoursework leads to students adopting andapplying a student-centered perspective in theirteaching as evidenced by lesson design.

Conclusions While students are able to gain theoreticalknowledge of the student-centered perspectivefrom education coursework, as evidenced by allstudents answering favorably to student-centeredsurvey questions, this knowledge appearssuperficial, as evidenced by the non-treatmentgroup’s significantly higher scores on teachercenteredquestions as well as their significantlylower scores when creating student-centeredlesson plans.

Conclusions The undergraduate years provide a uniqueopportunity to begin to shift future teacher’sperspectives from being teacher-centered tostudent-centered, assuming proper treatment(participation in student-centered lessons andteaching these lessons in K - 12 classrooms). The student-centered perspective adopted asundergraduates persists beyond graduation.

Connecting with Experience How do the study results agree or contrastwith your experience in working with preserviceor practicing teachers? Questions or Comments?

Contact InformationResearch Team:Therese Shanahan, EdD - tshanaha@uci.eduKarajean Hyde - khyde@uci.eduThis research was partly funded by the University of California Office ofthe President as part of CA Teach and the Science and Math Initiativegrant as well as the National Science Foundation Math and SciencePartnership Faculty Outreach Collaboration Uniting Scientists,Students, and Schools (FOCUS!), grant number 0227202.

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• Craven, J., & Penick, J. (2001). Preparing new teachers to teachscience: The role of the science teacher educator. Electronic Journalof Science Education, 6(1). Retrieved online January 6, 2008 fromhttp://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/crowther/ejse/cravenpenick.html.• Dunn, T. (2005). Engaging prospective teachers in critical reflection:Facilitating a disposition to teach mathematics for diversity. In A.Rodriguez and R. Kitchen (Eds.), Preparing Mathematics and ScienceTeachers for Diverse Classrooms: Promising Strategies forTransformative Pedagogy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates Publishing. • Herron, M. D. The nature of scientific inquiry. The SchoolReview, 70(2), 171 – 212.• Hiebert, J., Gallimore, R., & Stigler, J. (2002). A knowledgebase for the teaching profession: What would it look like andhow can we get one? Educational Researcher, 31(5), 3 - 15.• Osisioma, I, & Ndunda, M. (2007, April). Urban high schools:Factors that enhance and those that impede the learning ofscience and mathematics. Paper presented at the annualmeeting of the National Association of Research in ScienceTeaching, New Orleans, LA.

• Perrone, V. (1997). Reflections on teaching: Learning toteach and teaching to learn. Teachers College Record 98(4),637 - 652.• Peterson, P., Clark, C., & Dickson, W. (1990). Educationalpsychology as a foundation in teacher education: Reformingan old notion. Teachers College Record, (91)3, 322 - 343.• Reynolds, A. (1995). The knowledge base for beginningteachers: Education professionals’ expectations versusresearch findings on learning to teach. The Elementary SchoolJournal 95(3), 199 - 219.• Roth, W-M., & Tobin, K. (2001). Learning to teach scienceas practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(6), 741 -762.• Schwab, J. (1962). The teaching of science as enquiry. InThe teaching of science. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UniversityPress.• Tsai, C. (2006). Teachers’ scientific epistemological views:The coherence with instruction and students’ views. ScienceEducation, 91(2), 222 - 241.

• Wideen, M., Mayer-Smith, J., & Moon, B. (1998). A criticalanalysis of the research on learning to teach: Making the casefor an ecological perspective on inquiry. Review ofEducational Research, 68(2), 130 - 178.• Yager, R. (1991). The constructivist learning model. ScienceTeacher, 58(6), 52-57.• Zeichner, K. (1999). The new scholarship in teachereducation. Educational researcher, 28(9), 4 - 15.

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 1UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Teacher vs. Student Centeredness Rubric for Lesson Plan and Reflection AnalysisDomain 1: The intent of the lessonLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Goal is for students tobe able to repeat orreplicate information ora procedure Goal is for students toknow and be able to doa procedure or toexplain vocabulary. Goal is for students tocome to their ownunderstanding of aconcept or their ownsolution to a complexsolve it.Students take ininformation.Students do practiceproblems or solvequestions from thetextbook.problem.Students engage inhands-on learning.Goal is for students todetermine the topic ofinvestigation and carryout their own plan toStudents engage ingenerating questionswhich theysubsequently findmethods to solve.Domain 2: Student interest and prior knowledgeLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Lesson is completelybased upon what theteacher decides to do;i.e., there are noconnections to priorlearning or real-life. Lesson has weakconnection to students’prior knowledge orinterests. Lesson has strongconnections to students’prior knowledge orinterests. Lesson evolves fromboth students’ priorknowledge and theirinterests.1 of Appendix 1

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 1UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Domain 3: Data, Claims and EvidenceLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Teacher collects orgives students data orinformation. Students work with theteacher tocollect/generate dataStudents collect data.from teacher directions.Students explain whatStudents decide how tocollect and record data.Students are the sole Teacher explains whysomething is so. Students respond toteacher questions tothey found to theirpeers and the teacherones explaining andmaking sense of the One correctsolution/explanationexplain why somethingis so.assists in summarizing.material.and method/reasoning isacceptable.While one solution andmethod is preferred,other methods can beshared.Each group orindividual isencouraged to expresstheir thinking in theirown way.Students use multiplemeans to express theirideas (journals,reporting out, drawings,charts/graphs)Domain 4: Teacher role during the lessonLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Lesson is all lecture.Any questions asked bythe teacher deal withmanagement issues orrecall. Teacher does somelecture/explaining butquestions students aboutfacts or procedureslearned in the lesson. Teacher poses questionsto develop studentthinking that begin tolink concepts in thatlesson or betweenWhen an error is made,the teacher corrects thestudent.When an error is made,the teacher points it outand explains.lessons.When an error is made,teacher questionsstudent to lead him/herto discover the error orhas another studentexplain.Teacher poses questionsthat connect lessons tokey concepts andrequires students toexplain their responseswith clear lines ofevidence.Students catch eachothers’ errors andquestion their peers tohelp them arrive at thecorrect answer.2 of Appendix 1

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 1UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Domain 5: Student Role and EngagementLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Students are passiverecipients of Students may answerrecall/procedural Students are guided touse data to find patternsinformation ORquestions.and generalize or draw problem.students are completely conclusions.off-task.Students are disinterestedin lesson oruse only lower-levelthinking.Students discussfindings withclassmates.Students find the meansto solve/understand aStudents are the oneswho teach each other.Domain 6: Group Size and purposeLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Instruction is wholeclass or independent Students work in groupsfor the majority of thepractice/reading.class.class.Questions students haveare directed to andanswered by theteacher.There is no discussionbetween the class andteacher or betweenclassmates.Instruction is wholeclass, but students maycollaborate to work onproblems or anassignment.Questions may be askedof classmates.Discussion is limited tochecking answers or tomanagement issues.Students pose questionsto one another and onlyask the teacher if no oneelse knows.Group members are incontinual discussionwith one another and,when necessary, withthe teacher.Students are in groupsfor the entirety of theStudents seek outclassmates or otherresources to havequestions answered.Groups members are inconstant discussion withone another as well aswith other groups.3 of Appendix 1

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Views of Math and Science Teaching SurveyYou have been selected to answer questions about your experience and views aboutsecondary (grades 6-12) math or science teaching.How to complete the questionnaireMost of the questions instruct you to circle one answer or circle all that apply. For a fewquestions you are asked to write your answer on the lines provided. Please answer allquestions honestly or leave a question blank, if needed.Section A: Background and Experience1. This question is for individuals who are/were UCI undergraduates. Which of thefollowing seminar courses have you taken (circle all that apply).PS 114/ED 114 US 5/PS 5/BS 14 PS 105/ BS 101 PS 106/BS 102 None2. This question is for individuals who were undergraduates at a University of Californiacampus other than UCI. Please circle all of the programs in which you participated atyour university..CTFMS CMST California Teach Science & Math Initiative (SMI)3. Approximately how many hours of fieldwork have you spent in K-12 classrooms priorto starting a teacher credential program? Circle one choice.0-20 hours 21-60 hours 61-120 hours More than 120 hoursPilot Survey, 10/15/07 11 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 20104. Please list any past experience you have had that involved tutoring, teaching, orhelping people to learn. This could be volunteer work, a paid job, a service project for aclass or organization, or other opportunities that you had to help people learn. For eachdifferent type of experience, please write the name of the organization or program (ifapplicable), describe what you did, and indicate for how long you did it.OrganizationExample: JumpStartWhat I didExample: Tutored smallchildrenLength of TimeExample: 9 months5. How confident are you that you will become a math or science teacher within the nextthree years? Circle the best choice.Not at all confident Somewhat confident Confident Absolutely surePilot Survey, 10/15/07 22 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Section B: Views on various aspects of teachingPlease indicate your plans for implementing each of the following in your math orscience instruction when you become a classroom teacher. How often do you plan todo each of the following? Please circle one answer for each statement.1. Take students’ prior understanding into account when planning curriculum andinstruction.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I consistently will dothis2. Give students vocabulary words and definitions at the beginning of a unit.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis3. Develop students’ conceptual understanding of math or science.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis4. Demonstrate algorithms followed by having students practice.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis5. Lead a class of students using investigative strategies.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis6. Have students work in cooperative learning groups.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis7. Have students work silently.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis8. Listen/ask questions as students work in order to gauge their understanding.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothisPilot Survey, 10/15/07 33 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 20109. Correct and point out student errors.I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothis10. Guide students to discover answers (rather than give them the answers).I seldom will do this I will do this sometimes I will do this often I will consistently dothisSection C: Student ObjectivesThink about your plans for teaching math or science over the course of a schoolyear. How much emphasis will each of the following student objectives receive?Please circle one answer for each statement.1. Increase students’ interest in math or science.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis2. Understand math or science concepts.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis3. Memorize procedures and facts.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis4. Learn problem solving skills.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis5. Discover how math or science ideas connect to and relate to one another.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis6. Explain math or science ideas effectively.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis7. Perform computations with speed and accuracy.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis8. Learn test-taking strategies.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy EmphasisPilot Survey, 10/15/07 44 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 20109. Develop inquiry skills.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy Emphasis10. Take accurate lecture notes.Little to no Emphasis Minimal Emphasis Moderate Emphasis Heavy EmphasisSection D: Teaching StrategiesAbout how often do you plan to do each of the following in your math or scienceinstruction? Please circle one answer for each statement.1. Introduce content through formal presentations.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily2. Pose open-ended questions.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily3. Engage the whole class in discussions.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily4. Require students to explain their reasoning or supply evidence to support their claims.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily5. Ask students to explain concepts to one another.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily6. Ask students to consider alternative methods or explanations.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily7. Ask students to use multiple representations or means of explanations (e.g., numbers,words, graphs, pictures).Seldom Sometimes Often Daily8. Allow students to work at their own pace.Seldom Sometimes Often DailyPilot Survey, 10/15/07 55 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Section E: Your Teaching PhilosophyThe following paragraphs describe observations of two teachers' classes, Ms. Hill’sand Mr. Jones’. Please circle one answer for each statement for whose class bestrepresents your philosophy.Ms. Hill was leading her class in ananimated way, asking questions thatthe students could answer quickly;based on the reading they had donethe day before. After this review,Ms. Hill taught the class newmaterial, again using simplequestions to keep studentsattentive and listening to what shesaid.Mr. Jonesʼ class was also having adiscussion, but many of the questionscame from the students themselves.Though Mr. Jones could clarifystudentsʼ questions and suggestwhere the students could findrelevant information, he couldnʼtreally answermost of the questions himself.1. Which type of class discussion are you more comfortable having in class?DefinitelyMs. Hill'sTend towardsMs. Hill'sCan't decide Tend towardsMr. Jones'Definitely Mr.Jones'2. Which type of discussion do you think most students prefer to have?DefinitelyMs. Hill'sTend towardsMs. Hill'sCan't decide Tend towardsMr. Jones'Definitely Mr.Jones'3. From which type of class discussion do you think students gain more knowledge?.DefinitelyMs. Hill'sTend towardsMs. Hill'sCan't decide Tend towardsMr. Jones'Definitely Mr.Jones'4. From which type of class discussion do you think students gain more useful skills?DefinitelyMs. Hill'sTend towardsMs. Hill'sCan't decide Tend towardsMr. Jones'Definitely Mr.Jones'Pilot Survey, 10/15/07 66 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Section F: Student ActivitiesAbout how often in your math or science class do you expect students to take part ineach of the following activities? Please circle one answer for each statement.1. Listen and takes notes during presentation by the teacher.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily2. Work in groups.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily3. Read from a textbook in class.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily4. Watch the teacher perform a science demonstration or solve math problems.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily5. Do hands-on activities or investigations.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily6. Review homework or class work.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily7. Answer textbook or worksheet questions.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily8. Design and implement their own investigation.Seldom Sometimes Often Daily9. Write reflections (e.g., in a journal).Seldom Sometimes Often Daily10. Make formal presentations to the rest of the class.Seldom Sometimes Often DailyPilot Survey, 10/15/07 77 of Appendix 2

Karajean Hyde,Terry Shanahan Appendix 2UTeach Institute - NMSI Annual ConferenceAustin, TX / May 25 – 27, 2010Section G: Free ResponsePleas use the lines provided to answer the following questions.a) What should a teacher’s role be in an effective math or science classroom?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________b) What should the students’ role be in an effective math or science classroom?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Pilot Survey, 10/15/07 88 of Appendix 2