Teacher Logs: A Tool for Gaining a Comprehensive Understanding of Classroom Practices.

IntroductionThe study of instructional practices in classrooms has traditionally relied on two methods: classroom observations, which are expensive, and surveys, which are limited in scope and accuracy. Teacher logs provide a "real-time" method for collecting data on classroom practices by giving teachers a tool to document and refl ect about different lessons and the impact they may have had on their students. Logs can be developed to collect data for review by teachers, their colleagues, administrators, and researchers. These self-reported data, collected online repeatedly over a specified period of time, present a series of snapshots that capture ongoing classroom practices and lesson strategies. This type of data collection can help teachers reflect on their implementation of new practices and programs at school. Here, we focus on teachers in schools that have undergone Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) reform.Many practitioners and evaluators agree that dynamic, interactive instructional practices are a key component of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. Approaches such as creativity strategies, problem-based learning, and learning through design are particularly effective for reinforcing STEM-based material (Clark & Ernst, 2007). If instruction motivates students, then students are likely to value their educational endeavors and perhaps even seek similar educational experiences in the future (Durik & Harackiewicz, 2007). Ultimately, the instruction students receive should inspire and motivate them to pursue STEM careers. To connect content to students' interests, STEM teachers are encouraged to embed content in real-life practical problems (Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education, 2012). As the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on STEM Education points out, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) concluded that STEM teachers should have "enough content knowledge to link STEM to compelling real-world issues, model the process of scientific investigation, effectively address student misconceptions, and help their students learn to reason and solve problems like mathematicians, scientists and engineers" (Committee on STEM Education, 2013, p. 18). North Carolina New Schools (NCNS) along with the New Tech Network (NTN) supported the development of STEM high schools with guidance and professional development. The authors worked with NCNS to study a set of schools that had received support from NCNS. NCNS's vision for STEM emphasized making connections in the fields of math and science; meaningfully integrating technology; and helping students cultivate creativity and develop problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills. NCNS provided professional development to teachers to help them create classrooms with these characteristics. Some schools working with NCNS also received professional development from NTN. This National Science Foundation-funded study examines how much these professional development experiences influence the daily classroom practices of the participating teachers. We developed online teacher logs to obtain evidence as to whether teachers routinely used instructional practices aligned with the NCNS and NTN goals and professional development.Teacher LogsWhen Ball, Camburn, Correnti, Phelps, and Wallace (1999) conducted a pilot study of the usefulness of teacher logs as a web-based tool, they asked teachers to make note of a number of variables that fell into four main categories: (a) the nature of student work, (b) the specific activities in which students engaged, (c) the teacher's actions, and (d) the topics and content covered. The authors found that by documenting classroom practices, such as how students were grouped, what materials they used, which types of activities were used to engage students, what the teachers were doing, and how the content was presented, they could form general insights as to the typical practices employed in the classroom. …