A preliminary study of university physics for secondary science teachers : will content be enough?

J'his chapter examines continuing teacher proJessional development through a university level physics course. The study was conducted in a regional university and Jocused on working teachers' perceptions oj the benefits of the course and the ejJi? Ctiveness oJits mode ofdelivery. The course was Jace-to~face, fast tracked, and held outside school hours, fimded on a 'one ofl' basis. Case study methods were employed to collect comprehensive and detailed data throughout the course and were used to . frame the outcomes and recommendations. Teachers were stimulated by the challenge oj university study. They appreciated the mode of presentation of the course, but found the pace problematical. Teachers with physics classes indicated changes in their teaching practice. If ongoing teacher development at this level is to continue, employers will need to match the teachers' willingness to give their time, with formal systems of support, reward and recognition. OVERVIEW During the Autumn tenn of 2004, Central Queensland University's (CQU) James Goldston Faculty of Engineering and Physical Systems (JGFEPS) launched a physics course, aimed at meeting the continuing professional development (CPD) needs of a group of secondary science teachers. The course was based on first year Physics, with changes in presentation made to accommodate the teaches' needs. The teachers' aim was to increase their physics content knowledge in areas covered by the Senior Physics syllabus. Funding was provided for this course only by the Queensland government's Spotlight on Science initiative, and JGFEPS, with some contribution from the teachers' schools and, in a few cases, from the teachers themselves. Any continuation of this program, or future courses, would require further funding applications or standard university fees would apply. Participation was driven by teachers' perceptions of their own needs to improve their knowledge of physics content. The teachers believed that they would then be able to build on that content knowledge, using their 46 1. Bulman, C. Greensill & A. Harrison existing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and their personal contacts with experienced physics teachers. Initially, the teachers' evaluations of the effects of the course on their development may enhance understanding of teacher CPD. Future research will focus on how the teachers integrate the newly acquired physics content knowledge into their science pedagogical knowledge (PK). A key purpose of CPD should be the enhancement of teachers' PCK. Successful CPD that enhances PCK benefits not just teachers but also their students, and therefore the schools and systems within which the teachers work. The consequences of classes being taught by teachers lacking a high level of understanding of the content they teach have been well documented (Darling-Hammond & Sykes, 2003; Goodrum, Hackling& Rennie, 2001). Fully trained teachers with university level qualifications in their subject area are the strongest predictor for high student achievement (National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21 st Century, 2000). PURPOSES AND DESIRED OUTCOMES This research is the initial stage of an exploration of the teachers' perceptions of the value of this course to their teacher CPD and PCK. The pilot study seeks to understand the appropriateness of the course delivery mode, aimed at meeting the needs of working teachers, and to begin to examine the effects of university level enhancement of science teachers' content knowledge on their development as teachers. The significance of this study is that this CPD was based on a premise that is not supported by the literature-~that CPD focusing solely on content will enhance teachers' PCK. Other university level programs aimed at teachers' CPD, such as Masters degrees in education, or professional development such as that offered by Deakin University's Consultancy and Development Unit, are offered by Education faculties and include 'educational' components. The research questions asked: 1. Was this mode of course delivery optimal for working teachers? 2. What was the effect, if any at this stage, of this course on teachers' CPD and PCK? In order to provide some answers to these research questions, we have begun to develop a case study based on the perceptions of the teachers who completed the course. Case study was chosen as the research questions were exploratory, the context was contemporary, and I had little control over the events on which the study focused (Yin, 1994). The case documents and interprets the impact of this experience on the teachers' perceptions of the benefits to their CPD. The case offers valuable insights into science teacher development that is particularly pertinent given the Preliminary Study of University Physics 47 ongoing shortage of science teachers (Department of Education, Science and Training [DEST], 2002). THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK SHORTAGE OF SCIENCE TEACHERS ADD OECD STUFF In Australia, a science teacher shortage exists and is expected to continue, in the physical sciences, and in rural and remote regions (DEST, 2001; 2002). Research in the United States, has shown about 44% of middle school are taught by teachers without tertiary qualifications in the subjects they teach, while 22% of secondary school students are taught by teachers who are uncertified in their teaching area (Academic Improvement And Teacher Quality Programs Office Of Elementary And Secondary Education, U.S. Department Of Education, 2003). Australian conditions appear similar, although the picture is less clear. A Tasmanian Department of Education survey in 2000, cited 34% of secondary science classes taught by teachers who had no tertiary science training (Melville, 2004). Attempts to resolve the shortage of science teachers often consisted of recruiting science graduates who have the required content knowledge and then providing pedagogical training. Another strategy has been to recruit teachers, who have PK, and provide education in science (see Ritz, 1993; Watson, Steele, Aubusson & Vozzo, 2003). These contrasting approaches nevertheless demonstrate the need for both pedagogical and content knowledge. This study is important because it begins to investigate the merits of enhancing PCK by teachers grafting content knowledge gained from CPD onto their existing PK knowledge. PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE The synthesis of content and pedagogical knowledge for teaching was explicated by Shulman (1986) as 'pedagogical content knowledge' (PCK) to describe the amalgamation of content, pedagogy and context into "ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others . includ[ing] an understanding of what makes the learning of specific topics easy or difficult: [and consider] the conceptions that students of different ages and backgrounds bring with them" (p. 9). Just exactly how PCK can be defined and developed and how useful it is as a concept/construct in describing forms of teacher knowledge, has been considered by a steadily increasing range of researchers (e.g., Cochran, 1997; Veal and MaKinster, 1999). Shulman's (1987) view was that PCK was one of seven knowledge bases required for teaching and multiple conceptions of PCK have been posited (Veal, 2001, p. 2). An important development was Cochran, De Ruiter and King's (1993) constructivist view of PCK, "pedagogical content knowing (PCK)" (p. 263), which added to Shulman's integration of content and pedagogy by emphasising the importance of teachers' knowledge of students and the learning context. 48 1. Bu! man, C. Greensi! & A. Harrison In 1999, Veal and MaKinster drew on the existing literature to create a general taxonomy of PCK, in which topic specific PCK drew hierarchically from domain specific PCK, general PCK, and pedagogy. They also suggested that PCK integrated ten attributes, which for most secondary science teachers, begins with development of content knowledge. The foundational attributes were firstly content knowledge and secondly a knowledge of students. These formed a basis on which an interrelated knowledge of context, environment, nature of science, assessment, pedagogy, curriculum, socioculturalism and classroom management built to become PCK. Teachers must then understand "the importance of the student component of teaching" (p. 10), before developing the other attributes.