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Teacher preparation is a complex process; also complex are the standards that define what novice teachers need to know and be able to do to effectively meet the needs of all of their students. Add the demographic shift in the student population, and there are additional demands on teachers to provide students with the education they need and deserve. Given these changing needs, teacher educators must implement effective strategies to diversify the teaching force and to prepare all teachers to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study sought to document the extent to which Latina/o elementary teacher candidates described and demonstrated culturally responsive teaching strategies using their students’ cultural and academic profiles to inform practice in classroom science and math instruction. The results and conclusions from this study indicate the Latina/o teacher candidates were learning to become culturally responsive classroom teachers. As student teachers they...

This qualitative theoretical study was conducted in response to the current need for an inclusive and comprehensive model to guide the preparation and assessment of teacher candidates for culturally responsive teaching. The process of developing a model of culturally responsive teaching involved three steps: a comprehensive review of the literature; a synthesis of the literature into thematic categories to capture the dispositions and behaviors of culturally responsive teaching; and the piloting of these thematic categories with teacher candidates to validate the usefulness of the categories and to generate specific exemplars of behavior to represent each category. The model of culturally responsive teaching contains five thematic categories: (1) content integration, (2) facilitating knowledge construction, (3) prejudice reduction, (4) social justice, and (5) academic development. The current model is a promising tool for comprehensively defining culturally responsive teaching in the context of teacher education as well as to guide curriculum and assessment changes aimed to increase candidates’ culturally responsive knowledge and skills in science and mathematics teaching.

Using a case study design, this investigation examined the effective teaching characteristics of nontraditional, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) student teachers placed in rural, elementary schools with high populations of Latino/a students. Data collected reflected high percentages of effective teaching characteristics in multiple domains with specific indicators reflective of consistent teaching over time. A discussion of these findings considered aspects within the distance-delivery model that facilitated the CLD participants' development of effective teaching and noted (1) consistent leadership, (2) explicit teacher instruction within CLD school settings, and (3) the strong cohesive nature of the CLD participants' cohort as positively affecting the CLD participants' teaching effectiveness.

The authors describe the premises, processes used, and outcomes of a K-16 simultaneous renewal model, as implemented through the Kansas Sate University Professional Development School Partnership Project. The goal of this partnership is to improve K-12 teaching and learning while improving a university teacher-preparation program through collaboration between university faculty and multiple-partner district administrators and teachers. Because of their experiences, the authors believe that teacher education and K-12 student learning can be enhanced by establishing a culture of collaboration, inquiry, and continuous growth, supported by multifaceted program assessments, professional development, and a mindset that all K-16 educators are responsible for one another's students. Two major conclusions emerged from this analysis of K-16 simultaneous renewal: (a) significant educational change requires extensive and continuous time, resources, professional development, and implementation support across systems i...

This study examines how a national model for integrating microcomputers into science teaching was implemented in rural school districts. The implementation of a national model for rural school districts required several adaptations. The organizational, procedural, community, and personal factors that led to those adaptations and influenced microcomputer usage in rural science teaching are discussed.

This article received the “Innovations in Teaching Science Teachers” award at the 1996 meeting of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science. The award is made possible by Delta Education.

Science teaching self-efficacy may be one area of importance which has been over-looked in implementing change to improve science teaching in elementary schools. This qualitative study was designed to examine factors which influence personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy in elementary teachers. Based on Bandura's psychological construct of self-efficacy, science teaching self-efficacy has been related to teachers' belief in their ability to teach science, called personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE), and their belief in students' ability to learn, called science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). Data were collected from 23 elementary teachers involved in a project to enhance science, mathematics, and technology education. Initially, data on variables identified as related to science teaching self-efficacy were collected and triangulated from several self-reporting instruments, including the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument, In-service version (STEBI-A) Teachers' scores on personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), two subscales of the STEBI-A, along with other data were used to develop in depth interview questions. Ten of the teachers, with varying PSTE and STOE levels (high, moderate, and low), were purposefully selected for interviews regarding their teacher preparation, professional development, and science-related antecedent experiences. The qualitative data analysis methods of constant-comparison and clustering were used to identify patterns and themes within the interview data. Qualitative analysis of triangulated data provided insights as to development of PSTE and STOE. Results of the interview analysis revealed more definitive findings for the dimension of personal science teaching efficacy than for science teaching outcome expectancy. Theme in the data indicated that antecedent experiences influenced interest in science teaching. Preservice and in-service experiences such as success in high quality science courses and workshops, access to a lesser degree STOE. Findings on experiences which influenced STOE were limited. Implications for early science experiences, teacher preparation and teacher professional development are presented. Recommendations for further research are made for PSTE and STOE. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This qualitative multiple case study focused on eleven non-traditional, bilingual, Latinas within a teacher education program. The study explored various factors that influenced participants’ desire to pursue and ability to persist as pre-service teachers. The overarching theme identified among participant discourse was personal agency inspired by hardship. Findings indicated that, as a result of their cultural and experiential understandings, participants enacted culturally responsive teaching with their Latino/a students. Furthermore, participants demonstrated a strong sense of personal agency to improve the educational outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students and a desire to advocate specifically on behalf of English learner Latino/a students.

(1995). Math, science, technology after school clubs and summer magnet school: Collaborative professional development opportunities for science educators. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 112-119.

Many reports to the nation have revealed differences in the educational experiences of males and females. This is especially true in mathematics and science where females are not receiving the necessary educational background to develop the skills and understanding required to be citizens and employees in today's technological world. As a result, females are underrepresented in science, mathematics, and engineering professions. This study compares one school district's data with the data in national reports and then attempts to analyze what factors exist in the community and school district that reinforce and perpetuate inequitable situations for females. This study also provides a model for other school districts to conduct a self-study of gender equity education issues.

This article describes a collaborative, distance-delivered, teacher preparation program for rural, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) teacher candidates. Multiple institutions partnered with one university in order to diversify the teaching force in the region and meet the needs of CLD students living there. In describing the program’s design and implementation phases, a focus on cultural responsiveness to the candidates’ needs, their rural settings, and high populations of Latino/a students in the rural areas in which they were trained is presented. Assessment of each implementation phase guided program practice for the participants’ training as effective teachers. Relevant discussion indicates that even with responses to the pre-service teachers’ academic, social, and financial needs, issues of communication and barriers imposed by distances emerged. Additionally, while collaborative bonds among the partner institutions facilitated the candidates’ training as effective teachers, the building of multi-institutional partnerships concurrently with the implementation phases caused participants and implementers stress.

Many studies have defined science anxiety, attitude toward science and low science teaching self-efficacy. This paper attempts to show the interrelatedness of these traits, and using the construct of personal self-efficacy as a foundation, describe methods for building science teaching confidence in preservice teachers. Teaching self-efficacy beliefs refers to teachers' confidence in their own teaching abilities which is reflected in their teaching behaviors. To improve the ability, effectiveness and feelings of success in elementary teachers, science educators need to include strategies to improve attitudes toward science and increase teaching self-efficacy in teacher preparation courses.