Exploring pre-service teachers

1
Exploring pre-service teachers experiences as
students in large, undergraduate science courses
Brett Merritt Michigan State University Department
of Teacher Education Science Education
Contact information merrittb_at_msu.edu www.msu.edu/
dqctne
2
telos
end, purpose or goal

• standards documents
• think/talk/act teach
• subject matter pedagogy

3
Biology, Geology
telos
What models of subject matter knowledge (and
pedagogy) are made available to pre-service
teachers through their undergraduate science
courses?
4
What models of subject matter knowledge (and
pedagogy) are made available to pre-service
teachers through their undergraduate science
courses?
TNE design principle 2
How might these science courses better facilitate
ways of thinking/talking/acting as defined in the
new teacher education standards?
5
Tracing instructional design 2002-2006
Biology 101
x10
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• Driven by an NSF-funded research group also at
  Michigan State University
• DQC Diagnostic Question Clusters
  (www.msu.edu/dqctne)
• Elaboration of subject matter frameworks to
  guide instructional design

Assessment
Open ended questions Jared the Subway guy lost
over 200 lbs. Where did the mass of the fat
go? Please explain
Multiple choice items Jared the Subway guy lost
over 200 lbs. Where did the mass of the fat
go? A) B) C)
7

• Driven by an NSF-funded research group also at
  Michigan State University
• DQC Diagnostic Question Clusters
  (www.msu.edu/dqctne)
• Elaboration of subject matter frameworks to
  guide instructional design

Assessment
Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration
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Assessment

• Exam data
• 5 years increased frequency of more
  difficult questions student exam averages have
  not decreased
• Fall 2006 comparison between two large BIO 101
  courses middle students 15 increase is
  significant

• Clicker data
• Relations between clicker and exam performance?
• Tracking the development and use of clicker
  sequences a series of scaffolded questions
  designed to help develop Big Ideas (i.e., matter,
  energy, information)

• Instructional data
• Discourse analysis
• Mapping the instructor talk onto the content
  frameworks
• Use and role of visual images in the
  presentation of subject matter

9
The work presented today includes contributions
from
Faculty, Staff Students Gail Richmond Charles
(Andy) Anderson Joyce Parker John Merrill Duncan
Sibley Ron Patterson Merle Heideman
Mark Urban-Lurain Tammy Long Chris Wilson Rosa
Moscarella Aaron Russell
Brett Merritt Michigan State University Department
of Teacher Education Science Education
Contact information merrittb_at_msu.edu www.msu.edu/
dqctne