SCIENCE TEACHING* [Reprinted from School Science and Mathematics, January 1958] PROMISING PRACTICES IN SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION A Report From the Midwest Regional State College Conference on Science and Mathematics Teacher Education 1 Compiled by George G. Mallinson, dean, school of graduate studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich. INTRODUCTION The Midwest Regional State College Conference on Science and Mathematics Teacher Education originated with, and was financed by, the Science Teaching Improvement Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The theme of the conference was "Promising Practices in Science and Mathematics Teacher Education." The initial motivation for such a conference came from Dr. John R. Mayor, Director of STIP. Dr. Mayor had, on several occasions, expressed the belief that many state colleges, in which the bulk of science and mathematics teachers are trained, had developed within recent years excellent programs for training teachers in these fields. The purpose of the conference, therefore, was to disseminate such desirable practices among the various colleges, through their representatives. The participants at the conference were representatives from state colleges in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; high-school teachers of science and mathematics from these states; and other leaders in science and mathematics education. About ninety such persons gathered to hear general presentations concerning the problems of science and mathematics education, learn about promising practices in these fields, and discuss the implications of what they had heard. This report is an effort to summarize the deliberations at the science meetings. It represents, obviously, only a small portion of what was said. However, the materials collected by the chairmen of the science sections are the sources of the data for this summary. An analysis of the materials indicated that the report should be categorized under three major headings, (1) Promising Practices in Science Teacher Education; (2) Proposals for In-Service and Graduate Training of Science Teachers; and (3) Recommendations for Policies and Action. PROMISING PRACTICES IN SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION 2 Uniqueness of scientific education for science teaching Within the past few years, colleges and universities engaged in training science teachers have come to realize that there is a necessary uniqueness in the scientific education for prospective science teachers. The training is different from the scientific education given to doctors, research workers in industry, or any other persons entering scientific professions. The differences exist both in the breadth of the training and in the intensiveness with which various areas of science are explored. It is recognized that every science teacher needs some training in the biological, physical, and earth sciences. Further, in at least one of these areas the *Information assembled by the committee staff related to matters under discussion in the hearings on Science and Education for National Defense. here. The conference was held at the Chicago campus of Northwestern University, on March 8 and 9, 1957. The compiler of this report wishes to take no credit for the ideas expressed He is responsible, however, for any editorial errors and failures to paraphrase ideas The material in this section is a summary of presentations by Ernest L. Stover, Eastern Illinois State College; Robert H. Cooper, Ball State Teachers College; Chalmer A. Gross, Southern Illinois University; and William C. Van Deventer, Western Michigan University. and presentations correctly. 22201-58-94 training needs to be intensive. Yet it should be broader than that for persons in other scientific professions, and in the area of specialization, probably need not be so intensive. The training program differs markedly in another respect. A teacher of science is expected to "keep up-to-date" in all areas of science if he is to teach effectively. A person in another scientific profession generally needs a much narrower spectrum of in-service education. Hence, for a teacher of science, graduate programs may consist of broad field courses encompassing several areas of the same or related science(s). Such courses often are not construed as being of "graduate calibre" for persons in other professions. In view of these points, colleges and universities have studied their programs for science teachers, and a number of promising practices have emerged. They are discussed under appropriate sub-headings in the ensuing discussion. Subject-matter training: curriculum structure A number of research studies have been undertaken during the past few years to analyze the jobs of science teachers. Such job analyses were considered to be of value for developing optimal programs. In general these studies point out that 90 percent of the positions in science teaching fall into one of four categories. They include the teachers of (1) biology, general science and physical education (the "coach"), (2) biology and general science (the "professional" biology teacher), (3) chemistry, physics, mathematics, and general science, and (4) chemistry, physics, biology and general science. The breadth of such teaching assignments, recognizing that the course in general science covers a vast spectrum of sciences, creates difficulties in suggesting a curriculum structure for training teachers. In a typical college or university, seldom are more than fifty to sixty hours avaliable for specialized training. Liberal-arts requirements and courses in professional education ordinarily encompass the course credit remaining. Thus, one finds that a science teacher must spend much of the credit in the sciences in taking introductory courses. Few credit hours are left for advancing beyond this level. Several expressed the view that survey courses covering several fields of science are seldom satisfactory bases on which majors or minors can be built. Others contended that such courses had to be used for majors and minors if breadth were to be obtained as well as intensive training in at least one area.. A compromise was reached due to the fact that science teaching positions fall into several categories. It was pointed out that in the science areas in which intensiveness and specialization are sought, the regular introductory courses could be used. In those areas of science in which the breadth factor is most important, survey courses may well be used to provide experiences in several sciences. At the same time such courses would be economical of the course credit still available. Curriculum structures for training science teachers to meet each of the above patterns were suggested. These structures are found in the table that follows. The structures described in the table are now considered policy in several of the state colleges in the Midwest. It is of course too early to suggest how successful such programs may be. They do however deviate from the old subject-matter major-minor concept. They are based to some extent on group majors and minors that are acceptable for certification in a number of states. But, it was unanimously agreed that in one field of science every prospective teacher should have at least three years of training if a major were to be worthy of that designation. Subject-matter training: course content Curriculum structures for training science teachers, such as the ones described în Table I, do not indicate what may be included within the various courses. The presentations all made clear that this area also constituted a major problem and needed some extensive study. Within recent years scientific knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds. Hence, in no specific field, biology, chemistry, physics or earth science, can one expect to cover the subject in a single course or in any combination of courses that might constitute a major or minor. The growth of scientific knowledge is clearly indicated by the staggering number of science courses that may be found in any college or university catalogue. While many overlap, the vastness of the proliferation is apparent. Hence, in planning majors and minors, two factors must be kept in mind: |