- Year 2019
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660557
- First Name Dennis
- Last Name Sunal
- Discipline Biology, Chemistry, Physics
- Co-PI(s)
Janis O?Donnell, University of Alabama, jodonnel@ua.edu
Kevin Shaughnessey, University of Alabama,kshaughn@as.ua.edu
Cynthia Sunal, University of Alabama, cvsunal@ua.edu
Ranier Schad, University of Alabama, rschad@mint.ua.edu - Presenters
Cynthia Sunal, University of Alabama, cvsunal@ua.edu
Sabrina Stanley, University of Alabama, sdstanley@crimson.ua.edu
Need
The demand for high school chemistry, mathematics, and physics teachers in the USA exceeds all other disciplines particularly in the southeast, with critical demand in Alabama. Although 33% of U.S. high school students take one year of physics only 19% do so in Alabama. Statistics indicate that from 1997-2009 the number of Alabama physics teachers certified in other science fields increased from 140 to 359, while those holding certification with a physics major increased from 26-31. Only 9% of high school physics teachers in Alabama have majors in physics degree compared with a national average of 33%. In Alabama, 25% of high schools do not teach physics. Only 17% of chemistry teachers have a major in chemistry. Chemistry and physics classes have been dropped by an increasing number of Alabama schools. Alabama’s need for secondary mathematics teachers is high. During 2010, 69 secondary math teaching positions (17%) remained unfilled, and almost all were from rural or central cities.
Goals
The purpose of this study is to test a nontraditional model of professional collaboration, the professional learning community (PLC), within a pre-service program and during an extended in-service teacher experience in high needs schools. This is being done by investigating, 1. how various factors support or hinder the model’s ability to align with effective PLCs. 2. how novice preservice teachers’ teaching practices change during this time and what effect, if any, the PLC is having on this change. 3. how novice teachers’ discourse changes in their perceptions of the PLC model after their participation in the collaborative community.
Approach
UA-Noyce is designed to increase the number and diversity of certified teachers graduating from the University of Alabama. Research based features are 1) focus only on chemistry, physics, and mathematics majors, 2) early experience summer internships, 3) preservice teacher scholarships, 4) recruitment using a consortium of community colleges, and 5) mixed-methods multi-year recruitment study of the pipeline for preparing teachers in difficult to recruit majors.
Outcomes
The LIST Program is early in its development. Mentoring and professional development activities have focused on 1) fostering a collaborative culture to support teacher development and student learning; 2) assessing and using action research to improve practice and classroom student learning; 3) promoting professional learning for continuous improvement; 4) facilitating improvements in instruction and student learning; 5) promoting the use of formative assessment and use of data for school improvement; 6) improving potential outreach and collaboration with families and community; and 7) advocating for professional behaviors. We continue to observe and provide feedback on the depth and quality of the activities moving Fellows through teacher preparation and into induction and leadership roles.
Broader Impacts
As the project engages participants in pre-service training and then in leadership skills during induction, the science teachers will add to the community of highly trained teachers in the key science areas of biology, chemistry and physics. The teachers’ impact on their schools programs can be observed as they develop their leadership abilities enabling them to become more effective science professionals.
