TRANSFERRING SCIENCE TO MIDDLE-SCHOOL CLASSROOMS USING AUTHENTIC DATASETS THROUGH AN INQUIRY-FOCUSED, EARLY-CAREER, SCIENCE TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

PLC-METS, a professional development for early career science teachers, seeks to develop a research-based professional learning community (PLC) that supports intern and induction teachers in their efforts to introduce inquiry-based learning into their classrooms. Our research is focused on the development of proto-theories through design-based research. In particular, we seek to define a teaching-through-inquiry learning progression that guides the PLCMETS program which scaffolds early-career teachers in overcoming the intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that limit teachers implementing a standards-based science curriculum the incorporates inquiry lessons. Our research design used a partially mixed, concurrent, quasi-control research design with qualitative and quantitative data sources, including quantitative pre-post surveys, interviews, lesson plans developed by early-career teachers, and classroom observations of inquiry lesson implementation.

Our early-career teachers are challenged by both intrinsic and extrinsic issues that limit most of the teachers in implementing inquiry lessons in their classroom. Our professional development program focuses on two strands: (1) scientific knowledge (content knowledge, nature of science, research skills focused on experimental design, data analysis and representation, and modeling), and (2) classroom practice (pedagogical content knowledge, lesson design, learning objectives, learning assessment and classroom management) within a professional learning community. We have been successful in changing teaching practice of our participants by transferring science research to the classroom through authentic data sets embedded within inquiry research collections. Our work draws upon the framework of five simulated research activities suggested by Chinn & Malhortra (2002).