state of readiness of initial level preservice middle grades science and mathematics teachers and its implications on teacher education programs, The

School Science and Mathematics, Nov 1999 by Bischoff, Paul J, Hatch, Douglas D, Watford, Lettie J

The purpose of this study was to document through interview and videotaped data the current state of readiness of 10 preservice middle grade teachers, regarding their ability to plan, implement, and reflect on an integrated mathematics and science lesson. The results showed that only one student was successful in implementing a lesson that compared favorably to national standards. This student's lesson plan contained minimal pedagogical considerations and consisted primarily of notes emphasizing fine detail of distinction about the content of the lesson using her own examples. The lesson plan and post-lesson-plan interview data of the remaining students indicated an adherence to algorithmic learning, rote memorization, and procedural knowledge. There were numerous content errors in the plans, and these students orally described a lack of self-confidence in their ability to teach this lesson successfully. The most successful student demonstrated her competence in meeting standards of pedagogical content knowledge and was most successful in analyzing her own teaching. The results showed that most subjects of this study needed extensive training in content and pedagogy and in synthesizing these in a way consistent with modern learning theory.

The mathematics and science reform initiatives are due to several factors, including an awareness among mathematics and science educators that America's position in the technological marketplace is dependent upon a technologically, mathematically, and scientifically literate public (e.g., American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990; Berryman & Bailey, 1992; Bybee, 1987). America's position as a leader in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, its economic prosperity, and its achievements in mathematics, science and technology, particularly after the complacent decades prior to Sputnik (1957), resulted in a virtual contract of faith between society and the public educational systems. Currently, the terms of the contract have expired, and it is time for renewal. There is cause for alarm, however, particularly in reference to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS International Study Center, 1996), which ranks American eighth graders' achievement in mathematics at 28th and achievement in science at 17th. It is of crucial importance to America's future ability to sustain economic vitality that educational systems end patterns of complacency, panic, and catch-up and reaffirm its position as a beacon guiding society into the 21st century.

Teachers, particularly those in middle and high schools, bear the weighty responsibility of providing rigorous science and mathematics courses that meet the terms of the new contract. This is a challenging task. Perhaps the most consequential outcome of this challenge has been the mathematics and science education reform efforts of the 1980s and 1990s, and the resulting development of standards describing the caliber of teachers needed to bring about real change (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1990; National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, 1991; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 1991; National Research Council, 1996). Although each discipline has its own hallmark sets of standards, the similarities, central messages, and the consequences on teacher preparation are extraordinary.

Colleges and universities must require education students to demonstrate competence in content (e.g., Sowder, Philipp, Armstrong, & Schappelle, 1998), the ability to assimilate theories of cognitive science (e.g., Ausubel, 1968; Bodner, 1986; Bruner, 1966;Vygotsky, 1926; Yager, 1993) and pedagogical strategies (Crosswhite, 1987; Johnson & Johnson, 1994; Lappan & Briars, 1995) into minds-on (Hassard, 1992) lessons in which students are provided opportunities to construct meaningful content knowledge. Also, a review of the related literature lends credence to the importance of incorporating self-reflection or self-evaluation into overall teacher effectiveness (Kremer& Ben-Peretz, 1984;McQualter, 1986; Richards, 1991; Schwartz, 1992).

The purpose of this study was to document through an analysis of interview and videotaped data the current state of readiness of initial level preservice middle grade teachers. This data can provide insights that will serve to guide the remaining 18 months of their professional training. The specific research question was "What are the distinguishing characteristics of successful and less sucessful preservice middle grade teachers in lesson planning, implementation, and self-reflection?"

Method

Subjects

Ten first semester junior level students, majoring in middle grade education at a rural southern university, were the subjects of this longitudinal qualitative study. They were enrolled in both a mathematics and a science methods course and were at the same- curricular level. Eleven students in the program met the criteria. The data from one were incomplete, and the student was dropped from the study.