Using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol RTOP to
Using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) to Impact Teacher Change Introduction: The Call for Reform Professional associations of scientists, mathematicians, and educators including • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) • National Research Council (NRC) have called for extensive reform in the teaching of science and mathematics (REFS 1 a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j). These reports critique US science and mathematics curricula as largely incoherent, excessively repetitive and unfocused – ‘a mile wide and an inch deep’ (REF 1 i, p 3). In response, National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a series of large fiveyear collaborative projects including Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (ACEPT) at Arizona State University (ASU) (REF 3 a, b) ACEPT’s Goals to better prepare K-12 teachers in science and mathematics to reform the preparation of science and mathematics teachers, K-20 to "break the cycle" • future teachers would be taught as they were expected to teach • constructivist • inquiry-based methods advocated by the AAAS, NCTM and NRC Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) The RTOP was developed as a classroom observation instrument to provide a standardized means for detecting the degree to which K-20 classroom instruction in mathematics or science is reformed. RTOP draws on five major sources for its validity The Horizon Research 1997 -98 Local Systemic Change Revised Classroom Observation Protocol The "standards" in science and mathematics education [NCTM's Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (1989), Professional Teaching Standards (1991), Assessment Standards (1995) and NRC's National Science Standards (1996)] The principles of reform underlying the ACEPT project The work of ACEPT Co-Principle Investigators, particularly that of Tony Lawson and the ASU Mathematics Education group led by Marilyn Carlson Members of Evaluation Facilitation Group (EFG) By Kathleen Falconer, Department of Elementary Education and Reading and Daniel Mac. Isaac, Department of Physics Summary of RTOP for Physics Teaching Reflection Upon Teaching: Using RTOP as a Tool for Teacher Self-Reflection Lesson Design and Implementation. The creation of physics lessons that: 1) respect student preconceptions and knowledge; 2) foster learning communities; 3) explore before formal presentation; 4) seek and recognize alternative approaches; and 5) include student ideas in classroom direction. Could we use RTOP to help teachers develop a deeper understanding of the nature of reformed teaching by observing themselves and others using the RTOP? Content (Propositional Knowledge). Teachers knowing their physics and teaching lessons that: 6) involve fundamental concepts of physics; 7) promote coherent understanding across topics and situations; 8) demonstrate teacher content knowledge (e. g. apparently "unrelated" questions); 9) encourage appropriate abstraction; and 10) explore and value interdisciplinary contexts and real world phenomena. Could we use RTOP as a philosophical and operational definition of how to teach science to modify undergraduate and graduate physics and physics education classes at BSC so the students develop a deeper understanding of the nature of reformed teaching? We started to use RTOP training sessions as an explicit science methods activity for pre-service and in-service teacher education courses and in professional BCS Graduate Students Comments on development workshops for in-service teachers. We also used RTOP as an RTOP: implicit philosophy for modifying classes. While much time and effort has been poured into reform teaching, there has been a lack of research linking teacher self Student One: “I intend to use the RTOP as a guide to good teaching practice. -knowledge, reform teaching and student achievement (REF 6). A review of the I will keep a copy of the instrument in the front of my lesson plan book and research lead us to believe that RTOP was appropriate for this purpose. use it as I develop my lessons and activities throughout the year. To focus my personal use of the instrument I will look at the objectives under only one of the five sections per two-week period. For example, for the first two weeks I will focus on incorporating the first five objectives into my lesson plans. I will continue in this manner until all 25 objectives seem to be Results from BSC Summer 2003 Graduate regularly incorporated into my lessons. ” Physics and Physics Education Classes Student Two: “One other benefit of the RTOP and the research surrounding the RTOP is that it does indeed serve as a source of ammunition against those stubborn Parents or administrators that believe wholeheartedly in traditional instruction in high schools. Last but certainly not least, the reformed teaching style is a radical change for students and fellow teachers alike, and some subversion and/or resistance to this change should not be a surprise. ” Student Three: “To become a reformed teacher, i. e. , to inflate my scores on an RTOP evaluation, I need to divert from conventional teaching methods. This involves changing the focus of the class from me being “a teaching teacher” to my students as “learners”. This requires the students to take more responsibility for their own learning and understanding. To do this I need to provide experiences that guide students to an understanding of the material in a logical and efficient manner… including hands-on student-centered activities. ” RTOP was developed, refined, and validated over a period of two years. In its present form, the RTOP is a highly reliable instrument with strong predictive validity (REF 4, 5). To date, RTOP has been used in over 400 K-20 science and mathematics classrooms to provide a precise quantitative reading of the degree to which teaching is reformed. RTOP both operationally defines and assesses reformed teaching in the classroom (REF 4). In the evaluation of ACEPT, RTOP scores were found to strongly correlate with student conceptual gains (REF 5, Figure 1) showing that reformed teaching is also effective teaching. This research was supported by NSF grants No. 9453610 and No. 0302097. Content (Procedural Knowledge). Physics lessons that use scientific reasoning and teachers' understanding of pedagogy to: 11) use a variety of representations to represent phenomena; 12) make and test predictions, hypotheses, estimates or conjectures; 13) are actively engaging and thought-provoking and include critical assessment; 14) demonstrate metacognition (critical self-reflection); and 15) show intellectual dialogue, challenge, debate negotiation, interpretation and discourse. Classroom Culture (Communicative Interactions). The use of student discourse to modify the locus of lesson control such that: 16) students communicate their own ideas in a variety of methods; 17) teachers' questions foster divergent modes of thinking; 18) lots of student, particularly inter-student talk, is present; 19) student questions and comments shape discourse -- the "teachable moment" is pursued; and 20) there is a climate of respect and expectation for student contributions. Classroom Culture (Student-Teacher Relationships). Lessons interactions where: 21) students actively participate (minds-on, hands-on) and set agendas; 22) students take primary and active responsibility for their own learning; 23) the teacher is patient (plays out student initiatives, and is silent when appropriate); 24) the teacher acts as a resource and students supply initiative; and 25) the teacher is a listener. References Conclusion Yes, we can use RTOP as a philosophical and operational definition of how to teach science to modify undergraduate and graduate physics and physics education classes at BSC The teacher participants in the graduate physics education classes were very articulate in how they could and would use RTOP to change their instruction and how their students will learn. The teacher participants in the summer 2003 courses learned significant amount of physics conceptual content during the graduate physics education classes as measured by the conceptual measures of E&M and mechanics (DIRECT, CSEM and FCI). The undergraduate students are very positive about the reformed classes and their learning experiences. 1 a. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (1989). Project 2061: Science for All Americans: A Project 2061 Report on Literacy Goals in Science, Mathematics, and Technology. Washington, D. C. : AAAS. <http: //www. project 2061. org/tools/sfaaol/sfaatoc. htm>, 1 b. AAAS (1993). Project 2061: Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Washington, D. C. : AAAS. <http: //www. project 2061. org/tools/benchol/bolframe. htm> 1 c. National Council Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (1989). Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM. <http: //standards. nctm. org/> 1 d. NCTM (1991). Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM. 1 e. NCTM (1995). Assessment Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM <http: //www. nctm. org/standards/buyonline. htm>. 1 f. NCTM (2000). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM. < 1 g. National Research Council (NRC) (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press <http: //books. nap. edu/books/0309053269/html/>. 1 h. NRC (2000). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press. <http: //books. nap. edu/books/0309064767/html/>. 1 i. NRC (1999). Designing mathematics or science curriculum programs: A guide for using mathematics and science education standards. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press. <http: //books. nap. edu/books/0309065275/html/>. 1 j. NRC (1999). Global perspectives for local action: Using TIMSS to improve US Mathematics and Science Education. Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press. <http: //books. nap. edu/books/0309065305/html/>. 2 a. Seymour, E. (1996). Guest comment: Why undergraduates leave the sciences. American Journal of Physics, 63, 199 -202. 2 b. Tobias, S. (1990). They’re not dumb, they’re different: Stalking the second tier. Tucson: The Research Corporation. 2 c. Sadler, P. M. & Tai, R. H. (2001). Success in introductory college physics: The role of high school preparation. Science Education, 85(3), 111 -137. 3 a. ACEPT is described at <http: //acept. asu. edu/> and the NSF CETP collaboratives maintain a continuing centralized electronic archive at <http: //ecept. net>. ACEPT goals have been largely supplanted by the more recent and much larger Az. TEC, see <http: //purcell. phy. nau. edu/AZTEC/index. htm>, with most ACEPT participants continuing in Az. TEC. 3 b. Wyckoff, S. (2001). Changing the culture of undergraduate science teaching. Journal of College Science Teaching, XXX (6). Describes ACEPT, limited value of lecture in teaching physics, interactive engagement. 4. Piburn, M. , Sawada, D. , Falconer, K. , Turley, J. Benford, R. , Bloom, I. (2000). Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). ACEPT IN-003. The RTOP rubric form, training manual and reference manual containing statistical analyses, (and eventually streamed video vignettes of physics teaching practices) are all available from <http: //purcell. phy. nau. edu/AZTEC/RTOP/>. 5. Lawson, A. E. , Benford, R. , Bloom, I. , Carlson, M. P. , Falconer, K. F. , Hestenes, D. O. , Judson, E. , Piburn, M. D. , Sawada, D. , Turley, J. , & Wyckoff, S. (2001). Reforming and evaluating college science and mathematics instruction: Reformed teaching improves student achievement. Journal of College Science Teaching, in press. Discusses links between RTOP scores and student achievement gains for six physical science and four university physics classes, amongst many others. 6. Linn, R. L. (2000) Assessments and accountability, Educational Researcher; 29 (2), 4 -16.
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