Knowledgable Science Teachers

*Know the content

*Master the content of the curriculum

*Plan instruction

Knowledge of Science

*Number of science courses their teacher has taken

*Subject matter training for a teacher is unclear

*Teachers teaching inside and outside their areas of certification.

Understanding Learners and Learning

*Provide challenging problems

*Students’ learning can be harnessed

*Demands of particular groups of students in the classrooms

*Teachers’ beliefs about student learning

Teachers’ Perceptions of Diverse Learners

*Appreciation and understanding of student diversity

*Play an important role

*The message students receive

*Teacher enter their teacher preparation programs with little or no intercultural experience

Subject Matter Knowledge for Teaching

*Engaging students

*Meaningful to all students

*What might work for one student might not work for the other

*A skillful teacher

Teachers’ Opportunities To Learn

Effective Teacher Learning Opportunities

1. Reflect

2. Focus

3. Include

4. Provide

5. Emphasize

6. Provide

7. Require

Teacher Learning in the Organizational Content of Schooling

*Communities of practice

*Community of teaching practice

*Fostering mutual accountability and collaboration

Five Elements

1. Shared norms and values

2. Focus on student learning

3. Reflective dialogue among teachers

4. Deprivatization of practice

5. Collaboration on curriculum and instruction

Professional Development Programs

*Support teacher learning and instructional improvement

*Doing Science

*Understanding Student Ideas

*Engineering Instructional Improvement

Teacher Learning Opportunities That Focus on Diverse Student Groups

*The importance of promoting students’ English-language and literacy development

*5 week summer professional development program

*Inquiry based Science program

*Improved Science achievement

*Reduced inequities in achievement patterns