Groups of 4 discussed the readings. My group discussed Heller:

Heller: Differential Effects of Three Professional Development Models on Teacher Knowledge and Student Achievement in Elementary Science

• Conceptual Framework
  • 3 Phase of Research PD
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Research mix
  • Same content but differing methodologies
• PD Interventions/Conditions
  • Conditions
    • Teaching Cases
      • Dilemmas of practice
      • Focuses on student body diversity
      • Looked at other teacher’s cases
      • Cases were used as models – good for scalability
    • Looking at Student Work
      • Only intervention teachers were implementing the work in the classroom
      • Assessments became more informative about student knowledge and misconceptions
    • Metacognitive Analysis
    • Control Groups
  • All had PCK embedded
• Research Questions
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on teacher science content test scores?
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on teacher written justifications?
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on student science content test scores?
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on student written justifications?
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on English language learner science content test scores?
  • What effects do the teacher courses have on English language learner written justifications?
• Research Methods
  • (no time to complete)
• Results
  • (no time to complete)
• Why it matters
  • Better improvement for ELLs
  • (no time to complete)

Joan I. Heller, the author, came in to reply to our questions! Here were ours:

• Only the “Looking at Student Work” group were teaching the content at the same time as the PD was being delivered – could this have affected/biased the results!?
  • Implicitly they are looking at their own practice
• Control group with just the same content?

Then did a very informative PD simulation – lighting a lite bulb – by WestEd