Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics and Science

Summary of Research Study

The article that is being critiqued is Construction of Teacher Knowledge in Context: Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics and Science. Pre-service teachers were placed in an elementary school in a Texas school district. The qualitative research took place as pre-service teachers went into the classroom and experience hands-on teaching math and science. Teachers need to knowledgeable in all subject areas. During this study pre-service teachers concentrated on mathematics and science as the focus. The research for this article was how pre-service teachers gained their knowledge of teaching math and science in the classroom.

Participants

The participants for this studied were thirty-one junior and senior students who were majoring in elementary education from a large university. The methods course that aided the research was one of the requirements to achieving their certification for elementary mathematics and science. In the suburban school there were 338 students. The 338 students were in grades K-5 with 19 teachers among the different grades. The 19 teachers collaborated, modeled, and work closely with the pre-service teachers. The 19 elementary teachers, along with the thirty-one pre-service teachers also worked closely with the university professors.

Data Collection Procedures

There were several data collections that were used that included term assessment projects, reflection journals, portfolios, and weekly evaluations. During the semester random interviews with the pre-service teacher by the university professors took place along with observations. This collection process was taken over the course of a semester. The pre-service teachers put together lessons that were ...

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...n the classroom and having the hands-on experience. I remember looking at the standards, talking to my in-service teacher, and then taking that information and trying to plan a lesson.

At the particular school that I was at they had a special teacher and room for science. I remember how excited the kids were each week for science and it made me want to make sure that I made science fun for the students as they learned and had hands-on experiences. This article reminds me of some the requirements that I also had as a pre-service teacher. All teachers need to have experience in the classroom to become better qualified and prepared to teach when graduating from school.

Works Cited

Lowery, N. (2002). Construction of Teacher Knowledge in Context: Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics and Science. School Science and Mathematics, 102 (2),68-83