Development of chemistry teachers’ sense of ownership through leadership-oriented continuous professional development courses

3.1 A model for the development of leadership among chemistry teachers: from theory to practice

In this section, we describe an innovative program developed in Israel at The National Center for Chemistry Teachers of The Weizmann Institute of Science, with the main goal of improving the pedagogy of chemistry education in the Israeli educational system. It focused on a model aimed at the professional development of chemistry-teacher leaders. ⁷

Israel has a centralized education system in which syllabi and curricula are regulated by the Ministry of Education. Since the 1960s, this ministry has provided for the long-term and dynamic development of science curricula and related implementation procedures. These initiatives were usually accompanied by short (summer) courses to introduce the teachers to the new approach and its related scientific background. These courses were usually conducted at science teaching centers located at several academic institutions throughout the country.

In 1992, a report on reform in science, technology, and mathematics education in Israel was released. ²⁵ It included 43 recommendations for special projects, changes, and improvements – both educational and structural – in curriculum development and implementation, and in the pedagogy of science and mathematics, as well as directions and actions to be taken in the professional development of science and mathematics teachers in general, and of leadership among those teachers. More specifically, the report recommended providing science teachers (in the present case, chemistry teachers) with the opportunity to engage in life-long learning, creating an environment of collegiality and collaboration among teachers who teach the same or related subjects that encourages reflection on their work in the classroom and incorporates the process of change into professional development. Support for these goals can be found in Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love and Stiles. ²⁶

To attain these rather demanding goals, national and regional centers for the professional development of science and mathematics teachers were established in Israel. ²⁷ The overriding aim of these centers was to enhance educational reform by providing a strong framework for teacher development. These national centers are responsible for, among other activities, the development of science-teacher leaders who are expected to initiate, plan, and implement long-term professional initiatives in their schools, as well as regional centers for professional development in their locales and nationwide.

The chemistry leadership program at the Weizmann Institute of Science started in 1995 and continues today, with various amendments. It started with two long-term leadership courses, one day a week (8 h) each, over 2 years (1995–1997; 1997–1999), and consisted of 25 participants in each course. ⁷ At the beginning of 2000, shorter leadership programs were conducted in the framework of the National Center for Chemistry Teachers, e.g., workshops in which teachers developed their own learning materials and assessment tools. ⁶ In the last 15 years, the focus has been on programs referring to PLCs. ²⁸

3.1.1 Content and structure of the chemistry leadership program

The rationale of all kinds of CPD programs is similar. The chemistry leadership program assumed that the participating chemistry teachers would be thoughtful learners, that they would be prepared to be professional teacher leaders, and that after completion of the program, they would develop creative strategies for initiating reform in the way chemistry is taught, and in professionalizing other chemistry teachers. Consequently, the program was designed around the following components: developing teachers’ understanding of the current trends to include both the content and pedagogy of chemistry learning and teaching. For example, the current trend toward making chemistry more relevant suggests that new programs should include, in addition to the conceptual approach and the process of chemistry, societal and personal applications, technological manifestations, and those components that can be characterized as historical and pertaining to the nature of chemistry; and providing the teachers with opportunities to develop personally, professionally, and socially, fostering leadership among themselves, and enhancing their ability to work with other chemistry teachers. ²⁹

Each leadership program was conducted over a period of two academic years, for a total of 450 h of professional development activities conducted one day a week, to allow for the gradual development and growth of the participants’ conceptions, beliefs, and changes in behavior. This was expected to provide enough time for the teachers’ personal, professional, and social development. The first year of the program was primarily devoted to developing the teachers’ content knowledge (CK) in various chemistry topics characterized as relevant to learners, providing a historical background for those topics, and introducing technological ramifications and applications. Covered topics included forensic chemistry, solid-state chemistry, the chemistry of nutrition, and selected topics in the area of interactions between radiation and matter. A large segment of this year was also devoted to the development of the chemistry teachers’ PCK. The second year was primarily devoted to the development of leadership skills. The various abilities and skills were developed using many of the strategies for professional development suggested by Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love and Stiles ²⁶ and presented in Figure 1. ⁷ The program for chemistry-teacher leaders was designed to include the necessary components for life-long professional development of science teachers, as well as components that are unique to the development of leadership among chemistry teachers.

Figure 1:

Structure of the professional development leadership course for chemistry teachers.

3.2 Chemistry teachers as curriculum developers

The goal of using curriculum development as a professional development strategy is to have teachers create or develop conditions for the development of learning materials and instructional techniques that will be implemented in the classroom. The teachers’ curriculum development and implementation, as part of professional development strategies, involve the following aspects: they learn about new science content (CK) and aligned pedagogies (PCK); they collaborate with peers, experts, and professional development providers; they plan assessment strategies aligned with the content and pedagogy. In addition, during the professional development process and activities, while implementing the learning materials, the teachers are provided with opportunities to reflect on their classroom experiences. Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love and Stiles ²⁶ suggested that these activities have the potential to enhance teachers’ professional growth, eventually leading to more effective classroom teaching and learning practices.

It is reasonable to assume that involving teachers in the process of curriculum development and its related implementation in the school system will reduce the mismatch, or gap, between the intent of curriculum innovation and the teachers’ needs and concerns. Learning materials that result from teachers’ intensive involvement have more potential to be effectively adopted in today’s schools. In general, the involvement of leading teachers in the long-term professional development and implementation of new curricula leads to effective customizations aligned with the developers’ original rationale, while still allowing teachers to respond to local needs, and the unique character of the school and its related classroom learning environments. ²⁶ In addition, encouraging teachers to reflect on their experiences during their professional development and implementation of the new lesson plans, and exploring those reflections, may serve as a tool for teachers’ development of a sense of ownership.

Reflective teaching practice is a process in which teachers analyze how something was taught and how the practice might be improved or changed for better learning outcomes. Some points of consideration in the reflection process might include thinking about what is currently being done, why it is being done, and how effectively students are learning. ³³ Teachers need to familiarize themselves with new ideas and understand the implications for themselves as teachers and the benefits for their students before they adopt and adapt to them. If the new approach differs greatly from their previous practice, the teachers need to be involved in reshaping their own beliefs regarding science teaching and learning. This involves considering and contextualizing core principles and issues to develop effective pedagogical approaches in theory and in practice. Figure 2 depicts the different activities and components of the course in which chemistry teachers were involved in the development of learning materials and their related learning and teaching strategies.

Figure 2:

The workshop activities.

Critical reading and analysis of scientific articles was one of the assignments given to the teachers in the workshop. It is assumed that scientific articles published in daily and scientific newspapers can serve as an important source for enrichment, making the subject that is being studied more authentic and up to date. These articles are originally written by scientists; more specifically, they consist of scientists’ reports on their research work, which are ultimately published in professional journals. ³⁴ To use them in high school, however, they need to be modified into a popular, easily readable version. Note that critical reading of daily as well as scientific newspaper articles is thought to contribute to developing a student who is literate in the sciences. Each student in the class had to choose an article from a collection provided by the teachers who attended the workshop. The students were also provided with a written guide for critically reading the paper. ³⁵ The articles dealt with the following topics: Important Elements, The Discovery of the Rare Earth Elements, Chemistry in the Bible, Thermodynamics and Spontaneity, The Story of Energy, and Chemical Aspects of Atmospheric Pollution. These articles underwent a simplification stage to adapt them to the students’ reading ability and to their chemistry background. The simplified article was organized (and written) in sections that followed the organization of an authentic research paper, namely abstract, introduction, research methods, results, and summary. The introduction presented the necessary scientific background. The introduction also provided the students with a glossary of new and unfamiliar words, equipment, etc., such as semiconductors and resistors. The research methods section introduced the students to the methods used by the scientists in their work. The results were presented on a graph that showed the different experimental conditions. At the end of the article, a short summary was provided containing the main ideas incorporated in the article. Article selection assumed that they presented topics that could be characterized in terms of ‘frontiers in chemistry’, were relevant, and had technological applications; these were also topics that the workshop participants thought would be of interest to the students. The students were asked to read the article and then identify at least five scientific concepts whose meaning was unknown to them, compile questions that criticized the article’s contents, and answer the compiled questions.

In another workshop assignment, the teachers had their students write an essay on “The Person Behind the Scientific Endeavor.” The teachers introduced the students to the biographies of numerous eminent scientists from different eras. These individuals had developed scientific theories that often contradicted those that had been previously accepted.

Teachers were assessed continuously during the above-described workshop, as well as at the end of the course. The main goal of the assessment study was to evaluate the outcomes of the workshop and to determine whether its objectives had been met. The research tools consisted of: (1) an attitude questionnaire administered to participating teachers, (2) structured interviews with the teachers, (3) structured interviews with the students, (4) an attitude questionnaire administered to the students, and (5) minutes taken by the teachers. One of the authors of this study took minutes of the discussions held during the meetings, which revealed the teachers’ conceptions regarding student learning and their learning environment, their attitudes toward a variety of teaching and assessment strategies, and their specific difficulties. The minutes helped clarify the data collected from the interviews and were analyzed according to issues that were revealed during the workshop meetings. In addition, the researchers involved in this workshop made several visits to the participating teachers’ schools and interviewed a sample of students taught by the 10 teachers who had participated in the workshop. In each class, the researchers interviewed four students who were chosen by their teachers according to their achievements to include two high-achievers and two low-achievers. A total of 40 students were therefore included in these interviews, representing 13 % of all students.

Additional relevant data referring to the main goal of the study included: teachers’ self-report questionnaires and teacher interviews, based on literature ²³ claiming that such instruments can be regarded as valid and reliable if they are administered and the data collected at times when a person’s almost immediate response can be obtained. Interviews with the students focused on the effective, rather than cognitive aspects of learning.

The findings referring to the teachers’ answers to the questionnaire regarding their attitudes about the contribution of the workshop to their work showed that their motivation to develop learning materials and assessment tools for their students had increased. Moreover, it increased their interest in the Science and Technology Studies (STS) program, which made them feel proud to have had an impact on the program. Similar results were found during the analysis of the interviews, where four main categories emerged from the teachers’ answers: (1) self-confidence in teaching the new curriculum, (2) expertise in alternative assessments, (3) expertise in specific teaching strategies, and (4) increasing interest in interdisciplinary issues. One of the teachers claimed:

My perception of the teacher’s role in class has changed. I learned how to encourage students to learn independently, how to work with them on their projects (individually or in small groups), and how to ask questions.

Based on the results of the various questionnaires, interviews, and minutes, we concluded that the teachers who participated in the workshop had gained confidence in using the teaching strategies and assessment methods of this new interdisciplinary curriculum. The interviews with students revealed that their active involvement in their own assessment improved their sense of ownership. The variety of assignments enabled them to be better at certain assignments and less successful with others. Taken together, it was found that the introduction of a new interdisciplinary curriculum is facilitated by professional development programs that stimulate teachers’ creativity and diversify the instructional strategies used in the classroom. Such skills should improve their ability to understand the goals, strategies, and rationale of the curriculum, as well as their students’ learning difficulties.

This workshop was initiated to assist a group of teachers who had asked for support in implementing a new science curriculum, in both teaching and assessment strategies. It brought together teachers from different backgrounds (biology, chemistry, physics, and agriculture) with one common objective, thus enabling them to contribute to, and enrich one another. Two main themes emerged from the participants’ responses in the questionnaires and in the interviews, and from the minutes of the meetings: the teachers became more self-confident in the teaching and assessment methods of this new interdisciplinary curriculum and were motivated to try new content and teaching strategies. Moreover, they better understood the advantages of the alternative assessment methods and were better prepared to use them. We believe that the teachers who were involved in this process were satisfied with and felt pride in their work and their accomplishments.

The new curriculum materials also appeared to be effective vehicles for teacher learning. The teachers were involved in the development of the learning materials as well as the teaching strategies and assessment tools, which had to be adequately tailored to the students’ cognitive and affective learning skills. Hopefully, in the future, these teachers will serve as leaders and coordinators for similar workshops, and support those who will teach the STS modules and use the alternative assessment methods. As a result, the interest of these teachers’ students in the process of learning increased, as did their satisfaction from the learning materials, learning strategies, assessment methods, and ongoing dialog with their teachers. The students who studied the STS program were not science-oriented and their interest in scientific topics was limited; thus, and as already noted, the variety of assignments enabled them to succeed with certain assignments and to do less with others. These results are in alignment with the main goal of the reform in science education in Israel, i.e., the need to make science an integral part of the education of all citizens: ²⁵

Modern socioeconomic problems require an understanding of their scientific background. Other questions arise when we discuss the division of resources and world wealth, different environmental issues and other topics that require the individual to demonstrate an understanding based on having acquired a basic education in the sciences. (p. 3)

The teachers who participated in the workshop became aware of the difficulties that could arise regarding the validity and reliability of the assessment tools. Thus, they made great efforts to improve and revise the assignments and rubrics based on the students’ completed assignments. In fact, their anxiety about the alternative assessment methods gradually diminished when they realized that continuous assessment of students’ progress and achievements, consisting of detailed and clear assessment instructions, could present a broad, valid, and reliable picture of their students’ knowledge and abilities.

3.3 Professional learning communities

Creating teacher PLCs is an effective bottom-up approach to fostering innovation in the science curriculum and professional development. PLC models are grounded in learning principles that emphasize the co-construction of knowledge by learners – who, in this context, are the teachers themselves. Teachers in a PLC meet regularly to reflect on their practices and their students’ learning outcomes, analyze teaching and learning processes, draw conclusions, and implement changes aimed at improving both teaching and student achievement. ³⁶

In Israel, PLC workshops for chemistry teachers were initiated 10 years ago. These workshops are supported by the Ministry of Education and sponsored by the National Center of Chemistry Teachers at the Weizmann Institute. The workshops operate as a cascade model: a leading team of researchers guides a group of teachers who then become lead teachers themselves, coordinating regional communities of teachers called “Professional Learning Communities Close to Home.” Currently, there are eight such communities in Israel, comprising both Jewish and Arab high school teachers. Each community is coordinated by two lead teachers who participate in the PLC workshops. The Tira community of chemistry teachers exemplifies this model.

Fifteen teachers from the Tira PLC meet once every three weeks, under the facilitation of the lead teachers. They collaboratively develop activities and pedagogical strategies with the research team and implement these in their classrooms before sharing their experiences within their regional communities. Data were collected over 2 years from various sources, including video recordings of PLC meetings, reflection questionnaires, email correspondence, interviews, portfolios, and additional questionnaires sent to teachers and their students in the PLCs. ³⁷

The analysis indicated that participation in the PLC workshops enhanced teachers’ self-efficacy and improved their ability to openly share teaching challenges with colleagues. The professional culture within the community fostered greater cooperation, trust, ownership, and friendship among the teachers. Teachers reported that during meetings, a sense of trust was established, enabling them to discuss and analyze students’ cognitive and emotional issues, misconceptions, and learning outcomes. Sharing ideas, lesson plans, and experiments was also highly beneficial, encouraging teachers to develop ownership of educational innovations and adopt more student-centered approaches. ³⁸

The PLC significantly impacts teaching practices and serves as an ideal environment for preparing and motivating teachers to implement change, particularly in acquiring PCK related to important educational issues and fostering the development of a future in a multicultural society. The focus is on the learning process rather than mere knowledge accumulation, aiming to cultivate students’ innovation, creativity, and critical thinking skills.