Arthur Louis Odom

Teacher Practices and Middle‐school Science Achievements

We report on the construction and application on an instrument entitled the “Science Achievement Influences Survey” to assess combined effects of student attitudes about science, peer interaction, and home support, and the frequency of student‐centred and teacher‐centred instructional practices on student achievement. Controlling for pre‐test content knowledge, results indicated that student‐centred teaching practices have a positive association with student achievement (p < .01; i.e., group experiments) and a negative association with teacher‐centred teaching practices (p < .01; i.e., copying notes). Additionally, student attitudes about science were positively associated with student‐centred teaching practices (p < .01) and negatively associated with teacher‐centred teaching practices (p < .01). Most significantly, this study documents the predicted gains in science achievement associated with frequency of specific instructional practices used by middle‐school science teachers. Especially noteworthy and significant is the finding that near‐daily implementation of group experiments and reduction of extensive note‐copying during class yield the greatest positive impact on student achievement. Outside of school, peer interaction and home support were not significantly associated (p > .05) with student achievement. The student sample included 611 middle‐school science students with a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Computers and Traditional Teaching Practices: Factors influencing middle level students’ science achievement and attitudes about science

The purpose of this study was to examine the association of middle school student science achievement and attitudes toward science with student-reported frequency of using computers to learn science and other classroom practices. Baseline comparison data were collected on the frequency of student-centred teaching practices (e.g. the use of group experiments during science class) and traditional teaching practices (e.g. having students copy notes during science class) to learn science. The student sample was composed of 294 seventh-grade students enrolled in middle school science. Multiple regression was used to investigate the association of attitudes toward science, student-centred teaching practices, computer usage, and traditional teaching practices with science achievement. Both attitudes toward science and student-centred teaching practices were positively associated with science achievement, and student-centred teaching practice was positively associated with attitude toward science. Computer usage was found to have a negative association with student achievement, which was moderated by traditional teaching practices.

Reflections on Discourse Practices During Professional Development on the Learning Cycle

While much is known about K-12 teachers’ participation in professional development (PD) on inquiry-based science instruction, how professors facilitate such PD is not as well documented. This reflective, descriptive study documents the pedagogical practices of three professors during a two-week summer PD program on inquiry-based science instruction. Twenty teachers of fourth- through ninth-grade students in a Midwestern city engaged in lessons based on the learning cycle (Lawson in Science teaching and the development of thinking. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA, Lawson 1995). Data sources included video-recorded observations with transcripts, video-recorded post-observation interviews with transcripts, and audio-recorded follow-up interviews with transcripts. Data were analyzed to create descriptive narratives around excerpts of discourse from PD sessions and interviews. Analyses indicated that implementation of the learning cycle lessons varied among the professors. These findings led to further questions concerning the professors’ beliefs about the learning cycle and the ways that teachers were positioned as learners during PD.

Distinguishing among declarative, descriptive and causal questions to guide field investigations and student assessment

Teachers as well as students often have difficulty formulating good research questions because not all questions lend themselves to scientific investigation. The following is a guide for high-school and college life-science teachers to help students define question types central to biological field studies. The mayfly nymph was selected as the example study organism because they are common in warm humid climates worldwide and are used as key indicators of water quality and stream health. Assessment of students’ work should be a logical extension field investigations. Assessment simply using traditional multiple-choice items after research investigations communicates to students that recall of specific facts (declarative knowledge) is important and investigative processes (procedural knowledge) are not important. Assessment of declarative knowledge should not be ignored, but procedural knowledge should be included. Both are important to science literacy.

Developing PK-12 Preservice Teachers' Skills for Understanding Data-Driven Instruction Through Inquiry Learning

ABSTRACT This article offers a description of how empirical experiences through the use of procedural knowledge can serve as the stage for the development of hypothetical concepts using the learning cycle, an inquiry teaching and learning method with a long history in science education. The learning cycle brings a unique epistemology by way of using procedural knowledge (“knowing how”) to enhance construction of declarative knowledge (“knowing that”). The goal of the learning experience was to use the learning cycle to explore “high tech” and “low tech” approaches to concept development within the context of statistics. After experiencing both, students recognized the value of high and low tech approaches to instruction. Given that statistical literacy is essential for engaging in PK-12 education, we argue that providing experiences that help preservice teachers understand statistical concepts while modeling effective pedagogical practices will help prepare them for planning instruction and teaching statistics concepts in PK-12 classrooms. This article provides an example of how to meaningfully incorporate statistics into a nonstatistics course for preservice teachers. Empirical experiences prior to introduction of mathematical and hypothetical concepts are necessary pedagogical practice.

Teaching Osmosis to Biology Students

Abstract Osmosis is a fundamental concept of great importance to understanding natural biological, physical, and chemical processes. We provide an instructional guide to assist instructors of advanced high school biology and college biology students in defining questions that are central to deriving a highly developed understanding of osmosis. We present teaching activities that focus on advancing multiple hypotheses about the cause of osmosis, presenting a tentative explanation and model of osmosis, and drawing scientifically accepted conclusions about osmotic processes.

Understanding Current and Potential Consequences of Population Growth

ABSTRACT In three semiguided inquiry lessons on population biology, students use models and simulations to examine population trends and make projections. They are guided to create and evaluate data and to use algebraic and geometric representations to examine biotic and logistic growth models as part of examining human population growth. As they recognize the relationship between population growth and resources, they explore and propose solutions for addressing complex socioscientific problems. The underlying mathematics and science concepts of these learning cycle lessons can help students understand the complexity of environmental issues and prepare them to reason in an informed manner when they encounter debates on population and environmental issues that are often voiced in political arenas.