Susan S. Stodolsky

Content as Context: The Role of School Subjects in Secondary School Teaching

In this article we argue that understanding subject-matter differences among high school teachers is crucial for the analysis and reform of secondary schools. An emerging line of research suggests that high school teachers belong to distinctive subject subcultures; these subcultures are characterized by differing beliefs, norms, and practices. We report findings from surveys and interviews with high school teachers that illustrate salient aspects of subject subcultures. Shared beliefs about the possibilities and constraints posed by different school subjects may complicate efforts to restructure high schools or redesign curriculum.

The Impact of Subject Matter on Curricular Activity: An Analysis of Five Academic Subjects:

This article tests a framework connecting features of subject matter with curricular activities among high school teachers of five academic subjects. Using survey responses, it compares the conceptions of subject matter (defined, static, sequential) and curricular activities (coordination, coverage, consensus on content, standardization, course rotation, etc.) of English, social studies, science, math, and foreign language teachers from 16 high schools. Teachers differ in their perceptions of their subjects as defined, sequential, and static. For example, math and foreign language teachers score higher on those features than other teachers. In turn, certain curricular activities seem to differ depending on subject features. For example, in sequential subjects, teachers report more coordination with colleagues and more press for coverage of content than in less sequential subjects. Implications for research and policy are presented.

Student Views About Learning Math and Social Studies

Math and social studies differ in the usual instructional pattern found in elementary classrooms, in the goals sought, and of course in the actual content. Based on documented differences in the two fields, we expected pupils to hold different ideas about how to learn each subject and to express different reasons for positive and negative experiences in each subject. Sixty fifth grade pupils from 11 classrooms were interviewed to explore their attitudes and conceptions about learning math and social studies. The interviews included pupils’ definitions of each school subject, descriptions of typical classroom activities, probes regarding how each subject was actually learned, and descriptions of times liked and disliked in each subject. Students’ conceptions and attitudes regarding math and social studies were different. Consistent with expectations, pupils characterized positive and negative experiences in math in regard to their success or ability to do the work while social studies experiences were evaluated more in terms of whether they were interesting or boring. Among other differences, more students thought they could learn social studies on their own than math.

Chapter 4: Considerations of Content and the Circumstances of Secondary School Teaching:

The landscape of teaching, learning, and teacher education is changing. Once, teachers majored in elementary or secondary education. Today, most states require that all teachers, elementary and secondary alike, major in an academic subject. Once, mastery of basic skills was considered sufficient education for most students. Society expected only a small percentage of students to finish high school or to attend college. Today, we expect all students to complete high school, and most high school graduates enroll in postsecondary education. Furthermore, students are expected to develop more sophisticated understandings of subject matter to prepare themselves for a changing and increasingly technological society. Once, few teachers questioned the isolation in which they worked. Today, demands for various forms of collaboration have increased, whether the purpose of such collaboration is to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities, to plan interdisciplinary curriculum, or to support teachers in improving practice. Landscapes change slowly, however, barring the occurrence of cataclysmic events. Although publication of A Nation at Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1983) sent a jolt throughout education and the subsequent reports on high school (Boyer, 1983; Powell, Farrar, & Cohen, 1985; Sizer, 1984) and on teacher preparation (Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy, 1986; Holmes Group, 1986) created waves of aftershocks, expectations for high schools have changed more dramatically than their realities. The gap between changing expectations and unchanging realities reflects, in part, the complexity of schooling. In order for reforms to take root sufficiently to alter

Professional Culture and Professional Development in Jewish Schools: Teachers' Perceptions and Experiences.

In this article, we report a study of professional culture and professional development in Jewish schools based on surveys of teachers and other staff and interviews with principals. We first introduce three key constructs: professional culture, professional development, and professional learning communities. We then describe research that has identified features of each that support teacher learning. With this background in mind, we compare the current realities in Jewish schools as gleaned through the survey with typical public schools and with the features of schools identified in the literature as supportive of teacher learning and collegiality. Finally, we suggest the next steps that might be taken to improve Jewish schools as settings in which teacher growth and learning flourish.

GROWING AS TEACHER EDUCATORS: Learning New Professional Development Practices

This paper focuses on two teacher educators in the process of altering their professional development practice. These educators are graduates of theMandelFoundations Teacher Educator Institute (TEI), an intensive two-year program for Jewish professionals responsible for teacher education. TEIs overarching purpose is to develop in its graduates new visions and new practices that improve the quality of teaching and learning in Jewish schools. The program and its rationale are described in Holtz, Dorphand Goldring (1997) andDorph andHoltz (2000). TEIs objectives share much with recent efforts to alter professional development in general education, yet detailed studies of individual teacher educators attempting to learn new practices are rare. This paper explores how two teacher educators implement new practices in their own settings. It describes the pivotal moves each makes to engender new educational perspectives and the inherentchallenges of adopting a new paradigm for professional development.

The Professional Reading of High School Academic Teachers

Survey responses from a national sample of 666 teachers of English, mathematics, science, and social studies were used to investigate the extent to which teachers read professional journals, what they read, and connections between reading and other professional development activities. Differences in reading activity across subject areas were also examined. Approximately half the teachers reported reading at least 1 professional journal, but results varied by subject taught. Most teachers read subject-matter journals in contrast with general education publications. Readers were more likely to be professionally active (belong to a professional organization and know about subject-area reforms) than nonreaders. A smaller proportion of social studies teachers than teachers of other school subjects reported reading professional journals and affiliating with professional associations.