Evidence and Interpretation: Learning to Teach Science and Social Studies

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Evidence and Interpretation Learning to Teach
Science and Social Studies Tim Slekar,
Assistant Professor of Social Studies
Education Leigh Haefner, Assistant Professor of
Science Education
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• According to NCSS National Standards for Social
  Studies Teachers (1997) teachers should
• assist learners in developing historical research
  capabilities that enable them to formulate
  historical questions, obtain historical data,
  question historical data, identify the gaps in
  available records, place records in context, and
  construct sound historical interpretations.
• Evidence
• Interpretation

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• National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996)
  propose a vision of science learning where
  students understand
• science is a way of knowing that is characterized
  by empirical criteria, logical argument and
  skeptical review. Students should develop an
  understanding of what science is, what science is
  not, what science can and cannot do, and how
  science contributes to culture (p. 21).
• Evidence
• Interpretation

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Exploratory Study of Getting It Our preservice
teachers appeared to be intellectually getting
it in the individual courses. Exploratory
Study Integrated Webquest http//www.personal.psu
.edu/akf123/homepage.htm
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Literature Empirical research informs us of
school childrens ability to learn to think
historically and use scientific inquiry (Hapgood,
Magnusson, Palinesar, 2004 VanSledright,
2002). More importantly, the empirical evidence
also informs us as to how school children come to
make sense of evidence in science and history and
how both disciplines require similar and
different rules for interpretation (Metz, 2004
Wineburg, 2001). According to this research,
children are capablebut it requires a
reformation of the view of traditional content
and teaching methodologiesways of knowing
(Hartzler-Miller, 2001 Metz, 1997 VanSledright
Afflerbach, 2000).
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Methods Course Design Methods course design and
implementation should flow from the preceding
research so that the preparation of preservice
teachers creates a fidelity between what we know
about children and how we prepare preservice
teachers (Bain, 2000). When this is done it
can be reasonably expected that social studies
and science methods courses have to devote a
significant amount of time to helping preservice
teachers make sense of evidence and
interpretation in history (Hicks, Doolittle,
Lee, 2004 Seixas, 1998) and science (Metz, 1997)
so that their classroom practice supports the
development of these ways of knowing in children
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The New Study Our research is a semester long
study of the social studies and science teaching
and learning courses. As methods instructors we
are in a unique position to conduct research.
After all, it is our job to make sense of the
literature in the field and make use of it when
designing methodology courses for preservice
teachers. However, while there are inherent
similarities in the terminology of evidence and
interpretation there are also differences in
their application in science and history. This
led us to design a study that investigates how
our shared students make sense of evidence and
interpretation in historical thinking and
scientific inquiry.
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• Research Questions
• In what ways do our courses represent evidence
  and interpretation in science and history?
• In what ways do experiences in our courses
  support preservice teachers in constructing
  differentiated meanings of evidence and
  interpretation?
• How do preservice teachers understand the
  difference between evidence and interpretation
  when applied in the different contexts of
  promoting historical thinking and engaging in
  scientific inquiry?
• How do preservice teachers curriculum and
  instructional decisions represent their emerging
  understandings of evidence and interpretation

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Scholarship of Teaching and Learning A
scholarship of teaching requires faculty to
frame and systematically investigate questions
related to student learningthe conditions under
which it occurs, what it looks like, how to
deepen it (Shulman, 1999, p.13).
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• Scholarship of Teaching Data Sources
• Redesign of course learning experiences based on
  emergent findings.
• Detailed descriptions of the courses over time
• Compilation of detailed researcher field notes
• Record of preservice teacher interaction during
  instructional time
• Collection of classroom artifacts and assignments
• Interviews of preservice teacher

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• Methodology and Data Analysis
• Walking in a Qualitative Data Minefield
• Case Study Methods
• Anthropological Methods
• Constant and Comparative Analysis
• The construction of chronological narratives with
  assertions made concerning preservice teacher
  learning.
• Triangulation
• multiple data sources
• multiple researchers
• participant verification

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Conclusion to the Beginning Spring 2006
Semester Data collection ends Summer 2006
Data Analysis