Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Measuring Teachers' Learning From A Problem-Based Learning Approach To Professional Development In Science Education, Ayelet Weizman, Beth A. Covitt, Matthew J. Koehler, Mary A. Lundeberg, Joy A. Oslund, Mark R. Low, Janet Eberhardt, Mark Urban-Lurain

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

In th is study we measured changes in science teachers' conceptua I science u ndersta nd ing (content knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) while participating in a problem-based learning (PBL) model of professional development. Teachers participated in a two-week long workshop followed by nine monthly meetings during one academic year that focused on deepening their content understanding and their teaching practices. We analyzed teachers' short writings and concept map depictions of their understanding, and found teachers significantly developed components of pedagogical content knowledge and clinical reasoning, such as knowledge of assessment. Gains on conceptual understanding of science, however, were …