Improving Science Instruction:
0. Jerry Parker' and Gary L. Breneman
Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA 99004 Jerald A. Tunheim2 President, Dakota State University, Madison, SD 57042 The National Commission on Excellence in Education ( 1 ) in 1983 noted that one-half of the newly employed mathematics and science teachers were not qualified to teach the subjects that they were employed to instruct. Because our own observations were oarallel to those of the National Commission, the ~ e ~ a r t k eofn Chemistry t and Biochemist~ a t EWU initiated an effort durine the summer of 1984 tdat has expanded and developed into a very significant program for improving the science and mathematics competencies of secondary teachers in the Pacific Northwest. In 1986 Dean J. A. Tunheim encouraged the development of a program that utilized the collective efforts of the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics. Thus, the inconspicuous beginning in 1984 has grown into an Interdisciplinary Master's oroeram that encomoasses the followine " six disciolines: biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, mathematics. and ~hvsics.The comolete enterprise now involves the coilabor&n of seven departments; with the Departments of Geoloev ... and Geomaphv cooperatina to provide curriculum for the earth science discipl/ne, a n d t h e i)epartmenu of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry. Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics providing the remainder of the curriculum. The intended outrome of this collaborative program is a viable Master of Science Teaching Degree that requires that the teacher complete sufficient work in two disciolines for endorsement in the State of Washineton. The deg;ee focuses on insuring that the teachers achieve a high level of competence in mathematics and the relevant sciences by providing them with a thorough preparation in the suhiect content of the disciplines. The success of this curricuium is aided hy its flexihihy, student appeal, and the cost effectiveness gained by having seven departments contribute and participate. From the perspective of the present realities, this program is timely and well-received by currently employed teachers.
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The Nature ol the Problem Thirty years after Sputnik, fewer than one-third of the U S . high schools offer physics taught hy qualified teachers ( I ) . The National Science Teachers Association has noted that the 1980's have brought an escalation in the shortage of science and mathematics teachers, and as a result school boards have had to assim teachers who have little or no training in science to the~lassroomto teach science (2).The WashinmnState Board of Education (31 reported in a 1987 survey i f 31 school districts that "a high sihool chemistry student has aforty-three percent chance of getting ateacher
' Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Jerald A. Tunhelm is the formerDean of the School of Mathematlcal Sciencesand Technology at EWU. He is cunently the President of Dakota State University, Madison, SD.
who has less than twenty quarter hours of preparation in chemistry." T h e increasing salary differential between teaching and nonteaching employment and the expanding career options for students who major in chemistry have served to compound the seriousness of the prohlem of supplying qualifiid chemistry teachers. A salar; survey in 1988 by Northwestern University and NEA Research (41 has documented the average initial employment salary of a person with a BS in Chemistry at $28,488 and that of a first-year tearher with a BA in Education at $18.500. In the State of Washington, a large fraction of those who are emoloved as teachers of hieh school chemistw and ohvsi. . . cal science have a strong background or major in biology. Some universitv. degrees - in the State of Washindon reauire only minimal coursework in chemistry in order-to major in biology, and teachers with this preparation who are conscripted to teach chemistry need to have available courses that provide material for their deficiencies. Data on the number of bachelor's degrees for a nine-year period from 1980 to 1988 are presented in Table 1.The relative production levels of majors in chemistry and biology (three times as many biology majors as chemistry majors and nine times as many education majors in biology as compared to chemistry graduate from EWU), coupled with the comparable opportunities for emolovment of eraduates (5) of the two disciwill cbntinue. The relative plines, indicates that this number of EWU eraduates with a BA in Education for the different majors so revealing and so dramatic that most observers would conclude that very few high school chemistry teachers in this region have majored in chemistry. The relative numbers of Bachelor of Science degrees in the different disciplines speak to the surplus of biology majors who will ultimately seek employment in other areas such as teaching. A large majority of the science teachers a t the secondary level in this region have been trained in the disciplines of biology and earth science, and very few have been trained in chemistry or physics. The new State of Washington Teacher Certification requirements mandate that teachers he endorsed in all of the areas in which thev teach. This new law will encourage many teachers who arenow employed t o seek remedial a o r k ih those areas in which they are not qualified, hut a serious ~~~~~
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Table 1. BA and BS Graduates BA in Education
BBchelor of Science
1980-1888
Total
Average
TDtal
Average
Blolog, Chemisby Earth Science
96 11 56 2 9
10.7 1.2 6.2 0.2 1.0
325 110 0 122 43
36.1 12.2 0 13.6 4.8
G~o~D~Y Phvsics
Volume 67
Number 4 April 1990
327
question remains: who will instruct a chemistry course when there are no qualified applicants? Teachers of science and mathematics have traditionally been responsihle for two, three, or four very different subiects and/or disciplines during an academic year. These disciplines in manycases are very diverse and often cover a range of grades from seven through 12. The extreme breadth of these subjects dictates that the typical undergraduate degree with a major in one discipline does not adequately DreDare science and mathematics teachers. The professional teacher needs a far more liberal and less restrict&e preparation in the subiect content than a professional chemist, physicist, or computer scientist. ~ i m i & imposed by the general university requirements, the major, and the professional education program make i t improbable if not impossible for undergraduate secondary education majors to experience the diversity of preparation that is necessary for a modern technical society. &
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A Collaboratlve lnterdlsclpllnary Degree
The seven science and mathematics departments a t EWU have designed a program and an Interdisciplinary Master's Deeree that function to assist current public and private s c ~ o o teachers l by strengthening their expertise i n t w o or more of the ~articioatinadisciplines. The requirements of the degree i d theformat of the intense, content-oriented courses accommodate several of the more significant factors associated with improving the professionalexpertise of existine science and mathematics teachers. The specific factors that are addressed by the design of this program follow. Many if not mcst recondary school tearhersof mathematicsand science instruct in more than one discipline. (2) Public and private school ceschen have a wide variety of academic preparations that have heen augmented through workshops and education courses. (3) Currently employed teachers are able to enroll in wurses only during the summer or in special weekend workshops. (4) At mast universities, the science and mathematics topics that are needed by employed teachers are not generally available or offered at times that allow their enrollment. (5) Enrichment programs for chemistry teachers need to allow for updating the teachers' instructional strategies to include compnter-assisted problem solving, the combination of microcomputers and videodisc equipment, computer-augmented elassroom demonstrations,and computer-assisted data acquisition. (6) Many states require a fifth year of courses or a master's degree. (7) In many school districts, pay incentives already exist that will encourage teachers to participate and thus serve to promote this propram. (8) Theattainment ofa master'sdegree tends tooffset the highrost ofreturning foradditionalcuurses that will benefit the uacher's professional competence. (1)
Interdlsclpllnary Master's Degree Requirements Currently, the program is operating as an Interdisciplinary Master's degree with approximately 25 candidates having been accepted. The degree is comprised of a minimum of 50 auarter credits with one-half of the total course work a t thegraduate level. Candidates must complete work in at least two science and/or mathematics disciplines and have an appropriate level for endorsement in a subject by the State of Washington in a t least two areas (minimum of 24 credits in each specific discipline). The candidates must have completed their professional certification requirements before admission, and they must meet the entry standards for the departments in their chosen disciplines. The degree requires a research project in the primary discipline and a Paper of Distinction. The research project may he an investieation of a laboratory problem, a library research projec
