Focused Video Reflections in Concert With Practice-Based Structures to Support Elementary Teacher Candidates in Learning to Teach Science

Recommendations for science education, including elementary education, highlight instructional practices such as using discussion to promote deep understandings of science. A task facing science teacher educators is to craft instruction to support teacher candidates (TCs) to develop skills that will encourage such practices in classrooms. In 2011, we developed and implemented a class activity --the Supported, Collaborative Teaching Model (SCTM) --to focus TCs' attention on key aspects of science teaching. The SCTM, which is designed around the idea that practical experience is critically important to teacher education, involves having TCs teach science to elementary students in three different grade levels three different times throughout the semester. In this study, we examine the outcomes related to two newly added components of the SCTM: focused video reflections and the use of the Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching. In this study we asked: In what ways do the SCTM and focused video reflections support TCs in crafting opportunities for students to develop deep understandings of science? Interviews and reflections from eight TCs were analyzed to examine the impact of the SCTM. Our analysis indicated that the focused video reflections based on the FfT coupled with the SCTM provided tools for growth and for documenting this growth. We describe areas in which TCs indicated they had developed as teachers, as well as the structures that contributed to shifts in practice in these different areas.