Efforts to improve education - more concretely science education - by creating fundamental shifts in standards for students and teachers have been launched by educators and policy makers in recent years. The new standards for science instruction address improvements in student learning, program development, assessment, and professional development for teachers, with the goal to prepare US students for the academic demands of the 21st century. The study examined teachers' knowledge and practices in science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students. It also examined relationships among key domains of science instruction with ELL students, as well as profiles of teaching practices. The four domains included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content, (2) teaching practices to promote scientific understanding, (3) teaching practices to promote scientific inquiry, and (4) teaching practices to support English language development during science instruction. The study was part of a larger 5-year research and development intervention aimed at promoting science and literacy achievement of ELL students in urban elementary schools. The study involved 32 third grade, 21 fourth grade, and 17 fifth grade teachers participating in the first-year implementation of the intervention. Based on teachers' questionnaire responses, classroom observation ratings, and post-observation interviews, results indicated that (1) teachers' knowledge and practices were within the bounds of the intervention, but short of reform-oriented practices and (2) relationships among the four domains existed, especially at grade 5. These findings can provide insights for professional development and future research, along with accountability policies.

The math achievement of American students had been stagnant or falling since 2007, according to both national and international measures (NAEP, TIMSS, PISA). While the Common Core State Standards were partially a response to sinking levels of American math proficiency, those standards require a much greater depth of conceptual understanding of mathematics for teachers than previous standards, yet more than half of fifth- through eighth-grade math teachers are not certified to teach math. The federal government and school districts spend millions of dollars on teacher professional development, but little evidence shows what kind of professional development might be the most beneficial for math teachers. This study measured the impact of math content-based professional development on middle school math teachers. Findings suggest that the participating teachers’ content knowledge about ratios and proportional reasoning increased slightly during the study. Exit surveys indicated that the most recent PD session would have an impact on their teaching practice, although the impact would mostly be related to their pedagogy. However, there was little change in teachers’ self-efficacy toward teaching mathematics. As research indicates, content knowledge in math is connected to student achievement, the implication of which is that middle school math teachers can increase their content knowledge through professional development. Given that access to higher-level math courses is critical to college success, and the foundation for those higher-level math courses begins in middle school, it is imperative that all students and their teachers are supported to be successful in math.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of the research was to explore challenges encountered by teachers when teaching fractions to learners in grade 2 at schools in the Koloti Circuit. A qualitative approach including other research techniques, such as observation, document analysis and interviews, were mutually employed to collect data during the study. A pluralistic approach was employed when gathering data to enhance triangulation and further intensify the merits of the probed facts. Purposive sampling was employed to choose three grade 2 teachers from various schools to serve as participants in this study. The following challenges were uncovered as a result of the research: learners are from child-headed families; there is a high rate of learner absenteeism; parents do not attend consultative meetings; there is a high rate of teacher time-offs; there is a lack of teacher pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics; teachers have to teach in multi-grade classroom; teachers lacking background knowledge on implementation of inclusive classrooms resulting in inadequate support to learners with learning barriers; classrooms are over-crowded; uneven partitioning of circular representations was discovered, and there is lack of content-related workshops. The following were some of the recommendations that were established to counteract the challenges uncovered during the research study, namely: establishment of after-care centres with qualified tutors; provision of state paid security services in schools; teachers should create learner support materials to aid in the teaching of fractions to the learners; teachers should notify parents when their children are absenting themselves from school on regular basis without valid reasons; teachers should notify parents about the benefits of attending consultative meetings; memorial services for teachers should be conducted after learner contact time, competent and/or qualified teachers in arithmetic should be assigned to educate the subject; small schools should be merged to curb multi-grate teaching at schools; more classrooms should be provided to avoid over-crowding in the classrooms, and more content workshops should be organised in order to assist teachers who experience challenges with the teaching of fractions. In conclusion, the outcomes of this study could aid grade 2 teachers in instilling knowledge of fractions into their learners, crafted on the suggested recommendations that are drawn subsequent the challenges facing teachers were singled out, in order to improve learner performance in fractions. This could result in better performance by learners in mathematics at various schools.

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