Analyzing standards-based science instructional materials: An opportunity for professional development

This phenomenological study focused on a group of teachers who applied the Analyzing Instructional Materials (AIM) Process and Tools to select standards-based instructional materials for science curriculum reform. The purpose of this study was to identify, based on teachers' beliefs, perceptions, and experiences, the conditions for supporting professional development that involve standards-based reform and the use of instructional materials that were developed with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The design of this qualitative study involved a series of three separate in-depth interviews with six participants. A first person narrative profile of each participant was constructed from the interviews and analyzed. Three themes were represented in the data: a focus on teaming, professional development and the change and reform process. Teachers in this study believed that instructional materials needed to explicitly support concept development and students doing science in order to learn about inquiry. Participants thought NSF-funded instructional materials supported inquiry-based learning and the teacher as a facilitator of learning. Based on this study, one finding about standards-based reform is that selecting instructional materials can be a structured professional development opportunity. A second finding is that teachers' beliefs about standards-based reform and the use of materials can be influenced during the selection of high quality instructional materials. Participants in this study believed that selecting NSF-funded instructional materials was critical to changing the learning and teaching of science in their district. A third finding is that professional development can push teachers to think critically about the materials they use to teach students science. Teachers in this study believed that their experiences associated with learning and using AIM provided them opportunities for reflection and dialogue about how instructional materials could better support concept development and inquiry-based learning and teaching. Three implications for teacher learning and professional development based on this study include: structures and facilitation are needed to guide the change and reform process because of the time needed for adult learning, reform-oriented instructional materials can be used to support adult learning experiences, and the use of outside experts can be critical to supporting reform efforts within a district.