Professional Development for Science Teachers: Philosophies of Practice in Federally Funded Programs

Over the past decade of activity in science educationin the United States, reform efforts haveincreasingly focused on the roles and capabilities ofscience teachers. Consequently, scalable andeffective models of continuing professionaldevelopment have been a goal of numerous federalagencies. The National Sea Grant Program, as one ofthe agencies within the U.S. Department of Commerce,has participated in developing numerous models forprofessional training. This current researchanalyzes these programs from nearly 200 universitiesacross the U.S., to identify common philosophicalorientations within typical program designs. Thisanalysis will be particularly helpful for thoseinvolved in agency-wide planning for continuingprofessional development of teachers, and for thosewith an academic interest in the epistemologicalbases for instructional design which linksphilosophical goals to program outcomes.