BIO

Sharon John is a first-year student at Florida State University, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences degree with a focus on pre-med. After college, she wants to work as a pediatrician. She has loved researching in the field of education and would love to continue exploring research opportunities in other fields such as psychology. Sharon has been volunteering at hospitals for the past two years and has enjoyed taking on various roles within the hospital as she engages as a volunteer and exposes herself to the wide array of possibilities within the medical field. One of her goals is to go to India and help out on the medical team of a nonprofit organization called Asha. Doing so allows Sharon to engage with children as well as practice medical support.

Exploration of Teachers Usage of the Teacher Hat Versus the Student Hat

Abstract

The intention of this project was to support teachers in facilitating productive talk around science ideas in secondary science classrooms through professional development. These spaces of talk are driven by the students’ ideas and experiences. The research team watched lessons during one activity in the professional development experience where teachers were engaging in a lesson supportive of their “student hat.” The focus of this study is two high school science teachers during this “student hat” time. We found that teachers engaged in both their “student” and “teacher hat” while engaging in the lesson. Our findings help us support teachers in facilitating experiences for students and supporting teachers in their pedagogical development while wearing both hats. This work has implications for PD helping facilitators and researchers better understand how teachers can engage in professional development.

Keywords: Teacher education, professional development, science education