Experiences in a Constructivist Community of Practice: An Inquiry into TEEMS--A Science Teacher Education Program

This research was designed to describe a constructivist science teacher education program and to investigate how students in the program experienced a constructivist learning environment. Nineteen students enrolled in a four-term program for prospective secondary science teachers participated in this one-year study. A rich description of the constructivist teacher education program established the context for the study. Three focus questions guided the study. They included: (1) What depth of understanding do the students possess and communicate about constructivism? (2) What was students' experience with constructivism in the internships? (3) What pedagogical strategies did the students describe that worked in their internships? Data were collected by means of questionnaires, on-line bulletin board writing, journals, and videotapes of class sessions. Results indicated that students developed a depth of understanding of constructivism even after their internships. Most interns were able to implement constructivism in their classrooms, although nearly 33% felt they would not be able to implement constructivism in their first year of teaching. Interns reported that cooperative learning, alternative assessments, and Internet activities worked best in their internship experiences. Attached to the document are printouts from the TEEMS science Web site, including syllabi, agenda, research projects, and research tools. (Contains 31 references.) (Author)