The Re-Novicing of Elementary Teachers in Science? Grade Level Reassignment and Teacher PCK
There is growing recognition of the prevalence of “within school churn”, a phenomenon in which teachers remain within a school but are assigned a new grade level or course. In this study we examine the consequences of within-school churn for the pedagogical content knowledge of elementary teacher participants in an NSF-funded science PD program. We argue grade-level reassignment is akin to out-of-field science teaching for elementary teachers, as they encounter a new set of grade-specific standards, new subject matter topics, and new curricula.
In this study, authors examine the consequences of within-school churn for the pedagogical content knowledge of elementary teacher participants in an NSF-funded science PD program.