Document Type

Article

Publication Title

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning

Publisher

Purdue University Press

Publication Date

2008

Volume

2

Issue

2

Disciplines

Environmental Sciences

Abstract

In th is study we measured changes in science teachers' conceptua I science u ndersta nd ing (content knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) while participating in a problem-based learning (PBL) model of professional development. Teachers participated in a two-week long workshop followed by nine monthly meetings during one academic year that focused on deepening their content understanding and their teaching practices. We analyzed teachers' short writings and concept map depictions of their understanding, and found teachers significantly developed components of pedagogical content knowledge and clinical reasoning, such as knowledge of assessment. Gains on conceptual understanding of science, however, were limited to one group of teachers. We conclude that this PBL approach to professional development advanced components of science teachers' strategic pedagogical content knowledge and discuss the ongoing challenges in measuring changes in teachers'understanding in the context of an evolving PBL model of professional development.

Keywords

Problem Based Learning, Professional Development, Concept Maps, PCK, Teacher Learning

DOI

10.7771/1541-5015.1081

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