Framework For Philippine Science Teacher Education

FRAMEWORK FOR PHILIPPINE SCIENCE TEACHER EDUCATION
Department of Science and Technology SCIENCE EDUCATION INSTITUTE University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development

Framework for Philippine Science Teacher Education
All rights reserved. ©2011 by the Science Education Institute, Department of Science and Technology (SEI-DOST) and the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED), Manila, Philippines
Citation: SEI-DOST & UP NISMED, (2011). Framework for philippine science teacher education. Manila: SEI-DOST & UP NISMED.
ISBN 978-971-8600-45-0
Published by:
Science Education Institute, Department of Science and Technology 1st and 2nd Levels, Science Heritage Building DOST Compound, General Santos Avenue Bicutan, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines Tel. Nos. (632) 837-1359, (632) 839-0241, Fax No. (632) 837-1924 http://www.sei.dost.gov.ph / www.science-scholarships.ph and
University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development E. Quirino Avenue, UP Campus Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines Tel. No. (632) 927-4276, Fax No. (632) 928-3545 http://www.upd.edu.ph/~ismed/ e-mail: [email protected]
Request for permission to use any material from this publication or for further information should be addressed to the copyright holders.
Printed in Metro Manila, Philippines

Foreword
This framework is the product of months of careful planning and discussions, with ideas coming from the best minds in the field of science, prior to the actual drafting of the manuscript. Although there may have been opposing views during the development of this framework, which is not unusual when experts meet, the final output is proof that individuals with diverse backgrounds and beliefs could be united by a common vision and goal.
The “Framework for Philippine Science Teacher Education” contains resources that will help teacher education institutions, university science professors and school administrators assess and improve the performance of science teachers using standards-based rubrics. The qualities of effective science teachers in terms of what they should know (knowledge), what they are expected to do to achieve quality learning outcomes (practice) and what they should possess to be able to embrace change and sustain professional growth (attributes) are also included. All these are anchored on the objective of raising the quality of science education.
It is hoped that this framework will be widely used and applied by the various stakeholders, and that together we will work towards achieving the desired goal of effective science teaching among our teachers.
Dr. Filma G. Brawner Director, Science Education Institute

Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Mission of Schools and Teacher Education Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Science Education in the Philippines: Challenges and Prospects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Reforms in Science Education: What Other Countries Are Up To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Towards a Standards-based Science Teacher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 2. Guiding Principles in the Development of the Framework for Science Teacher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Reviewed Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Proposed Science Curriculum Framework for Basic Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The National Competency-based Teacher Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The School-based Training Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Revised Policies and Standards
for Undergraduate Teacher Education Curriculum (CMO 53 s 2005) . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The National Professional Standards for Highly Accomplished Teachers of Science . . 16
The Guiding Principles in the Development of the FSTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 3. Qualities of Effective Science Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Professional Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Professional Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Professional Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 4. Evaluating the Performance of Science Teachers Using Standards-based Rubrics 35
Rubrics for Professional Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Rubrics for Professional Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Rubrics for Professional Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 5. Continuing Professional Development for Science Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Professional Development Programs for Practicing Teachers (INSET) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Suggested Revisions for BEED and BSED Program, Major in Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Appendices
1 National Competency-based Teacher Standards 2 Tartu Declaration of Science and Technology

CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The mission of schools is to educate children to higher standards of performance by providing them with the experiences necessary to learn, define, analyze, adapt and invent. This statement was made in 1994 by Linda DarlingHammond, Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.
Mission of Schools and Teacher Education Programs
This same mission is echoed by schools not only in the Philippines but all over the world. The Hammond Report also emphasized that teachers who will successfully carry out this mission need to be well-prepared and well-equipped. They need to be grounded deeply in subject matter, knowledge of children's cognitive, social and personal development, and learning and motivation. In addition, they should have deep-rooted knowledge of varied approaches to teaching strategies, collaborative learning techniques, creative ways to implement the curriculum and use technology tools as well as effective assessment practices.
Raising the learning standards can be achieved through a responsive teacher preparation program and continuing professional development program for all practicing teachers.
Science Education in the Philippines: Challenges and Prospects
In the Philippines, recent efforts have been directed to improving science education, both at the basic and teacher education levels. Research shows that the

quality of science education in schools is greatly influenced by the quality of science teachers. Students’ interest in science is directly linked to the quality of teaching as well as learning interactions provided by their science teachers. Interviews with students who excelled in science reveal that they were greatly inspired by science teachers who engaged them in tasks that enabled them to inquire and solve problems.
Science has a rapidly changing knowledge base and expanding relevance to society. Teachers must pursue opportunities to build their understanding of how students with varied interests, abilities, and experiences can be supported and guided. Subsequently, students may be able to make sense clearly out of scientific ideas. These ideas can be linked to real-life situations. Furthermore, science teachers must have the chance to conduct research in regard to science teaching and learning, and to share the results of their studies with their colleagues.
Science teachers who manage to develop students’ skills in searching for answers to questions about materials and phenomena in the environment, and those who empower their students to grow to become informed decision makers in society, are considered effective teachers. These teachers are also able to evaluate their own practice and use these insights to develop challenging learner-centered experiences. In effect, a committed science teacher should be reflective, collaborative, and a lifelong learner.
There are many constraints facing science education in Philippine schools: shortage of qualified science teachers, lack of quality textbooks, inadequate equipment, large classes, lack of support from administrators, and many others. However, the Core and Technical Working Groups for this project decided that the framework for science teacher education should pay attention to problems that will address ways to improve or raise the quality of teaching practices, and personal attributes.
Challenge 1: Shortage of qualified science teachers
In 2004, Garcia and Tan prepared a report on Project RISE (Rescue Initiatives in Science Education). The report describes qualified teachers as follows:

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1. Those who have specialization in any science discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, and general science) in their undergraduate degrees;

2. Those who have undergone in-service training programs in the varied science disciplines equivalent to a major or minor; and

3. Those with degrees in science-related professions (e.g., engineers, pharmacists, nutritionists, and nurses) who opted to go into teaching at the basic education level, took 18 units of foundation education subjects, and passed the licensure examination for teachers.
Despite these broad categories, qualified science teachers are still lacking in the country, based on a number of reasons.

Firstly, the Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) curriculum did not require students to specialize in any subject area. As of 2003, CMO No. 9 required BEED students to take only 6-9 units of science courses. In 2005, the New Teacher Education Curriculum was introduced (CMO No. 30). The content courses for BEED totals 57 units but only 12 units of these are in Science.

Table 1: Offerings under the 2005 Teacher Education Curriculum

Areas General Education
Professional Education

BEED (units)
63 (Science: 9 units)
54

BSED (units)
63 (Science : 9 units)
51

Specialization (Content) Total

57 (Science: GE +3 units)
174

60 (Science: all 60 units)
174

On the other hand, students enrolled in the Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSED) program are required to have a major and/or minor in any of the following science subjects: General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Mathematics. In this new curriculum, students take 60 units of science subjects. However, not many teacher education institutions (TEI) in the country offer

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specialization subjects in science (CHED, 2006) and the number of students majoring in science education is small (DOST, 2002). Based on personal communications with deans of colleges of education of state universities, the number of students enrolled in science education remains low.
Secondly, Project RISE (1999-2003) was discontinued due to lack of funds while the quality of training modeled in the Science and Mathematics Education Manpower Development Project (SMEMDP, 1994-1999) was not sustained as cascading models of training were implemented. Regional and district training programs were shorter in duration and, therefore, less intensive, vis-à-vis national training programs.
Thirdly, instead of specializing in science education, many science teachers tend to specialize in Administration and Supervision or Research and Evaluation. A DOST-SEI study in 2002 revealed that many classroom teachers would rather be promoted as school administrators. Ironically, the rate of principals and master teachers are within the same salary range.
Finally, the dwindling number of qualified science teachers is worsened by the brain drain phenomenon. Cortes, Tan, and Savellano (2005) reported that since 1990, more than twelve thousand science and mathematics teachers left the Philippines to seek better opportunities in the United States, Canada, and other countries. Filipinos with master’s and doctoral degrees in Science and Mathematics Education are in demand overseas. In particular, industrialized countries have been aggressive and persistent in recruiting highly qualified Filipino science and mathematics teachers.
Challenge 2: Incongruent teaching assignments with teachers’ educational background
Lack of qualified science teachers in many schools leads to the practice of assigning teachers to teach science subjects despite their limited background. This situation is true for both elementary and secondary schools. UP NISMED studied the profile of participants in their training programs through the years and found out that many teachers handling science subjects are nonscience majors. When asked what topics do they find difficult to teach or students have difficulty

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