Repairing the Illinois High School
Physics Teacher Pipeline
High School Physics Teacher
Recruitment, Preparation and Retention:
The Illinois Model
A report from the ISAAPT Ad Hoc Committee on High
School Physics Teacher Recruitment, Preparation and Retention
Illinois
Section of the American Association of Physics
Teachers
Special Session Meetings
Workshop, Illinois Central College, East Peoria & Bradley
University, Peoria, IL, October 14-16, 2004
Cracker Barrel Discussion, Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL, April
7, 2006
Cracker Barrel Discussion, Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL, October 12, 2007
New/Crossover High School Physics Teacher Workshops, February 27, 2010.
Local science alliance leader meeting held at Blackburn College, Carlinville, IL, March 27, 2010
This web site is maintained by the ISAAPT standing committee on
Recruitment, Preparation, an Retention of High School Physics Teachers
David Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL
Thomas Foster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
Carl J. Wenning, Chair, Illinois State University, Normal, IL
(Last updated May 1, 2010, cjw)
Recent Developments:
- Local Physical Science Alliance - 12 zones established across Illinois, spring 2010. Up to $5,000 in support obtained from Illinois Science Teachers Association to host a zone leaders meeting at Illinois State University during August 2010.
- New/Crossover High School Physics Teacher Workshops (sponsored in part by the American Association of Physics Teachers) First workshop at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, February 27, 2010. See announcement.
- Recruiting the Next Generation of Middle and High School Science Teachers (8-page booklet for teachers, September 10, 2007)
- A Career in Science Teaching? Think About It! (tri-fold brochure for students, September 6, 2007)
- Illinois-Science-Teaching.info web page with links to major Illinois science teaching associations, last updated September 5, 2007)
- Updated the ISAAPT High
School Physics Teacher Recruitment web page; (September 7, 2007)
- Repairing the Illinois High School Physics
Teacher Pipeline PowerPoint
presentation delivered by Carl J. Wenning at Cornell University's conference The Role of Colleges and Universities in Preparing Future Physics Teachers (June
19, 2006)
Reports:
ISAAPT Autumn Meeting (Thursday/Friday, October
14/15, 2004)
Presenters:
Chuck Fabish, Peoria Pubic Schools
Michael Lorber, Illinois State University
Lynn Steffen, Illinois State University
Kenneth Mellendorf, Illinois Central College
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Stephen Weber, Rockford East High
School
Kimberly Shaw, Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville
Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University
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Follow-up Discussion Participants:
Kenneth Mellendorf, Illinois
Central College
Doug Franklin, Western Illinois University
Nerio Calgaro, East Peoria High School
Jim Clark, Palos Heights, IL
Mark Boley, Western Illinois University
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Evelyn Dorsey, Crescent-Iroquois
High School
Stephen Weber, Rockford East High School
Kimberly Shaw, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University
(3 WIU Students)
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Session PowerPoint Presentations:
- Status of the Illinois High
School Physics
Teacher Pipeline, Presented by Carl J. Wenning,
Illinois State University. In this presentation Wenning provides a review
of the literature in relation to the recruitment, preparation,
and retention
of physics teachers. He identified national trends and
explained how these
trends are reflected in the Illinois market place. He provides
information
about the leaky nature and low flow volume of the physics
teacher preparation
pipeline within Illinois, and makes a few suggestions about how
that pipeline
might be repaired.
- Teacher Candidate
Perspectives,
Presented by Kenneth Mellendorf, Illinois Central College.
Mellendorf provides
a summary of the findings in relation to those factors that most and least
(and even negatively) affected the decisions of teacher
candidates to become
high school physics teachers.
- In-Service Physics Teacher
Survey, Kimberly
Shaw, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Shaw provides a review
of those teacher practices most closely aligned with the factors that help
high school students decide to become physics teachers. She also reviews
those factors that make teachers enjoy their jobs, and those
which most make
them want to leave teaching.
- Teacher
Certification and University
Program Accreditation, Lynn Steffen, Illinois State University. Steffen
provides an overview of the accreditation processes that teacher education
programs in Illinois must undergo. She speaks about the
relationship of teacher
education unit accreditation in relation to the requirements by the National
Science Teachers Association for specific teacher preparation programs.
- Alternative Certification
Programs,
Michael Lorber, Illinois State University. Lorber provides a summary of the
nature of ISU's second iteration of the alt. cert. program. He shares the
course requirements and notes the nature and extent of this
program's impact
on the need for teachers of physics. Please note that Alternative Certification is no longer available through Illinois State University. (Note added 11/02/2009)
Survey Data Sets:
- Survey of Physics Teacher Education
Candidates This survey and data set were collected by Carl Wenning. He
surveyed 24 of 33 declared physics teacher education majors at Illinois State
University
in an effort to determine which factors most influenced their decisions to
become teachers in general an physics teachers in particular.
- Survey of In-Service High
School Physics
Teacher This survey and data set were also collected by
Wenning. In a survey
of about 20 teachers, he was able to gain a sense of teaching practices that
relate
most closely to those factors that appear to influence high school students
to become physics teachers. He also attempted to identify what
factors teachers
most and least enjoyed in relation to their teaching.
Review and Recommendations PowerPoint:
- Teacher Recruitment and Retention Presented by
Shaw, Mellendorf, Weber, and Wenning. A "sneak preview"
of the two-days session
with recommendations from the committee presented at the ISAAPT
autumn meeting
on Saturday, October
16, 2004.
ISAAPT Spring Meeting (April 7/8, 2006)
- Participants:
Kenneth Mellendorf,
Illinois Central College
Ann Brandon, Joliet West High School (retired)
David Cornell, Principia College (emeritus)
Ivan Kimble, Lockport Township High School
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Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State
University
Rob Mason, Olney Central College
Mel Sabella, Chicago State University
David Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College
Roger Malcolm, Kewanee High School (retired)
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- The road less traveled: Reflections
of a teacher educator Presented
by Carl J. Wenning. Comments arising from a reflection on 12 years as
a physics teacher educator (1994-2006). Deals with how the problem
of having insufficient numbers of high school physics teachers originated,
and what the physics community can do about it. Deals with inspiration,
identification, solicitation, preparation, induction, and mentoring
of teachers.
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ISAAPT Fall Meeting (October 12, 2007)
- Participants:
Erin Stefanik, Illinois State University (student)
John Metzler,Illinois State University (student)
Ann Brandon, Joliet West High School (retired)
Diana Roth, Lanphier High School
Kenneth Mellendorf,
Illinois Central College
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David Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College
Zack Metzger, Riverside Brookfield High School
Nathan Frank, Illinois Wesley University
Andrew Morrison, Illinois Wesleyan University
Tom Foster, Southern Illinois Univ. Edwardsville
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ISAAPT Spring Meeting (April 4, 2008)
Christopher Aderhold, Aurora West HS
Carl Wenning, Illinois State University
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David Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College
Tom Foster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsvills
Ann Brandon, Joliet West HS (retired) |
ISAAPT Ad Hoc Committee Membership:
2004-2008, David Sykes, Lincoln Land Community College
2004-2007, Kimberly Shaw, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
2004-2008, Carl J. Wenning, Illinois State University, Chair
2007-?, Tom Foster, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
State of Illinois Special Reports: (The latest report can always be found here.)
Reports on Tomorrow's Teachers:
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