Jean Moon, Tidemark Institute, described a professional development model that she developed with a team of researchers.3 The model, Next Generation Science
Exemplar-Based Professional Learning Systems (NGSX), is housed on a Web-based platform and based on video exemplars.4 Several principles guided the design of
NGSX, Moon said. First, the model focuses on science. Participating teachers learn disciplinary core ideas in science and engage in scientific practices, such as explanation, argument, and modeling. Second, NGSX emphasizes student sense- making. Teachers analyze student discourse and work using video cases as they build core ideas and strategies. Third, NGSX explicitly addresses pedagogy and how teachers can support student practices and discourse, again using video exem- plars. In Moon’s words, an approach that includes video exemplars helps to “get at something that’s very critical in getting to this new vision and that’s helping teachers imagine what this looks like and what it feels like.”
NGSX is a blended learning model organized into learning pathways, according to Moon. An array of resources, experts, tools, and tasks are all housed on a Web platform. Groups of teachers, who teach at all levels from elementary through high school, meet face-to-face in groups facilitated by one of the teach- ers in the group. Teachers then access the Web-based materials via laptop, smart phone, or tablet. Groups establish their own pace through the pathways, which each consist of eight or nine units. Each unit takes approximately three to four hours with additional “on your own” activities that tie previous units with current and future ones.
Moon described how teachers begin each pathway. They start by viewing a video that presents them with a challenge about a particular science construct that they will learn about. Teachers work together to progress through the pathway, but continue interface with the Website, uploading and posting pictures of their work. They also encounter expertise from scientists, as well as from pedagogical experts. The Website also possesses tools that help to “catalyze” social interaction.
For the initial pilot of NGSX, Units 1 to 3 focused directly on science con- tent and centered on the following question: “What are models in science, and
3For more information, see the following commissioned paper: Moon (2013). 4For more information, visit http://www.ngsx.org/ [March 2014].
how are they evaluated and revisited?” Next, Units 4 and 5 addressed two ques- tions: “How do I build classroom culture that supports public reasoning?” and “How do I build a classroom culture that supports all learners?” These two units emphasized the culture of scientific discourse in the classroom. Units 6 and 7 focused on argumentation and how to help students argue from evidence, as well as the types of tools teachers can use to help students refine models over time to develop deep explanations of phenomena. In each unit, Moon emphasized that science and literacy are “all very integrated.” She also stated that NGSX aims to situate professional development for teachers that is contextualized as closely as possible to teachers’ own classrooms and students. Throughout the professional development, teachers do experiments, talk with one another, write, and refine their ideas, documenting their experiences with photos and videos. Moon also indicated that she and her colleagues are using NGSX as a context for research.
Jocelyn Lloyd, a 1st-grade teacher at Woodland Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, described her experiences as a recent participant in NGSX. Specific aspects of the professional development were particularly positive in her view. She noted that she and her colleagues were engaged in hands-on experiences right from the beginning, which contributed to her feeling that she “forgot she was in professional development.” The approach also made use of strategies that Lloyd has found useful with her students, namely learning by doing, but also process- ing information with others. Lloyd also appreciated having colleagues as facilita- tors, which she said fostered team-building. She said it also eliminated feelings of intimidation that can occur with an expert leader. With this group dynamic, she felt that it was acceptable not to have all the answers.
Lloyd then described in more detail the particular science content she encountered through NGSX, states of matter, and how she applied her new knowledge and strategies in her own classroom. She added that her classroom is composed of 22 students, 15 of whom are English language learners (ELLs) and all of whom receive free and reduced-cost school lunches. Her goals for her stu- dents not only focused on helping to learn about states of matter, but also help- ing the students learn to discuss, debate, predict, and collaborate to make sense of their observations. Lloyd paired several hands-on experiences with productive classroom discourse to share ideas. She indicated that she was able to use compa- rable types of experiences in writing in her classroom as she experienced herself in NGSX. In closing, she emphasized that the hands-on approach to professional development assisted her in internalizing the approaches to teaching science and in bringing the practices back to her classroom.