Learning to teach inquiry science: Exploring the impact of subject matter-specific induction

Scholars and policymakers agree that teachers are central to the reform of teaching and that teachers' on-going professional development is critical to the improvement of schooling. Of particular recent interest is the character and content of early career support for teachers, often known as "induction programs." This study takes one such program---one devoted to the development of new teachers' content and pedagogical content knowledge---and asks: "What (if anything) do new teachers learn when presented with opportunities to expand their knowledge of subject matter and the teaching of subject matter?".;To answer this question I studied the Exploratorium Teacher Induction Program (TIP) and followed six first-year TIP science teacher participants over 14 months, tracing the development of their thinking about subject matter for teaching. The TIP offered novice teachers ample opportunities to learn science and ways to teach it. I documented participants' teaching, probed their knowledge of subject matter in interviews and observations, and tracked their professional development. I also carefully documented the opportunities to learn subject matter in the TIP, and I analyzed this evidence to discern if, and in what ways, their experiences learning science in the TIP translated to new, productive ways of thinking about teaching science.;I examined three aspects of subject matter knowledge for teaching: the role of students' subject matter ideas in instruction; scientific inquiry in instruction; instruction as a means to stimulate students' continued study of science. These constructs are the subjects of three chapters, across which a pattern develops, with some teachers showing substantial gains while others show lesser or no gains. I explore three factors that influence changes in teachers' performance and discuss implications for induction. In conclusion I discuss a tension that permeates the analyses: induction is necessarily pragmatic, supportive and useful to novice teachers. At the same time, to advance teachers' knowledge and instructional capacity, it must strategically advance longer-term developmental goals.