This research project examines four different professional development modalities and their impact on teacher learning, practice and ultimately, student outcomes. The research variables are the amount and nature of pedagogical content knowledge exposure during a 24-hour professional development treatment. The options include (1) content instruction, case studies and concurrent classroom teaching in the content domain; (2) content and case studies; (3) content and concurrent teaching; and (4) content instruction only. The content domain (electric circuits) will employ a teacher resource module from the "Understanding Science" series developed by WestEd. The research design includes random assignment of participants and analysis of pre/post data on content and pedagogy from all teacher participants. The PI has a strong physics background and will be responsible for the preparation of the professional development providers who will lead the treatment sessions. Participants in the study will be drawn from school districts in the San Francisco Bay area of California; Los Angeles, California; Mobile, Alabama and two additional sites.
