APPENDIX C: Distribution for Individual Teaching Philosophy Items

TABLE C-1: BELIEFS ABOUT TWO CONTRASTING APPROACHES TO TEACHING

TRADITIONAL APPROACH Ms. Hill was leading her class in an animated way, asking questions that the students could answer quickly; based on the reading they had done the day before. After this review, Ms. Hill taught the class new material, again using simple questions to keep students attentive and listening to what she said.		VS.		CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH Mr. Jones’ class was also having a discussion, but many of the questions came from the students themselves. Though Mr. Jones could clarify students’ questions and suggest where the students could find relevant information, he couldn’t really answer most of the questions himself.
	% Definitely Ms. Hill		% Tend toward Ms. Hill		% Cannot decide	% Tend toward Mr. Jones	% Definitely Mr. Jones	% Total
Which type of class discussion are you more comfortable having in class?	21		44		7	25	4	100
Which type of discussion do you think most students prefer to have?	20		34		10	28	9	100
From which type of class discussion do you think students gain more knowledge?	14		30		15	29	13	100
From which type of discussion do you think students gain more useful skills?	10		19		14	42	15	100

Sample: Probability sample; questionnaire versions 3 and 4.

TABLE C-2: BELIEFS ABOUT THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS

Strongly disagree

Moderately disagree

Slightly disagree

Slightly agree

Moderately agree

Strongly agree

Teachers know a lot more than students; they shouldn't let students muddle around when they can just explain the answers directly.

A quiet classroom is generally needed for effective learning.

Students are not ready for "meaningful" learning until they have acquired basic reading and math skills.

It is better when the teacher - not the students - decides what activities are to be done.

Student projects often result in students learning all sorts of wrong "knowledge."

Homework is a good setting for having students answer questions posed in their textbooks.

Students will take more initiative to learn when they feel free to move around the room during class.

Students should help establish criteria on which their work will be assessed.

Instruction should be built around problems with clear, correct answers, and around ideas that most students can grasp quickly.

How much students learn depends on how much background knowledge they have – that is why teaching facts is so necessary.

Sample: Probability sample; items answered in at least 3 of the 4 versions of the questionnaire.

TABLE C-3: BELIEFS ABOUT THE FOLLOWING PAIRS OF STATEMENTS

(PROXIMITY TO THEIR OWN BELIEFS ON A 5 POINT SCALE)

% Constructivist Perspective			Vs.			% Traditional Transmission Perspective
“I mainly see my role as a facilitator. I try to provide opportunities and resources for my students to discover or construct concepts for themselves."	13	27	30	22	8	"That's all nice, but students really won't learn the subject unless you go over the material in a structured way. It's my job to explain, to show students how to do the work, and to assign specific practice."
"The most important part of instruction is that it encourage “sense-making” or thinking among students. Content is secondary."	13	37	31	17	3	"The most important part of instruction is the content of the curriculum. That content is the community’s judgment about what children need to be able to know and do."
"It is better for students to master a few complex ideas and skills well, and to learn what deep understanding is all about, even if the breadth of their knowledge is limited until they are older."	8	25	29	29	10	"It is useful for students to become familiar with many different ideas and skills even if their understanding, for now, is limited. Later, in college, perhaps, they will learn these things in more detail."
"It is critical for students to become interested in doing academic work—interest and effort are more important than the particular subject-matter they are working on."	15	40	27	15	3	"While student motivation is certainly useful, it should not drive what students study. It is more important that students learn the history, science, math and language skills in their textbooks."
"It is a good idea to have all sorts of activities going on in the classroom. Some students might produce a scene from a play they read. Others might create a miniature version of the set. It's hard to get the logistics right, but the successes are so much more important than the failures."	20	28	26	20	7	"It's more practical to give the whole class the same assignment, one that has clear directions, and one that can be done in short intervals that match students' attention spans and the daily class schedule."

Sample: Probability sample.