Cult Stud of Sci Educ (2011) 6:757–763 DOI 10.1007/s11422-011-9360-4 FORUM
SMEC (her/his)tories Catherine Milne • Linda Hess Pickett • M. Shaeed Hartley Paul Lowe
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Received: 7 July 2011 / Accepted: 7 August 2011 / Published online: 18 August 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract This collection of historical accounts provides diverse perspectives on the structure and culture of the community of researchers who completed their studies under the mentorship of researchers at SMEC. These her/histories provide multiple perspectives on the goals and values that motivated educators to become SMEC scholars. Keywords
Science education History Biography Research Professional associations
No turning back now: from far afield, to Perth and beyond Catherine Milne In this paper former students talk about their experience of being a student in SMEC and the implications of that experience for their professional trajectory. Linda Hess Pickett from Miami, Florida, M. Shaeed Hartley, from South Africa and Paul Lowe from New Zealand present their individual accounts highlighting the diversity of options for doctoral study afforded by SMEC that assisted them to achieve their goal of further study. Also, in this issue Emilia Alfonso (2011) describes in some detail her SMEC experiences, which enriched her professional trajectory intellectually and collaboratively. I do not think there is any such thing as a traditional SMEC student because SMEC offers anyone with an interest in the teaching and learning of science, mathematics and technology the space and time to be a scholar and to make connections between theory, C. Milne (&) L. H. Pickett M. Shaeed Hartley P. Lowe Steinhardt School, New York University, New York, NY, USA e-mail:
[email protected] L. H. Pickett e-mail:
[email protected] M. Shaeed Hartley e-mail:
[email protected] P. Lowe e-mail:
[email protected]
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research, and practice in ways that are meaningful for them. In the process, they also enrich the SMEC community. My experience is illustrative of finding connections between theory, research, and practice. In 1989, I read an advertisement in the Australian Science Teachers Journal (now Teaching Science) for a research Master’s of Science degree at the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) in Perth, Western Australia. I taught science in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia but the program intrigued me, so I inquired about registering for it. A response came back from SMEC administration. Not so fast! I was informed that since I had been away from university study for so long, about 10 years, I would need to do some courses from the Graduate Diploma that would help to prepare me for a research-based Master’s program. I have to admit up front that I am not the most tractable of students and with my other responsibilities as an administrator and teacher, I found being an external student studying by what was called distance education to be quite a challenge. I found that I could manage to engage in a scholarly way with my course studies if I studied one to one and a half courses per semester. Anything over that and I found myself forgetting social commitments I had made and found that I could not give the level of effort to my courses that I wanted to give. Although at that time computers were widespread, I began my studies at a time when the postal service and the telephone were the more common forms of long distance communication. The first SMEC scholar I remember interacting with was Leonie Rennie. We had a number of telephone conversations about the program and the courses of study to which I had committed. I had only heard Leonie’s voice and it came as some shock to me when I saw her in person and she looked nothing like the image I had constructed of her! When I reflect back I realize that these two experiences, distance external education and my personal construct for Leonie, continue to influence my thinking about learning. By 1992, SMEC decided I was ready to be admitted into the Master’s program and with a scholarship from the Northern Territory Department of Education, which allowed me to study at Curtin full time on my substantive salary, I began my research Master’s under the mentorship of Peter Taylor. Peter was an excellent mentor because he allowed me the space to develop my thinking while also challenging me to think deeply and critically about the nature of the discipline and teachers’ personal philosophies of teaching which resulted in a research paper in which I examined teachers’ espoused and enacted personal philosophies of science (Milne and Taylor 1995). He challenged me to maintain a schedule of writing and revising that was an excellent strategy for keeping me focused. Peter also supported me to complete my Master’s in the allotted time period. My work with Peter supported my interest in philosophy of science and the way that science became mythologized in the practice of its teaching. Peter encouraged me to focus on myths rather than metaphors and I saw this as a possible topic for a doctoral study (Milne 1998). In 1993 when I was back at Sanderson High School in the Northern Territory I developed a proposal that become the basis for my doctoral study in 1994; once again working with Peter. I worked full time on my thesis from 1994 to almost the end of 1997 when I left to take up an appointment elsewhere. I have always felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to complete a doctoral study at SMEC, not only for the opportunities to conduct research of interest to me and to work with leaders in the field but SMEC also provided me with other opportunities to gain all the skills needed to join the science, mathematics, or technology education field, which I decided was my goal. These opportunities included teaching courses at the Post-graduate or Master’s level and being involved in other university-based projects. For example, I had the chance to develop and teach an environmental chemistry course within the Associate Degree in science and mathematics offered within the Department of Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University.
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The opportunities afforded students to interact with so many other doctoral students both from Australia and overseas were also a feature of the SMEC experience. For example, when I was studying to complete my doctorate, I had the chance to work with people who have gone on to be established scholars and researchers in their own right including Grady Venville, Vaille Dawson, Allan Harrison, Joanne Goodell, David Geelan, David Zandvliet, Joan Gribble, Tony Rickards, and Eric Bull. However, being a doctoral student is not always easy or straight-forward and not every doctoral student I worked with completed his/her doctoral program of study. However, I feel fortunate again for the experiences SMEC provided for me that allowed me to work with so many promising scholars, some of whom I continue to work with in some way or other even though we live on different continents. A number of other students have mentioned the encouragement SMEC faculty provided them to take the first step and submit their research to conferences like the annual meetings of the Australasian Science Education Research Association, the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). I vividly remember attending my first NARST with Grady Venville, Louise Tyson, and Wendy Speering. We had a wonderful time. I also vividly remember and cherish Leonie’s support of my scholarship as she included some of my research in a successful AERA proposal in 1996. Also the level of intellectual tolerance at SMEC is something that other authors, including John Malone (this issue), have mentioned and that was certainly my experience also. Even though SMEC attracted and accepted people from a wide spectrum of intellectual and moral traditions, it provided an environment that allowed us to work together productively and supported us to follow the questions that we had. I understood that all the SMEC scholars did not share my research interests but SMEC supported me to find the space for the research I wanted to conduct.
References Milne, C. (1998). Philosophically correct science stories. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35, 175–187. Milne, C., & Taylor, P. C. (1995). Metaphors as global markers for teachers’ beliefs about the nature of science. Research in Science Education, 25, 39–49.
The Influence of Curtin’s Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) in Miami, Florida Linda Hess Picket As I look at the framed Doctor of Philosophy degree hanging on the wall in my office at Winthrop University, in South Carolina, my thoughts go back to a day in February, 1999 that changed the course of so many lives and impacted science education in the MiamiDade County Public Schools. On that day, I waited with several of my colleagues for our appointment with Barry Fraser and David Treagust from SMEC. We were meeting to discuss the possibility of having SMEC’s doctoral program in Miami. My colleagues and I had recently finished our Educational Specialist degrees at the University of Miami and were interested in continuing in a doctoral program. We were experienced classroom teachers and educational specialists with demanding careers in the school district. We also
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had family responsibilities and were frustrated with the required six-month residency for doctoral programs at several universities in the area. We could not absorb the financial impact of a six-month leave from our jobs. There were also no guarantees that our jobs would even be waiting for us when we returned. Yet, we wanted a high-quality doctoral program that would inspire us to achieve even more and open doors to other career paths. A professor from a state university told us that SMEC was the answer we were looking for and helped us arrange a meeting with Fraser and Treagust. We had done our homework before the meeting and had investigated the professors from Curtin University. Their credentials were impressive and we eagerly awaited our first meeting with these highlyaccomplished teachers and scholars. Our adventure with SMEC began on that day and our lives would be forever changed. Since that day in 1999, SMEC has made a lasting impact on science education in Miami and other southeastern states in the United States. In all, over 30 educators from the Miami group have earned doctoral degrees. Many of the doctoral theses used the framework of learning environments to investigate outcomes related to science and mathematics education. Many graduates have continued as classroom teachers, others serve as district science and mathematics supervisors and curriculum specialists, and others are teaching at the university level. With assistance and encouragement from Fraser and Treagust, we also increased our involvement in scholarly activities. For example, nine graduates from the SMEC Miami group have published their work with Fraser in refereed journal articles, books, and book chapters. Further, 30 Miami doctoral students presented scholarly papers with either Barry Fraser or David Treagust at AERA annual conferences. Two students also presented papers with Fraser at an annual conference of NARST. As I think back to that first meeting with Barry Fraser and David Treagust, I wonder how they were able to accomplish so much in this short period of time. It is difficult to imagine the scholarly discipline required to supervise doctoral students at different stages of theses, flying halfway around the world to meet with students in Miami at least twice per year, teaching us about the field of learning environments, providing us with guidance and support, and helping us prepare our papers for presentations at highly-respected professional conferences. Yes, that day in February 1999 changed my life forever. I am now a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Richard W. Riley College of Education at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. I am proud to say that I now prepare future elementary school teachers who are confident and accomplished in the area of science education. I also work with teachers who are working on their Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction and serve as a Winthrop Faculty in Residence at one of our six professional development schools. I often show my students a picture of Barry Fraser and tell them how he changed my life and inspired me to achieve more than I thought that I ever could. Fraser’s work has been extended and has touched the lives of students whose names he might never know, but who will carry on his legacy by sharing their love of science with their students and inspiring them to be more than they ever thought possible.
The SMEC journey of a South Africa doctoral student M. Shaheed Hartley I was part of a group of 18 South African students who started the part-time doctoral programme in science and mathematics education at SMEC in 1999. Our participation was
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the brainchild of Kopano Taole from the South African research funding agency, the National Research Foundation (NRF) and who, through an agreement with Barry Fraser (Director: SMEC), wanted to develop a critical mass of South African science and mathematics researchers, in particular black researchers. Key to this process was that we had a funding agency (NRF) that was willing to support our studies financially and at the same time administrators at SMEC had negotiated a reduction in fees from Curtin University. The doctoral programme was planned for 4 years, the first 2 years for the structured modular section consisted of alternating contact visits between South Africa and SMEC during January and July each year, and a further 2 years to complete the thesis component. For many students it was an experience of a lifetime since this was our first venture abroad. Prior to the start of the programme, we had 2 weeks to acclimate to Perth before beginning intensive modules that stretched our cognitive abilities to the limit. It was during the contact visit at SMEC that I first met David Treagust who later became the supervisor of my doctoral thesis and mentor to me as a fledgling researcher. The modules provided a perfect grounding for the research we were expected to develop in the second 2 years of our programme. Lecturers, like Barry Fraser, David Treagust, John Malone, John Wallace and Jill Aldridge, challenged us to explore issues around quality, rigour and depth in research as we studied research methodology, analysis and report writing. SMEC also consists of wonderful support staff that worked hard to make each student’s visit as pleasant and hassle-free as possible, allowing us to focus on our learning. I was one of three students who collected data and then, rather than staying in South Africa, decided on a three-month stay in Perth to complete the writing-up of our theses. We were accommodated within walking distance of SMEC allowing us to focus on our analysis and writing. This model allowed me to be the first of the South African group to complete my thesis. My two colleagues followed suit and our success made this the preferred model of many in the South African group. To date, of the original 18 students, one person sadly passed away and, of the remaining 17, only one person did not complete the degree. I believe that the SMEC doctoral programme proved successful certainly for the original group of South African students. Later on, many other South African doctoral students also completed their studies through SMEC. The SMEC partnership has delivered on its original promise since it provided (educated) science and mathematics researchers at many of the South African universities. There are now many researchers with SMEC doctoral qualifications who are now training other students using their SMEC experience both in terms of research as well as in supervision. In a South African situation where historical disparities are still prevalent in higher education, SMEC has developed a network of graduates that are adding great value to science and mathematics in terms of research output and discipline development.
Science education at SMEC Paul Lowe At a conference in Auckland where Barry Fraser, the Director of the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) gave a keynote presentation, John Hattie of Auckland University introduced Fraser and Curtin by saying; ‘Curtin University is like an octopus with its tentacles drawing in knowledge from all over the world.’ I think this is so apt and
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describes quite accurately how the team at SMEC operate and was part of my experience as a doctoral candidate in SMEC. In 1995 I applied to do a PhD with Curtin University and Darrell Fisher was appointed as my supervisor. Darrell was very understanding of the position I was in, because I was a full time teacher wanting to conduct an action research study of my own practice. It was to be 1998 before I was able to submit for candidacy and gather data for my project on the effect of group work and assessment on student attitudes towards science. In 1999, I travelled across to Perth to work for 2 weeks with Fisher and had the pleasure of meeting many of the SMEC team. The support was outstanding as I was welcomed into the SMEC family of researchers who all exhibited a passion for Science and Mathematics education. At SMEC, the focus was not just on the scholarly nature of research but on the whole person as professors opened their homes to visiting doctoral students, like me. While in other parts of the world it has become more difficult for part-time doctoral candidates to be accepted into PhD and EdD programs, SMEC was welcoming and supported me in my efforts to examine the synergies between group work and assessment in a context of learning science. This allowed me to graduate in 2005. Fisher had 10 students graduate with PhDs at this time. Some PhD programs might consider this a large number of people to graduate at one time and it is, but it is made possible by the willingness of other professors, such as Barry Fraser and David Treagust, to also provide mentorship. This inclusive aspect of supervision is one of the features of doctoral mentoring at SMEC that allows it to be so successful and effective. Since graduating, Darrell Fisher has remained my mentor as I sought to find better ways to engage students in their science. He is always prepared to put together suitable instruments to measure whatever aspect of the classroom environment we think prudent. Working with a team of statisticians he has been able to help me make sense of results from various instruments used to provide the evidence I need to explore the potential of the pedagogy interventions I have implemented to better support learning in science. I have also become an advocate for SMEC suggesting to a colleague to start a PhD with Darrell Fisher at SMEC with the goal of exploring the efficacy of our latest project, named the PLUTO (please let us take off) project for junior science students.
Moving on The personal stories presented here are illustrative of just some of the models of higher education study that SMEC provides people seeking to explore questions they had about educational issues in science, mathematics or technology education. For all of us SMEC provided the intellectual space and support that allowed us to successfully complete our doctoral research, which afforded our pursuit of the goals we have as scholars and educators from diverse locations and educational systems. Each of us recalls the synergy between our goals as scholars and the goals of the SMEC that serve to make the outcomes for both successful. Additionally, the authors of these (her/his) stories highlight their appreciation for the productive and supportive relationships between faculty and students that was a feature of SMEC interactions and opportunities for collaboration and friendship that continue to support us as scholars. These are key elements of the SMEC model (see John Malone’s paper on the history of SMEC in this issue for more on the SMEC model) that serve to make SMEC a highly successful and relevant center for research and learning.
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Author Biographies Catherine Milne is associate professor at New York University with research interests in sociocultural studies of science education, the role of history and philosophy of science and science teaching, and the role of multimedia and game in learning science. She has just authored, The Invention of Science, in which she uses historical cases to examine aspects of the nature of science. Linda Hess Pickett is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Richard W. Riley College of Education at Winthrop University. Dr. Pickett previously worked in the Miami-Dade (FL) County Public School System as a science teacher and professional development specialist. Her research interests include classroom learning environments, elementary science education, teacher action research, preparing teachers to work with diverse learners, and implementing collaborative models of teaching and mentoring. Linda also serves as Winthrop Faculty in Residence at a professional development school in Winthrop’s school partnership network initiative. Shaheed Hartley is an associate professor of science education at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He is also Director of the Science Learning Centre for Africa (SLCA) in the Faculty of Education. The centre provides support and training to in-service science and mathematics educators in disadvantaged schools and also hosts a range of projects for learners including science club development, robotics, avionics, women in mathematics, role modelling, etc. He won the national prize in South Africa as the 2009 Science Communicator for Public Awareness awarded by the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) for his contribution to the development of science, mathematics and technology education evaluated over a 5-year period. Paul Lowe is currently working for the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and is Senior Science Curriculum and PD specialist for the Abu Dhabi Emirate. He holds an MSc (Chemistry) Waikato University and a PhD (Science Education) Curtin University (WA). His PhD looked at the effect of cooperative learning and assessment (COLA) on attitudes towards science of Y9 and 10 students. Paul represented NZ in Cambodia in 2007 at the ‘Microsoft Innovative Teachers Conference’ and in 2009 won the KUDOS Science Educator/Communicator award in the great Waikato region. This year he won the Prime Ministers Science Teacher award.
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