LACTE K-12 TEACHER SURVEY
Please read each item carefully and answer candidly based on your experiences/instruction during the current school year. This information will provide insight into students’ learning environments. Your name and that of the school will be used for tracking purposes only to preserve the confidentiality of individual responses. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Teacher Name: ______School Name: ______
BACKGROUND
a. Ethnicity
/ African American (Black) / / Caucasian (White) / Asian/Pacific Islander (specify) / / Hispanic/Latino
/ Multiracial (specify) / / Native American
/ Other (specify)
b. Which of the following institutions did you attend for at least one semester (please check all that apply)
/ California State University, Lon Angeles / / East Los Angeles College / Loyola Marymount University / / Santa Monica Community College
/ California State University, Fullerton / / Fullerton Community college
/ Occidental College / / Glendale Community college
/ California State University, Dominguez HIlls / / El Camino Community College
c. Please indicate the degree to which you participated in each of the following LACTE activities. In the far right column, please RATE on a scale of 1-5 the extent you think participating in each activity has helped you to be a better math/science teacher (1= not at all; 3=somewhat; 5=a great deal; NA=Not Applicable)
Did not participate / Participated 1-2 times / Participated 3-4 times / Participated 5+ times / On a scale of 1-5, how much did this activity contribute to your preparation to teach math/science? (Circle one number.)Not . A great deal
Attended LACTE student group meetings / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Was advised/counseled by LACTE faculty / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Attended the LACTE Student Symposium / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Attended “Meet the Teachers” Roundtable / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Held a LACTE Internship / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Planned a LACTE workshop/symposium / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Presented a LACTE workshop/symposium / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Was supported to attend other professional workshop/conference(s) in math/science / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Was a teaching assistant on campus / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Tutored / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Provided peer counseling / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Observed in a K-12 class / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Participated in student field trips / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
Other (specify) / / / / / 1 2 3 4 5 NA
d. Please complete the following statement: Because of my involvement in LACTE, I think that I now… (Choose all that apply.)
/ teach more math and science. / understand math and science content better.
/ use standards-based, investigative methods to teach math and science.
/ Other: (Please specify)
1. Teaching certification/licensure: (Choose all that apply.)
/ Elementary – general / Elementary – specialist, Area(s):
/ Secondary – middle school/junior high (indicate area(s) of certification below)
Area(s):
/ Secondary – high school (indicate area(s) of certification below)
Area(s):
/ On an Emergency credential
2. How many years have you been teaching, including this year? 1 2 3-5 +5
3. Did your teacher preparation program include: (Mark all that apply.)
/ Courses teaching computer-assisted instruction? / Science methods courses?
/ Mathematics methods courses?
/ Capstone or Jr./Sr. level science or mathematics (not education) courses, e.g., culminating,
integrating experiences?
/ Field experiences in education (in addition to student teaching)?
/ Field experiences in mathematics/science?
4. How would you rate the level of quality of your teacher preparation program in preparing you to teach math and science?
Less than adequate Adequate More than adequate Exceptional5. Have you attended any professional meetings (either school/district-based or external) that focused on reformed
pedagogy in mathematics and science, in the past three years?
No Yes If yes, please give examples. If no, please go to question 6.6. Within the last three years, have you held any professional educational leadership positions that focused on
reformed pedagogy, e.g., lead mathematics teacher, science committee chair?
No Yes If yes, please give examples. If no, please go to question 7.7. How supportive of excellence in mathematics and science education, e.g., monetary and physical resources,
emotional or psychological support, are each of the following:
a. Your school administrators?
Not supportive / Somewhat supportive / Very supportiveGive examples:
b. Your school district/board?
Not supportive / Somewhat supportive / Very supportiveGive examples:
8. Are there any barriers that inhibit you from teaching in ways most beneficial for the students?
No Yes If yes, what are the barriers? If no, please go to question 9.9. How often are you involved in collaborative meetings/activities taking place between your school and institutions
of higher education?
Seldom/never (Skip to Question 11.) / Occasionally, i.e., 1-2 times a year / Frequently10. If you do have meetings, please describe what happens at them.
11. Did/do you receive information about national, state, and/or professional Science, Mathematics and Technology
standards, e.g., National Research Council (NRC) science standards, National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) mathematics standards, from your teacher preparation program or institution?
No YesIf yes, did this information make a difference in your teaching? No Yes
TEACHING STRATEGIES:
12. Indicate how much you disagree or agree with each of the following statements about teaching and learning math and science. / Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / Strongly Agreea. It is important for students to have input in establishing criteria by which their
work will be assessed…………..………...………………………………………… / / / /
b. Encouraging student questions is more important than eliciting correct answers….. / / / /
c. Teachers in this school are well-supplied with materials for investigative
instruction…………………………………………………………………………… / / / /
d. Teachers in this school have a shared vision of effective instruction………………. / / / /
- Teachers in this school are well informed about the national, state, and
they teach…………………………………………………………………………… / / / /
13. Different teachers have described very different teaching philosophies to researchers. For each of the following pairs of statements, darken the circle that best shows how closely your own beliefs compare to each of the statements in a given pair. The closer your beliefs to a particular statement, the closer the circle you darken. Please darken only one circle for each set.
a. “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.” / / / / / / / “Investigation is very 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.”b. “The most important part of instruction is the content of the curriculum. That content is the field’s judgment about what students need to be able to know and do.” / / / / / / / “The most important part of instruction is that it encourages ‘sense-making’ or thinking among students. Content is secondary.”
Strategies: /
Frequency
To what extent do the following characterize your current class?
/Seldomly
/ Occasionally / Regularly / AlmostAlways
14. Students have a voice in decisions about class activities…..………………………... / / / /
15. New information is based on what students already know about the topic………….. / / / /
16. Student assessment results are used to modify what is taught and how……………... / / / /
17. Students have enough time to learn what is required………………………………... / / / /
How often do students:
18. Work with other students where the whole group gets the same grade?………….…. / / / /
19. Participate in whole-class discussions during which the teacher talks less than the students?………………………………………………………………………….….. / / / /
20. Use or make models?………………………………………………………………… / / / /
- Write descriptions of their reasoning?………………………………………………..
22. Work on problems related to real world or practical issues?………………………… / / / /
23. Do activities that include data collection and analysis?……………………………... / / / /
24. Make connections to other science, mathematics, and technology (SMT) and non-SMT fields?………………………..………………………………………………… / / / /
25. Design and make presentations that help them learn class concepts?…………...…... / / / /
26. Determine how much they know about something?…………………………………. / / / /
27. Complete assessments/assignments that include:
a. problems with complex solutions? ………………………………………………. / / / /
b. portfolios?………………………………………………………………………… / / / /
c. multiple choice/short answer items?……………………………………………… / / / /
d. full-length papers?………………………………………………………………... / / / /
28. Use technology, e.g., computers, calculators:
a. to practice skills learned in class?…………………………………………………. / / / /
b. to understand or explore in more depth concepts already taught in class?……….. / / / /
c. to learn new information? ………………………………………………………… / / / /
d. as a tool in investigations to gather and organize information?…………………... / / / /
e. as a tool to prepare written reports or presentations?……………………………... / / / /
f. as a tool for checking understanding (assessment)?…..………………………….. / / / /
g. to communicate with students?…………………………………………………... / / / /
PERCEPTIONS:
Please darken one circle for each of the questions below. / Strongly Disagree / Disagree / Agree / StronglyAgree
29. The truth of scientific knowledge is beyond doubt………………………………….. / / / /
30. There are many methods of solving scientific and mathematical problems……...….. / / / /
31. Truly understanding science in the science classroom requires special abilities that
only some people possess……………………………………………………………. / / / /
32. Truly understanding mathematics in the mathematics classroom requires special
abilities that only some people possess……………………………………………… / / / /
33. Most of the important scientific advances have come about as a result of (Choose one answer.)
The development of new and more significant sets of ideas. The interaction of ideas and experiments in the solution of problems.
The dedication of an extraordinary person to the investigation of a particular specialty.
An interaction between a chance observation of a new phenomenon and an alert mind.
34. In deciding whether or not a proposed theory can be accepted, scientists will probably make their decision on the basis of (Choose one answer.)
Whether or not the theory is true. Whether or not the theory can be expressed in mathematical form.
The evidence supporting the theory and their personal ideas.
The experimental and observational evidence available.
35. Please add here anything else you’d like us to know.
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LACTE Teacher Questionnaire 11/2/18