The NRC (2012) Framework and the ensuing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have brought crucial shifts in the goals for students’ science learning. Teachers bear the responsibility of translating the three-dimensional vision of student learning articulated in these documents in classrooms through instruction. Central to the idea of three-dimensional learning is the use of science phenomenon for instruction and assessment, which bears the potential for engaging students in sense-making by using scientific practices and cross cutting concepts. The purpose of this study is to understand teacher candidates’ noticing and responding to student sense-making in the context of phenomena-based science talks and assessments. This study involved twenty-three teacher candidates within one section of an elementary science methods course at a large Midwestern university. Data sources included audio recordings of science talks, assessment items, teacher candidates’ written analysis and reflections around science talks, and students’ written work in response to assessments. The data analysis focused on the nature and scope of opportunities provided for student sense-making using the phenomena-based science talks and assessments. The examination of data also focused on the nature of candidates’ noticing and interpretation of students’ sense-making and responding by suggesting instructional adaptations, based their post analysis of science talks and students’ written responses to assessments. The findings show that using phenomena in science talks and assessments allowed candidates to elicit and notice students’ ideas regarding phenomena. However, teacher candidates struggled to design open ended prompts aligned with the phenomena during talks and assessments. In the science talks, candidates often focused students primarily on providing descriptions of the phenomena rather than enabling students to explain the phenomena. Regarding the analysis of noticing and responding with respect to assessments, Findings showed a direct relationship between the nature of teacher noticing and interpretation of student sense-making with the nature of assessment prompts. In both science talks and assessments, most candidates did not probe or pay attention to students’ mechanistic thinking around phenomena. Across the study, candidates struggled to respond to student sense-making and offer suggestions that may support student sense-making of phenomena during future instruction. The findings can help design targeted learning experiences for preparing teacher candidates to notice and respond to student sense-making around science phenomena as per the vision of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) The coding system developed in the dissertation can help diagnose where teacher candidates are in their practice and what experiences may help shift their attention to desired forms of noticing and responding needed for supporting sense-making of phenomena.
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