Volume 6: Issue 2 [2021]
Eliciting and Refining Conceptions of STEM Education: A Series of Activities for Professional Development
- Categories: Elementary Education, High School, Inservice Teacher Preparation, Integrated STEM, and Middle School
- Tags: professional development (PD), STEM education, and teacher conceptions
- Publication: Issue 2 and Volume 6
Integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education is becoming increasingly common in K–12 classrooms. However, various definitions of STEM education exist that make it challenging for teachers to know what to implement and how to do so in their classrooms. In this article, we describe a series of activities used in a week-long professional development workshop designed to elicit K–12 teachers’ conceptions of STEM and the roles that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics play in STEM education. These activities not only engage teachers in conversations with peers and colleagues in a professional development setting but also enable teachers to reflect on their learning related to STEM education in the context of creating lesson plans and considering future teaching. In addition to describing these activities, we share suggestions related to how these activities may be used in venues outside of professional development.
Reflection in Action: Environmental Education Professional Development with Two Cohorts
- Categories: Early Childhood Education, Earth/Space Science, Elementary Education, Environmental Science, Inservice Teacher Preparation, and Middle School
- Tags: elementary science, environmental education, practicing teachers, and professional development (PD)
- Publication: Issue 2 and Volume 6
This article shares lessons learned from a 2-year environmental education professional development initiative with two cohorts. Each cohort consisted of school-based teams of elementary teachers. The professional development included a series of five workshops aimed at integrating environmental education across the curriculum, and each teacher team developed and implemented a school-based project to put these ideas into practice. The project team modified their approach between Cohorts 1 and 2 based on strengths and shortcomings of the first experience. Key takeaways to inform future professional development efforts include ensuring the timeframe of the project allows teachers to build momentum in their work, recruiting teams of teachers with diverse classroom experiences, and including presenters who can offer tangible and actionable ideas to use in the classroom.
From Theory to Practice: Funds of Knowledge as a Framework for Science Teaching and Learning
- Categories: Biological Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, High School, Inservice Teacher Preparation, Physical Sciences, Physics, and Preservice Teacher Preparation
- Tags: funds of knowledge and hybrid space
- Publication: Issue 2 and Volume 6
The phrase "funds of knowledge" refers to a contemporary science education research framework that provides a unique way of understanding and leveraging student diversity. Students’ funds of knowledge can be understood as the social relationships through which they have access to significant knowledge and expertise (e.g., family practices, peer activities, issues faced in neighborhoods and communities). This distributed knowledge is a valuable resource that might enhance science teaching and learning in schools when used properly. This article aims to assist science methods instructors and secondary classroom teachers to better understand funds of knowledge theory and to provide numerous examples and resources for what this theory might look like in practice.
Supporting Middle and Secondary Science Teachers to Implement Sustainability-Themed Instruction
- Categories: Biological Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, Environmental Science, High School, Inservice Teacher Preparation, Integrated STEM, Middle School, Physical Sciences, Physics, and Preservice Teacher Preparation
- Tags: alternatively certified science teachers, socially relevant science education, and sustainability education
- Publication: Issue 2 and Volume 6
In today’s society, we face many complex environmental, social, and economic challenges that can be addressed through a lens of sustainability. Furthermore, our efforts in addressing these challenges must be collective. Science education is foundational to preparing students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to engage in this work in professional and everyday capacities. This article describes a teacher education project aimed at preparing middle and secondary preservice and alternatively certified science teachers to teach through a lens of sustainability. The project was embedded within a middle and secondary science teaching methods course. Work produced by the teacher candidates, including case-study research presentations and week-long instructional plans, is described.