Investigating an Instructional Model for Integrated STEM in Teacher Education

Active learning experiences that incorporate technology, design, and making combine to form an important and necessary pedagogical approach that supports the 21st century skills of collaboration, communication, creativity, digital literacies, and computational thinking as a problem-solving framework. Active learning experiences in teacher preparation serve as a model for future educators to follow, while building the educators\u27 efficacy to conduct future implementations with their own students. In this study, a multidisciplinary Pop-Up Makerspaces activity was conducted as an active hands-on approach to interdisciplinary STEM education. The intersectionality of English language arts with integrated STEM through design and making included: (a) enriching language and integrated STEM literacy, (b) scaffolding and supporting pre- and inservice educators through well-designed active learning as these opportunities help to develop self-efficacy, and (c) exploring new models and frameworks for transdisciplinarity

Teacher Perception of Inquiry-Based Teaching in Mathematics in Early Childhood

Inquiry-based instruction has been pivotal in transforming classrooms into engaging student-centered learning environments. Utilizing inquiry-based instruction in mathematics in early childhood can help build a strong foundation in mathematics. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of teachers and administrators on inquiry-based instruction in early childhood mathematics. This study was guided by three research questions. This study took place at two public schools in NYC. Data was collected through a preinterview survey and interviews. The participants included nine teachers and three administrators. During the analysis process five themes were revealed: professional development, planning and preparation, student engagement, building foundational skills, and curriculum. Many participants felt strongly about the impact of inquiry-based instruction on student engagement and building foundational skills. Some of the participants revealed an increase in student achievement when inquiry-based instruction was implemented in math class. It was also revealed that professional development is vital for teachers to be successful in implementation of inquiry-based instruction. Working together teachers and administrators believe inquiry-based instruction can have a positive impact on students’ success in mathematics. Inquiry-based instruction in early childhood mathematics can have a positive impact on student engagement and student achievement

Teacher Perception of Inquiry-Based Teaching in Mathematics in Early Childhood

Inquiry-based instruction has been pivotal in transforming classrooms into engaging student-centered learning environments. Utilizing inquiry-based instruction in mathematics in early childhood can help build a strong foundation in mathematics. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of teachers and administrators on inquiry-based instruction in early childhood mathematics. This study was guided by three research questions. This study took place at two public schools in NYC. Data was collected through a preinterview survey and interviews. The participants included nine teachers and three administrators. During the analysis process five themes were revealed: professional development, planning and preparation, student engagement, building foundational skills, and curriculum. Many participants felt strongly about the impact of inquiry-based instruction on student engagement and building foundational skills. Some of the participants revealed an increase in student achievement when inquiry-based instruction was implemented in math class. It was also revealed that professional development is vital for teachers to be successful in implementation of inquiry-based instruction. Working together teachers and administrators believe inquiry-based instruction can have a positive impact on students’ success in mathematics. Inquiry-based instruction in early childhood mathematics can have a positive impact on student engagement and student achievement

Early childhood preservice teachers' debugging block-based programs: An eye tracking study

Learning computational skills such as programming and debugging is very important for K-12 students given the increasing need of workforce proficient in computing technologies. Programming is an intricate cognitive task that entails iteratively creating and revising programs to create an artifact. Central to programming is debugging, which consists of systematically identifying and fixing program errors. Given its central role, debugging should be explicitly taught to early childhood preservice teachers so they can support their future students’ learning to program and debug errors. In this study, we propose using eye-tracking data and cued retrospective reporting to assess preservice teachers’ cognitive strategies while debugging. Several eye-tracking studies have investigated learners’ debugging strategies though the literature lacks studies (a) conducted with early childhood preservice teachers and (b) that focus on block-based programming languages, such as Scratch. The present study addresses this gap in the literature. This study used mixed methods to triangulate quantitative findings from eye movement analysis and qualitative findings about employed debugging strategies into the creation of descriptive themes. Results showed that participants developed strategies such as simultaneous review of output and code, use of beacons to narrow down the area to be debugged, and eye fixation on output to form hypotheses. But most often, debugging was not informed by a hypothesis, which led to trial and error. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.&nbsp

THE EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED UbD BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN TRAINING ON STUDENT TEACHERS’ TECHNOLOGICAL PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING – TEACHING CONCEPTIONS

The present study aimed to improve student teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and learning and teaching conceptions through technology-supported UbD-based instructional design training. It employed an action research design that comprises quantitative and qualitative research processes. In the study, 215 student teachers in 25 different groups participated in UbD-based instructional design training that includes poetry design, PowerPoint design, video research and asking questions, scenario-based visual aided learning activity design, and UbD unit design tasks by Google Classroom. As data collection tools, TPACK self-efficacy beliefs scale and learning and teaching conceptions scales, and collective written diaries were used. Statistical findings showed that UbD-based instructional design contributed to a significant improvement in student teachers' TPACK and constructivist teacher conceptions while a decrease in behaviorist teacher conceptions. Content analysis results pointed out that the experiences and effects of UbD on student teachers were discovered under five themes: development of (a) TPACK, (b) constructivist teacher understanding, (c) lifelong learning experiences, (d) affective orientation (e) the restrictions of UbD based instructional design. Within the professional development program's scope, it is suggested that the researchers should conduct projects, workshops, and research courses on the development of student teachers' competencies in UbD-based instructional design studies

Project-Based Learning: Teachers\u27 Perceptions

Project-based learning (PBL), a type of pedagogy, is helping students in today’s world stay motivated to learn. This hands-on, collaborative type of learning is seen as beneficial for students, but the problem is the lack of knowledge about teachers’ perceptions of PBL. This qualitative study discusses teachers’ perceptions of PBL through the challenges, benefits, teacher training, and school administration support. Twelve teachers from magnet schools within a public school district specializing in PBL were interviewed. The teachers ranged from first-year teachers to teachers with over 10 years of experience. Six educators also participated in a focus group. Study findings indicated that teachers felt PBL was beneficial for today’s students. Some teachers find PBL challenging as it requires much planning time. It is more challenging if teachers are not supported by their administration. All participants commented on the importance of PBL training. More practical training is needed to help the teachers feel more successful in the classroom. Despite the challenges with PBL, every teacher interviewed said the benefits outweighed the challenges and thought PBL was an effective method for teaching today’s students

Preservice Teacher Engineering Design Teaching Efficacy

Science educators are tasked with enacting The Next Generation Science Standards that include engineering core ideas and practices. Many teacher preparation programs and content courses do not include or require engineering design leading many science teachers to believe they are unprepared to teach engineering design. The lack of experience and belief of being unprepared to teach engineering design results in preservice educators’ lack of engineering design teaching self-efficacy. Preparation programs inclusion of efficacy in is essential to understanding later enactment. This mixed-method case study researched the engineering design teaching self-efficacy of eleven preservice educators during an engineering design unit taught in a science methods II course at a university in the western U.S. The changes in preservice educator self-efficacy over the development and delivery of an engineering design unit was explored to describe fluctuations and elements of the engineering design unit that influenced efficacy. This researcher triangulated journals, focus groups, journey maps, video protocols, and instructor session notes to better describe the influence of the elements of an engineering design unit on preservice educator efficacy development. The analysis revealed that the engineering design unit included elements that facilitated sensemaking leading to task competency beliefs. These engineering designs teaching self-efficacy beliefs developed over time with wavelike fluctuations. Preservice educator engineering design teaching self- efficacy progresses from onset, developing, emerging, to maturing. Fluctuation in efficacy is consistent with progression if preservice educators receive mentorship to facilitate sensemaking through the process. To reach the efficacy maturing stage, teachers need the autonomy to enact engineering design curriculum and needed science education reforms. It is expected that a description of developmental engineering efficacy will assist professional learning instructors and curriculum developers to increase enactment of engineering design in secondary science classrooms. Student engagement and engineering literacy may result when teachers have increased engineering design teaching self-efficacy

Lessons from the Pivot: Higher Education\u27s Response to the Pandemic

The intensity of major events often leads us to remember minute details of where we were and what we were doing when they occurred: what we wore as we watched the towers fall on September 11, 2001; the faces of our classmates when the space shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986; the smell in the air when we lived through a major earthquake, fire, or other personal tragedy. Similarly, faculty, staff, and students will remember the series of moments that led to the closure of their schools and universities as the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world--the timeline varies, but on the East Coast of America, this occurred in early March. Unprecedented became the word of the year in our emails and texts and Zoom calls. We adjusted our expectations; we pivoted our planning, instruction, and interactions; and we continue to do so

Lessons from the Pivot: Higher Education\u27s Response to the Pandemic

This text includes chapters from instructional designers, university faculty and staff, and undergraduate and graduate students, and the text has been divided into three sections to reflect these varied perspectives. Each section begins with research-based perspectives, but also contains more personal narratives at the end. While the context of most of the chapters is the United States, there are also chapters with a Canadian context. It is also important to note that, as of the first half of 2021, the pandemic rages on, and mentions of COVID-19 in the following chapters will be reflective of the state of affairs in North America in the spring and fall of 2020.https://scholar.umw.edu/education_books/1000/thumbnail.jp