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1. Applying research results in instructor development to reduce student resistance to active learning: Project update.

   Marlor, L. (June 2023, American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference)

   In this paper we provide an update in our research studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructor development in classrooms. Our overarching goal is to expand the adoption of active learning in STEM classrooms. For this study, we created a workshop to educate STEM instructors on what active learning is and ways to implement it into their classrooms. Additionally, this workshop sought to provide instructors with evidence-based strategies that focused on reducing student resistance to active learning. This study used a conducted randomized control trial to investigate the impact of this workshop on: (1) how this workshop impacted STEM instructors’ attitudes towards using active learning, (2) their behaviors in using active learning, and (3) their use of strategies for reducing student resistance to active learning. We collected data from 173 instructors and 1676 students. This paper focuses on our preliminary results as well as next steps for the project. Thus far, we have analyzed the impact of the workshop on our instructor’s use of active learning, and the student responses to these changes. 

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2. Workshops and Co-design Can Help Teachers Integrate Computational Thinking into Their K-12 STEM Classes

   Wu, S.; Peel, A.; Bain, C.; Anton, G.; Horn, M.; Wilensky, U. (April 2020, Proceedings of International Conference on Computational Thinking Education 2020)

   Kong, S.C. (Ed.)

   This work aims to help high school STEM teachers integrate computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms by engaging teachers as curriculum co-designers. K-12 teachers who are not trained in computer science may not see the value of CT in STEM classrooms and how to engage their students in computational practices that reflect the practices of STEM professionals. To this end, we developed a 4-week professional development workshop for eight science and mathematics high school teachers to co-design computationally enhanced curriculum with our team of researchers. The workshop first provided an introduction to computational practices and tools for STEM education. Then, teachers engaged in co-design to enhance their science and mathematics curricula with computational practices in STEM. Data from surveys and interviews showed that teachers learned about computational thinking, computational tools, coding, and the value of collaboration after the professional development. Further, they were able to integrate multiple computational tools that engage their students in CT-STEM practices. These findings suggest that teachers can learn to use computational practices and tools through workshops, and that teachers collaborating with researchers in co-design to develop computational enhanced STEM curriculum may be a powerful way to engage students and teachers with CT in K-12 classrooms. 

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3. We Strive: Initial Explorations of STEM Teachers’ Successes and Challenges in Implementing Socioscientific Issues.

   Johnson, J. (October 2022, Pennsylvania teacher educator)

   This study explores the experiences of two teachers participating in professional development workshops focused on supporting implementation of SocioScientific Issues (SSI) and aspects of social justice into STEM classrooms. SSI are ill-defined problems, with a basis in science, but necessarily include moral and ethical decisions that cannot be resolved through science alone. These debatable issues can enhance learning of STEM by engaging students in real-world and authentic problems. The USTRIVE project was developed to foster STEM learning through integrated professional development workshops and the development of professional learning communities to support teachers in the use of SSI and incorporation of aspects of social justice in their STEM classrooms. Two research questions were investigated: (a) To what extent did teachers implement SSI into their lesson planning during the project and (b) In what ways did teachers’ designed lessons change from the beginning of the workshop? 

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4. We Strive: Enhancing Implementation of Socioscientific Issues in STEM Classrooms Through Professional Development

   Johnson, J.; Macalalag, A.; Mathers-Lowery, B; Ialacci, G. (October 2022, Pennsylvania teacher educator)

   This study explores the experiences of two teachers participating in professional development workshops focused on supporting implementation of SocioScientific Issues (SSI) and aspects of social justice into STEM classrooms. SSI are ill-defined problems, with a basis in science, but necessarily include moral and ethical decisions that cannot be resolved through science alone. These debatable issues can enhance learning of STEM by engaging students in real-world and authentic problems. The USTRIVE project was developed to foster STEM learning through integrated professional development workshops and the development of professional learning communities to support teachers in the use of SSI and incorporation of aspects of social justice in their STEM classrooms. Two research questions were investigated: (a) To what extent did teachers implement SSI into their lesson planning during the project and (b) In what ways did teachers’ designed lessons change from the beginning of the workshop? 

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5. Hands-on Hypoxia: Engaging High School Educators in the science behind Marine Microbial Dynamics in Hypoxic Coastal Areas Through Field and Classroom Experiences

   https://doi.org/10.5334/cjme.86  

   Kelly, Kyla J; Kast, Dieuwertje J; Schiksnis, Cara A; Thrash, J Cameron (October 2023, Current: The Journal of Marine Education)

   The University of Southern California’s (USC) Joint Educational Project’s STEM Education Programs hosted a three-day summer workshop focused on marine microbiology and coastal deoxygenation for high school educators. To increase ocean literacy in high school students from Title I schools, topical marine science research was translated into four lesson plans appropriate for classrooms that teach biology and environmental science. The lesson plans focus on how marine microbes affect and are affected by the dissolved oxygen content of seawater but covered diverse oceanography topics including microbial ecology, nutrient cycling, physical ocean dynamics, and climate change. This education framework was designed to promote and facilitate hands on discovery-based learning and making observations about the natural world. The workshop and lesson plan development were executed in partnership with faculty and graduate students researching marine microbes and oceanography from USC’s Marine and Environmental Biology department to provide scientific expertise on the subject matter. At the workshop, educators were guided through each lesson plan and given classroom sets of materials to complete each of the experiments in their own classrooms. Educators also had the opportunity to experience the academic research process at both USC and the Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies on Catalina Island, California. Teachers valued this interactive experience to learn from professional scientists and STEM educators. They left the workshop equipped with the knowledge and confidence to teach these marine microbiology and biogeochemistry concepts in their classrooms. 

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