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1. A Sociocultural Perspective on Beginning Teachers Enacting Reasoning and Proving Practices

   Weingarden, M.; Buchbinder, O. (January 2022, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)

   Karunakaran, S. S.; Higgins, A. (Ed.)

   The critical role of teachers in supporting student engagement with reasoning and proving has long been recognized (Nardi & Knuth, 2017; NCTM, 2014). While some studies examined how prospective secondary teachers (PSTs) develop dispositions and teaching practices that promote student engagement with reasoning and proving (e.g., Buchbinder & McCrone, 2020; Conner, 2007), very little is known about long-term development of proof-related practices of beginning teachers and what factors affect this development (Stylianides et al., 2017). During the supervised teaching experiences, interns often encounter tensions between balancing their commitments to the university and cooperating teacher, while also developing their own teaching styles (Bieda et al., 2015; Smagorinsky et al., 2004; Wang et al., 2008). Our study examines how sociocultural contexts of the teacher preparation program and of the internship school, supported or inhibited proof-related teaching practices of beginning secondary mathematics teachers. In particular, this study aims to understand the observed gap between proof-related teaching practices of one such teacher, Olive, in two settings: as a PST in a capstone course Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers (Buchbinder & McCrone, 2020) and as an intern in a high-school classroom. We utilize activity theory (Leont’ev, 1979) and Engeström’s (1987) model of an activity system to examine how the various components of the system: teacher (subject), teaching (object), the tasks (tools), the curriculum and the expected teaching style (rules), the cooperating teacher (community) and their involvement during the teaching (division of labor) interact with each other and affect the opportunities provided to students to engage with reasoning and proving (outcome). The analysis of four lessons from each setting, lesson plans, reflections and interviews, showed that as a PST, Olive engaged students with reasoning and proving through productive proof-related teaching practices and rich tasks that involved conjecturing, justifying, proving and evaluating arguments. In a sharp contrast, as an intern, Olive had to follow her school’s rigid curriculum and expectations, and to adhere to her cooperating teacher’s teaching style. As a result, in her lessons as an intern students received limited opportunities for reasoning and proving. Olive expressed dissatisfaction with this type of teaching and her desire to enact more proof-oriented practices. Our results show that the sociocultural components of the activity system (rules, community and division of labor), which were backgrounded in Olive’s teaching experience as a PST but prominent in her internship experience, influenced the outcome of engaging students with reasoning and proving. We discuss the importance of these sociocultural aspects as we examine how Olive navigated the tensions between the proof-related teaching practices she adopted in the capstone course and her teaching style during the internship. We highlight the importance of teacher educators considering the sociocultural aspects of teaching in supporting beginning teachers developing proof-related teaching practices. 

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2. High school biology teachers’ integration of computational thinking into data practices to support student investigations

   https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21834  

   Peters‐Burton, Erin; Rich, Peter Jacob; Kitsantas, Anastasia; Stehle, Stephanie M.; Laclede, Laura (November 2022, Journal of Research in Science Teaching)

   Abstract In the United States, the Next Generation Science Standards advocate for the integration of computational thinking (CT) as a science and engineering practice. Additionally, there is agreement among some educational researchers that increasing opportunities for engaging in computational thinking can lend authenticity to classroom activities. This can be done through introducing CT principles, such as algorithms, abstractions, and automations, or through examining the tools used to conduct modern science, emphasizing CT in problem solving. This cross‐case analysis of nine high school biology teachers in the mid‐Atlantic region of the United States documents how they integrated CT into their curricula following a year‐long professional development (PD). The focus of the PD emphasized data practices in the science teachers' lessons, using Weintrop et al.'s definition of data practices. These are: (a) creation (generating data), (b) collection (gathering data), (c) manipulation (cleaning and organizing data), (d) visualization (graphically representing data), and (e) analysis (interpreting data). Additionally, within each data practice, teachers were asked to integrate at least one of five CT practices: (a) decomposition (breaking a complex problem into smaller parts), (b) pattern‐recognition (identifying recurring similarities in data practices), (c) algorithms (the creation and use of formulas to predict an output given a specific input), (d) abstraction (eliminating detail in order to generalize or see the “big picture”), and (e) automation (using computational tools to carry out specific procedures). Although the biology teachers integrated all CT practices across their lessons, they found it easier to integrate decomposition and pattern recognition while finding it more difficult to integrate abstraction, algorithmic thinking, and automation. Implications for designing professional development experiences are discussed. 

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3. A Professional Development Model to Integrate Computational Thinking Into Middle School Science Through Codesigned Storylines

   Biddy, Q.; Gendreau Chakarov, A.; Bush, J.; Hennessy Elliott, C.; Jacobs, J.; Recker, M.; Sumner, T.; Penuel, W. (March 2021, Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education)

   This article describes a professional development (PD) model, the CT-Integration Cycle, that supports teachers in learning to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into their middle school science and STEM instruction. The PD model outlined here includes collaborative design (codesign; Voogt et al., 2015) of curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that use programmable sensors. Specifically, teachers can develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student-driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to students and integrate CT and sensor technology. Teachers can implement these storylines and collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices and student learning. Throughout this process, teachers may develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan and use instructional practices aligned with the NGSS and foreground CT. This paper describes an examination of a group of five middle school teachers’ experiences during one iteration of the CT-Integration Cycle, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on a unit they codesigned. Throughout their participation in the PD, the teachers expanded their capacity to engage deeply with CT practices and thoughtfully facilitated a CT-integrated unit with their students. 

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4. A Professional Development Model to Integrate Computational Thinking Into Middle School Science Through Codesigned Storylines

   Biddy, Q.; Gendreau Chakarov, A.; Bush, J.; Hennessy Elliott, C.; Jacobs, J.; Recker, M.; Sumner, T.; Penuel, W. (January 2021, Contemporary issues in technology and teacher education)

   null (Ed.)

   This article describes a professional development (PD) model, the CT- Integration Cycle, that supports teachers in learning to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into their middle school science and STEM instruction. The PD model outlined here includes collaborative design (codesign; Voogt et al., 2015) of curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that use programmable sensors. Specifically, teachers can develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student-driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to students and integrate CT and sensor technology. Teachers can implement these storylines and collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices and student learning. Throughout this process, teachers may develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan and use instructional practices aligned with the NGSS and foreground CT. This paper describes an examination of a group of five middle school teachers’ experiences during one iteration of the CT- Integration Cycle, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on a unit they codesigned. Throughout their participation in the PD, the teachers expanded their capacity to engage deeply with CT practices and thoughtfully facilitated a CT-integrated unit with their students. 

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5. Board 321: Integrating Design Thinking and Digital Fabrication into Engineering Technology Education through Interdisciplinary Professional Learning

   Russell, C. (June 2023, ASEE annual conference exposition proceedings)

   In Northern Virginia, engineering technology career pathways are underdeveloped. Rapid changes in industrial processes have led to an increased need for adaptable and flexible workers who can respond creatively to shifting production technologies (Agarwal et al., 2018). In particular, workers with expertise in design thinking, communication, and critical thinking skills are in high demand (Giffi et al., 2018). Despite high wages created by this demand, engineering technology careers are largely invisible to students and the belief that manufacturing is low-tech persists (Giffi et al., 2017; Magnolia Consulting, 2022). These conditions suggest that investment in teacher professional learning (PL) is warranted. The integration of digital fabrication (e.g., 3D printing) into classroom teaching is one promising avenue to increase student interest and awareness of engineering technology careers (Peppler et al., 2016). However, studies of classroom implementation of digital fabrication technologies also report that teachers struggle to move beyond “keychain syndrome” – the tendency to fall back to reproducing simple objects, such as a keychain (Blikstein, 2014; Eisenberg, 2013). Educator PL in digital fabrication has centered on machine operation, and not the pedagogy, cognitive strategies, and processes to situate the technology (Smith et al., 2015). This project investigates the effectiveness of a sustained and interdisciplinary design thinking PL fellowship (“Makers By Design”) in improving integration of fabrication and design thinking into teaching practice. Design thinking is a non-linear user-centered strategy used to approach the design of products, emphasizing collaborative project-based methods to solve real-life problems (Brown, 2008). In the classroom, design thinking can serve as a cognitive bridge between a design problem and digital fabrication technologies. Participating Makers By Design fellows (n=17) completed 1) a series of design thinking workshops, 2) practice teaching at digital fabrication summer camps, and 3) development and integration of a design thinking challenge. Fellows completed the above in interdisciplinary groups consisting of K-12 teachers, college faculty, and librarians. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper evaluates the extent to which participating educators reported increased confidence in integrating design thinking and digital fabrication into their instruction, demonstrated content mastery during teaching practice, and successfully developed and deployed design challenges. Data sources include pre- and post-surveys, focus groups within teaching discipline, and observations of summer camp and classroom teaching. Project results are aligned with the existing literature on successful PL (e.g., Capps et al., 2012) and recommendations for future digital fabrication-centered PL are discussed. 

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