In this study, we examine the reported beliefs of two elementary science teachers who co-taught a four-week engineering project in which students used a computational model to design engineering solutions to reduce water runoff at their school (Lilly et al., 2020). Specifically, we explore the beliefs that elementary science teachers report while enacting an engineering project in two different classroom contexts and how they report that their beliefs may have affected instructional decisions.
Classroom contexts included one general class with a larger proportion of students in advanced mathematics and one inclusive class with a larger proportion of students with individualized educational programs. During project implementation, we collected daily surveys and weekly interviews to consider teachers’ beliefs of the class sections, classroom activities, and curriculum. Two researchers performed a thematic analysis of the surveys and interviews to code reflections on teachers’ perceived differences between students in the class sections and their experiences teaching engineering in the class sections.
Results suggest that teachers’ beliefs about students in these two different classroom contexts
may have influenced opportunities that students had to understand and engage in disciplinary
practices. The teachers reported making changes to activities based on their perceptions of
student understanding and engagement and to save time which led to different experiences for
students in each class section, specifically a more teacher-centered implementation for the
inclusive class. Teachers also suggested specific professional development and educative
supports to help teachers to support all students to engage in engineering tasks. Thus, it is
important to understand teachers’ beliefs to build support for teachers in their implementation of engineering projects that meet the needs of their students and ensure that students have access and support to engage in engineering practices.
more »
« less
I will survive: Teachers reflect on motivations to remain in education amidst a global pandemic
As the pandemic began to disrupt school systems in March 2020, teachers were expected to quickly modify their instructional approaches. We recruited science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers who were recipients of National Science Foundation scholarships based on their high‐quality academic record and commitment to working in high‐needs school districts to participate in a longitudinal survey study. Participants (
- PAR ID:
- 10433037
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Research in Science Teaching
- Volume:
- 60
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 0022-4308
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 1266-1291
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Zhou, Jianhong (Ed.)There is an alarming shortage of qualified STEM teachers in American PK-12 schools. The COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate this crisis and consequently affect who participates in future STEM innovation. At three points during the pandemic, we surveyed early career teachers who were supported by the National Science Foundation as they began teaching in high-needs school districts. Teachers who felt connected to their professional and academic communities reported intentions to remain in the profession, while those who felt isolated reported intentions of leaving. It is critical for STEM academics to maintain professional relationships with graduates who pursue STEM teaching professions after graduation.more » « less
-
As states and districts adopt policies and programs to broaden participation in computer science, there is a growing need to effectively develop and support more computer science teachers. Instructional coaching is a form of professional development that districts can implement to provide ongoing support to teachers. In Chicago, a recent policy change made computer science a high school graduation requirement. The district adopted the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and professional development program as the primary means for fulfilling the requirement. As part of the district’s effort to consistently offer equitable computer science experiences for all students, an emphasis was placed on supporting ECS teachers through coaching. Over the past five years, the district developed, implemented, and refined an instructional coaching model for ECS teachers. The coaching model continues to scale up across the district, with over 50 teachers participating in the 2019-2020 school year. The coaching team also adapted the model in response to the shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, the authors share details of the ECS coaching model in Chicago, its impact, and lessons learned from the past five years of implementation.more » « less
-
Abstract. We investigated preservice teachers’ (PSTs) (N=13) experiences in a science teaching inquiry group professional learning experience on integrating computational thinking (CT) into elementary science. A subgroup of PSTs (n=6) participated alongside their mentor teachers. The others (n=7) participated independently. Our research question was: To what extent, if any, did participating in a professional learning experience on CT along with their mentor teachers appear to enhance PSTs’ learning and practice related to CT integration? We analyzed evaluation feedback, interviews, participant-developed lesson plans, surveys, and attendance data. Findings suggested that participants in both groups reacted positively to the learning experience’s content and approach, and expressed similar perceptions of their CT integration knowledge. PSTs participating with their mentor teachers felt slightly more successful in their CT integration efforts, and perceived CT integration as more feasible in their teaching contexts. However, differences between the groups were minimal. We also noted possible of influence of PSTs’ perceptions of the districts in which they were teaching. Our findings underscore the importance of PSTs’ perceptions of their teaching contexts when bringing a new innovation to the classroom - namely, perceptions of their mentors and curricula as supportive of the innovation. Through this ongoing work, we seek to identify empirically-supported strategies for preparing PSTs to integrate CT into their future classrooms.more » « less
-
more » « less
Abstract Disruptions to education systems (e.g., the COVID‐19 pandemic) evoke a range of responses from teachers. Teachers are required to learn new skills, attend to students' social emotional needs, modify their instructional approaches, and discover innovative ways to engage their students in science, technology, and engineering courses, all while managing their own professional and personal needs. Although teachers of all disciplines adjust their instructional and curricular approaches in response to disruptions, the impetus for this study was to explore the unique challenges of science teachers during the COVID‐19 pandemic that affected their sense of agency (sense of control). To understand how science teachers acquired, used, and invested in capital (i.e., available resources with the potential to meet identified challenges) to achieve professional agency, we studied 113 science teachers in 2020−2021 when they experienced disruptions associated with the pandemic. An analysis of open‐ended responses from 60 teachers indicates that teachers who achieved agency shared four attributes. They (i) demonstrated an awareness of needed capital, (ii) acquired capital, (iii) used capital, and (iv) dedicated effort toward capital‐building for future use. Our findings inform science teacher educators and schools that are committed to mitigating science teacher attrition by understanding how teachers respond to personal and professional stresses.
