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1. Teacher practices for culturally responsive math modeling in grades K-2.

   Turner, E.; Carlson, M.; Aguirre, J.; Suh, J.; Brown, J.; Greene, M.; McVicar, E. (November 2024, North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)

   Lamberg, T. (Ed.)

   There is growing recognition that mathematical modeling can be a lever for equity in elementary mathematics classrooms. This study focuses on the impact of a professional development program focused on culturally responsive mathematical modeling on 8 kindergarten through 2nd grade teachers’ practices in modeling lessons. We use a project developed observation tool to evaluate two video recorded modeling lessons from each teacher (16 total). Findings focus on patterns in the strengths and challenges in primary grade teachers’ practices for teaching modeling, including how teachers’ practices align with culturally responsive teaching. We discuss implications of our findings for the design and refinement of professional development. 

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2. Studying In-service Teacher Professional Development on Purposeful Integration of Engineering into K-12 STEM Teaching (Research to Practice)

   Gunning, A. M. (July 2021, American Society for Engineering Education 2021 Annual Conference)

   Integrated STEM approaches in K-12 science and math instruction can be more engaging and meaningful for students and often meet the curriculum content and practice goals better than single-subject lessons. Engineering, as a key component of STEM education, offers hands-on, designed-based, problem solving activities to drive student interest and confidence in STEM overall. However, K-12 STEM teachers may not feel equipped to implement engineering practices and may even experience anxiety about trying them out in their classrooms without the added support of professional development and professional learning communities. To address these concerns and support engineering integration, this research study examined the experiences of 18 teachers in one professional development program dedicated to STEM integration and engineering pedagogy for K-12 classrooms. This professional development program positioned the importance of the inclusion of engineering content and encouraged teachers to explore community-based, collaborative activities that identified and spoke to societal needs and social impacts through engineering integration. Data collected from two of the courses in this project, Enhancing Mathematics with STEM and Engineering in the K-12 Classroom, included participant reflections, focus groups, microteaching lesson plans, and field notes. Through a case study approach and grounded theory analysis, themes of self-efficacy, active learning supports, and social justice teaching emerged. The following discussion on teachers’ engineering and STEM self-efficacy, teachers’ integration of engineering to address societal needs and social impacts, and teachers’ development in engineering education through hands-on activities, provides better understanding of engineering education professional development for K-12 STEM teachers. 

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3. Exploring Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching a Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science Project

   Lilly, Sarah; McAlister, Anne M.; Chiu, Jennifer L. (January 2022, Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS))

   While national frameworks call for the integration of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (STEM+CS) in K-12 contexts, few studies consider elementary teachers’ perceptions of implementing STEM+CS projects in science classrooms. This single case study explores elementary science teachers’ perceptions of enacting STEM+CS curricular materials. Survey and interview data were collected over the four-week project and qualitatively coded. Findings demonstrate teachers’ reported struggles to implement unfamiliar disciplines and leverage students’ prior knowledge in familiar disciplines as well as unanticipated consequences of instructional decisions based on perceived student engagement and pacing. Results underscore the value of teacher voice for curricular and professional development and highlight the need for further investigation of how teachers’ perceptions may influence enactment of STEM+CS curricular materials. 

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4. Introducing the PrimeD Framework: Teacher Practice and Professional Development through Shulman’s View of Professionalism

   https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14091032  

   Saderholm, Jon; Ronau, Robert N; Rakes, Christopher R; Bush, Sarah B; Mohr-Schroeder, Margaret J (September 2024, Education Sciences)

   This paper clarifies and expands the definition of teacher professional practice, grounded in the commonplaces of professionalism outlined by Lee Shulman. We present the Professional Development: Research, Implementation, and Evaluation (PrimeD) framework as a lens for transforming professional development into a practice that engages teachers as professionals. This discussion explores teachers’ roles in both their classrooms and the profession. The inclusion of PrimeD evaluation and research in the development and practice of mathematics teachers addresses Shulman’s professionalism commonplaces. PrimeD was tested as a lens for professionalism in mathematics teacher education programs at four universities. In the study, teachers collaborated as professionals on developing and testing novel ways to approach mathematics lessons. In general, teachers’ efforts to conduct structured experimentation in their lessons were disconnected from traditional views of the role of a teacher. As a result, teachers who did develop and test lesson trials in this PD program did not frequently continue experimentation. Typically, teachers wanted to collaborate on testing classroom activities but did not have resources to do so (e.g., time, collaborative planning). Systemic changes are needed to promote sustainable change, allowing teachers to collaborate and share the results of classroom research. 

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5. Integrating Computational Thinking Within and Across Disciplines in the Context of Teacher Professional Development

   Nolte, A.; Mead, H.; Mouza, C.; Rolon-Dow, R; Pollock, L. (January 2023, Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference)

   Teachers’ lack of computer science (CS) content knowledge and limited opportunities to incorporate CS in existing curricula pose unique challenges at the elementary level. Despite the crucial role of professional development (PD) in preparing elementary school teachers to integrate CS in classroom instruction, there is little research documenting PD programs that focus on integration in literacy and mathematics when compared to other subject areas. In this work, we present a PD program that integrates CS with disciplinary content to support teachers as they integrate CS with literacy and mathematics in elementary school classrooms. Using data from multiple sources, we present findings from two case studies to examine the impact of the PD on teachers’ integration of CS with content in lesson planning and implementation. Findings have implications related to the integration of CS in elementary school and teacher professional development. 

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