Developing Confidence in STEAM: Exploring the Challenges that Novice Elementary Teachers Face

Abstract

This essay explores the challenges that novice elementary teachers may face as they attempt to enact the practices of STEAM education. Specifically, I will explore research that suggests that novice elementary teachers lack confidence in their ability to lead lessons rooted in either scientific inquiry or arts-integration. This has, I argue, clear implications for the development of STEAM education. Advocates of STEAM education must ensure that novice elementary teachers are provided with the necessary scaffolds and supports that will empower them to engage in authentic and ambitious STEAM practices. Author/Artist BioAaron Zimmerman is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University. He is interested in teacher development, specifically in relation to how novice teachers are prepared to navigate and negotiate problems of practice.

Teaching Severe Weather: Examining Teacher Candidates’ Early Field Experience in a Makerspace Environment

“…Scholars argue that maker pedagogies can create interdisciplinary learning environments (Novotny, 2019). Some teaching programs are creating courses, environments (e.g., makerspaces), and experiences to address STEAM pedagogy, philosophies, and expertise; yet, there is still a high demand and call for undergraduate STEAM content knowledge and field experiences, particularly in the field of elementary education (Zimmerman, 2016). Elementary teacher candidates lack the expertise and/or confidence in areas of interdisciplinary study, such as science, technology, engineering, and the arts (DeJarnette, 2018;Zimmerman, 2016).…”

Making the Science Classroom a Place for Wonder

“…For teachers of other fields, there exists the expectation that we will list on our syllabi the common core standards that our course will address in our quest to get every student to graduate. While this common purpose is commendable, and the common core codifies skills deemed necessary for college and career readiness, the unforeseen (but predictable) outcome has been the diminution of science and art education, particularly at the elementary level (Fitchett & Heafner, 2010;Griffith & Scharmann, 2008;Irwin, 2016;Zimmerman, 2016).…”

“…Therefore, it is interesting to note the necessity of allowing this messiness to proceed in the classroom. As stated by Zimmerman (2016) in his examination of why novice teachers have trouble producing quality STEAM lessons, It is critical to note that science lessons that prioritize procedural activities and arts-integrated lessons that rely solely on making crafts both fall short of the promise of STEAM education. Authentic arts-integrated education must allow students to exercise qualitative judgment .…”

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