Professional Development for the Integration of Engineering in High School STEM Classrooms

Singer, Jonathan; Ross, Julia M.; Jackson-Lee, Yvette

doi:10.7771/2157-9288.1130

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…There are significant educational challenges as many U.S. states transition their science standards to align with the Next Generation Science Standards ([NGSS] NGSS Lead States 2013; Singer et al 2016). The primary goal of the standards is to empower all students with the requisite scientific and technological literacy to make informed personal and public decisions and to foster the motivation and requisite skills to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (National Research Council 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NGSS-based teacher professional development to implement engineering practices in STEM instruction

2021

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Background With widespread adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the USA (US), research is needed on how secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers conceptualize the integration of engineering knowledge and practices in traditional STEM classrooms. The present study explored the affective impacts of participation in an engineering education workshop for secondary STEM teachers as part of a 200-h professional development program. The workshop focused on the implementation of electrical engineering and biotechnology principles and design practices in disciplinary instruction, as well as training teachers to differentiate among engineering fields and advise on career pathways. The conceptual framework for the workshop design was based upon elements of the interconnected model of professional growth to identify influences contributing to engineering pedagogical self-efficacy and career awareness. Results The overarching research questions addressed how professional development in engineering education affected secondary STEM teachers’ beliefs about the value of using engineering design to support learning, their self-efficacy regarding teaching engineering in their courses, perceived obstacles to effective STEM integration, and their confidence advising students about engineering post-secondary study and careers. The convergent parallel mixed methods design involved factor analysis, comparisons of means, and phenomenology with elements of grounded theory. The survey sample included 60 STEM teachers in the treatment group and 28 teachers in the control group. Six science teachers participated in interviews before and after the engineering workshops. Findings indicated that participating teachers significantly improved their confidence in engineering pedagogy, as well as their knowledge of engineering careers and precollege preparation for post-secondary engineering. Teachers expressed their views of engineering as a potentially powerful tool in developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particularly when integrating the practices of science and engineering with the instruction of disciplinary content. Conclusions The results from this study demonstrate that a university-based professional development workshop series, developed by engineering and science education faculty, is an effective first-step intervention to improve the engineering knowledge and skills of secondary STEM educators, ultimately facilitating NGSS adoption in classroom instruction. Educating teachers on engineering career pathways is another innovation for the promotion of more diverse participation in engineering fields.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

NGSS-based teacher professional development to implement engineering practices in STEM instruction

2021

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“…Therefore, it provides an opportunity to articulate the application of phenomena from other disciplines of science and social science fields such as Physics, Biology, Astronomy, Commerce and Economics (Arslan, 2010a;Berresford & Rockett, 2015;Rohde, Jain, Poddar, & Ghosh, 2012). Hence, differential equation concept has been integrated in diverse courses of several sectors including college level (Blumenfeld, 2006;Singer, Ross, & Jackson-Lee, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evolving Research to Tackle Teaching and Learning Challenges during Differential Equations Course: A Combination of Non-routine Problems and Teacher Training

Bibi

Ahmad

Shahid

et al. 2019

Int Elect J Math Ed

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Teaching and learning of differential equations (DEs) have a prominent role in all the fields of education. In spite of its prominence and frequent applications, teaching and learning of DEs is still considered as one of the most difficult, particularly at pre-university level. This is because, the topic of differential equation along with differentiation and integration is only introduced first time at the 12th year of study or at pre-university level, and the students have no previous knowledge and understandings of this topic. Therefore, the aim of current study is to determine whether teaching and learning of DEs is a challenging task and also, to find out the ways these challenges can be tackled to develop a better understanding for differential equations problem solving. Results showed that teaching and learning of differential equation is not only a difficult part of the mathematics as compared to algebra, trigonometry but also demand high level of conceptual understanding and special efforts for solving differential equation problem. Addition of non-routine problems has been found major factor to enhance teaching and learning. Teacher should also be properly equipped and trained, so that they may educate both routine and nonroutine differential equation problem.

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“…According to Singer, Ross, and Jackson-Lee (2016), teachers need to possess pedagogical skills and resources that enforce student learning experience. School administrators consider PD participation as one of the core strategies for providing or improving the needed pedagogical skills and it is an ongoing process during the life of a teacher.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Analysis of Participation of Teachers of STEM and Non-STEM Subjects in Professional Development

Chiyaka

Kibirige

Sithole

et al. 2017

JETS

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School administrators continuously consider teacher professional development (PD) as one of the key strategies to improving teachers' pedagogical skills. Modern proposals for advancing education by improving student learning outcomes are centered on high quality professional development for teachers. However, teachers face a number of barriers when it comes to participation in PD. Also, students in K-12 levels taking Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM subjects often report different learning experiences, most of which influence their decisions to enroll in STEM or non-STEM career-related programs in higher education. Understanding factors that influence the differential in teacher participation in PD is a critical step towards addressing student interest in STEM careers. Using the cross-sectional survey data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey of 2013, this study compared the participation of middle school STEM and non-STEM teachers in PD activities in the US. A bivariate analysis was used to compare STEM subject teachers versus non-STEM subject teachers' participation in PD activities, its impact, and challenges. The findings showed that PD participation was higher among teachers of STEM subjects, but not significantly different from those for non-STEM subjects. Out-field teaching (no formal training of subject taught) accounted for 10.3% of the survey participants. Further, conflict with one's work schedule was one of the major barriers to PD participation for teachers.

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Professional Development for the Integration of Engineering in High School STEM Classrooms

Cited by 23 publications

References 21 publications

NGSS-based teacher professional development to implement engineering practices in STEM instruction

NGSS-based teacher professional development to implement engineering practices in STEM instruction

An Evolving Research to Tackle Teaching and Learning Challenges during Differential Equations Course: A Combination of Non-routine Problems and Teacher Training

Comparative Analysis of Participation of Teachers of STEM and Non-STEM Subjects in Professional Development

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