Teaching math modeling through 3D‐printing: Examining the influence of an integrative professional development

Abstract

Mathematical modeling is a critical component of the current K–12 mathematics, science, and technology and engineering (T&E) educational standards in the United States. However, mathematical modeling is often overlooked or underemphasized in integrative STEM lessons. This could be attributed to teachers’ limited content and pedagogical knowledge related to integrating mathematical modeling in integrative STEM lessons. Continual advances in technologies like 3D design and printing software and additive manufacturing processes now allow students to see abstract mathematical modeling concepts in contextualized and practical forms. Consequently, we examined changes in mathematics, science, and T&E teachers’ mathematical modeling knowledge and views resulting from a 1‐day integrative professional development (PD) experience. The PD specifically focused on applying mathematical modeling concepts to design and 3D print solutions to integrative STEM lessons. A sample of 50 participating teachers reported increases in certain mathematical modeling knowledge areas, and a large percentage indicated they were more likely to implement mathematical modeling in their classrooms. The results from this study indicated that integrative PD could enhance teachers’ content knowledge, practices, and views about integrative STEM lessons including mathematical modeling and 3D printing. The findings from this study have implications for teachers, school districts, researchers, and professional development providers.

Examining Science and Technology/Engineering Educators’ Views of Teaching Biomedical Concepts Through Physical Computing

“…Given the siloed structure of secondary education, collaborative planning time is often limited (Kelley et al, 2020 ). Consistent with previous research, quality PD opportunities can increase teachers’ views about collaborating with other STEM teachers outside of their content area (Asempapa & Love, 2021 ; Kelley et al, 2020 ; Love & Hughes, 2022 ). The criteria for this PD opportunity, which required teachers to work as a team consisting of biology and a T&E teacher from their school district, was intentionally designed to provide a unique collaborative PD experience that teachers may not receive during the PD events organized by their school district.…”

“…The criteria for this PD opportunity, which required teachers to work as a team consisting of biology and a T&E teacher from their school district, was intentionally designed to provide a unique collaborative PD experience that teachers may not receive during the PD events organized by their school district. Other purposefully planned collaborative PD opportunities like the one examined in this study have been shown to increase teachers’ knowledge of content and self-efficacy toward teaching various STEM topics (Asempapa & Love, 2021 ; Kelley et al, 2020 ; Love et al, 2022a ).…”

“…Studies have found that one-day intensive PD experiences offered by universities can improve teachers’ knowledge and skills on integrated STEM topics, increase inter-school collaborations, and increase cross-disciplinary collaborations related to lesson planning (Asempapa & Love, 2021 ; Novak, 2019 ). However, there remains limited research focused on biomedical PD experiences for PreK-12 educators.…”

Effective Teacher Professional Development Programs. A Case Study Focusing on the Development of Mathematical Modeling Skills

“…Before the program, teachers conceived MM focused on epistemological and conceptual perspectives, as is reflected in the pre-test and in the initial lesson plan. Likewise, they recognized difficulties in distinguishing MM from problem solving, a fact that was also identified by [20] when developing a TPD program focused on modeling and 3D printers. Indeed, authors such as [51,52] acknowledge that there is no simple blueprint for describing and defining universal problem-solving method or modeling processes.…”

“…Ref. [20] reports that teachers face two main challenges when promoting the use of MM practices and activities in the classroom. Firstly, there seems to be misconceptions or confusion among teachers about what MM and its practices are [21,22].…”