Don't Run Out Of STEAM! Barriers to A Transdisciplinary Learning Approach

Reform-based instruction can maximize learning and provide equitable access for students in both mathematics and science. A proposal for change by national organizations shed light on the need for programs in integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or with the inclusion of the arts (STEAM). A balanced approach to integrated STEAM education uses real issues from around the world to challenge students to be innovative, creative, and think critically about ways they can provide solutions. The purpose of this article is to highlight the potential of a transdisciplinary STEAM instructional approach, while examining the barriers that teachers face in implementation, and provide possible suggestions that allow for successful implementation of transdisciplinary STEAM instruction. With the growing interest in STEM education, it is important to better understand teacher challenges and obstacles to provide support for educators who are developing and implementing integrated STEM instruction. Integrated STEAM allows for creativity across disciplines and promotes students to become conceptual thinkers who are ready to approach future careers and education with more imagination and innovation.

What STEM Teachers Need to Know and Do to Engage Families of Emergent Multilingual Students (English Language Learners)

STEM teacher educators are aware that we teach far more than content-specific methodology. Educators need to guide STEM teachers in the knowledge and skills to support emergent multilingual students (English language learners, or ELLs) by simultaneously developing their STEM content learning and scaffolding their language acquisition (Hoffman & Zollman, 2016; Suh, Hoffman, & Zollman, 2020). Research identifies the family unit having a profound effect upon student learning and educational choices. Educators, educational researchers, and policymakers alike recognize the importance of family involvement in education (Grant & Ray, 2019). Although previous family engagement initiatives have focused on teaching families from a school-based perspective (Bush & Cook, 2016), we advocate for a STEM family engagement model which honors and grows out of families’ existing funds of knowledge. This article lays out an argument for STEM teacher educators explicitly addressing multilingual family engagement as a key part of STEM education. We explain purposes, pitfalls, and practical steps STEM teacher educators can utilize that have a positive impact on diverse students’ STEM learning. We also encourage STEM educators to address “STEM mindset” in addition to STEM literacy skills and interdisciplinary STEM content knowledge.

Supporting STEM Teachers through Online Induction: An E-Mentor’s Exploration in Cyberspace

This self-study examines the processes involved in e-mentoring novice STEM teachers while using a university-sponsored comprehensive online induction platform. During this self-study, I e-mentored three STEM teachers for four months. The self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (S-STTEP) methodology was used to study my own e-mentoring facilitation. Data were collected from interviews, online textual data, and my own personal reflective journals. By studying the process of e-mentoring, I gained a more thorough understanding of the challenges involved in e-mentoring novice STEM teachers. This research also helped me better understand the induction of novice STEM teachers through e-mentoring on a university-sponsored online induction platform.

Preservice science and mathematics teachers’ acculturation into communities of practice: A call for undergraduate research in science and mathematics teacher preparation

Current mathematics and science standards, namely the Common Core State Standards of Mathematics (CCSSM) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), emphasize engaging students in mathematical and scientific practices. This review article is driven by the question: How can we expect science and mathematics teachers to appropriately engage students in the practices of the scientific and mathematical disciplines, when most teachers themselves lack experience practicing as scientists and mathematicians? To address this question, we review the literature on teachers’ understanding of their discipline’s practices, disciplinary practices as means to engage in inquiry, and how preservice teacher engagement in undergraduate research experiences may contribute to fostering desirable understandings of their disciplines’ practices. We further posit that the communities of practice framework allows teacher educators to conceptualize how undergraduate research can foster understandings of inquiry through engagement in science and mathematical practices, thereby enabling science and mathematics teachers to construct communities of scientific and mathematical practice, respectively, in their own classrooms. We conclude with a call to both provide undergraduate research experiences to preservice science and mathematics teachers as well as an exploration of research that is needed to fully conceptualize the benefits of undergraduate research for preservice science and mathematics teachers.

The Impact on Technology and Engineering Education Programs Based on their Academic Homes

Technology and Engineering Education programs are housed in a number of different types of colleges and departments. This paper explores the curricular impact on technology and engineering programs based on the college and department that are the academic home for the program. The study found that there were four categories of colleges (Education, Technology, Engineering, and Arts and Sciences) and departments (Education, Technology, Technology Education, and Engineering) that serve as the academic homes of the 40 technology and engineering education programs that were examined. The plans of study for each program were examined and courses were divided into 12 codes within the categories of general education, content courses, and education and methods courses. An ANOVA was used to determine if any significant differences existed between the quantity of credit hours in each code and whether the program was housed in an education or non-education department. No significant differences in the coursework were found between programs housed in education departments and programs in non-education departments.

Integrating Literacy into STEM Education: Changing Teachers’ Dispositions and Classroom Practice

In this paper, the results of a study of teachers’ dispositions and classroom practices regarding literacy integration into STEM courses are presented. The Connection Core Concepts (CCI) program, developed through Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) grant funds, was designed to support the integration of content across subject areas. Literacy is one of the emphases in Integrated STEM to enhance teacher content knowledge and increase student success. Research data were gathered from 30 teacher participants from Grades 5–8 through surveys, observations and interviews. The results indicated that there were positive changes in teacher perceptions as well as classroom practices in regard to integrating literacy into STEM.

Fab Fridays: Fostering Elementary Teacher Candidate Preparation Through Informal STEM Events

Informal STEM learning opportunities offered outside of the structured school day have been gaining popularity in today’s STEM-oriented culture. These are venues where children and their families gather to engage and explore in science, technology, engineering, and math —together. For a number of years, faculty from the College of Education at Tennessee Tech University have been promoting these events for the local community, free of charge, to encourage and foster a love for STEM Education. Methods professors recognize these events as golden opportunities for teacher candidates enrolled to learn about STEM content while aiding in the development of their pedagogy. In addition to the experience gained from working with the materials at various STEM stations, teacher candidates have the opportunity to interact with children and families. Furthermore, teacher candidates interact with faculty and students from other academic areas such as nursing, engineering, biology and physics, as well as content specialists from the community. These interactions help to bolster preservice teachers’ skills and feelings of self-efficacy toward communicating with families and teaching STEM concepts. The informal STEM learning events offer a variety of experiences often unavailable during the school day and promote the social, emotional, and intellectual skills of our teacher candidates, as well as, those of the children and families who attend.