2020 Undergraduate Research Showcase
 

Title

iSTEM 2.0

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2020

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Julianne A. Wenner and Dr. Sara Hagenah

Abstract

iSTEM 2.0 is a new model of professional development (PD) for elementary teachers teaching science in Idaho schools, led by Drs. Sara Hagenah and Julianne Wenner. Running through the 2019-2020 school year, the purpose of this PD is to support teachers in the new Idaho Science Content Standards and surrounding ideas from Ambitious Science Teaching Practices. Using a hybrid face-to-face and online structure, teachers are guided and supported by distance-based instructional coaches through four coaching cycles and PD modules.

My focus, as an undergraduate on this project, is to compile and analyze data from the teacher’s participants (e.g., reflections, lesson plans, artifacts from online modules, etc.). Through each coaching cycle, I have observed how teachers tend to remain in spaces they feel comfortable teaching, which is often literacy. Multiple teachers' science lessons ended with writing projects and did not stay within the realm of science. Similarly, teachers stick to what is comfortable when teaching science which is often a video, reading, or small activity. My true interest lies in how we can support our teachers to think bigger, beyond the textbooks and videos to foster curiosity and let students drive the lesson and learning.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS