Page 104 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

Systematic Support for STEM Pre-Service Teachers

learning experiences for K-12 students. Such training is rather comprehensive in nature. Pragmatically,
it might be difficult to add such professional development training into already tightly-packed teacher
preparation programs. Future research is needed to provide clues regarding effective and feasible ways
or formats that can make the training possible.
This chapter uses learning activities from Project Engage as examples that can be used to achieve
the purposes specified in the four-pillars of the professional development model. However, there is no
empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of these learning activities. Research needs to be conducted
to either determine the effectiveness of these activities or to help decide what kind of learning activities
should be designed and developed instead. Possible future research efforts include: (1) investigating the
effects of a particular learning activity on STEM pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs about STEM
teaching, (2) investigating the effects of a particular learning activity on STEM pre-service teachers’
STEM content knowledge and PCK, (3) conducting longitudinal research revealing the effects of a par-
ticular learning activity on pre-service teachers’ future STEM teaching performance.

CONCLUSION

This chapter argues that (1) STEM teachers’ ability to provide their students with authentic STEM learn-
ing experience is crucial to cultivating among K-12 students an interest in STEM and encouraging them
to study STEM in college and later pursue STEM as a career; (2) it is not enough for STEM professional
development to focus mainly on improving teachers’ STEM content knowledge and their PCK in STEM;
and (3) the task of cultivating STEM teachers’ ability to create authentic STEM learning experiences for
their students should be put on STEM professional development programs’ agenda. The authentic and
sustainable four-pillar professional development model is proposed in this chapter reflecting the above
opinion regarding K-12 STEM professional development.
This professional development model as illustrated in Figure 1, is intended to guide the development
of STEM professional development training for STEM pre-service teachers that will not only aim to im-
prove their STEM content knowledge and their STEM PCK but also to cultivate and enhance their ability
to create authentic STEM learning experiences for K-12 students. It is envisioned that future research
will be conducted to test the validity of the model and to improve it to better serve STEM pre-service
teacher preparation purposes. Also, it is hoped that research efforts will be made in the future to modify
this model to be used to provide effective STEM training to in-service teachers as well.

REFERENCES

Abel, S. K., & Lederman, N. G. (2007). Handbook of research in science education. New Jersey: Erlbaum.
ACT. (2011). ACT Profile Report: Graduating Class 2011 National. Retrieved from http://www.act.org/
newsroom/data/2011/pdf/profile/National2011.pdf

Avery, Z. K., & Reeve, E. M. (2013). Developing effective STEM professional development programs.
Journal of Technology in Education, 25(1), 55–69.

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