Seeking out Professional Development Opportunities in STEM Education: A Case Study of Middle School Teachers

• In Event: Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: Science Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

STEM educators are struggling to implement integrative, hands on inquiry in their practice. Traditional professional development is failing to address these needs. STEM outreach workshops have been very beneficial to students, and these benefits are extending to teachers as well. This paper highlights data collected as part of a larger mixed-methods longitudinal study on the impact of outreach STEM workshops on teachers’ attitudes towards and interest in STEM education. Data sources included T-STEM surveys and interviews. Preliminary findings suggest that while grades 7 and 8 teachers are ‘undecided’ whether STEM outreach programs have a positive impact on their attitudes and interests in STEM education, they were very close to agreeing that the workshops served as a good PD opportunity.

Authors

• Philip Ian Myszkal, University of Toronto

• Isha DeCoito, University of Western Ontario