Collaborative Professional Development Through Role Changing in a Sociotechnical Space

• In Event: 54.042 - Co-Design in Practice: Seven Case Studies

Abstract

Purpose
The STEM Literacy through Infographics (SLI) project aims to promote scientific and data literacy in high school students through the creation of news infographics. To this end, curricular components involve lessons related to the research process, identifying legitimate sources, data exploration and manipulation, making sense of information, and communicating findings to a public audience. While the SLI project does offer broad guidelines about student scientific engagement and the creation of infographics, we do not focus on specific learning objectives for particular academic content. Rather, the project is intended to augment what teachers are already doing and find ways to deepen student understanding. Participating teachers representing a broad range of subject areas were recruited to attend a professional development week. During these teacher professional the SLI team did provide some instruction around elements of design, infographic software, and some existing lessons. However, the majority of the curriculum development, ideas for activities, and tailoring of the project to specific teacher needs resulted from the cooperative brainstorming and design amongst novice and veteran teachers. Teachers and researchers were positioned as each having unique and valuable expertise as they collaboratively discussed how infographic curriculum might bolster student driven research and be designed for a variety of contexts.

Perspective
The SLI project does not subscribe to one best way to implement curriculum, but instead is interested in finding the spaces where teachers' learning objectives might be bolstered by SLI resources & collaboration with researchers. We encourage an understanding by design approach wherein teachers first identify desired learning outcomes then think backwards about how SLI related curriculum can support these goals (Wiggins & Mctighe, 2005). Following a constructionism lens we believe that as students collaboratively create and share knowledge artifacts (infographics) they generate deep conceptual understanding of their chosen topic. Researchers, teachers, and students engage in a co-design of socio-technical systems as they negotiate how infographic software and computers are utilized to into gain conceptual understanding (Fischer, 2013).

Methods and Evidence
During these professional developments teachers are positioned as students, teachers, and content experts. Like students they are asked to research, design, and publish a news infographic. At this level, teachers likely encounter the same sort of research and design challenges their students may see. Teachers are provided ample opportunity to discuss with each other and SLI researchers how these activities might be modified to meet specific student and curricular needs. Here, discussion often centers on what sort of resources and personnel support SLI staff might develop in the future to help sustain teachers. Participating novice and veteran teachers work as experts as they share out the resources, materials, and strategies that they have developed on their own.

Significance
The design approach of SLI teacher professional developments asks participants to simultaneously engage as students, teachers, and content experts. By regularly re-imagining their roles and sharing perspectives participants are able to co-create and guide the direction of the professional development. This results in SLI projects implemented with integrity, and individual tailoring.

Author

• Stephen Sommer, University of Colorado - Boulder