Developmental Theory of Professional Discretion: Supporting Early Childhood Teachers to Use Ambitious Pedagogy in STEM+C

• In Event: Professional Development to Improve Math Education

Abstract

We describe the first phase of a design-based research project, developing a theory of teachers’ professional discretion to support ambitious teaching in early childhood STEM+C project-based learning. This developmental theory guided the design of three “dosages” of professional learning for early childhood educators (teacher leaders, inservice teachers, and preservice teachers) to build capacity for STEM+C in high-poverty schools in one large school district. In the session, we describe why and how this model of teacher professional discretion guided our work with early childhood STEM+C educators across career stages; illustrate the curricular, instructional, and assessment designs used in the project; and explain how we will refine the model with data from the project.

Authors

• David N. Boote, University of Central Florida

• Stacy K. Boote, University of North Florida

• Diane Yendol-Hoppey, University of North Florida