Supporting Inquiry-Based Approaches Through Technology

• In Event: From Instagram to AI: Teacher Professional Development on the Frontlines of Educational Technology

Abstract

This paper describes the role and impact of teachers’ perceived technology use found in a National Science Foundation-funded study of a professional learning approach that supports the development of transdisciplinary, inquiry-based STEM projects in Grades K-8. The SMILE approach demonstrated a positive, significant effect on teachers’ STEM pedagogy, concurrent with significant shifts in teachers’ reported integration of meaningful technology. This, along with evidence of SMILE teachers’ authentic, student-centered use of technology in their STEM project designs, points to the potential for technology to serve as a catalyst for improved teaching.

Authors

• Caron M. Mineo, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Ellen B. Meier, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Bryan Keller, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Yingxin Ye, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Jessica Yusaitis Pike, Teachers College, Columbia University