Facilitating Transdisciplinary STEM: Designing With Teachers for Project-Based Learning

• In Event: Project-Based Learning in STEM and Beyond

Abstract

In the aftermath of the pandemic, schools experienced unusual pressures: curricular retrenchment, influx of funding, and persistent attendance issues. While many school systems pursued back-to-basics programs intended to buoy test scores, other schools attempted to address the attendance issue by turning to project-based learning. Drawing on local knowledge, we integrate qualitative and quantitative methods to study a facilitated approach to collaborative curriculum design for transdisciplinary STEM. Rather than kits or supplemental programming, we argue for designing with teachers because it affects their teaching practices, builds projects around local contexts, and creates meaningful learning experiences for students.

Authors

• Seth A. McCall, Lake Superior State University

• Ellen B. Meier, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Karen Kirsch Page, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Madalina Ciocanu, Teachers College, Columbia University