Embedded Learning: A Model for Supporting Teacher Development Through Justice-Aligned EdTech

• In Event: Unforgetting, Designing, Reimagining: Equitable Futures in Math Ed Tech for Teachers and Learners

Abstract

This presentation introduces a model for embedding teacher professional learning directly into educational technology. It addresses how product design can support teacher reflection, equity-oriented decision-making, and responsive instructional practice. Framed by situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991), just-in-time learning (Marion & Gonzalez, 2014), and liberatory pedagogy (Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994), the model treats ed tech as a context for on-the-job, justice-centered teacher learning. This conceptual design study synthesizes findings from the previous three presentations and applies theory-driven reasoning to generate a framework for embedded teacher learning in tech tools. Evidence includes cross-guidelines and framework synthesis, analysis of annotated use cases, and educator reflections collected through follow-up interviews with design partners and field testers (N=12). The resulting model emphasizes three core design pillars: (1) embedded pedagogical reflection, (2) dynamic insight into student thinking, and (3) in-tool professional guidance. Presenters will share insights from including these pillars in the EdTech design process and demonstrate how it has led to shifts in product features. This work advances a new paradigm of ed tech as a site of teacher development, not just student content delivery. It offers implications for teacher educators, designers, and policymakers focused on transforming PD through technology.
References
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder.
hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.
Marion, R., & Gonzales, L. D. (2014). Leadership in education: Organizational theory for the practitioner. Waveland Press.

Authors

• Rebecca Colina Neri, Stemuli Studios, Inc.

• Saroja Warner, Wested

• Aleata Hubbard Cheuoua, WestEd