Teacher Preparation in Developing 21st Century Workforce
Manorama P. Talaiver, Longwood University, mano@ittip.org
Joyce Malyn-Smith, Education Development Center, jmsmith@edc.org
Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, George Mason University, pseshaiy@gmu.edu
Jennifer Suh, George Mason University, jsuh4@gmu.edu
Bonnie Bracey Sutton, bbracey@aol.com
Abstract: In-service/pre-service teacher professional development on integrating science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning is critical for changes in
instructional practices in math and science classrooms in developing the STEM
workforce. Each panelist will present the professional development model used by their
institutions and reflect on successes, challenges, and research issues related to STEM
professional development and interact with the participants to learn from other models.
A wikispace will be created for the panelists and the participants to exchange ideas and
create content after the conference.
Introduction
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are at center stage in the US education reform.
Most stakeholders share the vision that a highly capable STEM workforce and a population that understands and
supports the scientific enterprise are keys to the future place of the United States in global leadership and to the
well-being of the nation. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of
Medicine recommended a focus on improving STEM education; it highlighted parental interest and support and
qualified, engaged teachers as the essential ingredients. Higher education institutions are emphasizing STEM
learning in pre-service and in-service programs and initiatives in collaborating with school divisions, community
colleges, and informal education agencies. The panelists have implemented teacher preparation programs to
motivate teachers to provide engaged learning experiences for students by using information and learning
technologies in math and science classrooms in order to develop 21st century skills and to promote interests in
STEM careers and fields. The participants and panelists will interact and share various professional development
models. A wikispace will be created for everyone to contribute knowledge and experiences on developing STEM
workforce so that the participants and the panelists will continue their collaboration, research, and creation after the
conference.
Teacher Preparation Programs
An effective in-service teacher preparation program is aligned to the learning goals, standards, and
curriculum framework so that teacher-learning is meaningful and they can implement their learning in the
classrooms. The professional development is collaborative, continuous, standards-focused, research-based, and
intellectually rigorous. Professional learning opportunities lead to changes in participant behavior and increases in
student achievement. The activities provide educators with the knowledge and skills needed to involve families and
community members as active partners in meeting the needs of all students. When teacher preparation is sustained
and on-going throughout the year with adequate support and resources for the teachers to implement their learning,
the results can be seen in student achievement . Above all, with the implementation of online learning and mobile
learning tools during the teacher training workshops, teachers should be able to access learning opportunities any
time anywhere (Guskey, 2003). The teacher preparation models discussed by the panelists will demonstrate how the
blended learning models (face-to-face and online learning) support the teachers by learning how to infuse STEM
integrated activities in their classrooms; assess their students on technology skills and interest in STEM careers; and
increase student knowledge in science.
Professional Development Models:
Professional Development for Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry: Scale-UP
Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry: Scale-UP (ITSI-SU) program is based on current research in professional
development and features hundreds of computer-based exemplar student activities
(http://itsisu.portal.concord.org/activities)1 that teachers can customize to better meet the needs of their students.
These activities are drawn from over a decade of projects at the Concord Consortium (http://www.concord.org) and
elsewhere. Throughout the professional development by being involved in customization, teachers immerse
themselves in the content and educational design of the activities and are more likely to improve student learning
from the activities than if they were to simply adopt materials unchanged. The changes teachers make in the
activities are based on their observations and analysis of their local teaching goals and student difficulties. The best
teacher customizations that pass peer review, as well as new activities created with the same technology, can be
added to the collection of activities, keeping the project current and growing. The project has four Centers serving
low-income, minority, and rural students that recruit teachers into the program. ITSI-SU is currently active in AK,
IA, KS and VA.
The Centers recruit teachers meeting the following criteria:
 The teachers are at schools that serve significant numbers of minority, rural, or low-income students.
 The classrooms have access to computers and networking for classroom implementation.
 Teachers enroll as members of groups of two or more from the same building.
Each Center Director is responsible for recruiting teachers and staff developers, arranging for the professional
development workshops and the requisite technology, and authorizing stipend payments. The Centers, with help
from Concord Consortium, arrange for graduate credit for teachers completing the ITSI-SU program from
appropriate universities.
A central strategy for scaling up the ITSI-SU program over the four years is to train and certify a cadre of Master
Teachers who can offer the ITSI-SU program nationwide. We do this by providing grant-supported trainer trainings
for at least 4 staff developers with one from each Center and for 30 master teachers drawn from the states, and by
offering additional training for anyone willing to cover their own costs.
We will certify trainers as able to offer training at three different levels.
Level 1. A trainer at this level will be certified to offer a one-day teacher workshop. This will require one day or 7
hours of trainer training.
Level 2. A trainer at this level will be certified to offer five-day workshop. This will require an additional day or 7
hours of trainer training and experience co-teaching with a certified trainer or Concord Consortium staff.
Level 3. A trainer at this level will be certified to offer the complete ITSI-SU program, including the 5-day
workshop and two (5-week) online courses. This will require an additional two days or 14 hours of trainer training
and co-teaching experience.
Concord Consortium staff will co-teach all workshops and online courses offered by the Centers, giving their staff
extensive opportunity to gain co-teaching experience.
Blended Professional Development Model at COMPLETE
The Center for Outreach in Mathematics Professional Learning and Educational Technology (COMPLETE) in
Northern Virginia is a mathematics partnership between Faculty from George Mason University (GMU) and school
divisions in Northern Virginia. Using a blended approach with high quality onsite professional development
(through summer institutes and follow up content-focused coaching through seminars, webinars and Lesson Study),
the center provides sustained, intensive, and high-quality professional development for K-12 teachers, special
educators, and teachers of Limited English Proficient (LEP) students that addresses the needs identified in the
school/district professional development plan.
The mission of the Center is to promote excellence in mathematics teaching, learning and collaborative
coaching in Northern Virginia through innovative and solution-oriented initiatives. Success in professional
development requires a systemic approach to change involving long-term teacher professional development,
curriculum development, sound implementation strategies, and collaboration. Therefore, the goal of the center is to
a) Deliver content–focused professional development and coaching, aligned to mathematics and STEM content,
1
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DRL-0929540. Any opinions,
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of the National Science Foundation.
classroom strategies, and student assessment standards; b) Provide targeted opportunities for meaningful
mathematics learning to underrepresented populations to increase the academic achievement of special education,
LEP and economically disadvantaged students; c) Develop need-based on-site and e-learning professional and
curricular resources to enhance teacher learning through collaborative network to ensure that all teachers are able to
participate in high-quality professional development that result in improved teaching practice and enhanced student
learning.
The professional development program that is offered through the COMPLETE Center at George Mason
University consists of two parts. The first part includes a week-long summer content institute that helps to engage
teachers on best practices in teaching STEM content in K-12 classrooms and expose them to benchmark problems
that can help improve student attitude toward STEM. These benchmark problems are selected to infuse hands-on
activities and education materials to help improve student learning. During the institute, the teachers are involved in
a variety of activities that includes scientific and engineering explorations with interactive experiences to design
lessons that support algebraic connections presented at their grade level with an emphasis on STEM related
standards of learning. Besides the educational materials, the teachers are also exposed to a variety of technology
tools that help them to create technology-enhanced lesson modules. The summer institute is collaboratively taught
with school based mathematics and mathematics education professional development leaders from the College of
Science and the College of Education and Human Development with faculty participating from the engineering
school as well. During the institute, participants engage in mathematically and scientifically rich activity that
connects grades K-12 Math and Science content with pedagogical strategies. The teacher participants develop
lessons and assessments based on grade level expectations and state and national standards. The summer institute
also provides opportunity for vertical articulation across grade level using the activity called “What are the STEM
connections across grades K-12?” which will be an opportunity for vertical articulation for teachers.
The next phase of the project includes the follow-up activities from the summer teacher institute during the
school year. This content-focused coaching model includes Lesson Study meetings during the academic year.
Teachers meet two times during the academic year with the course instructors to continue their professional learning
through a teacher-led professional development model called Lesson Study. The goal of these follow-up sessions is
to provide teachers with continuing support in implementing rigorous STEM content, materials, 21st Century
Literacy skills mainly the 4Cs: Communication, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Creativity, and opportunities
to share ideas across vertical grade level teams and analyze student learning. The Fall Lesson Study session involves
collaborative planning of lessons focused on algebraic connections and use of technology in groups using the Lesson
Study model facilitated by the Project Directors and the co-instructors. Teachers get a chance to observe one of the
host teachers in their group who will teach the lesson on which they collaborated and debrief after the lesson by
reflecting on the instructional strategies and students’ learning and to revise their lessons based on the outcomes. For
the spring semester, teachers repeat this lesson study cycle collaborating on a different lesson focused on the
changes in the standards of learning led by a school-based professional development leader. The design of the Fall
Lesson Study is to introduce the model of teacher-led professional development and the Spring Lesson Study is to
allow school-based lesson facilitators/PD leader to lead the process and to empower the school teams and teacher
leaders. Communications among teachers and project staff will be facilitated through the planning meeting, the
debriefing and electronic discussions that address participants’ challenges as they implement new models of
instruction. During follow-up activities, the project’s goal is to make connections between the strategies learned
during the summer institute and classroom practice.
Effective regular evaluation of Center services is fundamental to the continuous improvement of services,
accountability to the stakeholders, and most particularly to assuring that Center services are in fact improving
learning for students. The evaluation and accountability plan for our project includes a) documenting changes in
teachers’ knowledge-measuring the extent to which teacher content knowledge improved in math (teachers’ content
knowledge) as a result of project activities b) Changes in district/school/classroom practices- the extent to which the
quality of instruction improved in math as a result of project activities (teachers’ use of research-based instructional
strategies in the classroom, mathematics tools and technology) through observations; c) Impact on student learningthe extent to which student achievement in math improved as a result of project activities in targeted schools; and d)
impact of vertical teams through collaborative coaching model. The evaluation utilizes both formative and
summative evaluation strategies, with data providing a range of thorough and objective feedback about the
effectiveness of the program in meeting its goals. During the summer, fall and spring of the project, several
quantitative project benchmarks are assessed. include documenting increases in student achievement, number of
teachers impacted by the summer institute, number of students impacted in classrooms, number of teachers impacted
by dissemination activities, and number of lessons developed/disseminated. Data collected include baseline data on
participating schools, teachers, and students including the numbers served, qualification levels of teachers,
proficiency levels of students; program results for teachers related to changes in content knowledge and highly
qualified status and for students related to changes in academic achievement. For the teachers’ content knowledge, a
pre and post assessment of teacher content knowledge is administered before and after the summer institute and
following the final follow up meeting. Special efforts are made to create these assessments to reflect VA standards
of learning at various grade levels.
Meeting the Needs of Teachers in Rural Virginia
Blended Learning Model in Global Innovation in Science and Technology (HP):
Longwood University is providing professional development on inquiry-based learning and on integrating
design tools and applications such as Kodu, LilyPad and Scratch through face-to-face workshops in Ghana, India,
and South Africa and through blended learning opportunities in Virginia. After their learning, teachers facilitated
STEM learning activities in formal instruction and in after-school programs. The data from STEM semantics survey
indicate that activities had positive STEM career dispositions for both middle school boys and girls.
Face-to-face Professional Development in Digispired Teacher Academy (NSF):
More than sixty teachers participated in a five-day workshop in game based learning and integrating
Scratch across the content to promote computing and computational thinking in K-12 students. Teachers also
discussed “Illinois survey of critical technologies” and identified STEM fields that they were not familiar with.
Teachers used Moodle to share resources and tools to present knowledge about new technologies to the students.
They developed lessons integrating Scratch. Teachers came together to share their final projects and reflected on
their implementation and showcased their student work.
Virginia STEM CoNNECT (MSP):
The VaSTEM CoNNECT program is designed to improve teachers' understanding of content and
pedagogical knowledge in the STEM disciplines across the K-12 spectrum. During the summer of 2012,
participants in seven professional development sites across Virginia took part in week-long professional
development sessions focusing on STEM content and pedagogical knowledge goals. Participants took part in
professional development workshops in seven sites across Virginia: Virginia Tech University (VT), George Mason
University (GMU), Old Dominion University (ODU), Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC), Longwood
University (LU), James Madison University (JMU), and the Math Science Innovation Center (MSIC). The
participants are supported throughout the year through online learning and collaboration, face-to-face meetings, and
classroom observations. By March 2013, the panelists will be able to share research data on changes in instructional
practices and teacher feedback.
Summary:
The models discussed in this panel incorporated key elements of effective high quality professional
development:
a) Facilitated improvement of content, pedagogical and content knowledge of the teachers so that teachers can
create STEM integrated classroom projects (Desimone et al., 2002; Garet et al., 2001);
b) Embedded professional practices so teachers can transfer their learning with comfort in examining and
changing their instructional practices (Garet et al., 2001; Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, & Gallagher, 2007);
c) Provided time and resources for teachers to implement what was learned during professional development
and to create instructional plans in alignment with state and national standards (Loucks-Horsley, Love,
Stiles, Mundry, & Hewson, 2003; Penuel et al., 2007); and
d) Created collaborative professional learning communities to share and reflect on instructional practices
(Dufour & Baker, 1998).
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