Scaffolded Inquiry-Based Instruction with Technology: A Signature Pedagogy for STEM Education

Inquiry-based instruction has become a hallmark of science education and increasingly of integrated content areas, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Because inquiry-based instruction very clearly contains surface, deep, and implicit structures as well as engages students to think and act like scientists, it is considered a signature pedagogy of science education. In this article the authors discuss the nature of scaffolded inquiry-based instruction and how it can be applied to the use of emerging technologies, such as data mashups and cloud computing, so that students not only learn the content of STEM, but can also begin answering the critical socioscientific questions that face the modern era.     

Inquiring into the Nature of STEM Problems

Around the world, there is a growing interest in integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education. Many of the calls for integrated STEM emphasize the need for students to engage with complex STEM problems that cut across multiple fields. Yet there is a need to clarify the nature of those problems and differentiate STEM problems from those of different kinds. This conceptual work examines the nature of STEM problems in order to inform pre-college educational efforts in STEM. A typology is introduced that situates STEM problems within a broader space of problems within STEM and non-STEM fields, and the characteristics of STEM problems are described. The typology and characteristics are then applied to different approaches to STEM instruction. A key conclusion is that many integrated STEM education efforts tend to focus on STEM problems that are narrowly framed and that do not include attention to social, cultural, political, or ethical dimensions. However, alternative instructional approaches exist that re-introduce those missing dimensions. If STEM education is to prepare students to grapple with complex problems in the real world, then more attention ought to be given to approaches that are inclusive of the non-STEM dimensions that exist in those problems.

     

美国K-12整合性STEM教育框架:理念、课程路径与支持系统

美国整合性STEM教育框架基于STEM理念,阐明对整合性STEM的共识性理解,首次提供了涵盖K-12阶段的整合性STEM课程资源,绘制了STEM课程路线图,提供在课堂层次实施STEM的课程路线,为整合STEM方法的系统转型提供支持,以数据驱动STEM教学与评价,制定有效的STEM课程项目和STEM教师专业发展框架,推动整合性STEM课程实施与教学方法改革,培养学生运用STEM知识去解决真实问题,提高创新、批判性思维和解决问题的能力,培养21世纪技能。美国整合性STEM教育框架的课程理念、课程路径与课程支持系统,对我国在基础教育阶段推进STEM教育改革,开发全学段的STEM教育整体框架和课程路线图可以提供有益借鉴,包括基于标准的整合性STEM课程框架,赋能STEM教师的整合性教学实践和推动整合性STEM教育的系统性转变。     

国家政策视角下国际STEM教育发展路径、价值取向和启示

STEM作为一种全新的教育形态成为关注的焦点,这种教育形态的兴起与发展与国家教育政策有着紧密的联系。文章通过梳理美国、英国、德国、澳大利亚和芬兰等国有关STEM教育国家政策文件、教育法规,形成了美国及其主要国家的STEM教育发展路径,并从社会组织方式、教育目标选择等方面,通过分析主要文件精神,对其价值取向进行了阐述。在此基础上,再结合中国目前的STEM教育现状,提出了“加强STEM教育的顶层设计;构建优良的STEM学习生态系统;实施有效整合的项目化学习和建立实证数据库进行有效评价”的启示,为中国STEM教育发展提供参考。     

实现真正的STEM教育:来自科学实践哲学视角的理解

STEM教育作为一种重要的科学教育理念,包含注重打破学科壁垒的整合教育、强调面向真实世界的情境教育以及培养问题解决能力的循证教育三重意蕴。然而,当前STEM教育的大规模发展使其陷入了功利化倾向与复制式扩张的困境之中,需要来自科学实践哲学视角的深度反思以指引其未来发展方向。在科学实践哲学的考察视域内,STEM教育是一种从沉思科学到干预科学的介入性科学实践,是一种从科学作品到科学过程的地方性科学实践。未来STEM教育的真正实现需要准确把握“开放式终结”的意涵并全面理解“实验室生活”。     

A STEM extended learning project to raise awareness of social justice in a Year 3 primary classroom

Governments worldwide are advocating for STEM curricula as essential to economic viability but the opportunity for STEM to create a re-envisioned world where there is equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges is less prominent. The literature has also not clearly articulated how the combination of the individual disciplines areas: science, technology, engineering and maths should be structured to form a cohesive paradigm within a contextual real-world problem. This paper details one example of a STEM unit had with an equity and social justice agenda. The teacher orchestrated a range of learning experiences to develop student intellectual and emotional engagement with the learning experience sequence, which was to design a pair of shoes for students in a refugee camp using resources that might be available there. Her teaching approach involved the choreography of student attention to the different dimensions of STEM. While all were in play particular disciplinary concepts and practices were foregrounded at different times. We propose that teaching STEM involves a choreography of focus on the different disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, with the relative weight at any one time and overall depending on the nature of the task that is to be accomplished.     

“I just do what the boys tell me”: Exploring small group student interactions in an integrated STEM unit

Gender equity issues remain a challenge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, where women are highly underrepresented. As integrated STEM instruction becomes increasingly popular in elementary and middle school classrooms, it is important to consider whether the small group activities that are commonplace in STEM instruction support the equitable participation of young girls. This study builds on the existing body of literature to better understand how gender is related to student participation in small group STEM activities and whether students participate differently in science and engineering activities. A single embedded case study was used to explore the experiences of four students aged 10–11 years as they participated in small group work within an integrated STEM unit in their fifth-grade classroom. Two girls and two boys worked together throughout the unit to explore science content related to electromagnetism and apply their content knowledge to an engineering design challenge. Video and audio of students' small group interactions were analyzed using an observation protocol to code their participation in each 3-min segment of STEM activity. Student- and case-level analyses were used to identify patterns of interaction based on gender and type of activity (science vs. engineering). Findings suggest that boys and girls participate in small group STEM activities in different ways, adopting distinct roles within their group. In addition, students displayed divergent patterns of interaction in science- and engineering-focused lessons, suggesting that students need additional practice and support in navigating between science and engineering in integrated STEM units.     

美国大学少数族裔STEM教育的现状、影响因素及发展路径

通过对美国大学少数族裔STEM教育的现状分析发现,美国大学的少数族裔整体接受STEM教育的比率仍然较低,黑人学生STEM教育的参与度不高,原住民学生的STEM教育入学率低下,少数族裔女性学生在STEM职业发展中处于不利地位。这受到美国历史、文化、经济和教育等多元化因素的综合影响。为此,美国实施多元化的路径提升少数族裔STEM教育质量,例如,设置适合少数族裔发展的STEM教学培养模式,设立不同类型的STEM奖学金资助计划,建立有助于提升少数族裔STEM研究能力的研究机构,开发优秀的STEM大学课程资源等。这对我国少数民族的理工科教育的发展具有一定的借鉴意义。     

Advancing Elementary and Middle School STEM Education

Navigating the current STEM agendas and debates is complex and challenging. Perspectives on the nature of STEM education and how it should be implemented without losing discipline integrity, approaches to incorporating the arts (STEAM) and how equity in access to STEM education can be increased are just a few of the many issues faced by researchers and educators. There are no straightforward answers. Opinions on how STEM education should be advanced vary across school contexts, curricula and political arenas. This position paper addresses five core issues: (a) perspectives on STEM education, (b) approaches to STEM integration, (c) STEM discipline representation, (d) equity in access to STEM education and (e) extending STEM to STEAM. A number of pedagogical affordances inherent in integrated STEM activities are examined, with the integration of modelling and engineering design presented as an example of how such learning affordances can be capitalized on.     

美国研究生STEM教育最新核心能力——政策脉络、标准框架及培养路径

美国研究生STEM教育核心能力框架为其高科技人才培养提供了理论基础。基于对《21世纪研究生STEM教育》报告中美国硕士与博士研究生STEM教育的最新核心能力分析,形成2项一级指标、4项二级指标和26项三级指标的最新核心能力标准框架。跨学科多元教育要素整合的内生路径和多元利益主体协作的外促路径,构成了美国研究生STEM教育核心能力培养路径。我国研究生教育亟需构建基于类型和专业的研究生核心能力框架;强化学科能力各要素的关系研究,完善专业能力的内容与考核机制;明确可转移能力的具体内容,制定多元的培养路径;立足协同多元利益主体,建立研究生核心能力联动培养机制。     

Are changes of major major changes? The roles of grades,gender, and preferences in college major switching

The choice of college major is a key stage in the career search, and over a third of college students switch majors at least once. We provide the first comprehensive analysis of major switching, looking at the patterns of switching in both academic and non-academic dimensions. Low grades signal academic mismatch and predict switching majors - and the lower the grades, the larger the switch in terms of course content. Surprisingly, these switches do not improve students’ grades. When students switch majors, they switch to majors that “look like them”: females to female-heavy majors, and so on. Lower-ability women flee competitive majors at high rates, while men and higher-ability women are undeterred. Women are far more likely to leave STEM fields for majors that are less competitive – but still somewhat science-intensive – suggesting that leaving STEM may be more about fleeing the “culture” of STEM majors than fleeing science and math.     

跨学科整合视角下国内外STEM课程质量比较与优化

STEM教育的不断发展,催生了对跨学科整合型课程的迫切需求。然而当前我国的STEM课程建设更多注重形式规范,总体质量堪忧,因此从跨学科整合视角来开发优质的STEM课程以指导教学迫在眉睫。比较与借鉴是提质增效解决问题的重要途径。为提升我国STEM课程建设质量,借鉴权威的STEM课程整合评价工具,从课程背景、工程设计挑战、科学内容整合、数学内容整合、教学策略、团队合作、交流、评估、组织等9个维度对58个国内外STEM优秀课程案例进行定性与定量对比分析后发现,我国的STEM课程案例在课程背景、科学内容整合、教学策略和评估四个方面较国外STEM课程存在明显不足。这在一定程度上制约了我国STEM课程建设和教学质量提升。未来我国STEM课程建设应从以下四个方面加强:一是提升对社会问题的响应度,培养学生的社会责任感;二是鼓励有效失败,营造真实的科学体验;三是丰富以学生为中心的策略,放大学生的思维过程;四是注重非正式评价,促进学生综合能力的发展。     

Implementing “Big Ideas” to Advance the Teaching and Learning of Science,Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics (STEM)

Although education experts are increasingly advocating the incorporation of integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum units to address limitations in much current STEM teaching and learning, a review of the literature reveals that more often than not such curriculum units are not mediating the construction of in-depth STEM knowledge. In this paper, we conjecture that the challenge of generating integrated STEM curriculum units that overcome this limitation and facilitate in-depth learning of and about STEM can be met by the use of three types of big ideas: within-discipline big ideas that have application in other STEM disciplines, cross-discipline big ideas, and encompassing big ideas. We provide a six-component framework (together with an example of the framework in action) that can be used to scaffold pre- and in-service teachers’ development of integrated STEM curriculum units based around these types of big ideas. The paper concludes by discussing possible directions for future research and development in this field.     

The Single Sex Debate for Girls in Science: a Comparison Between Two Informal Science Programs on Middle School Students’ STEM Identity Formation

Currently, there are policy debates regarding the efficacy and legality of single sex formal and informal education programs. This issue is particularly poignant in science education due to the historical marginalization of women in these fields. This marginalization has resulted in women being positioned as a stigmatized group within many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields. Research points to adolescence as the age where this sense of marginalization begins to develop. As a result, policy responses have utilized various frameworks such as: increased access for women, changing pedagogy to address women’s learning styles, changing the language and culture of science to prevent marginalization of stigmatized groups, and finally exploring the role that individual identity plays in the marginalization of women. This study adds to the policy debate as it applies to single sex education by comparing middle school participants’ STEM identity formation during two informal science learning environments (an all girls’ STEM camp and a co-educational STEM camp). Additionally, this study focuses on the influence of camp activities within two informal science education programs: particularly the provision of role models and authentic STEM research activities, as means to improve STEM identity and make these fields relevant to the lives of middle school students. The results indicate that both camps improved girls’ STEM identities. These findings suggest that the single sex environment is not as important to STEM identity as the pedagogy used within the program.     

STEM outreach activities: an approach to teachers’ professional development

Abstract

STEM outreach programmes in secondary schools are mediated by STEM teachers who are responsible for organising, implementing and evaluating the activities with a view to promoting STEM subjects. However, research investigating teachers’ STEM roles and professional development through participation in outreach activities is limited. This paper explores teachers’ views of STEM activities, how they understand their role as primary facilitators and the impact of their STEM engagement on their professional development. STEM outreach provides distinct opportunities for situated and dialogic learning. STEM teachers’ effectiveness in engaging students by demonstrating the importance and relevance of STEM subjects in the real world and engaging captivating STEM outreach partners not only supports students learning but also enhances their opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. Semi structured interviews were conducted with eleven teachers from six different schools in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The data reveals STEM facilitators become the ‘face’ of STEM to their pupils. The expertise, knowledge and partnerships STEM facilitators develop, broadens their capacity to deliver teaching imbued with real world applications and improve students’ understanding of the range of new and upcoming careers available. Most importantly, participating in STEM outreach activities help teachers maintain and reinforce their own sense of identity as STEM professionals. Outreach activities provide opportunities for teachers to interact with leading scientists and obtain exposure to cutting-edge research.     

Challenges in STEM Teaching: Implication for Preservice and Inservice Teacher Education Program

As former and current STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) school teachers in Singapore, we explore the challenges we both experienced while teaching at different STEM schools. Through this article, we make a case for the teacher preparation programs locally and around the world to give more attention to a changing education landscape with emerging specialized STEM schools. Nonetheless, even though specialized STEM teacher preparation is needed, we also caution that having such a specialized program may limit teachers' horizontal transition to mainstream schools and awareness of the contextualized needs of more diverse learners.     

Gender Disparity in STEM Disciplines: A Study of Faculty Attrition and Turnover Intentions

This study examines the underrepresentation of women faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by comparing the intentions of attrition and turnover between genders in Research and Doctoral universities. It is found that the two genders did not differ in their intentions to depart from academia, but women faculty had a significantly higher likelihood to change positions within academia. The indications are that women and men are equally committed to their academic careers in STEM; nonetheless, women’s stronger turnover intentions are highly correlated with dissatisfaction with research support, advancement opportunities, and free expression of ideas. The findings suggest that the underrepresentation of women is more convincingly explained by an academic culture that provides women fewer opportunities, limited support, and inequity in leadership, rather than by gender-based differences such as roles in family responsibilities. Changes in academic STEM culture are needed in order to attract more women scientists and narrow the current gender gap.     

STEM教育质量评价指标体系构建

STEM教育因其融合多学科知识、培养创新精神和实践能力的特点受到广大研究者和实践者的关注。当前国外真正聚焦到STEM教育质量评价并具有较强可操作性的研究较少,而国内少量相关研究主要是介绍国外STEM教育评价的研究进展。严重缺乏成熟可行且适用于我国STEM教育发展的评价工具,很大程度上制约了我国STEM教育的可持续发展。经过德尔菲法两轮专家意见征询以及层次分析法确定评价指标权重后构建的STEM教育教学质量评价工具,既综合考虑了STEM的本质特征、已有STEM教育评价工具及指标维度,又直接聚焦于课堂教学,最终包含课堂环境、课程结构、教学内容以及学生表现4个一级指标和22个二级指标。该指标体系形式与我国教育教学中教师所用的教研表、评课表等类似,有助于教师更好地理解与使用;且经过初步试用,具有较高的信度,能够比较全面地评价STEM教育中的各方面要素,有助于促进STEM教育的健康有序发展。     

幼儿教育中“项目活动”与“STEM教育”的区别

早期STEM教育是近年来继项目活动后出现在学前教育领域的一种新的教育形态。STEM教育与项目活动非常类似,两者都是基于问题的学习,都有助于培养幼儿解决问题的能力;但同时两者在其价值取向、整合方式、探究内容、对幼儿个性化发展的促进以及教师的角色与作用等方面也有着明显的区别。项目活动更多看重的是教育的个人发展功能,而STEM教育更多追求的是教育的工具价值;项目活动是一种跨越学科领域的、大范围的整合,STEM教育则是一种围绕同类型学科的、小范围的整合;项目活动以幼儿的兴趣为出发点,探究的内容往往极为丰富多彩,基本上可以囊括幼儿生活的全部,而STEM教育主要集中在幼儿对周围物质世界的探究方面,其内容主要涉及到"物理知识"及"逻辑数理知识"两个方面;项目活动能满足所有幼儿的个性化发展需要,故而能促进所有幼儿的适宜性发展,而STEM教育则相对只能更好地满足某些特定学习风格(场独立型)的幼儿的个性化发展需要;在项目活动中,教师的"引导"作用更多地表现在对幼儿已有兴趣的合理引导,在STEM教育活动中教师的"引导"既有对幼儿已有兴趣的"引导",更有对兴趣的"引发",带有一定的"外烁论"的痕迹。厘清这些差异,有助于幼儿园教师提升相关教育理念,从而更好地开展这两种教育活动。     

Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success

Counterspaces in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are often considered “safe spaces” at the margins for groups outside the mainstream of STEM education. The prevailing culture and structural manifestations in STEM have traditionally privileged norms of success that favor competitive, individualistic, and solitary practices—norms associated with White male scientists. This privilege extends to structures that govern learning and mark progress in STEM education that have marginalized groups that do not reflect the gender, race, or ethnicity conventionally associated with STEM mainstream success, thus necessitating spaces in which the effects of marginalization may be countered. Women of color is one such marginalized group. This article explores the struggles of women of color that threaten their persistence in STEM education and how those struggles lead them to search out or create counterspaces. It also examines the ways that counterspaces operate for women of color in STEM higher education, particularly how they function as havens from isolation and microaggressions. Using a framework of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and intersectionality theory and drawing on interview data from 39 women of color about their STEM higher education experiences, we describe five ways in which counterspaces operate: in peer‐to‐peer relationships; mentoring relationships; national STEM diversity conferences; STEM and non‐STEM campus student groups; and STEM departments. Whereas most research has discussed counterspaces as racially or ethnically homogeneous social groups of peers at the margins, our research found that counterspaces vary in terms of the race/ethnicity, gender, and power levels of participants. We found that counterspaces can be physical settings, as well as conceptual and ideological. Additionally, we identified counterspaces both at the margins and at the center of STEM departments. Thus, our research expands the existing understanding of the types and functions of counterspaces and broadens the definition of what locations can be and should be considered counterspaces. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of National Association for Research in Science Teaching. J Res Sci Teach 55: 206–245, 2018