STEM Indicator ST1.7

Stem educators collaborate as an interdisciplinary team to plan, implement, and improve integrated STEM learning experiences.

Self-Assessment Rating: 3

STEM educators meet on a regular schedule to collaborate, innovate, plan, and adjust integrated STEM learning experiences. STEM educators regularly review student work together as an interdisciplinary team. Teachers have regular common planning time to collaborate and discuss integrated STEM curricular and instructional practices.

Narrative

What were the areas of strength noted in the Self Assessment?

Teaching faculty at Christian Academy are considered to be STEM teachers, as they are committed to and focused on bringing STEM skills, knowledge, and thinking strategies to the classroom. Our faculty and staff have developed understanding of STEM teaching and learning through several years of direct STEM training and through collaborative processes. Teachers have also been encouraged and supported in using open-ended methods of instruction and participating in STEM-related collaboration with peers in order to improve STEM learning experiences for all students.

The Christian Academy Mentor Teacher Program was established to assist and develop each new teacher at the school by pairing them with a seasoned teacher in a related content area.

In the SCISA Master Teacher Program, teachers are required to collaborate with other educators across curricular topics and grade levels. Teachers also have the opportunity to collaborate regularly during faculty meetings, planning periods, curriculum review cycle meetings, and as they meet and work together in groups of K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 teams.

Additionally, teachers and administrators collaborate together as part of interdisciplinary teams. As noted in the staff handbook, staff and faculty find it a privilege to work together and support one another. This encourages a culture of collaboration and support as the school pursues STEM excellence. They support, encourage and help one another plan STEM lessons more effectively. Teachers and school leadership have access to and communicate through different mediums such as GroupMe, text messaging, and email. Meetings with the STEM Coordinator, computer technology teachers, and/or the Head of School support faculty in STEM learning. School leadership team meetings, STEM committee planning meetings, and administrator planning and discussion of STEM are important and integral parts of day to day interactions. As a result, accountability measures and the expectation for staff and faculty to be professional lead to a strong STEM and school culture.

Teachers collaborate about topics such as differentiation and biblical integration. Teachers also present to teachers during professional development sessions about STEM to continuously find best ways of utilizing technology and higher-order thinking skills in the classroom. An example includes when two teachers informally meet during first period about technology to review, evaluate and discuss Web 2.0 tools for utilization in the classroom. Presentations and self-reflection have also been part of the process of ongoing peer to peer professional development. For example, to mathematically ensure students are receiving fair and accurate grades within their grading systems, two math teachers recently illustrated to the rest of the faculty how different calculation strategies impact student grades. Another example includes curriculum review meetings led by subject-specific department teachers and administration who discuss, analyze, edit, refine, and modify content and curriculum goals and objectives in order to meet and exceed standards. This process empowers teachers to integrate and apply real world, problem-based, cross-curricular learning and teaching strategies, which are all part of STEM learning.

Christian Academy faculty also have time to reflect upon their own work and student learning. Reflection is documented through personalized classroom evaluations done by the Head of School, teacher self-assessments, peer to peer evaluation, and responses to topic-specific Google Form surveys. For example, a digital collaboration form was given to teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of student learning after the STEM Expo.

What actions are being implemented to sustain the areas of strength?

Christian Academy teachers spend time thinking about and working toward continued professional development and teaching with excellence in a variety of ways in order to sustain current faculty collaboration. The school administration will continue to protect teacher planning and collaboration times, including but not limited to, STEM-Com planning several times a month to help creatively and purposefully increase teacher cross-curricular collaboration.

What were areas in need of improvement? What plans are being made to improve the area of need?

Christian Academy would like to improve the quantity and quality of collaboration time for teachers. Administration will investigate ways for teachers to have a more formal and consistent collaborative STEM planning time.

Artifacts

ST1.7 a) Teacher Collaboration: Cross Curricular Planning, Peer-to-Peer Learning, and Feedback & Reflection

ST1.7 b) SCISA Master Teacher Program

Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach currently employs six SCISA Master Teachers. The SCISA Master Teacher Program places a heavy emphasis teacher collaboration.

ST1.7 c) SCISA Master Teachers

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