Background

After graduating from Butler County High School in 2016, I attended Western Kentucky University majoring in Middle School Science Education. The many passionate and talented teachers I had throughout my K-12 educational experience in Butler County Schools inspired me to give back to the students in my rural, low-income area. When the opportunity arose to pursue an additional Secondary Biological Sciences teaching certification and to teach at the high school, I immediately took the offer. I am thrilled to be teaching "at home" in my small town. Teaching in this area does come with challenges, though. As described in the student population demographics listed above, Butler County High School is made up of a variety of students, many of which are impoverished or living just at the cusp of the poverty line. For many of our students, school is a lifeline: a place that is warm, provides for their needs, and cares for their needs. We do more than just teach; we nurture growing civic and economic leaders rising from, sometimes, unspeakable difficulties. We are also growing in diversity annually, with many Guatemalan, Peruvian, and other international students joining our student body. This allows for many opportunities for growth in our differentiation of classroom teaching and for expansion of English language learner services across the district, areas of which were, and are still, quite weak.

I say all of this to say that these are my students. They come from many backgrounds with many different prior experiences. Many students have never seen the ocean, touched a fossil, been to a science museum, or mixed baking soda and vinegar, among other exciting science experiences. Above all else, I want ALL of my students to experience the wonder of science.

In my first semester of teaching, I tried to do all the right things: lots of labs, assessments aligned with the standards I was assigned, giving feedback when able (a weakness of mine), and making authentic connections with students. It was really challenging. I wanted to be the best teacher for these students, but I often struggled to find resources that met the rigor the standards called for. I found myself working countless hours to develop my own resources, scouring TeachersPayTeachers for resources (much to the dismay of my wallet), and still felt as though I was falling flat. I desperately needed support and resources. Then, in my second semester, the COVID-19 pandemic struck only weeks after signing onto the STEM-CS grant. How was I going to manage teaching virtually or through packets, completing my master's degree, and keeping up with GRREC-Ed?

What have you already tried to address the needs?

• • Designing my own resources

    • Many lacked the rigor of the NGSS due to a lack of knowledge of the standards

    • Took a LOT of time and effort. I worked ALL the time.

    • Low-rigor assessments

  • Purchasing resources

    • Had to be modified to meet the needs of my students, leading to more work

    • VERY expensive - new teacher, newlywed couple -- it was a struggle!

  • "Made it work" with the resources available

    • Often opted for lectures, rather than learning activities

    • Teacher-led, rather than student-driven lab experiences

How was it working?

• Students were bored and/or unmotivated by lackluster activities that I used as "filler" between the activities I was really proud of.

• I spent so much time and money improving my teaching little by little because I simply needed more support and resources.

What have you noticed?

• Through the inclusion of inquiry-based practices, problem- and project-based instruction, engaging classroom resources, and engineering projects, my students are excited to come to class, are motivated to persevere through challenges, and are able to transfer and apply their learning outside of traditional pencil and paper assessments.

As an emerging STEM education leader, I am seeking to enhance STEM learning for all students through the redesign of my classroom curriculum to include best practices in STEM, including the use of engineering design projects, project- and problem-based instruction, and the inclusion of math, technology, and engineering in my life science classroom. Through this significant redesign, I will customize learning to the needs of my students who are learning the English language or who have special needs in order to meet the needs of ALL students. I will provide ALL students with hands-on, minds-on experiences in STEM in order to develop the skills they will need to pursue STEM careers of tomorrow.

Berry, B., Daughtrey, A., & Wieder, A. (2010). Preparing to Lead an Effective Classroom: The Role of Teacher Training and Professional Development Programs. Center for Teaching Quality.

This article focuses on the debate on the value of teacher education and professional development programs on teacher effectiveness and student achievement. There is much discussion on how teachers are prepared before they enter teaching and what "counts," when it comes to qualification to teach and licensure. Overwhelming evidence supports the idea that high-quality pre-service training increases new teacher retention and improves their effectiveness which can be supplemented with effective professional learning opportunities.

I am passionate about pre-service teacher education, as I realize the impact that the SKyTeach Program had on my overall success in the classroom. However, many of my former teachers and now colleagues entered the field of education after former careers. Some were quite successful and seemed "born to teach," yet many struggled due to a lack of support and effective professional development. The focus of many of my projects throughout GRREC-Ed have been focused on designing and implementing professional development, as this is something I hope to do in the future.

Daugherty, J. L. (2010). Engineering professional development design for secondary school teachers: A multiple case study. Journal of Technology Education, 21(1), 10.

Research on science and math education has identified a need for professional development to help teachers better understand content and pedagogy. With a greater focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, realizations were made that the efforts in technology and engineering education are much less advanced, calling for the inclusion of technology and engineering standards in the STEM classroom as an avenue to technological literacy and as a way to enhance the engineering pipeline.

One identified area of need within the article was engineering-oriented teacher professional development. We sought to contribute to this area of need by designing a professional development that provided examples and resources that teachers could use in their own classrooms.

Desimone, L. M. (2011). A primer on effective professional development. Phi delta kappan, 92(6), 68-71.

Research suggests that a core set of features is common to effective professional development. These core features, a focus on content, active learning, coherence, duration, and collective participation, provide a starting point from which teachers and school administrators can assess it's effectiveness.

We used these six key ideas to design a professional development that would be as effective as possible for our participants. For example, we allowed opportunities for learners to actively engage with content, encouraged participation from all participants, and focused specifically on engineering education in ALL stem classrooms.

Gregson, J. A., & Sturko, P. A. (2007). Teachers as adult learners: Re-conceptualizing professional development. Journal of adult education, 36(1), 1-18.

This case study described professional development designed to foster the integration of academics and career and technical education. Like our professional development, it required a more broad application of the topic addressed, much like engineering in any science or math classroom. Unlike most professional development experiences that treat teachers as passive learners, this professional development experience was designed to reflect principles of adult learning, which inspired us to do the same! This study suggests that the use of these principles of adult learning allowed teachers are able to reflect on their practice, construct professional knowledge with their peers, and develop more collaborative relationships with their fellow teachers, which was rated highly effective by the participants. We found these results to be true of our professional development, as well.

Kelley, T. (2010). Staking the Claim for the "T" in STEM. Journal of Technology Studies, 36(1), 2-11.

Technology is an area that I am particularly passionate about that is often forgotten in STEM, as it is seen as an integration to improve the study of other areas, rather than something to be learned. In this article, the author describes how no previous multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts within technology education's history has had such potential to impact the field greater than the recent STEM movement. I couldn't agree more with the author's sentiments, which is why I chose to pursue an ISTE certification so I can improve my technology integration in my STEM classroom.

Kirkley, J. (2003) Principles for teaching problem solving. Plato Learning White Paper

This article focuses on teaching problem-solving. There has never been a greater need for problem-solving as students of today seek STEM careers demanding forward-thinking skills. As the author defines problem-solving skills and describes general problem-solving models, implications for teaching and testing for three problem types: well-structured problems, moderately structured problems, and ill-structured problems are also described. The article concludes with a summary of the principles that form the basis of problem-solving instruction. This article was truly transformative to the way I thought about the problems we pose students with in the classroom versus those they will face in the real-world. We must teach students how to be successful in facing these problems through explicit problem-solving instruction, perhaps through engineering challenges, like those featured in our professional development.

Lederman, N. G., & Lederman, J. S. (2004). Revising instruction to teach nature of science. The Science Teacher, 71(9), 36.

Before enrolling in Envdeavor courses, I was unfamiliar with the nature of science, but now see the NOS as the key to success in future STEM careers. In my experience, students possess inadequate understanding of several aspects of the NOS. The author attributed this to confusion about NOS and the lack of research-based resources available to teachers to facilitate the teaching of NOS. We sought to remedy this lack of resources representing the nature of science through the inclusion of research-based strategies in our engineering professional development.

NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Appendix I – Engineering Design in NGSS. Retrieved from http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20I%20- %20Engineering%20Design%20in%20NGSS%20-%20FINAL_V2.pdf

This article seeks to define and describe the importance of the use of the engineering design method in the STEM classroom. Through the process of defining problems, developing solutions, and optimizing solutions, students are able to better understand how to complex real-world problems, rather than simply building a tower, as many students picture engineering. Prior to reading this article, I had a lack of understanding of what Engineering looked like in the classroom, so I was excited to share this with other teachers.

Reiser, B. J., Berland, L. K., & Kenyon, L. (2012). Engaging students in the scientific practices of explanation and argumentation. The Science Teacher, 79(4), 34.

This article identifies eight science and engineering practices that keys for success in K-12 STEM classrooms. When combined with the disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts, these practices make the NGSS standards. These scientific practices identify the reasoning behind, discourse about, and application of the core ideas in science, guiding students to understand the nature of science, rather than an understanding of science that is separated into silos. The authors of this article specifically examine the sixth and seventh practices concerning explanation and argumentation. These are areas that are often seen as not very "science-y" as they involved writing and discussion, however, they play a key role in understanding. This article helped me gain a better understanding of how to incorporate these practices in the classroom through things like CER and debate.

Schachter, R. (2011). Helping STEM take root. The Education Digest, 77(2), 28.

While STEM, short for "science, technology, engineering, and mathematics," is not a new concept, there is a new understanding of the importance of these areas in an internationally competitive, 21st-century economy. In the past few years, there is increased support for public and private funding to develop STEM-related curricula, ramp up professional development, and even launch dedicated STEM academies. I am hopeful that STEM will "take root" in my school district and am hopeful to be a part of that change by leading professional developments, supporting the development of district STEM curriculum, and assisting with the development of a district STEM bus to encourage area students to pursue careers in STEM.

Standard 2. Access and Use Research to Improve Practice and Student Learning. (a) The teacher leader shall keep abreast of the latest research about teaching effectiveness and student learning, and shall implement best practices if appropriate; and (b) He or she shall model the use of systematic inquiry as a critical component of teachers’ ongoing learning and development.

• Identified and sought to address the need for enhanced student experiences with engineering at BCHS and across the region

• Utilized research-based practices throughout self-designed professional development

• Shared research and resources in support of included activities

Standard 3. Promote Professional Learning for Continuous Improvement. (a) The teacher leader shall understand that the processes of teaching and learning are constantly evolving; and (b) The teacher leader shall design and facilitate job-embedded professional development opportunities aligned with school improvement goals.

• Reflected on prior professional learning experiences to design an engaging, interactive, and useful professional development

• Designed and shared professional development at STEMFest and with teachers in the Hardin County School District

• Utilized exciting resources to engage teacher-learners in activities they can take back to their own classrooms.

Standard 4. Facilitate Improvements in Instruction and Student Learning. (a) The teacher leader shall possess a deep understanding of teaching and learning, and model an attitude of continuous learning and reflective practice for colleagues; and (b) The teacher leader shall work collaboratively with other teachers to improve instructional practices constantly.

• Designed and presented this professional development in collaboration with Jennifer Davis with the help of other members of my department Kayla Spurgeon and Emily McAfee.

• Made improvements and additions after the STEMFest presentation, after reflecting on participant comments, in order to improve the professional development before presenting it to teachers from the Hardin County School District.

My Change in Perspective

One of my undergraduate professors shared a piece of advice with me before graduation that inspired me as both a teacher and a learner: "Never stop learning!" As a new teacher provided the opportunity to continue my education through GRREC-ED and the STEM-CS grant by participating in Endeavor courses, I was very excited about the prospect of learning more about NASA resources that I could utilize in my science classroom. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical. Would I be able to design lessons for my life science courses that I would ACTUALLY use in my classroom? Would my students be interested in learning about space? To answer that question briefly... YES!

Throughout my teacher prep program I was exposed to the 5E method and using engaging data, pictures, labs, etc. to spark student interest in content, yet, as an in-practice teacher, I struggled to find these resources. The Endeavor STEM Leadership courses provided me with resources that I visit daily to spark inspiration and promote discovery and GRREC-Ed gave me the opportunity to implement and share the resources I gained from these courses and supplemental professional developments .with others across the region. Quite simply, this experience made doing my job fun, instead of incredibly stressful, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a second and third year teacher, I was hesitant about implementing project-based learning and true inquiry because of the loss of "control" as the teacher. Letting go of this control transformed my classroom as my students became motivated, engaged, and self-regulated learners who knew how to research, problem-solve, and collaborate in order to solve authentic problems with research-based solutions.

What are your most valuable takeaways from the GRREC ED experience?

• Gained engaging resources to use with my students

• Opportunities to present professional developments

• Worked closely with an experienced mentor

How have you become a better STEM educator as a result of participating in GRREC ED and the STEMCS grant?

• More data-driven

• More familiar with research-based practices

• More focused on differentiation (ELL and SPED populations, specifically)

• Incorporate Engineering in all of my courses

• Utilize more project and problem-based instruction

• Gained teacher leadership skills and experience

Summarize your efforts for applying professional learning and redesigning your curriculum to enhance STEM learning for ALL students.

• Inclusion of one or more project- or problem-based learning activities in each unit of the courses I teach (Environmental Science, Biology, Integrated Science, Forensics, Anatomy and Physiology)

• Inclusion of one or more engineering tasks in each unit of the courses I teach (Environmental Science, Biology, Integrated Science, Forensics, Anatomy and Physiology)

• Completed a significant redesign of the Anatomy and Physiology curriculum map through the inclusion of the Anatomy in Clay system.

• Collaboration across the department on projects and learning activities so students make connections across the sciences and with other teachers.

Were there factors that limited your ability to implement what you described above as intended? Were there factors outside of your control that may have impacted the results?

• Time

  • Without adequate planning and collaboration time, many of the ideas that my department and I have are simply that: ideas. Overtime, we are able to develop new learning tasks, plan new learning experiences, build our STEM club, etc., but it can be very difficult when juggling multiple class preparations, club sponsor obligations, and more!

• Support

  • Throughout this experience, we have had a lot of support from our GRREC-Ed team, district, and school administration, but it seems that we are often met with hesitance when it comes to monetary support or the support to "get things done," which can be quite frustrating and disheartening when we are willing to put in the time and effort needed to support the STEM experiences we would like to see in our district.

What are the implications of your work?

• Enhanced STEM learning activities in my secondary science classroom

• Greater integration of all aspects of STEM in my teaching

• Use of modeling tools like Anatomy in Clay

• Led professional development related to engineering, STEM integration, project- and problem-based learning across the region for pre- and in-service teachers

• What are some specific next steps for continuing or building upon your work?

• Utilize more research-based practices

• Market my "brand" as a teacher leader, curriculum developer, and professional development leader

• Seek additional opportunities to lead professional development related to STEM across the region

• Develop curriculum for Butler County School District STEM bus aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards

Berry, B., Daughtrey, A., & Wieder, A. (2010). Preparing to Lead an Effective Classroom: The Role of Teacher Training and Professional Development Programs. Center for Teaching Quality.

Daugherty, J. L. (2010). Engineering professional development design for secondary school teachers: A multiple case study. Journal of Technology Education, 21(1), 10.

Desimone, L. M. (2011). A primer on effective professional development. Phi delta kappan, 92(6), 68-71.

Gregson, J. A., & Sturko, P. A. (2007). Teachers as adult learners: Re-conceptualizing professional development. Journal of adult education, 36(1), 1-18.

Kelley, T. (2010). Staking the Claim for the. Journal of Technology Studies, 36(1), 2-11.

Kirkley, J. (2003) Principles for teaching problem solving. Plato Learning White Paper - Free to publicly distribute - noted on article.

Lederman, N. G., & Lederman, J. S. (2004). Revising instruction to teach nature of science. The Science Teacher, 71(9), 36.

NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Appendix I – Engineering Design in NGSS. Retrieved from http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20I%20- %20Engineering%20Design%20in%20NGSS%20-%20FINAL_V2.pdf

Reiser, B. J., Berland, L. K., & Kenyon, L. (2012). Engaging students in the scientific practices of explanation and argumentation. The Science Teacher, 79(4), 34.

Schachter, R. (2011). Helping STEM take root. The Education Digest, 77(2), 28.