Margaret J. Mohr-Schroeder

Stem Education: Understanding the Changing Landscape

This chapter provides a brief history of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the United States, including key movements that have helped shape it and have kept it sustainable. This chapter is foundational to understanding the context of STEM education and its interdisciplinary nature.

Gaining Valuable Field Experience Through the Use of Informal Learning Environments

Informal field experiences can be a powerful mechanism for exposing preservice and inservice teachers to unique opportunities to experience content in ways different than how they were trained and/or different than how their current environment supports it. Additionally, they provide a low-stakes environment to practice and hone important teaching skills and knowledge. In this qualitative study, we examine how a robotics course in an educator preparation program that required a field experience in an informal learning environment impacted its participants. Three themes emerged from their reflections and interviews: (a) development of a better understanding of STEM; (b) increased knowledge and enlightenment of instructional practices, especially the importance of asking good questions; and (c) students’ increased interest and excitement in learning STEM content. Through participation in the robotics course and the required informal field experience, teachers learned more about classroom instruction, students, classroom management, and what sustained engagement looked like through this low-stakes authentic experience. Additionally, they saw firsthand the importance and necessity of creating a positive classroom community (e.g., growth mindset).

Students’ perceptions of STEM learning after participating in a summer informal learning experience

BackgroundInformal learning environments increase students’ interest in STEM (e.g., Mohr‐Schroeder et al. School Sci Math 114: 291–301, 2014) and increase the chances a student will pursue a STEM career (Kitchen et al. Sci Educ 102: 529–547, 2018). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an informal STEM summer learning experience on student participants, to gain in-depth perspectives about how they felt this experience prepared them for their in-school mathematics and science classes as well as how it influenced their perception of STEM learning. Students’ attitudes and perceptions toward STEM are affected by their motivation, experience, and self-efficacy (Brown et al. J STEM Educ Innov Res 17: 27, 2016). The academic and social experiences students’ have are also important. Traditionally, formal learning is taught in a solitary form (Martin Science Education 88: S71–S82, 2004), while, informal learning is brimming with chances to connect and intermingle with peers (Denson et al. J STEM Educ: Innovations and Research 16: 11, 2015).ResultsWe used a naturalistic inquiry, phenomenological approach to examine students’ perceptions of STEM while participating in a summer informal learning experience. Data came from students at the summer informal STEM learning experiences at three diverse institutions across the USA. Data were collected from reflection forms and interviews which were designed to explore students’ “lived experiences” (Van Manen 1990, p. 9) and how those experiences influenced their STEM learning. As we used a situative lens to examine the research question of how participation in an informal learning environment influences students’ perceptions of STEM learning, three prominent themes emerged from the data. The informal learning environment (a) provided context and purpose to formal learning, (b) provided students opportunity and access, and (c) extended STEM content learning and student engagement.ConclusionsBy using authentic STEM workplaces, the STEM summer learning experience fostered a learning environment that extended and deepened STEM content learning while providing opportunity and access to content, settings, and materials that most middle level students otherwise would not have access to. Students also acknowledged the access they received to hands-on activities in authentic STEM settings and the opportunities they received to interact with STEM professionals were important components of the summer informal learning experience.

The critical role of a well-articulated, coherent design in professional development: an evaluation of a state-wide two-week program for mathematics and science teachers

This evaluation study examined a state-wide professional development program composed of two institutes, one for mathematics teachers and one for science teachers, each spanning two weeks. The program was designed to help teachers transform their practice to align with Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards. Data from this mixed-methods design consisted of observations, interviews, focus groups, institute documents and participant surveys. Participants experienced inquiry-based, content-specific, focused grade-band sessions, yet in some ways results indicated that the experiences fell short of having a potentially transformative effect on classroom teaching. The evaluation used a professional development framework to analyze how a seemingly well-designed program became disconnected from the participants’ classroom teaching experience. Recommendations focus on ways for policy-makers, school leaders and professional development facilitators to use the professional development framework to bridge gaps identified by the evaluation.

A Multi-Institutional Approach to Delivering Shared Curricula for Developing a Next-Generation Energy Workforce

In this paper, we consider collaborative power systems education through the FEEDER consortium. To increase students’ access to power engineering educational content, the consortium of seven universities was formed. A framework is presented to characterize different collaborative education activities among the universities. Three of these approaches of collaborative educational activities are presented and discussed. These include 1) cross-institutional blended courses (“MS-MD”); 2) cross-institutional distance courses (“SS-MD”); and 3) single-site special experiential courses and concentrated on-site programs available to students across consortium institutions (“MS-SD”). This paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.