Elementary

In our elementary science methods courses, we aim to shift our preservice teachers’ view of science instruction beyond teacher-directed, hands-on “touching and telling,” toward a student-centered approach that emphasizes scientific sensemaking. To that end, we have been emphasizing the sensemaking nature of the eight science and engineering practices (SEPs) defined in the Next Generation Science Standards. In this study, we investigated the question: What happens when we ask preservice elementary teachers to explicitly attend to sensemaking as they plan for and reflect on their own science teaching?

This study captures the experiences of rural teachers with a large-scale online professional learning (PL) program for teaching science and engineering in their contexts and suggests guidelines for designing effective online PL in STEM for rural teachers.

Answering questions and solving problems are critical skills that affect the quality of life for all people. The content areas of science and engineering traditionally and most directly address the processes of inquiry and problem-solving. While there is an increasing body of research surrounding teaching academic content (i.e., mathematics and science) as well as skills that are critical to support student success in these areas (i.e., communication and self-determination), the research supporting instruction of math, science, and engineering practices and processes are only emerging. The purpose of this article is to provide a research-based framework for instructional design that provides ideas for cognitive accessibility and supports for students with MSD in STEM.

Historically, children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (ID) and extensive support needs (ESN; individuals who require ongoing, intensive assistance in many areas of life) have been largely excluded from meaningful participation in STEM instruction. A focal point of this project was to investigate the behaviors of both teachers and students during the implementation of an engineering unit.

Project Bees is a NSF DRK-12 three-year project with the goal of focusing on teachers' development of engineering practices, including how teachers support their students' development of engineering-focused behaviors and mindsets through instruction.

Since the release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there has been an urgent need for teacher professional development (PD) programs that support the implementation of NGSS-aligned curriculum materials and address the unique strengths and needs of diverse student groups, including multilingual learners (MLs). The purpose of this study is to describe how teacher feedback guided the design and refinement of our curriculum-based PD program integrating science and language with MLs through a 2-year field trial.

Teacher preparation programs need to consider how to support elementary science teachers in developing their knowledge related to environmental and climate justice. Working with children to determine steps they can take together with their community to address and mitigate local environmental justice issues can seem daunting, especially if teachers have not had opportunities to plan and adapt lessons with these goals in mind. We describe a series of lessons for preservice teachers on environmental justice, including climate justice, and climate change.

This article explores how multicultural children’s literature for elementary classrooms can be leveraged to develop students’ mathematical understanding and foster positive math identities, particularly for multilingual learners. By integrating diverse stories into mathematics instruction, teachers can create culturally relevant contexts that invite meaningful problem-solving in tandem with rich mathematical discourse.

The significance of children’s mathematical competence during the early years is well established; however, the methods for developing such competencies remain less understood. Specifically, there is a need to identify what constitutes high-quality educational environments and effective instruction. This study employed innovative analytical techniques to evaluate the scoring and interpretation of an existing domain-specific observational measure: the Classroom Observation of Early Mathematics Environment and Teaching (COEMET).

This paper explores the tensions—or discontinuities—that arise when designing for educational improvement at scale through research-practice partnerships (RPPs). Focusing on a statewide mathematics education initiative, the authors examine the complexities of coordinating work across diverse communities of practice and analyze how identity, power, and meaning-making impact collaborative problem definition.