Promoting STEM Career Interest in the Classroom

This study examines the ways that the National Science Foundation’s ITEST teacher education projects lead to changes in classroom practice by using two teacher-role models to examine technology-based professional development and related changes in teaching practices: Teacher as Pedagogical Expert (teachers using existing technology-based curriculum with or without adaptations) and Teacher as Curriculum Developer (teachers creating new curriculum). The study will explore these two models within the context of IT teaching and learning in order to understand what kinds of professional development activities promote and/or influence changes in teaching practices and the integration of innovative technologies in the classroom. The study will address the following research questions: 1) What are the characteristics of the two teacher-role models (curriculum developer or pedagogical expert) in teacher professional development projects that immerse participants in professional IT experiences? and 2) Does IT classroom implementation differ for teachers who have and have not completed an IT-immersion professional development experience and does the difference (if any) vary by model?

The National Science Foundation has made this project possible through grant number DRL-0833524.