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Teacher Education and Professional Development

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

2022

STEM

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Rural Teacher Attitudes And Engagement With Computing And Technology, Melissa P. Mendenhall, Colby Tofel-Grehl, David Feldon Nov 2022

Rural Teacher Attitudes And Engagement With Computing And Technology, Melissa P. Mendenhall, Colby Tofel-Grehl, David Feldon

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this sequential Case Study-Mixed Methods research is to explore rural teacher attitudes toward, approaches to, and engagement with making and computational thinking during STEM professional development and co-teaching learning experiences. Specifically, we examine the professional learning needs of two rural, middle school teachers as they engage technology. Using the lens of cultural historical activity theory, this paper examines the ways in which teacher attitude about computing shifted throughout professional learning and instructional practice. Findings show three broad themes that emerge surrounding teacher attitudes, approaches, and engagement with technology: Anxiety, Independent Learner, and Integration. Additionally, findings suggest that …


Cookie-Jar Alarms: An Analysis Of First-Grade Students’ Gendered Conceptions Of Engineers Following A Programming Design Task, April Mitchell, Kimberly H. Lott, Colby Tofel-Grehl Feb 2022

Cookie-Jar Alarms: An Analysis Of First-Grade Students’ Gendered Conceptions Of Engineers Following A Programming Design Task, April Mitchell, Kimberly H. Lott, Colby Tofel-Grehl

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Women remain underrepresented in engineering and broadening participation has recently become the focus of education reform efforts. Increased emphasis on K-12 engineering education calls for the design of learning environments and curricula that increase interest and conceptual understanding of engineering work, beginning in the early years of childhood. We seek to understand what works, for whom, in what contexts, how it works, and how engineering curricula can be improved to promote social justice. Here, we evaluate the impact of a curricular intervention designed to promote equity in elementary engineering education. The integrated STEM curriculum unit engages first-grade students in programming …