ABSTRACT. Teachers’ knowledge for teaching (K4T) is the driving force for quality education (Margot & Kettler, 2019). It encompasses various domains beyond content knowledge, requiring continuous professional development and reflection (Shulman, 1986). Collaboration in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) (Senge, 1990) fosters effective knowledge sharing and growth among teachers, enhancing educational practices (Milner-Bolotin, 2020).

For the past three decades of PLCs' existence (Senge, 1990), coupled with global events that have transformed our educational landscape, particularly the recent pandemic, new gaps have emerged in our understanding of PLCs' unique features and their role in teacher knowledge growth. To contextualize these gaps, this study focused on secondary science teachers who participate in PLCs in two different regions: British Columbia and Bangladesh. Particularly, this study explored the most salient features of PLCs of secondary science teachers in both British Columbia and Bangladesh and examined how these salient features of PLC related to teachers' knowledge for teaching growth. The study also investigated the challenges the teachers face when learning and implementing technology-enhanced pedagogies and how PLCs helped teachers address these challenges.

This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-method design (O’Leary, 2021), beginning with quantitative data collection through a survey questionnaire from 100 secondary science teachers (50 from each region) using purposive sampling. Subsequently, qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants (5 from each region) using convenience sampling. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative insights, enabling comprehensive examinations of the research questions. The findings of this study revealed that the most salient features of PLCs in both regions include collaborative work, student-centered focus, shared goals and mindsets, reflective practices, fostering belonging and collective responsibility, promoting continuous improvement, and utilizing multiple data sources for decision-making. Additionally, distributed leadership skills are more prevalent in Bangladesh's PLCs compared to British Columbia’s. Teachers in both regions benefit from exposure to new teaching strategies, sharing resources, understanding student needs, integrating technology, self-reflection, and staying updated on recent educational trends for their growth of K4T. The teachers from both regions identified the common challenges while learning and implementing technology-enhanced pedagogy including technical issues, limited technological knowledge, keeping up with the evolving nature of technology, and lack of confidence. Compared to British Columbia, challenges more prevalent in Bangladesh include lack of access to technology, student readiness, long-standing traditional mode of practice/belief, blending technology with content and pedagogy, and ongoing support from colleagues/school authorities. The majority of the teachers from both regions reported that participation in PLCs helps overcome challenges by facilitating networking, collaboration, technical assistance, finding affordable tech solutions, sharing resources, increasing confidence, and tailoring instruction to meet diverse student needs.

The findings of this study will contribute to the existing literature by highlighting the importance of PLCs in both regions and informing stakeholders and policymakers about their significance. By addressing the challenges and leveraging the benefits of PLCs, educators can enhance teaching practices, meet the needs of diverse learners, and embrace the rapidly evolving technology-enhanced pedagogies.

References

Margot, K. C., & Kettler, T. (2019). Teachers’ perception of STEM integration and education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of STEM Education, 6(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-018-0151-2

Milner-Bolotin, M. (2020). Deliberate pedagogical thinking with technology in STEM teacher education. STEM teachers and teaching in the digital era (pp. 201-219). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29396-3_11

O'Leary, Z. (2021). The essential guide to doing your research project (4th ed.). SAGE.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (1st ed.). Doubleday/Currency.

Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X015002004

ABSTRACT. This paper critically examined the primary-level science curricula of Bangladesh and Singapore, focusing on the curriculum as a “product” that comprises instructional guidelines fostering students' acquisition of culturally valued knowledge and skills (Santos & Cai, 2016). The study employed Tyler (1949) recommended four curriculum key components, namely educational purposes, educational experiences, organization of educational experiences, and determination of purpose attainment to analyze and compare the two curricula. The aim was to provide insights and recommendations for science curriculum development in Bangladesh based on the existing literature. The first component, educational purposes, explored the vision, goals, and framework of the science curricula in Bangladesh and Singapore. The analysis revealed that while the Singapore curriculum (Primary School Subjects and Syllabuses | MOE, 2023) articulated clear goals, a vision for scientific literacy, and a focus on core ideas, values, ethics, and attitudes, the Bangladeshi curriculum (National Curriculum and Textbook Board, 2023) lacked a well-defined vision, with vague statements on fostering creativity and instilling confidence in students. The paper emphasized the importance of clear goals in guiding curriculum development and proposed that Bangladesh articulate explicit aims to provide direction for science education. The second component, educational experiences, scrutinized the approaches taken by both countries in designing learning experiences. Singapore adopted a comprehensive approach with five thematic areas, emphasizing values guided by the understanding of the Nature of Science. Singapore teachers can decide on relevant learning experiences for students based on their professional judgment. In contrast, Bangladesh outlined subject-specific competencies, learning outcomes, and definite experiences, aligning closely with Tyler’s (1949) curriculum development model. This paper suggested a balanced approach for Bangladesh, incorporating teacher flexibility while providing explicit guidance on multiple potential educational experiences to enhance the curriculum's effectiveness. The third component, the organization of educational experiences, evaluated the horizontal and vertical relations within the curriculum. Vertical organization involves comparing learning experiences between different grades, such as contrasting 5th-grade science with 6th-grade science, while horizontal organization entails examining the relationship between subjects within the same grade, like the connection between 5th-grade science and mathematics (Tyler, 1949). This study discussed deficiencies in both horizontal and vertical organization of the Bangladeshi curriculum (Bain & Siddique, 2017) and recommended exploring research-backed sequencing principles like simple to complex, prerequisite learning, whole to part, and chronological sequencing (Print, 1993) to enhance content delivery. The final component, determination of purpose attainment, focused on the assessment of learning outcomes. While the Singapore curriculum included a section on assessment, the Bangladesh curriculum lacked any reference to assessment throughout the document. This paper advocated for incorporating assessment guidance within the curriculum to empower teachers in navigating student learning. This comprehensive analysis of primary-level science curricula in Bangladesh and Singapore offered valuable insights for curriculum developers, educators, and policymakers. The recommendations emphasize the need for clear goals, flexibility in educational experiences, improved organizational frameworks, and explicit guidance on assessment to enhance the effectiveness of science education in Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT. We propose boardgame redesigning as an innovative method to foster complex interdisciplinary STEM learning. Engaging students in the creation of playable games links various disciplines, from crafting narratives using humanities expertise to applying mathematical thinking for game mechanics and spatial reasoning. The study illustrates a five-month design-based research tabletop game redesign project involving one hundred culturally diverse middle school students. A team's fantasy-themed game redesign, replacing squares with hexagonal tiles, exemplifies how this shift influenced mechanics and inspired further decisions, integrating science concepts like creature adaptations. By examining the real-time evolution of the game redesign process, we observed the inherently interdisciplinary nature of this project, providing a spontaneous and meaningful integration of STEM topics and skills intertwined with humanities and arts.

ABSTRACT. In the era of ubiquitous information, influencers shape perceptions, even in quantum physics education. Modern students, influenced by online platforms like YouTube and TikTok, enter quantum physics classes with preconceived notions, visuals, and metaphors of quantum concepts. This study explores the quality and messages of popular science media, focusing on conceptual metaphors in YouTube videos explaining quantum physics. In the aim to uncover conceptual metaphors, in which abstract concepts, such as quantum theory, are made available through concrete mappings, the analysis of the videos aims to unveil patterns in language, visuals, and gestures, shedding light on how these media influence students' meaning-making. Recognizing the impact of online education sources, this research strives to inform educators about the content shaping students' perspectives.

ABSTRACT. This study investigated how embodied learning through art could enhance interdisciplinarity in STEM education. By conducting outdoor art workshops, we explored how experiential learning through art promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary insights among pre/in-service teachers and university students. Our findings suggest that engaging in art production fosters creativity and deepens the understanding of STEM disciplines in diverse educational contexts.

ABSTRACT. This paper will present on the experience of a transdisciplinary research team in creating and mounting a participatory theatrical installation to engage the public and learners in how pain is sensed, known, and treated in Western medicine. The installation, Moral Horizons of Pain, was created by a team of researchers in Learning Sciences, Family Medicine, and Sociology. Engaging with ideas of Third Form Theater and counter-memory, the installation is a learning environment in two ways. First, the installation makes visible to participants the moral and historical dimensions of human experience that are often hidden in technoscientific, disciplined spaces like medicine, through a participatory experience that combines elements of performance and facilitation. Second, the installation serves as a model for forms of STEM education that can resist technocentrism while teaching about technological practices and ways of knowing in STEM disciplines, and in so doing privilege the voices and experience of historically marginalized people. The authors will discuss how this theatrical installation might be useful in re-thinking ways of engaging learners and publics and communities in STEM disciplines, to further justice, care, and sustainability.

ABSTRACT. Drawing on a two-year-long community-engaged project with newcomer youth of color that examined their migration and resettlement experiences in Canada, this paper centers Black and Muslim new immigrant youths’ experiences of in/visibility and indignity that in turn are rooted in their experiences of racialized discrimination and othering in-school STEM classrooms, and extends to their temporary, part-time workplaces. In the context of globalized mandates such as “coding for all” (Canada Learning Code, 2018; Obama, 2015; Smith, 2016) and inclusive STEM education (National Academies, 2011) that emphasize access to computing and STEM education for marginalized youth, our work makes visible the entanglement of discursive and material conditions under which raced and gendered bodies of Black and Muslim newcomer youth become invisible, hypervisible, and undignified in white-dominant spaces and set them up on a trajectory away from professional futures in STEM disciplines.

Our work is grounded in a participatory, community-centered, social design research approach (Bang, 2020; Gutierrez & Jurow, 2016). Over a period of two years, we met with newcomer (refugee) youth of color in weekly co-design workshops in which they co-created culturally responsive narratives of their migration and resettlement experiences (Dutta et al., 2024; Sanyal et al., 2024; Banerjee et al., 2022), and we also visited them in their workplaces. Our data is based on periodic interviews and focus-group conversations with them that highlight their experiences of racialization at the intersection of race, gender, and immigration status both in their classrooms and their workplaces. We build on critical whiteness theory (Ahmed 2004, 2006; Du Bois, 1935; Puwar, 2004) and racialized emotions (Bonilla-Silva, 2019; Sengupta et al., 2022; Teeger, 2023), and used the constant comparative method (Charmaz, 2014) to identify specific ways in which schools and temporary jobs deny them STEM futures through the following mechanisms: (1) muting and invisibilization of youth in STEM classrooms and workplaces through impositions of hegemonic discourse of English, (2) gendered racialized forms of objectification that genders, sexualizes and criminalizes Black male and female Muslim bodies both in schools and workplaces, and (3) relegating newcomer youth of color to traditionally low-wage, racialized positions in the Canadian labor market. Our work highlights how the politics of racialized exclusion from STEM futures can be understood as the circulation of these mechanisms in both in-school and out-of-school contexts for Black and Muslim newcomer youth of color.

ABSTRACT. This research examines gender-based challenges and experiences of Canadian and American women faculty in one research-intensive university in Kazakhstan. The study implemented a qualitative narrative research design to explore and understand participants’ lived experiences in depth (Golsteijn & Wright, 2013). Moreover, the study used non-probability purposive sampling to target a specific group (Suri, 2011) of information rich people (Palinkas et al., 2013) who possess particular characteristics (Etikan et al., 2016). Hence, 11 women faculty members were recruited for this research and some of them were among the few foreign founders of one university’s policies, gender mainstreaming strategies and curriculum. The findings of the study fit Acker’s gendered organizations theory (Acker, 2006) and Eagly’s social role theory which were used as theoretical framework. Acker and Eagly made breakthrough as feminist scholars who shed light on consistent gender inequities in organizations and the impact of culture and society on a woman’s role in academia. The findings showed that the masculine culture reinforces the institutional structures that marginalize women scientists, limiting opportunities for women scientists to contribute to the research and knowledge pool in STEM in Kazakhstan. In alignment with one of the conference’s themes “Social justice in STEM education”, this study addresses the issue of gender inequities in STEM education, given the context that more than 90 % of leadership positions in STEM disciplines at the participating university were occupied by men. It was also challenging to recruit women scientists to participate in this research because there is a severe lack of women academics employed in STEM at the participating university. Nevertheless, the recruited participants, few of whom are employed in STEM, helped explore the reasons of this significant gender disparity through the Western lens and provides recommendations for the generation of emerging scholars as well as encouragement and support for the existing community of female scholars in STEM. Findings from this study offers insights into the ways to achieve gender equity in STEM disciplines. Furthermore, given that the government of Canada guided by a feminist foreign policy, supports efforts in Kazakhstan to enhance the effectiveness of its policies by making them more inclusive and gender-responsive, (Government of Canada, 2020), my research can potentially inform such policy-level engagement by illustrating specific mechanisms of othering and gender-based discrimination, as well as acts of resistance by women. Thus, my research will build a bridge of understanding between the scholars of Global North and Global South and will facilitate a deeper understanding and more extensive knowledge about centering women and gender minorities in STEM disciplines.

References

Acker, J. (2006). Inequality regimes. Gender & Society, 20(4), 441–464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243206289499

Eagly, A. H. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573–598. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.109.3.573

Etikan, İ., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11

Golsteijn, C., & Wright, S. (2013). Using narrative research and portraiture to inform design research. In Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 298–315). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40477-1_19

Government of Canada. (2020, February 13). Canada-Kazakhstan relations. GAC. https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/kazakhstan/relations.aspx?lang=eng

Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2013). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y

Urbaeva, J. (2019). Opportunity, social mobility, and women’s views on gender roles in Central Asia. Social Work, 64(3), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swz011

ABSTRACT. As a K–12 health and physical education specialist, I initially felt lost among a group of computer science- and technology-focused colleagues in the first year of my doctoral program in the Learning Sciences. However, I learned to apply constructs readily discussed within the Learning Sciences to physical and health education in new and meaningful ways. While the Learning Sciences regularly invites discussion regarding pedagogy related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, I propose that physical and health education is missing from this list. I make this argument from the perspective of an interpretivist, applying aspects of complexity thinking principles to the health and wellness of students and teachers. Complexity thinking involves recognizing the interconnected nature of various systems and the interactions within those systems (Davis et al., 2015). This perspective fosters understanding that complex systems interact, affect circumstance, and influence the health and wellness of individuals (Taylor, 2024). Furthermore, this thinking encourages us to recognize students as individuals who learn and may play many roles in their lives (e.g., student, child, athlete, sibling, and/or volunteer, to name a few). Similarly, teachers are individuals who teach and may play many roles as well (e.g., teacher, partner, child, parent, volunteer, and/or friend). Complexity thinking allows us to consider the nuances in working to understand the health and wellness of individuals, creating space to explore critical sociocultural systems aligning with discussions of equity, including social determinants of health such as race, socioeconomic status, childhood experiences, gender, and culture. In the various roles teachers and students play, health and wellness can be influenced, requiring school communities to consider a transdisciplinary, systems approach to supporting the health and wellness of students and teachers. According to proponents of health promotion in school constructs such as the internationally recognized, researched, and adopted Comprehensive School Health framework (Heesch et al., 2020; Kolbe, 2019; World Health Organization & United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, n.d.), supporting the health and wellness of teachers and students fosters academic achievement (Canadian Healthy Schools Alliance, 2021). This places physical and health education in an important position when working to understand how to affect teaching and learning. The mental health crisis in youth (Conference Board of Canada, 2023) and teacher burnout (Madigan et al., 2023) can be considered wicked problems. Wicked problems are those that lack a clear solution or cause. Rittel and Webber (1973) stated that “every specification of [a wicked] problem is a specification of the direction in which a treatment is considered” (p. 161). With a complexity thinking lens, we can recognize stressors at interactions within and between systems, or “trans-systemically”, and tailor solutions accordingly (Taylor, 2024); Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) nested systems can be useful scaffolding for this work (Taylor, 2024). Complexity thinking offers one example as to how constructs commonly discussed within STEM can be meaningfully applied within physical and health education. However, the embrace of physical and health education in the Learning Sciences is not for the purpose of validating this discipline. Rather, this argument serves to better support those who learn and teach in schools.

ABSTRACT. Learning is inherently political (Philip et al., 2017). STEM education, in particular, has been illustrated to be epistemologically complex, locally emergent and ideologically and geopolitically rooted (Shanahan et al., 2016; Takeuchi et al., 2021). For example, in the US, the emergence of STEM as an educational construct has long been tied to economic, nationalistic and militaristic agendas (Shanahan et al., 2016). English-language Western educational systems in nations with vast geopolitical influence—where STEM emerged as an educational construct—have shaped the professional practice, policy and scholarship of STEM education in many other countries (Takeuchi et al., 2021). These influences are often visible in the texts that define STEM education experiences, such as curricula, government policies and classroom materials (Bazzul, 2014). This study focuses on making visible the underlying ideologies and geopolitical agendas and influences on STEM education at the secondary levels in Bangladesh, India and Canada. We used critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2003) and DuBois’ (2007) stance triangle to examine a collection of educational policy documents from Bangladesh (National Education Policy, 2010), India (National Educational Plan, 2020) and Canada (Alberta Program of Studies, Gr 7 – 9). We present a comparative analysis of policy documents at the national and/or provincial levels that shape the praxis of STEM education in these countries. Our analysis reveals how underlying ideologies of imperialism and coloniality, global economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and a focus on human wellbeing are simultaneously shaping both conceptualizations and praxis of STEM education. Our study contributes to the growing literature on decolonization (Takeuchi et al., 2021) and contrapuntality (Philip & Sengupta, 2021) in STEM and computing education.

References

Alberta Education. (2014). Science Grades 7-8-9 Program of Studies. https://education.alberta.ca/media/3069389/pos_science_7_9.pdf

Bazzul, J. (2014) Critical Discourse Analysis and Science Education Texts: Employing Foucauldian Notions of Discourse and Subjectivity, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 36(5), 422-437.

Du Bois, J. W. (2007). The stance triangle. Stancetaking in discourse: Subjectivity, evaluation, interaction, 164(3), 139-182.

Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. Psychology Press.

Ministry of Education, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. (2010). National Education Policy 2010. https://moedu.gov.bd/site/page/318a22d2-b400-48a7-8222-303ab11cc205/National-Education-Policy-2010-

Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. https://www.education.gov.in/nep/about-nep#:~:text=National%20Education%20Policy%2C%202020&text=The%20NEP%202020%20is%20founded,the%20present%20and%20the%20future.

Philip, T. M., & Sengupta, P. (2021). Theories of learning as theories of society: A contrapuntal approach to expanding disciplinary authenticity in computing. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 30(2), 330-349.

Shanahan, M. C., Carol-Ann Burke, L. E., & Francis, K. (2016). Using a boundary object perspective to reconsider the meaning of STEM in a Canadian context. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 16, 129-139.

Takeuchi, M. A., Sengupta, P., Shanahan, M. C., Adams, J. D., & Hachem, M. (2020). Transdisciplinarity in STEM education: A critical review. Studies in Science Education, 56(2), 213-253.

ABSTRACT. This paper will demonstrate how we can support transdisciplinarity in STEM education in formal and informal learning spaces by utilising the transmedia aspects of analog games and their redesign. This paper is based on the findings of two different but related studies utilising game redesign. The first was in an informal learning environment, the family home, with intergenerational family groups during the COVID-19 lockdown. The second was in a formal learning environment; where over one hundred middle school students worked in groups in STEM and humanities classrooms. Both projects were designed to observe if and how analog game redesign supported the integration and leveraging of the learners' culture toward their learning goals. We observed some of the study participants intentionally engaged in transmedia worldbuilding and storytelling with their game redesigns. For those participants the ability to set their games within fictional worlds they already valued increased their project and curricular engagement.

ABSTRACT. How to infuse Indigenous knowledge and wisdom into science teaching? As educators for future elementary school teachers, we are often faced with this question. In Alberta, teachers have to integrate Indigenous voices in all subjects (Alberta Education, 2023). In our experience, pre-service teachers are especially uncertain and confused regarding how to integrate Indigenous knowledge in the science and technology teaching practices. This presentation is the result of a collaboration between a professor specialized in intercultural education and a professor specialized in science education, positioning themselves as in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples (Kluttz et al., 2020), in an attempt to decolonize the practices of pre-service teachers at the university level (Gaudry & Lorenz, 2018). In order to bring together Western and Indigenous perspectives into science teaching, and challenge students’ epistemic stance on scientific knowledge (Aikenhead, 2006), we have chosen to develop an educational unit on astronomy, in collaboration with an Indigenous Elder.

In the new Alberta science curriculum, Teachers from grades 4 to 6 are expected to teach different astronomical phenomena from a Western perspective as well as with an Indigenous lens. Despite the fact that astronomy has been part of the Canadian Science Education curricula for a few decades, many obstacles to its implementation in class persist. Frède (2017, 2019), Chastenay (2018) mention that the construction of astronomical knowledge in Western countries remains difficult. The lack of material and the abstract nature of the subject as well as the student’s cultural perspective are cited as being important hurdles for teachers.

In this presentation, we address our journey leading to the creation of this educational plan dedicated to teaching astronomy. We will explain our theoretical framework, anchored in a transsystemic approach (Battiste & Henderson, 2021) also referred to as two-eyed seeing (Bartlett et al., 2012). Inspired by the Indigenous ways of learning (Battiste, 2002, ), by their holistic and relational dimensions, and inspired by land-based learning (Cajete, 1994; Simpson, 2014; Wildcat et al., 2014) and storytelling (Archibald, 2008), we will report on the challenges we faced for the creation of this unit that aims to teach astronomy from both the Western and Indigenous perspectives. We will explain how we addressed these challenges in order to create an engaging unit plan for our students, and it shifted our own practices teaching science education.

ABSTRACT. Background and Purpose Facing complex issues including climate-change, geo-political unrest, increasing social divide, and the effects of war and displacement, now more than ever, students need opportunities to explore, critique, and deepen knowledge and understandings to imagine, act, and respond. Increasingly, age-appropriate curriculum materials are available for educators across subject areas and grade levels including the (M)athematics in STEM to address the effects of such social and ecological injustices (e.g., Bartell et al., 2023). Although these pre-packaged resources provide examples, they lack community context and nuances that teachers value for connecting with their students’ lives and interests. Yet, few research-based examples exist of teachers designing mathematics education curriculum to support students in using mathematics to make sense of, imagine, and enact change in the world. We ask: How do teachers design and implement social justice mathematics lessons, and what possibilities and challenges are experienced?

Methodology Three principles of data feminism (D’Iganzio and Klein, 2020) served as the framework for this collaborative study including examining and challenging power, elevating emotion, and rethinking binaries. Four educators as graduate students and their graduate supervisor drew upon this framework and others including Indigenous Storywork (Archibald, 2008) and ecological perspectives (Greenwood, 2013; Kimmerer, 2013). Over the course of four months educators created, and taught lessons focused on teaching math for social justice [TMfSJ] in their own educational contexts. Lesson topics from K-Gr. 12 involved students in analyzing accessibility by measuring; examining math, consumerism, and the environment; exploring data deficit in terms of what data gets counted; and challenging views and actions of human-supremacy for re-considering what counts as waste.

Data collected included multimedia lessons created by the educators, observations and reflections (field notes), photos and recordings of student engagement, and student feedback. We analyzed the data for similarities and differences in approaches to creating TMfSJ lessons and the challenges experienced.

Results and Conclusions Our results indicate that teachers can create meaningful curriculum materials for their students to use mathematics to make sense of their worlds. Very young children can engage in issues by examining power: who has it and who doesn’t, what gets counted and what doesn’t. For example, after noticing her students were interested in arachnids the Grade 2 teacher designed lessons to explore how arachnids are an integral part of the ecosystem and what is gained/lost in counting/not counting them in world species databases. For youth, social-media TikToks formed appropriate strategies to engage students in using mathematics to challenge dominant economic and ecological practices. One key finding teachers noted was that young children have visceral reactions to unfairness and injustice. And that teachers can channel students’ curiosities and emotions into inquiry and action for community good. Another key finding was how mathematics provided the needed background knowledge for students to deepen understandings allowing them to re-imagine issues and move to action. Our study provides examples of teachers co-creating mathematics curriculum with their students, curricula that helps understand and change the world.

ABSTRACT. Children start observing experiencing and learning from birth. The 3 years before pre-primary are the basic experience in developing STEM foundations, understanding of basics and skills using their intuitive problem solving. The child begins interacting in their immediate surroundings with objects in particular. These STEM-Experiences (E) develop[progressively with practice through problem solving as the child engages in their free choice play, they learn the basic ‘unit of science, engineering and maths- number and shapes in particular through their play activities. These basic units stand as STEM PHONICS, which need learning through experiences through hands on experiences and then contribute to concept acquisition employed in their problem solving challenges in their play.

ABSTRACT. The utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a pedagogical instrument in STE(A)M education holds significant potential, contributing positively to students' problem-solving abilities, critical thinking skills, innovative thinking capabilities, interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition, and career decision-making (Bhuyan et al.,2020; Chen et al.,2018; Jia et al.,2021; Tezza et al.,2020). However, limited research has been conducted on the effects of incorporating smart drone technology into STEM education in terms of students' Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In light of this, the present study employed AI perception and computer vision technology to develop a comprehensive drone course consisting of six thematic units, aiming to investigate its efficacy in enhancing primary school students' attitudes towards AI learning, motivation, self-efficacy, and collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills.

ABSTRACT. This study describes a STEM action research project aimed at improving access to high-quality STEM education throughout British Columbia (BC), Canada. This project is a timely response to the current demands for teacher-researcher-practitioner STEM collaborations ranging from K-16 education to teacher training and community outreach. Moreover, the challenge posed by the surge in online graduate programs underscores the necessity of adopting research-informed pedagogies and effectively engaging diverse students, including refugees and Indigenous students. The project's key objective was the expansion and transformation of the UBC-based David Robitaille International STEM Network (https://dfr.stemnetwork.educ.ubc.ca/) into a comprehensive provincial STEM education network. This expansion involves the process of identifying and building connections with a variety of STEM education entities within BC, including post-secondary institutions, museums, outreach programs, and community organizations. To facilitate this collaboration, two virtual symposiums were organized. The first symposium laid the groundwork for collaborative engagement among these diverse stakeholders. It provided a platform for discussing community needs, challenges in STEM education, and joint funding opportunities. This event significantly contributed to promoting mutual understanding and commitment towards enriching STEM education province-wide. A post-symposium survey revealed a few key concerns that included: limited STEM outreach funding, difficulties in assessing the impact of STEM activities, and time constraints faced by educators in implementing STEM curricula. Identifying ‘Assessment and Evaluation of STEM Activities' Impact" as an area requiring immediate focus, the second symposium was dedicated to brainstorming potential collaborative research initiatives on this particular aspect. The collaboration aided in refining the potential projects into three key research arenas that crystallized into three primary research topics: Sustainable Community Engagement for Enhanced STEM Assessment, Assessment Strategies for Enhanced STEM Education, and Capacity Building for STEM Outreach Professionals for Advanced Practices in STEM Assessment. The overarching goal of this initiative was not only to identify immediate concerns but also establish a foundation for sustainable and impactful solutions through collaborative initiatives. The next phase of the project is targeted towards setting up lasting province-wide collaborations to secure grants for the identified research areas. This involves connecting potential collaborators and aligning their interests and expertise with the proposed research themes, thereby cultivating a collaborative action research ecosystem. Each participant's unique insights and skills are crucial in forming a holistic strategy to tackle the challenges in STEM education. However, since the identified issues are so big, none of the individual participants can solve them in isolation. By nurturing relationships with diverse STEM education communities, the project aspires to create a vibrant network that fosters innovation and generates meaningful outcomes. This multifaceted approach ensures that the proposed research endeavors not only address pressing issues but also contribute substantially to the future progress of STEM education in BC. Through sustained collaboration, the BC STEM education network aims to become a driving force for positive transformation, advocating for quality, equality, and excellence in STEM education across the province.

ABSTRACT. EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) has become a compulsory element for post-secondary STEM learning environments where diverse learners with varied cultural, linguistic, learning needs are welcomed. Although EDIA is receiving much attention on university agendas, STEM classrooms frequently fail to include diverse learners equally, which is affecting their sense of belonging, active participation, and equal contribution in the classroom and workplace. The paper proposes an inclusive pedagogical framework based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP). The framework will integrate EDIA into teaching practices, curriculum design, governance structures to foster an equitable and accessible STEM environment for learners from all different backgrounds. It will bridge STEM pedagogy with institutional cultures, which is an essential requirement for creating an inclusive classroom and workforce. To address the key issues related to EDIA, all stakeholders in STEM must work together in a single direction. Ongoing feedback from different stakeholders will be incorporated through an iterative design for continuous improvements and adjustments in this framework. This framework will allow teachers, students, policymakers, practitioners to express their perspectives and bring about a positive change in STEM education. Finally, this paper will contribute to the critical discussion in the fields of EDIA and STEM education.

ABSTRACT. Although extensive researchers have studied how project-based learning affects students’ creativity, there remains a lack of consensus on its potential positive influence on students’ creativity. This study explored the impact of project-based learning on students’ creativity and the influence of moderating variables in project-based learning on students’ creativity.

ABSTRACT. Against a rapidly changing landscape of learning technologies, educators are faced with expanding options for engagement, assessment, delivery, and more. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated development and adoption, resulting in continued hybrid and blended learning within higher education. Many educators seek to increase experiential learning within their classrooms, working to bridge theoretical knowledge and practical application through problem-based learning (Tan & Ng, 2012). Even while integrating technology, it is important that educators continue to focus on established best practices such as student mindset, motivation, and teacher-directed instruction (Mourshed, et. al, 2017). While educational technologies may promote experiential learning (Tüchler, 2021; Liberatore, et. al, 2020), they may also introduce challenges including steep learning curves, implementation and training requirements, lack of troubleshooting resources, and impact on accessibility (Hunter, 2015). This study examined the integration of a browser-based interactive textbook for active learning sessions within an introductory programming course.

ENDG 233 is required for all first-year engineering students at SSE, with a yearly cohort of approximately 1000 students. It is taught as a flipped course, meaning that syntax and theory are taught through videos ahead of active learning studio sessions where students practice their coding skills in real-time with the instructor. An interactive zyBook (a brand of Wiley) has been used since Fall 2021 to supplement student learning. This resource was divided into two separate experiences. The “zyBook textbook” included course notes used in the videos, as well as more detailed practice problems. The other half of the platform was called “zyLabs” and was provided to students through faculty funding. Instructors guided students through weekly exercises that included automated feedback and real-time help for problem-solving and syntax. A formative and collaborative approach was used to build student confidence. A survey was conducted in 2021 and 2023 to understand the students’ experience with the zyBook and zyLabs platforms. Results between the two years were consistent and are presented in aggregate (total n = 217, 2021n = 121, 2023n = 96).

Overall, students preferred the experiential aspects of live coding with automated feedback, balancing their ability to use digital tools while interacting directly with an instructor. 94% agreed or strongly agreed that hands-on application helps them learn technical concepts, and 73% said that personal interaction with the instructor is important. Students were more likely to agree that their most effective learning occurred during the active learning sessions (69%) rather than with the online lecture content (38%). Both groups rated the zyLabs and the studio sessions as the most useful study tool in the course when compared with the videos, quizzes, zyBook notes, discussion boards, and faculty tutoring supports. 90% agreed that the zyLabs helped support their learning, and that the zyLabs helped them to understand the course content. The zyBook was a bit more polarizing. Only 58% of survey respondents said they purchased the book and only 51% felt it was a useful purchase. Feedback from this survey will be used to continue refining the course as the experiential components are expanded for 2024.

ABSTRACT. STEM education refers to the education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which originated in the United States. To properly localize STEM education, it is not only necessary to improve the form in line with China's environment, but also to make reasonable adjustments to its educational value in line with the needs of China's education reform, so as to better develop students' core literacy. To carry out the fundamental task of moral cultivation. This study focuses on STEM extracurricular activities in middle school, that is, students' participation in relevant activities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and related cross-fields outside of compulsory courses, aiming to explore the influence of STEM extracurricular activities in middle school on various aspects of engineering students' high school and university stages. In this study, 7 engineering freshmen from Shanghai Jiao Tong University were interviewed, and it was preliminarily found that STEM extracurricular activities in middle school had a great impact on students' interest in middle school, and thus had a great impact on students' choice of university. Although it had no obvious impact on students' academic ability, it had a great impact on their comprehensive quality. Such as practical ability, cooperative spirit and other aspects will have a positive effect.

ABSTRACT. Integrating STEM subjects including computing and artificial intelligence is considered a challenging and yet necessary task for K-12 education. We proposed a logic based approach to integrating the teaching and learning of STEM subjects in a seamless and coherent manner. The logic based approach has proven to be effective when we develop integrated curriculum in the context of science at middle school level (called LPK12), data science at high school level (called LogicDS), and chemistry at college level (called iChemistry). Preliminary experiments on LPK12 and LogicDS has shown promising results on students' learning. In this symposia, we will report the logic based approach, an example data science curriculum based on this approach, a study of the impact of LPK12 on students’ learning and the development and validation of an assessment for logic based abstraction.

ABSTRACT. The wide application of ICT in teaching is gradually changing the traditional teaching mode, significantly improving the teaching methods and means. It is of great significance to cultivate and enhance teachers’ ICT competency. STEM education encompasses single disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and an integrated education based on disciplinary knowledge to train students to use interdisciplinary knowledge to analyze and solve societal problems. ICT is an important component of STEM education and an essential teaching method in STEM education. Exciting literature proved that STEM teachers’ ICT competency is the key to promoting the deep integration of ICT in STEM education. The ICT can help STEM classrooms break through time and space constraints, expand practice methods, and play an active role in all aspects of STEM teaching, including classroom design, teaching and learning, and evaluation. The development of STEM education in China has a relatively short history, but all sectors of society attach great importance to the implementation and development of STEM education. The development of ICT has brought a new direction for STEM education and also put forward higher requirements for STEM teachers’ ICT competency. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate and study the current situation and level of STEM teachers’ ICT competency in China to provide a basis for further training and development. The TPACK framework is commonly used to evaluate teachers’ ICT competency as it can reflect better in the knowledge/ability dimension. Therefore, this study mainly adopts a quantitative research method and designs a corresponding questionnaire based on the TPACK framework to investigate and research the level of STEM teachers’ ICT competency in China. The questionnaire scores and collects data on the overall situation of STEM teachers’ ICT competency through a 5-point Likert scale, and then uses the data analysis software to analyze the specifics of STEM teachers’ ICT competency in the TPACK dimensions. Preliminary analysis based on the data from the pre-survey found that the overall scores of Chinese STEM teachers’ ICT competency is at a relatively good level. However, there are relatively apparent differences in the TPACK dimensions. A follow-up survey with a larger sample will be conducted to obtain more comprehensive data, supplement and correct the preliminary survey results, and obtain more accurate data and findings. This study aims to investigate the overall level of Chinese STEM teachers’ ICT competency and to analyze the specifics of their TPACK dimensions. STEM teachers’ ICT competency is significant to implementing and promoting STEM education. Investigating and studying their ICT competency can help researchers provide innovative and practical suggestions for the targeted cultivation and enhancement of STEM teachers’ ICT competency.

ABSTRACT. Student motivation is essential for engagement in meaningful learning, particularly when it involves connection to their local context/environment. In this way, science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) based subjects benefit from continued student interest, engagement and motivation because in this discipline understanding can be connected to individual students’ daily life experiences. Thus, the more students continue with STEM based subjects, the more promising that there is a future of STEM based workforce. The study employed an investigative case study approach where Form three (Grade 11) students from a mixed day secondary school, experienced contextual science learning that involved a full day interaction with Jua Kali1 artisans at a local Jua Kali shade/workshop. While in the workshop, the students interacted freely with the artisans and asked questions related to production activities and products. Back in school, groups were interviewed as a way to discern their understanding of the science imbedded in the Jua Kali production activities and products. The girls, who often are minority in the STEM field and often drop out from science classes at this stage in education, were able to participate in discussions even with teachers for the first time. They freely discussed any activities or production related to cooking e.g. cooking ovens/charcoal stoves. Thus, for the first time, the mixed day secondary school saw the girls’ performance in KCSE improve. In two subsequent years, a total of 41 and 36 female students sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in the years Y1 and Y2 respectively. The mean scores for science subjects were Mathematics (4.1±1.9), Physics (4.0±0.8), Chemistry (4.4±0.3) and Biology (4.4±1.4) in Y1. In Y2, the mean scores were Mathematics (5.0±2.5), Physics (6.0±0.4), Chemistry (5.2±0.3) and Biology (5.8±1.8). The difference in performance of the girls in KCSE between Y1 and Y2 was statistically significant (all p<0.05). The outcomes of this study point to the need to change and employ teaching strategies that involve students’ local environment and cultural practices as these do enhance motivation and positive attitude towards learning of STEM subjects. Key words; Jua Kali, contextual, curricula, Positive attitude, motivation

ABSTRACT. In 2022, the unveiling of ChatGPT marked a significant milestone in the realm of language models, showcasing its remarkable ability to comprehend natural languages and generate human-like text to address queries and provide solutions across a wide range of subjects. As the emergence of this advanced AI technology permeates various facets of human life, it has sparked a profound debate surrounding its implications on society. This mania of ChatGPT discourse has been well-spotlighted on Twitter. Mentions of ChatGPT on this social media platform surged from a handful to surpassing half a million discussions within the first two months of its release, and notably, in the ongoing discussion of ChatGPT, education has emerged as a dominant theme, exceeding other professional domains in frequency and intensity (Fütterer et al., 2023). In higher education, ChatGPT’s arrival has elicited diverse reactions. Some view it as an opportunity to revolutionize teaching and learning, promising enhanced engagement and understanding, facilitating asynchronous communication and overcoming access barriers in distance learning (Lee, 2023; Rasul et al., 2023; Firat, 2023). Despite these potential benefits, some university instructors remain hesitant to integrate ChatGPT into their daily teaching routines (Iqbal et al., 2022). Teachers voice concerns over the perceived threats to academic integrity, the disruption of traditional teaching methods, and potential adverse effects on the inclusiveness and diversity of higher education (Cotton et al., 2023; Yang, 2023), questioning the appropriate role of AI in education. This reluctance might also stem from worries about job displacement, insufficient training and support, and apprehensions about the impacts on learners’ deep learning, including the perceived risk of diminishing their critical thinking skills (Adeshola & Adepoju, 2023). Nonetheless, drawing from lessons learned from past disruptive technologies, the resistance to the innovation brought forth by ChatGPT may lead to counterproductive outcomes (Eager & Brunton, 2023), especially given the growing acceptance among younger generations towards AI tools in education (Pew Research Center, 2023; von Garrel & Mayer, 2023). Contextualized in the higher education environments, the sector should proactively respond to these emerging changes by fostering innovation and sustainability, rather than defensively reacting to the inevitable shifts characterised by both opportunities and risks (Abad-Segura et al., 2020), and educators need to appreciate that they will co-work with machines in future (Adeshola & Adepoju, 2023). Given its short existence, there is a lack of in-depth research exploring university teachers’ attitudes, perceptions and intentions towards ChatGPT usage for instructional purposes. Hence, the present study is designed to investigate the factors influencing teachers’ adoption of ChatGPT for teaching purposes. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989), extensively studied in the realm of teachers' technology integration (Teo, 2009), is adopted as a baseline model. Meta-analyses of studies utilizing the TAM have consistently underscored its robust predictive capability for teachers' intentions to adopt technology (Scherer et al., 2019; Scherer & Teo, 2019). In the current study, the TAM is extended to include teachers' perceptions of the role of AI in education and their risk aversion, ensuring that the conceptual model aligns with the specific research context. Survey data from 257 university teachers across 28 countries and regions were analyzed to test the validity of the proposed model. The research findings aim to illuminate teachers' responses towards ChatGPT, encouraging a proactive attitude towards integrating AI in educational settings and enabling higher education institutions to adeptly navigate the array of opportunities and challenges presented by this technology.

ABSTRACT. Student engagement is a vital component of effective teaching and learning, as stated by Lee Schulman: “Learning begins with student engagement” (Schulman, 2002). Despite its significance, achieving optimal student engagement remains a challenge in the classroom, particularly in mathematics courses. The 3-Act Task, pioneered by Myer (2011), has garnered praise from educators for its ability to enhance engagement and collaborative learning. In this approach, Act 1 introduces a compelling scenario, prompting students to generate questions aimed at revealing the underlying mathematical principles; Act 2 involves students in seeking information and formulating answers to the core question; and in Act 3, the teacher facilitates discussion and provides solutions. The positive reviews of the 3-Act approach have primarily been from the perspective of teachers. We sought to address the question: Do students favor the 3-Act Tasks over conventional methods? This study presents a 3-Act Task created and implemented in a grade 7 math class at a Metro Vancouver independent school. In a video clip, two containers were shown, both rectangular prisms, with one taller but narrower than the other. Despite the different dimensions, a sheet of paper wrapped around one container exactly covers the other, prompting most students to assume equal lateral areas implied equal volume. By pouring liquid into the containers, students observed that although the lateral areas were equal, the volumes differed. In Act 1, students came up with the core question, how to explain the difference in volumes? In Act 2, finding the relevant information to answer the question was a big challenge for the majority, as they seemed perplexed about where to begin. In conventional problem solving, they would be given the dimensions of the prism and formulas and asked to find the volume. Working in teams, they were able to complete the task. After Act 3 and going over students’ answers, there was one survey question: Which method of teaching do you prefer: a) Traditional, b) New (3-Act Task), and c) No preference. Then students were asked to explain what they liked or disliked about the 3-Act method. Turning to the results and discussing our observation of students’ reactions. Of the 18 students surveyed, two students remained neutral, four expressed a preference for the 3-Act method, and the majority (11 students) favored the traditional instruction, citing reasons such as confidence in learning from the teacher and the process of 3-Act task stressful. One student acknowledged the benefits of the method and also expressed concern about the teacher’s role, stating: “Through this method it gets your brain to think more but it also defeats the purpose of a teacher because then the student is doing everything.” This study reflects a prevalent inclination toward the traditional perception of the teacher as the primary source of knowledge. While the 3-Act task offers a valuable opportunity for engagement, its success requires careful consideration of student preferences and cultural contexts. Additionally, utilizing student engagement is essential to promote both conceptual understanding and the acquisition of procedural skills necessary for mathematical proficiency.