The ADAPTATIONS blog advances research toward and replication of what works
in the education of STEM teachers for high-need school districts through sharing of evidence-based innovations
to encourage adaption and move forward collective evolution of effective preparation.
Teacher Professional Development Programs Integrating Science and Language with Multilingual Learners
A Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012) served as the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS; NGSS Lead States, 2013a). During the past decade, 20 states and the District of Columbia adopted the NGSS, and 28 additional states developed their own standards based on the Framework. The NGSS are expected... Read MoreThe Rock Cycle as a Metaphor for Developing STEM Teacher Leaders
Recently, STEM teachers have been afforded more opportunities to grow as leaders, such as through the Noyce Track 3 Master Teaching Fellows (MTF) program. However, as Poekart (2012) noted, the movement from teacher to teacher leader requires a “profound identity shift” (p. 174). Not enough research exists that delves deeply into how this identity shift... Read MorePositioning Universities to Recruit and Train STEM Teachers Who Stay in Rural Schools: A Collaborative Approach
One half of U.S. school districts are rural, and 20% of U.S. students are educated in schools classified as rural (Showalter et al., 2019). There are many reasons to teach in rural schools. From smaller class sizes to smaller communities, they offer the potential for teachers to foster ties with students and families (Barley &... Read MoreEmpowering Educators to Enact Equity Via Computational Thinking
Ever since Jeannette Wing’s seminal article (2006) on the growing importance of thinking computationally, there has been a significant push to infuse Computational Thinking (CT) into K-12 education. While the majority of those efforts have focused on helping students develop this emergent 21st century skill, our team has been exploring how to help educators apply... Read MoreCo-Constructing “Good Trouble:” Understanding and Supporting Teacher Practices for Rightful Presence in STEAM Classrooms
Over the past three years, like so many of you, our research team grappled with complex questions around how to become more intentional in our social justice research agenda. The year 2020 was a painful reminder of the persisting inequity and injustice for racially and ethnically minoritized groups in the United States (Romano, 2021; Sidik,... Read MoreWhere to Next? Recruitment, Retention, and Induction of Science Teachers
We are both fortunate to engage with and hear from science teachers working in different settings. They often share the joys of the profession, as well as the struggles they encounter. Most recently, we are hearing more about the struggles. There are shortages of teachers in schools–the result of teachers leaving the profession and fewer... Read MoreAdditional Posts
Technology in Teacher Education: Science, Society, and Students | March 21, 2023
What Image Comes to Your Mind When You Think of a “Doctor”? | February 15, 2023
Teaching the Teacher: Social Justice, Equity, and the Future of Science | January 18, 2023
Let’s Stop Saying that Math is the Universal Language | December 13, 2022
Productive Struggle: An Opportunity for In-Depth Mathematics Learning | November 9, 2022
Wherefore Art Thou, Physics Teacher? | October 19, 2022
Engineering Education for Autistic Children: Content, Pedagogy, and Assessment | September 19, 2022
Exploring Culturally Responsive Science Teaching Through Turbulence and Challenge: Starting a Multi-year Research Study During the Pandemic | August 9, 2022
Student-Centered Computing: Teaching Computer Science Using Culturally Authentic Practices | July 5, 2022
Elevating Voices, Catalyzing Change: A Partnership Approach to Supporting K-8 Mathematics Teacher Leaders | May 26, 2022
Lessons Learned from Running a Scholarship Program for Undergraduate Pre-Service STEM Teachers | April 26, 2022
Consider the Source(s): Supporting the Cultivation of Early Career STEM Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs | March 28, 2022
Using the T.R.U.T.H. Framework to Advance Inclusive and Equitable Pedagogy in Education | February 2, 2022
Prototyping the STEMM K-12 Teachers of 2042 – Is It Possible? | January 20, 2022
What Preservice Teachers and Teacher Educators Can Learn from Trajectories | December 8, 2021
Simulations as a Platform for Understanding and Improving Teachers’ Classroom Skills | November 3, 2021
Don’t Give Up on Algebra: Let’s Shift the Focus to Instruction | September 22, 2021
Seeing As to Become As: Professional Vision Evolution as Part of Teacher Leader Development | September 1, 2021
The Equitable Classroom: What’s the Mathematical Education of Teachers Got to Do with It? | August 11, 2021
Preparing Pre-service Teachers for Success in Linguistically Diverse Science Classrooms | June 2, 2021
Broadening the Equity Lens for STEM Teacher Education: The Invisibility of Disability | April 28, 2021
Centering Youth Lives in Science Teacher Education | April 13, 2021
Pushing the Boundaries of Practice-Based Teacher Education: How Can Online Simulated Classrooms Be Used Productively to Support STEM Teacher Learning? | March 30, 2021
Reimagining the STEM Education Pipeline for Teachers of Color | February 16, 2021
How Can STEM Disciplines and STEM Education Work in Concert to Address Systemic Racism and the COVID-19 Pandemic? Creating a New Normal for STEM Education | January 26, 2021
Seizing Opportunities in 2021: Building on What We Know | January 6, 2021
Assuming Brilliance in Boys of Color in Our STEM Education Classrooms | December 9, 2020
What Are Teachers Learning About the Science of Learning? | November 20, 2020
Program Evaluation Frameworks: Why Do They Matter? | November 4, 2020
How Can We Disrupt Ideologies Around Normalcy, Difference, and Identity that Dis/able Students in Mathematics Education? | October 14, 2020
How Do Teachers Learn to Work Against Oppressive Systems? | September 29, 2020
Supporting Newly Hired Science Teachers for Continuous Learning | September 8, 2020
How to Center Equity and Humanize the Process of Coming Back Together: A Focus on Joy and Justice in STEM Education | August 14, 2020
Growing STAR Teacher-Researchers | July 8, 2020
Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers’ Learning About Equity: Methods and Early Results of Our Study | June 17, 2020
Unconscious Bias in the Classroom: How Cultural Stereotypes Affect Teachers’ Assessment of Students’ Math Abilities | May 27, 2020
How Can We Prepare Teachers to Embed a Virtuous Cycle of Self-Evaluation into Their Practice? | May 6, 2020
Is This “TRE” for Me? A Review of the Literature on Teacher Research Experiences and Impact on K-12 STEM Classrooms | April 6, 2020
What Do Preservice Science Teachers Understand about Principles of Effective Teaching for Diverse Learners? | February 26, 2020
Four Things You Need to Know about STEM and Education for 2020 | January 21, 2020
How Can Pre-service STEM Teachers Enact Project-Based Learning for Authentic Community Engagement? | December 30, 2019
STEM Professional Development That Works | November 13, 2019
How Can Elementary Teachers Improve Their Ability to Run Productive Science Discussions? | October 28, 2019
Opportunity to Learn Mathematics: Time, Task, & Talk | October 9, 2019
Preparing Our Next Generation of Science Teachers: What Should a Science Teacher Know and Be Able to Do? | September 25, 2019
Preparing New Teachers: How Collaboration Across Professional Associations Can Advance Technology Infusion | August 7, 2019
Bulldozing the STEM Silos in Omaha While Engaging P-12 Teachers and Building Campus STEM Excellence | March 25, 2019
Return on Investment: How do we know if we are preparing teachers who are ready for today’s classrooms? | January 25, 2019
Reflecting On Our Roots – Part Seventeen: Teachers for the 21st Century | September 13, 2018