Integrative STEM Education for Teachers of Young Students

对将STEM融入到教学中充满热情和信心的幼儿教育工作者，对于让学生及早参与并激励他们走上成为下一代STEM创新者、工作者和有知识的公民的道路至关重要。这个探索和设计参与式学生学习项目将面向米尔斯维尔大学的本科生，作为他们从幼儿园到四年级(PK-4)教师准备计划的一部分，他们将学习辅修综合STEM(ISTEM)教育。辅修课程的设计将使他们具备将STEM概念整合到PK-4课程中的知识、技能和信心。该项目将调查iSTEM计划中选定的以研究为基础的部分，并有可能产生数据，为其他PK-4教师准备计划提供参考，这些计划希望培养拥有工具包的教育工作者，向他们参与的早期小学生打开科学、技术、工程和数学的世界。这个项目将建立五个以研究为基础的方案特征，旨在提高教师候选人的STEM综合技能、理解和观点。调查的特点将包括：发展STEM实验室和资源中心，使学习者参与基于问题、基于探究和基于设计的学习体验的课程工作，以加深对STEM概念的理解，STEM在小学的重点实践，STEM专业发展机会，以及获得STEM相关社区资源。该项目的总体目标是确定米勒斯维尔大学辅修课程中的哪个部分(S)对本科生在非iSTEM教育课程中整合iSTEM概念/技能的能力、他们在个人和职业生活中寻找STEM机会的动机以及他们的STEM观点影响最大。ISTEM辅修课程的本科生将与没有选择ISTEM辅修课程的PK-4教师准备本科生进行比较。研究人员将调查密歇根大学iSTEM项目的哪些基于研究的特征是最重要的转型元素，这些元素可能会增加修完辅修课程的本科生在未来课堂上有效整合iSTEM技术的可能性。通过评估哪些功能具有最大的影响，研究人员将能够就如何在其他教师培训机构复制这些结果提出建议，从而有助于理解如何更好地将PK-4教师培养成有能力和热情的iSTEM教育者。

Early childhood educators who are enthusiastic and confident in integrating STEM into their teaching are crucial to engaging students early and motivating them along a path to become the next generation of STEM innovators, workers, and knowledgeable citizens. This Exploration and Design for Engaged Student Learning project will target Millersville University undergraduates enrolled in a teaching integrative STEM (iSTEM) education minor as part of their Pre-kindergarten to grade 4 (PK-4) teacher preparation program. The minor will be designed to prepare them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to integrate STEM concepts across the PK-4 curriculum. The project will investigate selected research-based components of the iSTEM program and has the potential to result in data that can inform other PK-4 teacher preparation programs which want to prepare educators who are equipped with a toolkit to open the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the early elementary students they engage. This project will establish five research-based programmatic features that are designed to enhance teacher candidates' integrative STEM skills, understandings, and perspectives. The features investigated will include: development of an iSTEM Laboratory and Resource Center, coursework that engages learners in problem-based, inquiry-based, and design-based learning experiences that build deeper understandings of STEM concepts, STEM focused practicums in elementary schools, STEM professional development opportunities, and access to STEM-related community resources. The overarching goal of this project is to determine which component(s) of the iSTEM minor at Millersville University have the greatest impact on undergraduates' ability to integrate iSTEM concepts/skills in non-iSTEM education courses, their motivation to seek out STEM opportunities in their personal and professional lives, and their STEM perspectives. Undergraduates in the iSTEM minor will be compared to PK-4 teacher preparation undergraduates who did not choose the iSTEM minor. Researchers will investigate which research-based features of MU's iSTEM program are the most significant transformational elements that may increase the likelihood that undergraduates who complete the minor will effectively integrate iSTEM techniques in their future classrooms. By evaluating which features have the maximum impact, researchers will be able to make recommendations on how to replicate these outcomes at other teacher preparation institutions, thereby contributing to an understanding of how to better prepare PK-4 teachers as competent and passionate iSTEM educators.