CAREER: ILETES: Informal Learning Environments in Teacher Education for STEM

该职业提案重点关注教师身份的发展，这些身份可操作为信仰和实践、行为和教学知识。PI使用定性的方法，发生在两个阶段，调查正式和非正式的合作对身份发展的影响随着时间的推移。这项研究是基于一个生态理论的方法，结合了非正式学习环境的观点，学习者驱动的和独特的学习者群体之间的意义，使经验提供与对象的互动机会。纵向研究设计包括收集一系列数据，包括教学和学习活动的观察，访谈，调查问卷，以及档案文件，如学生的工作和课堂经验的视频。PI使用叙事分析和扎根的理论方法，围绕非正式科学教育经验所告知的行为和教学知识，产生关于信念和实践的主题。研究结果和相关的教育活动告知该领域对将非正式科学活动融入科学教师教育的最佳实践的理解，包括为在非正式学习环境（ILE）中学习教学的STEM教师确定适当的支持。PI正在将研究结果纳入现有课程的修订以及为新教师和有经验的教师开发新课程和经验。该项目解决了对国际教育经验对专业发展影响的经验证据的需求，并将建设非正规科学机构和大学专业人员的能力，以提供有效的教师教育经验和新的教师支持。

This CAREER proposal focuses on the development of teachers' identities, which are operationalized as beliefs and practices, behaviors, and pedagogical knowledge. The PI uses a qualitative approach, occurring over two phases, to investigate the impact of formal-informal collaborations on identity development over time. The study is grounded in an ecological theoretical approach that incorporates a view of informal learning settings as learner-driven and unique in providing opportunities for interaction with objects during meaning-making experiences among groups of learners. The longitudinal research design includes collection of an array of data, including observations of teaching and learning activities, interviews, survey responses, and archival documents such as student work and videos of classroom experiences. The PI uses a narrative analysis and a grounded theoretical approach to generate themes about beliefs and practices around behaviors and pedagogical knowledge informed by informal science education experiences.Research findings and related educational activities inform the field's understanding of best practices of integrating informal science activities into science teacher education, including determining appropriate kinds of support for STEM teachers who learn to teach in informal learning environments (ILE). The PI is integrating research findings in the revision of existing courses and the development of new courses and experiences for both new and experienced teachers. The project addresses the need for empirical evidence of impacts of ILE experiences on professional development, and will build capacity of informal science institution and university professionals to provide effective teacher education experiences and new teacher support.