Supporting in-service teachers’ STEM design practices: A learning community approach

Design plays a central role in integrated STEM approaches. However, there is limited knowledge of how teachers from different S-T-E-M disciplinary backgrounds practice STEM design. To address this knowledge gap, we examined the STEM design practices of a convenience sample of 26 in-service teachers who voluntarily participated in a 7-month-long STEM professional development programme, divided into 4 Learning Community (LC) groups. As part of this programme, teachers designed STEM modules in the context of Nanoscience-Nanotechnology. Qualitative analysis of the LC discussions (synchronous), forum posts (asynchronous), and the designed artefacts provided insights both in terms of ideas/themes that teachers mostly discussed, as well as the design activity of the individual teachers. Frequencies of teachers’ inductively coded design actions during the LC meetings were noted, described through design visualisations and were used to infer the centrality of ideas discussed and the centrality of members’ activity. This analysis showcased that modelling, technicalities, robotics, and sensors were some common themes discussed among the four cases. Regarding the impact of teachers’ backgrounds on the nature of their practices, it was found that STEM design centrality was not restricted to any disciplinary background. However, the activity of most mathematics teachers appeared peripheral. Finally, teachers tended to contribute to parts of the artefact that were closer to their disciplinary expertise, while a few boundary-crossing design practices were noted.