McFadden Justin R, Roehrig Gillian H
1University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292 USA.
2University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108 USA.
Int J STEM Educ. 2017;4(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s40594-017-0084-1. Epub 2017 Oct 6.
This study presents two teacher design teams (TDTs) during a professional development experience centered on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-integrated curriculum development. The main activity of the study, curriculum design, was framed as a design problem in order to better understand how teachers engaged with the complexities of integrated curriculum development. Additionally, Remillard's, (Review of Educational Research 75:211-246, 2005) teacher-curriculum "participatory relationship" provided a framework for further exploring teacher actions during the design process. Utilizing a case study research design, participant curriculum design conversations were audio-recorded for 12 days during a summer professional development experience. Constructed grounded theory and a method of selective coding revealed insights about the processes and supports that enable collaborative curriculum design.
Results showed that when a TDT is not prompted and/or enabled to first lay out and articulate the overall value of a STEM-integrated curriculum, they will rightly follow their intuitions as classroom teachers and engage in the process accordingly. Second, involving practicing teachers in the curriculum design process requires complete "participation" with the curriculum ideas they are contemplating because in the end, the curriculum's resultant lessons will be taught in their own and other teacher's classrooms.
The findings from this study indicate the importance of "pushing" active classroom teachers from the design to the mapping arena by instituting curriculum development activities and/or strategies (i.e., processes) that might help a TDT develop a "voice" (Remillard, From Text to 'Lived' Resources:105-122, 2011) or "value" (Dorst, Design Studies 22:4-17, 2006) for the curriculum under development. If members of a TDT are willing to reveal their interpretations, perceptions, and beliefs about the conceptual ideas embedded within the curriculum being developed, both the teachers and curriculum being developed will benefit. Finally, teachers should be made aware of their roles and responsibilities, beyond superficial descriptions; and understand participation in STEM-integrated curriculum design brings with it the likelihood their individual ideas, perceptions, and beliefs will be integrated within the curriculum being developed.
本研究展示了两个教师设计团队（TDT）在以科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）整合课程开发为核心的专业发展经历中的情况。该研究的主要活动——课程设计，被构建为一个设计问题，以便更好地理解教师如何应对整合课程开发的复杂性。此外，雷米拉德（《教育研究评论》75:211 - 246，2005年）提出的教师 - 课程“参与关系”为进一步探究设计过程中教师的行为提供了一个框架。采用案例研究设计，在一次暑期专业发展经历中，对参与者的课程设计对话进行了为期12天的录音。构建的扎根理论和选择性编码方法揭示了关于促进协作课程设计的过程和支持的见解。
结果表明，当一个教师设计团队没有被促使和/或没有能力首先阐述STEM整合课程的整体价值时，他们会理所当然地遵循自己作为课堂教师的直觉并相应地参与到这个过程中。其次，让在职教师参与课程设计过程需要他们完全“参与”他们正在思考的课程理念，因为最终，课程产生的教学内容将在他们自己以及其他教师的课堂上讲授。
本研究的结果表明，通过开展可能有助于教师设计团队为正在开发的课程形成一种“声音”（雷米拉德，《从文本到“鲜活”资源》：105 - 122，2011年）或“价值”（多斯特，《设计研究》22:4 - 17，2006年）的课程开发活动和/或策略（即过程），将积极的课堂教师从设计阶段“推进”到规划阶段具有重要意义。如果教师设计团队的成员愿意揭示他们对正在开发的课程中所蕴含的概念性理念的解释、看法和信念，那么教师和正在开发的课程都将受益。最后，应该让教师意识到他们的角色和责任，而不仅仅是表面的描述；并且要明白参与STEM整合课程设计意味着他们个人的想法、看法和信念很可能会融入到正在开发的课程中。
