Author(s):
Need: Preparing STEM-focused elementary school teachers is integral to providing K-8 students with STEM education and experiences (Russo et al., 2011). One way to foster elementary school teachers’ STEM preparation is to promote their awareness of habits of mind that connect STEM disciplines in problem-solving situations (Pawilen & Yuzon, 2019; Honey et al., 2014).
Guiding Inquiries: The term habit of mind describes thinking dispositions in response to problems or difficulties (Costa & Kallick, 2000). The phrase STEM habits of mind captures the idea that in problem-solving contexts, STEM-literate individuals demonstrate relevant content and critical thinking skills (Boersma & Klyve, 2013). STEM habits of mind are interpreted as one’s ability to reason to produce a response to a problem, together with the ability to communicate one’s reasoning and solution development. Maiorca and Roberts (2022) describe STEM habits of mind as practices and ways of thinking that contribute to effective problem-solving across STEM disciplines. For example, practices of engaging in iterative cycles of identifying, explaining, exploring problems, identifying challenges, envisioning and exploring multiple possible solution methods and their implications, making decisions based on evidence, drawing on multiple knowledge bases, identifying essential factors and assumptions on which the solution development rests, selecting useful tools for a given problem situation, looking for structure across problems and solutions, or assessing the reasonableness of the proposed solution, to name some.
Outcomes: This poster will report on a research and development project that produced curricular materials for use in an undergraduate mathematics problem-solving course for teacher candidates (TCs) to support TCs’ learning about STEM thinking in elementary mathematics classrooms. The overarching framework for designing instructional activities that facilitate PTs’ learning about shared practices and ways of thinking in STEM-based problem-solving will be presented with examples of designed problems and class activities. The impact of the designed activities on PTs’ learning will also be discussed using data from various artifacts of PTs work and interviews with individual PTs. Specifically, (1) the nature of STEM-based ways of thinking PTs develop and demonstrate in their own work while engaged with open-ended contextual problems that cross the boundaries of STEM disciplines and (2) PTs’ orientations for fostering STEM thinking in elementary school classrooms.
Broader Impact: The project provides resources that can broaden elementary teachers’ access to a more authentic experience with STEM integration in undergraduate mathematics courses. By doing so, the project contributes to building a pipeline of STEM-focused elementary school teachers. It provides a model for designing instruction that facilitates PTs’ first-hand experiences with STEM integration in mathematics and fosters PTs’ understanding of STEM thinking in problem-solving contexts. Consequently, the project plays a critical role in broadening the participation of K-8 students in STEM, preparing a diverse and globally competitive STEM workforce, and promoting a broader understanding of STEM education in the context of teacher education.
