Wednesday 23 November 2022. 9:15am - 10:15am
Sun Jung Choia, Limin Jaoa, Midhat Kiyania, Cinzia Di Placidoa, Dawn Wisemanb
Professional learning communities: supporting interdisciplinary teaching in STEM
Contact Author: Sun Jung Choi (
aDepartment of Education, McGill University, H3A 0G4, Canada
bSchool of Education, Bishop’s University, J1M 1Z7, Canada
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Secondary school teachers often face challenges implementing an interdisciplinary approach to teaching having been trained to teach specific subject areas (e.g., science, math) (Shernoff et al., 2017). In this study, we explored how professional learning can support teachers through these challenges. Given the existing research citing the positive effects of professional learning communities (PLCs) on professional learning (Vangrieken et al., 2017), we specifically explored the question: How can a PLC support STEM teachers seeking to implement interdisciplinary teaching into their practice?
Osman Kasimua, Carol Murphya, Vesife Hatisarub, Robyn Reaburna
Exploring mathematics teachers experiences in a community of practice
Contact Author: Osman Kasimu (
aSchool of Education, University of Tasmania, Launceston Tasmania 7250, Australia
bSchool of Education, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup Western Australia 6027, Australia
BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Research studies have shown associations between teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the effectiveness of teaching in individual STEM subjects including mathematics (Beswick, & Fraser, 2019). Studies aiming at professional development have shown that teacher collaboration is effective in enhancing PCK (e.g., Evens et al., 2015). The notion of teachers learning within Communities of Practice (CoP) has seen growing interest in educational research (Jaworski et al, 2017), but less is known about teachers' experiences in a CoP. This study aimed to explore Junior High school mathematics teachers' experiences in a CoP and the impact of these experiences on their professional learning.
