Interpreting Teaching STEM Education to Pre-service Elementary Teachers Through Online Course
Abstract
Insufficient comprehension of integrated STEM learning has become one of the main difficulties for teachers in implementing STEM lessons at school due to lack of integrative STEM curriculum in teachers’ education programs. Therefore, the Elementary Teacher Education Program Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in Purwakarta offers STEM Education for Elementary course as an optional course to support 21st-century education at the elementary school level. However, due to the continued Covid-19 pandemic, during the second semester of the academic year 2020/2021, all courses in our program were entirely carried out online. Through the descriptive analysis method, this paper details how the 16-weeks course was enacted online with a varied delivery form. Forty-two pre-service teachers enrolled in the course. Data on the course implementation were gathered in the form of video recordings of the lesson, while students’ perception of the course delivery was captured through a course evaluation questionnaire. Results imply that the course includes a theoretical and practical session with teaching simulations and engineering challenges to model STEM teaching and learning to develop pre-service teacher’s STEM pedagogical and content knowledge. In addition, course evaluation suggests that after enrolling in the course, the pre-service teacher has positive perceptions of the course delivery.
Keywords: STEM education, pre-service elementary teachers, online course
References
[1] Guzey SS, Moore TJ, Harwell M, Moreno M. STEM integration in middle school life science: student learning and attitudes. J Sci Educ Technol. 2016;25(4):550–60.
[2] Yanyan L, Zhinan H, Menglu J, Wen CT. He effect on pupil’s science performance and problem-solving ability through lego: an engineering design-based modeling approach. J Educ Technol Soc. 2016;19(3):143–56.
[3] Hartini S, Mariani I, Misbah M, Sulaeman NF. Developing of students worksheets through STEM approach to train critical thinking skills. J Phys Conf Ser. 2020;1567(4):42029.
[4] Siekman G. What is STEM? The need for unpacking its definitions and applications. Adelaide (SA): National Centre for Vocational Education Research; 2016.
[5] Hanif S, Wijaya AF, Winarno N. Enhancing students’ creativity through STEM projectbased learning. Journal of Science Learning. 2019;2(2):50–7.
[6] Nuraeni F, Permanasari A, Riandi. “Collaboration skills of 8th grade secondary students in science learning with engineering design activity.,” Proceeding of the 4th International Conference on Education. vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 153–161, 2018.
[7] King D, English LD. Engineering design in the primary school: applying STEM concepts to build an optical instrument. Int J Sci. 2016;38(18):2762–94.
[8] Moreno NP, Tharp BZ, Vogt G, Newell AD, Burnett CA. Preparing students for middle school through after-school STEM activities. J Sci Educ Technol. 2016;25(6):889–97.
[9] Barrett BS, Moran AL, Woods JE. Meteorology meets engineering: an interdisciplinary STEM module for middle and early secondary school students. Int J STEM Educ. 2014;1(1):1–6.
[10] Han S, Capraro R, Capraro MM. How Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Project-Based Learning (PBL) affects high, middle, and low achievers differently: the impact of student factors on achievement. Int J Sci Math Educ. 2015;13(5):1089–113.
[11] Lai E, DiCerbo K, Foltz P. Skills for today: What we know about teaching and assessing collaboration. London: Pearson; 2017.
[12] Berisha F, Vula E. “Developing pre-service teachers conceptualization of STEM and STEM pedagogical practices.,” Frontiers in Education. vol. 6, no. 585075, p. 2021.
[13] Diana N, Turmudi T, Yohanes Y. “Analysis of teachers’ difficulties in implementing STEM approach in learning: A study literature,.” Journal of Physics: Conference Series. p. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1806/1/012219.
[14] Bartels SL, Rupe KM, Lederman JS. “Shaping preservice teachers’ understandings of STEM: A collaborative math and science methods approach,” … Science Teacher Education. p. 2019.
[15] English LD. Advancing elementary and middle school STEM education. Int J Sci Math Educ. 2017;15(S1 no. S1):5–24.
[16] Shernoff DJ, Sinha S, Bressler DM, Ginsburg L. “Assessing teacher education and professional development needs for the implementation of integrated approaches to STEM education,” (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-017-0068-1.
[17] Loeb S, Dynarski S, McFarland D, Morris P, Reardon S, Reber S. “Descriptive analysis in education: A guide for researchers,” (2017).
[18] Pimthong P, Williams PJ. Methods course for primary level STEM preservice teachers: constructing integrated STEM teaching. Eurasia J Math Sci Technol Educ. 2021;17(8):1996.
[19] Isabelle AD, Valle NZ. Inspiring STEM minds: Biographies and activities for elementary classrooms. Rotterdam: Sense Publisher; 2016. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94- 6300-352-0.
[20] Nuraeni F. Aktivitas desain rekayasa untuk pembelajaran STEM di SD. UPI Sumedang Press; 2020.
[21] Texley J, Ruud RM. Teaching STEM literacy: A constructivist approach for ages 3 to 8. Redleaf Press. Yorkton Court; 2018.
[22] Moomaw S. Teaching STEM in the early years. Redleaf Press. Yorkton Court; 2013.
[23] Nuraeni F. Strategi integrasi desain rekayasa pada pembelajaran IPA. UPI Sumedang Press. Sumedang; 2019.
[24] Akran SK, Aşiroğlu S. “Perceptions of teachers towards the stem education and the constructivist education approach: Is the constructivist education approach preparatory to the STEM education?” Universal Journal of Educational Research. vol. 6, no. 10, pp. 2175–2186.