With the performance of U.S. students on international standardized tests such as TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teaching has come under scrutiny and many reforms have been implemented that have dramatically impacted schools. In this presentation I examine the challenges and conflicts pre-service and in-service STEM teachers face as the pedagogical theories from their coursework and their classroom teaching practices collide. The methodology used to gather these insights was action research. The action research project was designed to understand the experiences of teachers as they seek to implement innovative STEM teaching.

There are three aspects on which I will focus my presentation. I begin by examining the struggles pre-service and in-service teachers encounter as they wrestle with their unique and ever-evolving conceptions of what it means to be “good” at teaching STEM. This involves an examination of teachers’ content knowledge, their content pedagogical knowledge, and their dispositions as well as examining how the methodization of teaching impacts their conceptions of what it means to teach well. Next, I examine obstacles teachers face when content, pedagogy, and politics converge. One prominent issue encountered in the United States is that certain STEM content and pedagogical practices can be contentious. For example, in many parts of the U.S., topics such as climate change can be highly divisive. Similarly, certain pedagogical practices, such as a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL), can be prohibited. Lastly, I explore ways STEM teachers can work courageously in the tensions that abound.

Keywords: Content knowledge, content pedagogical knowledge, dispositions, methodization, teacher education, action research, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, STEM, mathematics, science, engineering, technology