STEM Teacher Learning Communities: International Examples and Issues
The MSP conference session is an outgrowth of an October 2007, NSF-funded conference at the Wingspread conference center. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF) convened 35 STEM leaders to discuss the roles of professional learning communities for beginning STEM teachers. Britton prepared a white paper that served as advance reading for participants. An adaptation of that paper is a main basis of the MSP session.
Kathleen Fulton will provide rationales and vision for professional learning communities from the perspective of NCTAF. Britton and Fulton will describe the need for a rigorous synthesis of research on the topic, with an emphasis on STEM teachers. Ralph Putnum, Co-PI of the MSP-RETA study of teacher induction and a participant in the Wingspread conference, will provide insights on the role of beginning STEM teachers in PLCs. Iris Weiss, another Wingspread conference participant, will serve as discussant.
The Wingspread paper resulted first from a secondary analysis of prior research by Britton and colleagues of STEM teacher induction in other countries, and secondly from primary research occurring in the U.S. under the MSP-RETA on teacher induction. Britton re-examined international qualitative cases of the induction systems in five other countries to see how they can speak to current U.S. interest in STEM teacher learning communities. School and district contexts in the current U.S. studies served as counterpoints to reveal implications and issues to consider around implementation of STEM teacher PLCs in the U.S. While the original research and prior analysis and paper foci were on beginning STEM teachers, the information will be adapted for the MSP session to address PLCs involving both experienced and beginning STEM teachers.
