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IntroductionIn recent years, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education has become an increasingly popular tool to promote student learning and engagement across disciplines. However, researchers and practitioners continue to note the lack of clarity around definitions of STEAM, its intended purpose, and the nature of discipline integration. In this paper, we explore teachers' understandings and implementation of STEAM as they participated in a teacher professional learning program.MethodsUsing a mixed-methods approach, we analyzed data from 4 years of program implementation with K-12 teachers across multiple schools and districts (n = 61).ResultsParticipants' understanding of STEAM was deepened through their involvement in the professional learning program, with many reflecting on their initial, often shallow, (mis)conceptualizations of STEAM. Using an integration continuum developed by the authors, we identified ways in which integration varied across the STEAM lessons teachers developed, contextualizing these findings within the changing educational landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, as teachers transitioned between remote, hybrid, and in-person instruction. Participants shared their reflections on the personal, professional, and contextual factors that supported and hindered successful STEAM integration.DiscussionWe found that, when provided with sustained, collaborative pedagogical and material support, teachers could successfully improve their understanding of STEAM and implement STEAM lessons tailored to their grade-level and disciplinary context. Our findings reinforce that teachers need support, autonomy, and flexibility to adopt an approach to STEAM integration that best fits their classroom and school context. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and practitioners working to provide effective STEAM teacher professional learning.

K-12 teacher professional development in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) is often utilized to enhance teachers’ abilities to use STEAM pedagogical methods in the classroom. One such program is GoSTEAM, a five-year initiative centered on K-12 teacher professional development in STEAM. Teachers participating in GoSTEAM collaborate on the implementation of STEAM lessons and activities with an Innovator-in-Residence, who is an individual with experience in a STEAM field, often from a local community organization or university. This study analyzes focus group findings from teachers and school administrators to assess how the partnership with the Innovator-in-Residence impacts teachers’ professional development in STEAM. The findings suggest teachers and administrators perceived there to be several impacts on teachers’ professional development as a result of the partnership, such as the development of STEAM skills and making connections between STEAM, district standards, and real-world concepts. As such, the results of this study indicate that a teacher’s professional development in STEAM can be impacted by an ongoing partnership and collaboration with community partners and those experienced in STEAM fields.

Objectives: The goal of this paper is to introduce and describe a new introductory computer science course. Research results from the implementation of this curriculum will be presented to demonstrate the nature of teachers' experiences with the curriculum. Participants: Participants are teachers implementing the new curriculum at two schools in the metro Atlanta area. Study Method: This paper is partly descriptive, presenting the theory underlying the newly developed curriculum as well as its various features. An organizing framework, the Teacher Accessibility, Equity, and Content (TEC) rubric from Weintrop et al. (2019) [1], is used to structure the curriculum description. Teacher perceptions were gathered via both structured interviews and short online enactment surveys. These perceptions are summarized and presented thematically, corresponding to the features of the curriculum. Findings: A newly developed introductory computer science (CS) curriculum, Student-Centered Computing (SCC), utilizes project-based learning (PBL) and culturally authentic practices (CAPs) to help promote a sense of belonging and intent to persist within computer science among all students. Teachers successfully implemented the curriculum and generally found it to be beneficial for their students, though they struggled with some of the pedagogical demands of project-based learning as well as some of the most advanced technical content associated with the music coding and app development platforms. Conclusions: This paper provides a detailed overview of a year-long introductory computer science curriculum focused on the creation of culturally relevant digital artifacts. The curriculum represents a strong effort to make CS content relevant and appealing to the full range of students by relating it to their lives and experiences. Teacher surveys and interviews revealed that both teachers and students had positive views of the course. However, teaching using inclusive PBL pedagogy and culturally authentic practices takes skill and practice by teachers, supporting the need for CS teachers to have good pedagogical training as well as a strong knowledge of computer science to create a classroom environment that promotes success for all students.

This study explores student agency in the context of a culturally authentic computer science (CS) curriculum implemented in an introductory CS course in two high schools. Drawing on focus group and interview data, the study utilizes qualitative research methods to examine how students exercise critical agency as they engage in the course and how the curriculum supports student agency. Findings suggest three ways in which the curriculum served as a context for student agency: (1) gaining CS knowledge and skills that students then apply to address real-world needs and problems, (2) creating opportunities to "try-on" or improvise new identities and/or envision "future selves" in CS, and (3) engaging in personally relevant project work that leverages assets students brought to their experience with the curriculum. Implications for CS education research and practice are discussed.