LEADING A CULTURE OF STEM EDUCATION AT YOUR SCHOOL - A

LEADING A CULTURE OF STEM EDUCATION AT YOUR SCHOOL A PLAN FOR ACTION

LUCAS JOHNSON

So, you ’ ve integrated STEM education into your classroom and you ’ re really seeing the benefits in your students learning. Engaged students? Tick. Disciplinary understandings and interdisciplinary connections being constructed? Tick. Students engaged in real world problem solving! Sure are! You ’ re probably now left wondering why your colleagues aren ’t jumping at this incredible opportunity to engage their students in STEM education, in the same way that you have in your own classroom.

When it comes to the introduction of new innovations into a school environment, an idea alone, no matter how good it is, is not enough to create sustainable change within a school. As every school is different and what works for one school may not work in another situation, consideration should be given to how this innovation sits within the unique context of the school . Creating your own version of what STEM education looks like in your own school is imperative.

If you ’ re really invested in trying to encourage colleagues across your school to integrate STEM education into their curriculum, now might be the time to take a step back, assess the landscape and create a plan for action. Outlined below are a few deas that might support your thinking as you develop your strategy to lead and embed meaningful change in your school.

Understand the ‘Why?’

Before you can persuade your school leadership team and your colleagues about the amazing benefits offered by STEM education, take some time to understand the ‘ why?’ . Why is this important for your students? How can STEM education and its related pedagogies enrich the learning opportunities in your school? How will such an approach meet the goals outlined in the school’ s Annual Action Plan? Why is STEM education not just another fad that will disappear like all the others that have come before it? Answering these questions will help to clarify in your own mind the true mission behind your integration of STEM education and may help you to convince others of its importance as well.

Acknowledge the ‘How?’

Teachers are busy. The timetable is already crowded. No one has time to squeeze in anything new. All these ideas are legitimate barriers to innovation and a reality of teaching. In order to support teachers to see the benefits of a pedagogical innovation, such as the integration of STEM education into their enacted curriculum, it might be a matter of reframing the challenges of the change into opportunities. Consider how you might be able demonstrate to your fellow teachers that STEM education is an approach that

enriches their curriculum, rather than adding onto it. Offering examples of practical connections such as addressing scientific concepts through reading groups or using mathematical skills to represent data collected in a scientific investigation, might be useful in doing this.

Find your people

When trying to accomplish change of any kind, finding the right people is crucial. Who will be your allies in the integration of STEM education? Consider your own sphere of influence and whether you might be able to find some teachers with similar educational values to you, who might be willing to give STEM education a go. There is power in numbers. So, when it’ s time to take your ideas to the school leadership team and say “How good is STEM education ” , you will have plenty of evidence to support your claim that such an approach is truly a ‘ no brainer ’ .

Show don’t tell

There is so much value and professional learning in the conversations that take place in the staffroom or in staff meetings, however, seeing something in action possesses a power for change far greater than conversation alone. Invite your colleagues into your classroom to see STEM education in action or even ask if you can invite some students to your staff meeting to present their latest STEM project. As educators, little is more exciting than witnessing students who are truly engaged in their learning. As your colleagues interact with your students, hearing how they ’ re making interdisciplinary connections and developing conceptual understandings, all while solving problems that are truly relevant to their lives, they will be sold.

Don’t be afraid to move the goalposts!

We all go into these situations with our sights set high and a vision of leading meaningful change. Sometimes our initial attempts at innovation might fall over, and that’ s ok. In fact, t’ s how we learn. Big change won ’t happen overnight, so if your first attempt at trying to convince your colleagues about the benefits of STEM education doesn ’t quite work, take a moment to consider why. What were the barriers? Then it’ s time to address these by finding some quick wins. These are the easy to enact ideas that will help your colleagues take those first steps towards integrating STEM education into their classrooms and help you to address these barriers. Ideas such as a specific spot for STEM education on the weekly planners, a STEM education notice board or an article in the school newsletter, could be a good place to start.

While this may not be a comprehensive list, it is hoped that these ideas might spark your thinking about how STEM education will fit within the context of your school. Taking the time to consider a plan of action and developing a strategy to support the integration of STEM education, may just be the ticket to embedding the sustainable change that you are hoping for.

References

- Fullan, M. (1999). Change Forces - The Sequel. Routledge Falmer. - Graham, S. (n-d). People at laptop. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/ - Knight, R. (2020). The tensions of innovation: experiences of teachers during a whole school pedagogical shift. Research Papers in Education, 35(2), 205-227. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1568527

Lucas Johnson

Lucas Johnson is a passionate advocator of the benefits of STEM education. He has ten years ’ experience as a primary school teacher, holding various leadership roles and has been involved in the organisation of a range of STEM education community events for both teachers and students. Over the last three years, Lucas has worked with Monash University to support teachers in developing engaging and impactful STEM education opportunities in their schools. He is currently undertaking a PhD exploring the conditions and structures that support teachers to embed innovative pedagogies such as Problem Based Learning into their STEM education curriculum.