Rural Teachers’ Cultural and Epistemic Shifts in STEM Teaching and Learning

Authors

  • Colby Tofel-Grehl Utah State University
  • Kristin A. Searle Utah State University
  • Andrea Hawkman Utah State University
  • Beth L. MacDonald Utah State University
  • Mario I. Suárez Utah State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2021.v11n2p45-66

Keywords:

rural education, STEM, Social studies, Design Based Research

Abstract

This article focuses on the ways in which integrated curriculum can improve STEM teaching and learning within rural spaces. Using a design-based research approach, this study focuses on rural teachers' experiences of professional learning and development training as they learn to engage computing and maker technologies in their elementary classrooms as tools for teaching students about difficult histories of immigration, migration, and forced relocation across the United States.

Author Biographies

Colby Tofel-Grehl, Utah State University

Colby Tofel-Grehl, PhD, is an associate professor of science education in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University. Her research focuses on finding ways to engage technology within core content STEM classrooms to create more equitable learning opportunities and supports for youth STEM identity development. Her research has appeared in The Physics Teacher, Journal of Educational Research, and Journal of Science Education and Technology. In 2020 she was honored with the early career Science Teacher Educator of the Year award from the Association for Science Teacher Education.

Kristin A. Searle, Utah State University

Kristin A. Searle, PhD, (she/her) is an assistant professor of instructional technology and learning sciences at Utah State University. Her research focuses on how participating in making activities (like electronic textiles) can broaden young people’s sense of what computing is and who can do it, with a particular focus on the development of culturally responsive computing pedagogies. She has been internationally recognized for her qualitative research in computing education as the recipient of the 2015 John Henry Prize from the International Computing Education Research association. Her scholarship has appeared in Harvard Educational Review, Thinking Skills and Creativity, and International Journal of Multicultural Education.

Andrea Hawkman, Utah State University

Andrea M. Hawkman, PhD, (she/her) is an assistant professor of social studies education and cultural studies at Utah State University. Her research focuses on how teachers and students engage with and disrupt whiteness in social studies education. Her work has been published in The Journal of Social Studies Research, Theory & Research in Social Education, The Social Studies, and Urban Review. Beyond academia, she enjoys impromptu family dance parties in the kitchen, women’s soccer, road trips, and camping.

Beth L. MacDonald, Utah State University

Beth L. MacDonald, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Mathematics Education and Leadership program in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University. She is interested in children’s development of numbers through counting and subitizing activity and K-8 teachers’ development of number, fractions, and proportional reasoning. Her scholarship has appeared in School Science and Mathematics, Education Sciences, and Journal of Mathematical Behavior. 

Mario I. Suárez, Utah State University

Mario I. Suárez, PhD, is an assistant professor of cultural studies in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University. His research interests include queer and trans studies in education, curriculum studies, STEM education, and critical quantitative research methods. His research has been published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal of LGBTQ Youth, and Journal for STEM Education Research.

 

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Published

2021-11-09

How to Cite

Tofel-Grehl, C., Searle, K. A., Hawkman, A., MacDonald, B. L., & Suárez, M. I. (2021). Rural Teachers’ Cultural and Epistemic Shifts in STEM Teaching and Learning. Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 11(2), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2021.v11n2p45-66

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2021): Theory & Practice in Rural Education: Special Issue on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity in Rural Schools and Communities

Section

Research Forum

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Copyright (c) 2021 Colby Tofel-Grehl, Kristin Searle, Andrea Hawkman, Beth MacDonald, Mario I. Suárez

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