Integrating Teachers to Teach an Interdisciplinary STEM-Focused Program about Sound, Waves and Communication Systems

Abstract

The insufficiency of teachers who teach integrative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses is a major challenge facing science education today. Many teachers lack adequate expertise to combine disciplines and choose effective instructional approaches. This study examines how and to what extent teachers might succeed in teaching an innovative STEM program about a sound, waves and communication systems course in an information and communication technology-based environment. This research adopted a qualitative method to understand better the experience of three teachers who taught the course for the first time. Data collection tools included documenting mentoring meetings, observing in the classrooms and interviewing the teachers. The data were transcribed and analyzed using the content analysis method. The findings show that the teachers had only partial knowledge and, initially, even misconceptions about sound. However, their technological pedagogic content knowledge improved significantly due to the researcher's gradual but continual guidance. Four major factors contributed to the teachers' professional development: (a) dealing with innovative contents, (b) using different (advanced) teaching methods, (c) predesigning the instructional course materials and (d) offering the researcher-mentor's developmental supervision.

Harmonizing Tradition, Science, and STEM Learning: Empowering Students' Creative Minds with Sound Waves and Local Wisdom

“…Sound waves are a fascinating phenomenon that can be explored through various perspectives, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In this e-learning module, you will learn about the basic concepts of sound waves, such as frequency, wavelength, amplitude, and speed [38][39][40][41][42]. You will also learn 95 how to apply these concepts to design and create your own kentongan, a traditional bamboo instrument that is used to communicate in some Indonesian communities.…”

Secondary Science Teachers Perception on STEM Learning for Sustainable Development

“…The creativity of science teachers in conducting STEM learning is highly desirable (Tan, 2014). The teacher's ability in preparing lesson plans is not the only ability has a significant effect on student involvement in STEM learning, but also their ability to communicate, interact, and maintain positive teacher-student relationships (Awad et al, 2019). In addition, TPACK capability of teachers is very important to prepare a digital native generation (Al-Harthi et al, 2018).…”

The development of an online STEM teacher professional development package with the DECODE model: An innovative teacher’s quality maintenance

“…For expectation, the final result of a TPD program will positively increase students learning outcomes, provided that the activities directly increase the perception and quality of teacher practice in the classroom (Han et al, 2015). Moreover, special professional knowledge possessed by teachers such as pedagogical knowledge (PK), content knowledge (CK), pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) should be developed for the successful implementation of STEM in the classroom (Awad et al, 2019;Irwanto et al, 2022). Furthermore, the research team in the study analysis also identifies the main features of STEM-TPD that are effective in assessment, teaching, and the global trend in STEM education.…”