The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food Agriculture Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) is a collaboration between the Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and the JJK Foundation that serves K-12 youth, predominantly Black/African American, and low-income students in East St. Louis, IL. To ensure high-quality programming in out-of-school time (OST) settings, capacity development for OST staff is critical. The JJK FAN developed a culturally responsive mentoring program to provide STEM professional development for racially minoritized staff. The pilot paired racially minoritized male part-time staff (mentees) with full-time educators (mentors) for a year. We used community-based participatory research methods and culturally responsive pedagogy. Mentors and mentees will share their experiences and examples of OST activities. We will present research findings and highlight the benefits and challenges of working on educator capacity building in underserved communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
This project provides a model for engaging out-of-school time staff in professional development designed around their specific needs and cultural wealth in historically minoritized communities that is broadly adaptable.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Kaggwa (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: Saint Louis, MO), Kristine Callis-Duehl (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: Saint Louis, MO)

This study aimed to understand how a STEM course and immersive environment improved pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and motivation to implement STEM. Self-efficacy and motivation were measured using the proposed tool before and after they attended a semester-long course centered around engineering design activities, research, and pedagogy over three years. Additionally, post-graduation data was collected as pre-service teachers entered the first three years of their teaching careers. Findings suggest that a course focusing on combined research, pedagogy, and modeling in an immersive environment improves motivation and self-efficacy and carries over into a career. However, motivation and efficacy diminish as post-graduation time increases. Implications from this study could improve professional development design and practice. Lastly, this research can inform EPPs, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers about how to motivate classroom teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
A STEM course focused on research, pedagogy, and modeling in an immersive environment improved STEM efficacy and beliefs of pre-service elementary teachers that carried over into careers. However, motivation and efficacy diminished as post-graduation time increased.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Dadd (Troy University: Troy, AL)

Three first year elementary teachers will share their stories of the science educational journey they’ve begun. They will share their ah-ha moments, key learnings, and challenges from their adventures: taking their first science methods course, attending and presenting at their first national NSTA conference last summer, completing their student teaching experience, and beginning their first year of their educational career. Their stories of teaching science in the elementary classroom can provide insight on the demands of elementary teachers, the challenges they face related to science instruction, and the solutions they’ve designed to ensure their students engage in science in their classrooms. The session will provide an authentic perspective on how they are working to be change agents for elementary science education. The session will be moderated by their elementary science methods professor, who continues to serve as a mentor on their journey.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers face a variety of challenges when it comes to science instruction in the elementary classroom. These stories will provide an authentic lens to view these challenges and how these teachers are working to change the narrative of science education in the elementary classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Ava Hauser (Rising STAR Elem Sch: Shawnee Mission, KS), Abigail Depperschmidt (Solomon USD 393: No City, No State), Beth Pesnell (Kansas State University: Manhattan, KS)

In Oklahoma, The University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are working to prepare future STEM teacher/leaders by integrating Science Olympiad volunteering into each institution's pre-service teacher (PST) education programs. With partial funding through a grant from the Science Olympiad USA Foundation, the teacher education programs are partnering with the Oklahoma Science Olympiad (OKSciOly) to provide PSTs who serve as peer-mentors to OkSciOly member schools and Event Supervisors for OKSciOly tournaments as a part of their science education program expectations. The program goals are supported by prior studies that indicate that such a program could be associated with improving PSTs’ confidence, increasing opportunities for practicing skills in planning and assessment, and supporting intrinsic motivation associated with coaching Science Olympiad. We will describe the development and activities, and what we learned from PSTs and member schools about the experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how Universities and Science Olympiad can increase STEM education support to local schools and develop capacity within their pre-service teacher candidates to use Science Olympiad’s high quality, NGSS aligned science, math, and engineering experiences with their future students.

SPEAKERS:
Bob Melton (University of Central Oklahoma: Edmond, OK)

The Science Education Dept. at Harvard University conducted a nationwide study over the course of three semesters, of the strengths and weaknesses of STEM and teaching knowledge of preservice educators who will soon enter the STEM teaching workforce. By examining pre-service teachers’ experiences before and during their preparation program, we’ll share our findings about experiences that optimize teacher knowledge for effective science teaching. The study also characterizes two essential types of teacher knowledge: 1) subject matter knowledge; and 2) pedagogical content knowledge concerning the common preconceptions and misconceptions held by learners, reflecting stages in student learning progressions. This research helps identify promising features of undergraduate PST programs for future implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn what factors impact preservice teachers’ interest in teaching, the status of teacher education programs, and what are the strong and weak content knowledge areas of preservice science teachers, including the prevalence of learning about students’ misconceptions.

SPEAKERS:
Gerhard Sonnert (Harvard College Observatory: Cambridge, MA), Philip Sadler (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Cambridge, MA), Cynthia Crockett (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Cambridge, MA)

This presentation helps administrators learn how to develop a science professional development program that is research-based, overcomes local challenges, and is guaranteed to impact science teacher practices and student learning. Information shared is the result of six years of grant-funded research and development. 1) Discuss our current limited and ineffective elementary science instruction nationwide and its impact on students (based on research). 2) Discuss a vision for effective elementary science instruction in every classroom (what it looks like in practice). 3) Discuss challenges to executing that vision. 4) Discuss science professional learning research-basis and best practices (including science instructional best practices and professional learning best practices). 5) Introduction of strategies to overcome time, curriculum, location, and funding challenges. 6) Introduction of an administrator professional learning planning tool to create a district action plan.

TAKEAWAYS:
Administrators will learn how to develop a science professional learning program that is research-based, overcomes local challenges, and is guaranteed to impact science teacher practices and student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Starr (STEM Specialist: Clinton, IA)

Socioscientific issues are complex, open-ended social issues with embedded scientific content and processes. This presentation aims to foster undergraduate students' reasoning skills necessary to navigate these issues. Specifically, a photovoice activity was added to a water quality unit in a scientific inquiry course. First, during the data collection, students were asked to take photos that could best represent the status of the ecological system of the stream. Second, they worked as groups in the classroom to analyze the different pieces of evidence and create a visual representation where they can organize all the evidence in the photos. Lastly, each group presented their photovoice product to the whole class and explained each piece of their evidence and how they indicate the different aspects of water quality and the overall water quality. The activity will be presented and supporting instructional materials and tools will be provided in this presentation.

TAKEAWAYS:
This presentation will show how to promote students' reasoning skills necessary to negotiate with socioscientific issues through a photovoice activity, and provide supporting instructional materials and tools.

SPEAKERS:
Conghui Liu (Ph.D. Candidate: Bloomington, MO)

Preservice teachers using NSTA in lieu of a textbook create a library of resources, grow their network of professional colleagues, and enhance their content and pedagogical knowledge of science by actively engaging with NSTA digital resources, virtual programs, and community members within the NSTA website. Instructors receive a class landing page to manage their course and to easily access the digital resources, a private forum for asynchronous discussions, and an administrator's dashboard to monitor their students' engagement within the website. All instructors using NSTA in lieu of a textbook receive a free NSTA membership, and their students can become members of the Association through graduation. Students gain the ability to add NSTA’s Interactive E-Books+ Professional, professional learning units, and other fee-based resources to their library.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice teachers using NSTA as a Textbook (or as instructional materials supplement) create a library of resources, grow their network of professional colleagues, and enhance their content and pedagogical knowledge of science.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

We will engage with some examples of what has been used to prepare preservice and support novice teachers over the last 6 years leveraging HQIM to assist teachers with making sense of and planning to implement the NGSS. The session will cover how HQIM have been curated and modified to help teachers see examples of resources designed for the NGSS and then use those resources to plan and modify their instruction. Other resources for instruction and planning will also be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ideas for ways use HQIM to help teachers understand and implement the vision of the Framework for Science Education, as well as resources to scaffold unpacking 3-D standards.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin (Kansas City Kansas Public Schools: Kansas City, KS), Matt Krehbiel (OpenSciEd: New York, NY)

Student teaching and the first years of teaching can present a range of experiences, from overwhelming, to high measures of success in professional growth. Future- and early-career science teachers have a million concerns and even more questions! This session brings together a panel of student teachers, recent graduates, and new teachers to talk about their experiences and allow attendees to ask questions. A similar session was included at the 2023 Atlanta conference and it was highly attended, leading us to understand the importance of these types of dialogues for preservice teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice teachers can be better prepared to student teach and begin their first jobs by hearing stories from and asking questions of preservice and new teachers who have just experienced interning, or their first years of teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kimberly Staples (Kansas State University: Manhattan, KS), Lisa Brown (Sam Houston State University: Huntsville, TX)

NSTA has developed the NSTA Preservice Teacher Chapter Program to encourage and support future teachers as they prepare to enter the profession, as well as help them network and connect with the many resources and opportunities provided by the Association. The NSTA Preservice Teacher Chapter Program consists of two types of chapters: (1) the National Preservice Teacher Chapter and (2) the Local Preservice Teacher Chapters at Universities or Colleges. The National Preservice Teacher Chapter supports all Preservice Teachers (active members of NSTA) who are based at higher education institutions without local chapters or groups. The Local Preservice Teacher Chapters at Universities or Colleges are separate but interdependent organizations that have elected to ally themselves with NSTA to encourage professional learning and networking of preservice teachers of science. Session participants will learn about the opportunities for increased leadership skills, career growth, and networking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice Teachers and Faculty Advisors walk-away informed to participate in NSTA’s Preservice Teacher Chapter Program.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Debi Hanuscin (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA), Lisa Brown (Sam Houston State University: Huntsville, TX)

It is essential to prepare preservice teachers with strategies to manage student behaviors so that effective instruction can take place in K-12 settings. Mixed Reality Simulations (MRS) provide preservice teachers with opportunities to manage and/or redirect inappropriate behaviors with student avatars prior to beginning clinical teaching. Along with MRS, provocative vignettes developed by in-service teachers describing scenarios that occurred in real classrooms allow for critical thinking and productive discussions among preservice teachers. In a preservice teacher education course in spring, 2023, MRS and vignettes allowed 20 preservice teachers opportunities to work together and identify solutions to address student concerns. Elementary and middde school avatars engaged directly with preservice teachers, providing some surprising moments and thought-provoking discussions. MRS and vignettes may provide strategies for preparing preservice teachers to be effective educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will provide teacher educators with a better understanding of how Mixed Reality Simulations and vignettes can prepare preservice teachers to practice classroom management in realistic ways, in supportive environments, prior to beginning clinical teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Jane Elizabeth Casey (Lamar University: Beaumont, TX)