Transforming a Traditional Inquiry-Based Science Unit into a STEM Unit for Elementary Pre-Service Teachers: A View from the Trenches

Preparing students with 21st Century Skills through STEM related teaching is needed, especially at the elementary level. However, most teacher education preparation programs do not focus on STEM education. To provide an exemplary STEM unit, we transformed an inquiry-based unit on moon phases from a traditional science activity into a technology-rich, digital unit for pre-service teachers (PSTs). In this presentation, we will describe lessons learned related to the development and implementation of this STEM unit in an undergraduate elementary methods course. We explore the impact of this on PSTs’ perceptions of inquiry-based science instruction. Findings indicate that PSTs held absolutist beliefs and had a need for instruction on inquiry-based learning prior to engaging in an on-going inquiry. In addition, we determined that explicit examples of effective and ineffective technology use are needed to help PSTs develop an understanding of meaningful technology integration. Finally, our design approach resulted in a successful modification of the unit, but caused the usability of our digital instructional materials to suffer. Findings suggest that inquiry-based STEM units can be implemented in existing programs; however, development requires significant effort and requires that designs be tested for successful implementation.