Understanding the dynamics of individual or group adaptation can provide valuable information for constructing professional development strategies to increase chances of instructional success. This paper reports on an exploratory study that identifies indicators of convergent vs. non-convergent adaptation in two cases of teachers working together on a technology-based curriculum construction activity and explores the relationship between group characteristics and adaptation processes. We have used the core complex systems concept of adaptation as a lens for understanding how and why some

The goal of this article is to present a description of a professional development program designed to immerse middle and high school teachers in an inquiry-based learning environment using a forensic science context and the consequent impact participating in this program had on teachers’ pedagogy. Teachers participated in a year-long program consisting of two summer institutes and one programming during the academic year. Teachers spent the first week of each summer institute exploring various science domains using a forensic science context. Week 2 was spent with approximately 100 seventh –

Two new instruments created to assess perceptions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines and careers are analyzed and found to have respectable to excellent internal consistency reliability, as well as good content, construct, and criterion-related validity for the areas assessed. Cronbach's Alpha for the individual scales on the STEM Semantics Survey and the STEM Career Interest Questionnaire ranged from .78 to .94 across the eight constructs represented. These were judged to be acceptable to assess anticipated changes resulting from MSOSW ITEST project activities

During the past three years we have been designing and implementing a technology enhanced urban ecology program using geographic information systems (GIS) coupled with technology. Our initial work focused on professional development for in-service teachers and implementation in K-12 classrooms. However, upon reflection and analysis of the challenges that our in-service teachers faced while implementing our projects in their classrooms, we began to infuse our National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded ITEST work into our pre-service teacher preparation program. The primary reason for this

The Arctic Climate Modeling Program (ACMP) offered yearlong science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professional development to teachers in rural Alaska. Teacher training focused on introducing youth to workforce technologies used in Arctic research. Due to challenges in making professional development accessible to rural teachers, ACMP modified the traditional ITEST format, instead offering unique “curriculum resource-based professional development” that provided a year-round mix of training options for 165 teachers. Sustainable program resources were created in collaboration with

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program provides a unique opportunity to assess a broad spectrum of professional development projects that share key characteristics but were designed to meet distinct local school and community contexts. To better understand how innovative information technology (IT) classroom applications are integrated into teacher professional development and can ultimately lead to changes in teaching practices and increases in student performance, we conducted an exploratory study of NSF-funded ITEST

This article is part of a special issue of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE). It introduces and summarizes how the six articles describe specific ITEST teacher development projects, provide portraits of these projects, and address important themes that cross ITEST professional development and STEM professional development more generally: building links between informal and formal education; using technology in innovative ways; integrating STEM content into professional development; reaching and engaging underrepresented populations; developing innovative professional development; and tightening the research/practice cycle.