Great for New Teachers

As a soon-to-be first year teacher, I found this article very helpful in laying out guidelines not only for myself but for my class, as I work towards creating a science classroom that stude... See More

As a soon-to-be first year teacher, I found this article very helpful in laying out guidelines not only for myself but for my class, as I work towards creating a science classroom that students enjoy. I have found that as students age, they lose interest in science because it is "boring" or "hard." This journal article lays out of the four constructs found in STEM identity (demonstrating competence in science knowledge and practices (Carlone 2012), belonging to a community of practice (Wenger 1998), meaningful recognition by others and self (Carlone and Johnson 2007), and a discovery orientation that includes ways of thinking, feeling, and acting when immersed in a field of science that motivates one to persevere in sense-making activities (Hill et al. 2017; Jaber and Hammer 2016). Additionally, the author provides goals and types of "talk" that should be used in the classroom so STEM is cultivated and encouraged in our students, rather than made dull and uninteresting.

Practical Research: From Interest to Identity

At first glance from the title I "assumed" that the article would be about students ONLY and what is used to discover a student's STEM identity. However, I was mistaken. It was very intere... See More

At first glance from the title I "assumed" that the article would be about students ONLY and what is used to discover a student's STEM identity. However, I was mistaken. It was very interesting to see that the article gave the processes and strategies for developing or discovering a student and educator's STEM identity. We often times need assistance ourselves and I appreciate the fact that this article recognized that. This guide should be used by beginner STEM educators for sure. The conclusion portion of the article was Ising on the cake. It established a firm understanding as to what it takes to have a STEM identity.