Teachers of STEM:

STEM Teachers’ readiness and professional development and learning of teaching out-of-field

Jointly hosted by the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre and OOFTAS Collective

HYBRID, 16 October, 2024

The aim of this joint venture is to share insights from around the world on teacher readiness and professional learning and development the context of teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects out-of-field. The incidence of out-of-field teaching in the STEM subjects continue to rise worldwide in contexts where teacher shortages limit the supply of teachers to the profession and teachers of particular subjects. Despite its significance, discussions on the current state and consequences of out-of-field teaching in developing countries continue to be limited in international scholarly journals.  Issues relate to how teachers are recruited to the profession, equitable distribution of teachers, the support and professional leaning opportunities within the education system, and opportunities for out-of-field teachers to re-specialise. We welcome research and reports on teacher experiences, impacts, and professional learning development opportunities in relation to the sciences, technologies and engineering, and mathematics.

Please note that this conference is design to share insights into solving problems associated with the OOF phenomenon. Please consider what insights from your research and activities will be most relevant for this forum. You can contribute through a presentation (see Expression of Interest below) or through your participation in person on the day.

Event Goals:

  • Foster Dialogue: To encourage rich dialogue around out-of-field teaching, its occurrence, and measures to address the challenges it poses.

  • Active Participation: To involve attendees in presenting insights, research, initiatives, and engaging in facilitated discussions.

Conference

Powered by Zoom

Cost: Free

Key dates:

  • Expressions of Interest closes: September 10

  • Registration closes: October 10

  • Online Summit: October 16,
    9am - 5pm (Shanghai time)

Conference convenors and contacts:

Prof. Dr. Bo Ning
UNESCO Teacher Education Center
ningbo@tec-unesco.org.cn

Assoc. Prof. Linda Hobbs
Deakin University, OOFTAS Collective
l.hobbs@deakin.edu.au

Reference Topics:

  • Understanding the implications of out-of-field teaching in STEM subjects: Teachers’ readiness, initial teacher education, teaching practice and outcomes

  • Professional learning and development of out-of-field teachers of STEM subjects: activities within schools and through external professional learning and re-specialisation courses

  • Policies and Measures to Tackle Negative Outcomes: Reviewing strategies and specific measures globally, particularly professional development courses and teacher recruitment strategies.

Participant Expectations:

  • Willingness to Present or Share: Contributing personal insights.

  • Participation in Facilitated Discussions: Collaborating to explore solutions or deepen understanding.Short Program

Program:

Download the program HERE. This in includes the schedule and abstracts

The event is scheduled for 9.30am - 3.00pm (Shanghai time), October 16, 2024.

  • Morning - Teacher readiness of STEM education; A perspective of out-of-field teaching

  • Afternoon - Professional development and learning of teachers teaching out-of-field in STEM education


9.30-10.00
Linda Hobbs, Chris Speldewinde, Emily Ross, Susan Caldis, Merrilyn Goos, Seamus Delaney, Connie Cirkony, Janet Dutton & Greg Oates
Looking for diverse pathways for out-of-field teachers to become in-field LINK

10.00-10.30
Greg Oates, Merrilyn Goos & Emily Ross
Out-of-Field Teaching of Mathematics in an Australian Context LINK

10.30-11.00
Lewes Peddell & Darius Samojlowicz
Australia's first microcredential for out-of-field mathematics teaching: initial cohort outcomes and key insights LINK

11.00-11.30 BREAK

11.30-12.00
Harleen Singh, Yuxi Huang, Paulo Augusto Loureiro, & Julie Luft
Teaching Beyond the Field: Examining NGSS Knowledge and Usage Among In-field and Out-of-field Science Teachers LINK

12.00-12.30
Julianne Lynch & Laura Tubino
Designing postgraduate student personas and grade-aligned learning pathways for teacher re-specialization in STEM education LINK

12.30-1.00
Fiona Yardley
Maths is just black and white LINK

1.00-2.00 LUNCH

2.00-2.30
Sabrina Syed & Elena Prieto-Rodriguez
An Evaluation of a Retraining Program for Out-of-Field Mathematics Teachers in Australia LINK

2.30-3.00
Ewa Siedlecka, Simone Richardson & Cassandra Portelli
Leveraging Lessons from The Mathematics Retraining  Program: A Successful Pilot  Targeting Out-of-Field  Teaching in Mathematics LINK

3.00-3.30
Ming Huo & Bo Ning
Out-of-Field Teaching in Rural China LINK

Attending:

You can attend online through zoom or in person at Shanghai Normal university. Our one-day forum is part of a two-week program exploring STEM teaching with the following themes. You can attend any parts of the full program.

Module 1: Advantages and Challenges of Teachers for STEM
Module 2: International Trends in STEM Teacher Education (This includes the TEC-OOFTAS forum)

This is a LINK TO THE DRAFT PROGRAM.

If you would like to attend or present in person, please complete this registration form and send to Prof. Linda Hobbs (l.hobbs@deakin.edu.au ) and Prof. Bo Ning (ningbo@tec-unesco.org.cn)

  • Some support can be provided for accommodation and meals to OOFTAS Collective members.

  • Please check visa requirements - these have been relaxed recently.

 

Expression of Interest

EOIs are open until September 10

Submit an Expression of Interest to present a 15 minute presentation on any of the above reference topics. We are looking for insights that can be useful for developing countries. Your presentation will need to explain your context.

You can present on zoom or in-person.

You must also register for the event - see below.

Registration

Registration closes on October 10, 2024

 

Photo by zhang kaiyv on Unsplash