Leadership for Instructional Improvement
A Design Research Approach to Integrating Makerspace and Project-Based Learning in Science Classrooms in an Urban Middle School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.84.10072Keywords:
Key Words: classroom-based STEM instruction; Makerspace and project-based experiential learning; educational design research methodology; professional learning interventionsAbstract
Effectively integrating creative experiential learning opportunities into classroom-based science instruction to enhance students’ applied learning continues to be a challenge for many middle school educators. This article explores how educators in one urban middle school leveraged design research thinking in conjunction with collaborative data-teaming processes to develop a targeted professional learning intervention program to help seventh- and eighth-grade teachers learn how to integrate Makerspace hands-on experiential and project-based learning activities into their STEM instructional practices to better engage students in applied science learning in middle school classrooms. A literature-informed discussion is included on how the middle school principal and the school’s instructional improvement team utilized focused professional development activities and intensive Professional Learning Community (PLC) conversations to positively transform teachers’ pedagogical mindsets and instructional practices in support of integrating Makerspace and related project-based experiential learning opportunities as valuable components of classroom-based science teaching and learning. Finally, a number of design principles derived from the middle school case study highlighted in this article are offered that may be of practical use to school leaders interested in applying educational design research methods to enhance their own campus-based instructional improvement efforts.
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van den Akker, J., McKenney, S., & Nieveen, N. (2006a). Introduction to educational design research. In J. van den Akker, K. Gravemeijer, S. McKenney, & N. Nieveen (Eds.), Educational Design Research (pp. 67-90). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203088364
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Venables, D. R. (2014). How teachers can turn data into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
White, S. H. (2011). Beyond the numbers: Making data work for teachers and school leaders. Englewood, CO: Lead and Learn Press.
Bernhardt, V. L. (2013). Data analysis for continuous school improvement. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315856476
Blanc, S., Christman, J., Lin, R., Mitchell, C., Travers, E., & Bulkey, K. (2010). Learning to learn from data: Benchmarks and instructional communities. Peabody Journal of Education, 85(2), 205-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/01619561003685379
Boudett, K. P., City, E. A., & Murnane, R. J. (Eds.). (2010). Data wise: A step-by-step guide to using assessment results to improve teaching and learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Bowers, A. J., Shoho, A. R., & Barnett, B. G. (Eds.). (2014). Using data in schools to inform leadership and decision making. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Brophy, S., Klein, S., Portsmore, M., & Rodgers, C. (2008). Advancing engineering education in P-12 classrooms. Journal of Engineering Education, 97(3), 369-387. https://doi:10.1002/j2168-9830.2008.tb00985x
Coghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2014). Doing action research in your own organization (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Datnow, A., & Park, V. (2014). Data-driven leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dewey, J. (1897). My pedagogic creed. New York, NY: E. L. Kellogg & Co.
Dufour, R., Dufour, R., Eaker, R., & Karhanek, G. (2004). Whatever it takes: How professional learning communities respond when kids don’t learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Dufour, R., Esker, R., Many, T. W., & Mattos, M. (2016). Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work (3rd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Dufour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Estapa, A. T., & Tank, K. M. (2017). Supporting integrated STEM in the elementary classroom: A professional development approach centered on an engineering design challenge. International Journal of STEM Education, 4(6).
Guzey, S. S., Moore, T. J., & Harwell, M. (2016). Building up STEM: An analysis of teacher-developed engineering design-based STEM integration curricular materials. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research, 6(1), 2.
Hart Research Associates (2013). It takes more than a major: Employer priorities for college learning and student success: An online survey among employers conducted on behalf of: The Association of American Colleges and Universities. Washington, D.C. Available at: https://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/2013_EmployerSurvey.pdf
Hattie, J. (2010). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London: Routledge.
Kennedy, E., & Jones, L. (2015). A guide to data-driven leadership in modern schools. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Larmer, J., Mergendoller, J., & Boss, S. (2015). Setting the Standards for Project Based Learning: A Proven Approach to Rigorous Classroom Instruction. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Love, N. (Ed.). (2009). Using data to improve learning for all: A collaborative inquiry approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Love, N., Stiles, K., Mundry, S., & DiRanna, S. (2008). The data coach’s guide to improving learning for all students: Unleashing the power of collaborative inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Mandinach, E. B. (2012). A perfect time for data use: Using data-driven decision making to inform practice. Educational Psychologist, 47(2).
Mandinach, E. B., & Honey, M. (Eds.). (2008). Data-driven school improvement: Linking data and learning. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Mandinach, E. B., & Jackson, S. S. (2012). Transforming teaching and learning through data-driven decision making. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Margot, K. C., & Kettler, T. (2019). Teachers’ perception of STEM integration and education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of STEM Education, 6(2).
Martinez, M. R., & McGrath, D. (2014). Deeper Learning: How Eight Public Schools are Transforming Education in the Twenty-First Century. New York, NY: The New Press.
Marzano, R. J., Heflebower, T., Hoegh, J. K., Warrick, P., & Grift, G. (2016). Collaborative teams that transform schools: The next step in PLCs. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research.
McKinney, S., & Reeves, T. C. (2012). Conducting educational design research. New York, NY: Routledge.
Mintrop, R. (2016). Design-based school improvement: A practical guide for education leaders. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Murphy, J. (2016). Creating instructional capacity: A framework for creating academic press. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483386003
National Academy of Sciences (2012). Next Generation Science Standards: Executive Summary. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. https://www.nextgenscience.org/
National Research Council (2011). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. http://www.nationalacademies.org/publications/index.html
National Research Council (2014). STEM integration in K-12 education: Status, prospects, and an agenda for research. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. http://www.nationalacademies.org/publications/index.html
Petrich, M., Wilkinson, K., & Bevan, B. (2013). It looks like fun, but are they learning? In Margaret Honey & David E. Canter (2013), Design | Make | Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators. New York: Routledge.
Piaget, J. (1973). To understand is to invent: The future of education. New York, NY: Grossman Publishers.
Plomp, T. (2010). Educational design research: An introduction. In T. Plomp & N. Nieveen (Eds.), An Introduction to Educational Design Research. Proceedings of the seminar conducted at the East China Normal University, Shanghai (PR China), November 23-26, 2007.
Plomp, T., & Nieveen. N. (Eds.). (2010). An Introduction to Educational Design Research. Proceedings of the seminar conducted at the East China Normal University, Shanghai (PR China), November 23-26, 2007.
Roehrig, G. H., Moore, T. J., Wang, H. H., & Park, M. S. (2012). Is adding the E enough: Investigating the impact of K-12 engineering standards on the implementation of STEM integration. School Science and Mathematics, 112(1), 31-44.
Sheridan, K. M., Halverson, E. R., Litts, B., Brahms, L., Jacobs-Priebe, L., & Owens, T. (2014). Learning in the making: A comparative case study of three makerspaces. Harvard Educational Review, 84(4), 505-531. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.84.4.brr34733723j648u
Stringer, P. (2013). Capacity Building for School Improvement: Revisited. Boston, MA: Sense Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-329-4
van den Akker, J., Gravemeijer, J., McKenney, S., & Nieveen, N. (Eds.). (2006). Educational Design Research. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203088364
van den Akker, J., McKenney, S., & Nieveen, N. (2006a). Introduction to educational design research. In J. van den Akker, K. Gravemeijer, S. McKenney, & N. Nieveen (Eds.), Educational Design Research (pp. 67-90). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203088364
Venables, D. R. (2011). The practice of authentic PLCs: A guide to effective teacher teams. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Venables, D. R. (2014). How teachers can turn data into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
White, S. H. (2011). Beyond the numbers: Making data work for teachers and school leaders. Englewood, CO: Lead and Learn Press.
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Published
2021-04-29
How to Cite
Claudet, J. (2021). Leadership for Instructional Improvement: A Design Research Approach to Integrating Makerspace and Project-Based Learning in Science Classrooms in an Urban Middle School. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(4), 484–513. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.84.10072
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