How to Support Teacher Learning of Integrated STEM Curriculum Design

As science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education continues to be a focus in many schools internationally, STEM teacher learning programs have arisen to support teachers with this integrated approach. Common to STEM teacher programs is teachers creating integrated STEM curriculum; however, missing from this research is how teachers develop the knowledge and skills needed to undertake this curriculum design. Consequently, for those designing STEM teacher programs, the literature provides limited understanding of how to support teachers’ learning of integrated curriculum design. This qualitative study investigated STEM teacher programs at ten Australian universities to identify the learning experiences that are perceived to be most valuable by teachers and teacher educators when learning how to design STEM education curriculum. Analysis of curriculum documents and the experiences of 23 individuals involved in STEM teacher programs (i.e., teacher educators, teachers) highlighted that a range of learning experiences is valuable for supporting teachers to develop the necessary knowledge and skills for STEM education curriculum design. Due to their breadth of learning potential, activities like STEM teaching resource analysis, and immersion in STEM education have a particularly important role to play in supporting teacher learning of the content, integration, and teaching required for STEM curriculum design.