The Center for Technology and School Change (CTSC), at Teachers College, Columbia University, has led a multi-phase research and development initiative advancing inquiry-driven, transdisciplinary STEM learning in K–8 schools - Systemic Transformation of Inquiry Learning Environments for STEM (STILE).
Throughout the project phases, design-based implementation research (DBIR) helps to refine the overall STILE model and the embedded professional development approach. The professional learning component is built on core elements of the Center’s Innovating Instruction model and supports the capacity of teachers to design authentic, transdisciplinary STEM projects.
The previous STILE 1.0 study (also funded by NSF) revealed that teachers tended to follow a basic trajectory or pathway for STEM learning, regardless of their entry point into the process or the recursive nature of the elements themselves. STILE 2.0 (NSF DRL-1621387) used design-based implementation research to refine a professional learning model grounded in teacher agency and authentic project design. This pathway traced the development of teachers as they built their knowledge, began to design projects, and became advocates for school change. The STILE 2.0 findings, and using this pathway to inform a curriculum or suite of resources for building teachers’ capacities in STEM.
Building on this work, STILE 3.0 (NSF DRL-2010530) examined the feasibility and utility of transdisciplinary STEM project-based learning (PBL) through a large-scale, mixed-methods study, including a multi-site randomized controlled trial. Complementary exploratory research in this phase focused on the sustainability of educational change, highlighting how inquiry-oriented pedagogical practices can persist over time.
STILE contributes to a growing evidence base on how to support scalable, sustainable transformation in STEM education through teacher-centered, learning sciences–informed design.
For an additional look, see our video presentation in the 2018 STEM for All Video Showcase.