Hi. Congratulations on progressing to the randomized trial phase. What are the key independent and dependent variables in the trial? Are you working with schools/teachers who have previously received workshops or new ones? Can you provide a specific example or two on how your approaches help DLL students?

Thanks, Gerald! (1) Our primary independent variable is whether teachers participate in the professional development model with us (treatment) or not (comparison; business-as-usual). We measure the effects of participation in our PD on particular outcomes (or dependent variables) for educators, such as improved attitudes and beliefs towards teaching STEM, or improved classroom quality. We also measure effects for children, such as improvements in science, math, and language skills and knowledge. Treatment teachers work with us for two years and we collect data pre- and post-participation. Comparison teachers will participate in professional development in the final year of the study, following data collection. (2) This RCT is occurring in a district with which we had not previously worked. (3) Our model infuses supports for DLLs throughout, as well as including workshop modules that specifically focus on DLLs. For example, one module is focused on the process of English language acquisition and how to use this knowledge to effectively engage DLLs in STEM experiences. We provide workshop materials in English and Spanish (the primary second language of children in our district), including lesson plans to facilitate the delivery of learning experiences in both languages. We encourage teachers to support the home language whenever possible. Use of the home language can be especially important when teaching STEM, as the vocabulary can be abstract or very specialized. DLLs are already learning two languages, and the language of math or science can be thought of as a yet another language, with its own special terms – e.g., angle, rectangle, roots, or chrysalis. Using what children know in their home language can support their language learning as well as their STEM learning.

I would like to thank the current and past contributors to the SciMath-DLL project for all they have done to make this work a success. They are Kimberly Brenneman (former PI), Ellen Frede, Judi Stevenson-García, Alex Figueras-Daniel, Jorie Quinn, Daryl Greenfield, Irena Nayfeld, Margaret “Peggy” Freedson, Jennifer Jacobs, Herb Ginsburg, Douglas Clements, Hebbah El-Moslimany, Hagit Mano, educators and children from Long Branch, Elizabeth, Union City, and Passaic Public Schools, and many excellent research assistants, data collectors, and support staff. THANK YOU!

How do you think about the relationship between the S, the T, the E, and the M in STEM for young children? Is yours a project-based approach or do you have separate, but related science and math activities?

Are there any classes in your study in which the students stay with the teacher for more than one year?
Also, do you measure affective responses of the children, or changes in question asking or the development of problem-solving “pragmatic rituals” or habits?

Hi Alissa, could you talk about the science content that you cover in the program? Do the topics build on one another or are they independent? How do you decided when to move on from one topic. Thanks so much!

Thanks for sharing your video! How many teachers participated? And how frequent were the 3 levels of PD?

We have 50 teachers in our current RCT including 25 working with us now (treatment) and 25 who we will work with after data collection is complete (comparison). We also work with 6 Master Teachers from the district. Our model includes 4 spaced workshops, each followed by an RCC and a PLC. So, there are four of each type of PD support per year.

I have definitely seen a positive difference in the teachers with whom I work who are participating in this model. The confidence in their abilities coupled with their focus on the learning objectives has surely raised the bar!

Thanks for chiming in! Barbara is one of our Master Teachers.