Simran Roy

Georgia State University

Domain 4 – STEM Pedagogical Practices
 Although STEM pedagogies have various integrations, there are certain aspects that are

shared across the board. After completing four semesters of learning how to integrate STEM, I

learned that it is focused on giving students a more meaningful learning/authentic environment.

Culturally relevant, critical, context-based, student-centered, collaborative learning are the

aspects of my teaching philosophy, and how I create a safe and challenging learning environment

for my students. “In the context of integrated, interdisciplinary learning, for example, these

approaches promote authentic learning of science and/or mathematics content and also aim at

enhancing students’ understanding of the relationship between STEM subjects” (Johnson, 2020,

pg. 66). Proper implementation of these pedagogies requires instructional planning in order to

assess students appropriately. My journey of learning about the evolution of teaching and

learning and how to adapt and modify my philosophy began

My first artifact is a combination of two assignments I completed during my first

semester of this program. My first task was to research student engagement and a possible

solution that has been proven to show positive effects. My literature review was focused on

incorporating movement into my classroom. After doing a quick search, I found numerous

articles that proved I was onto something. The findings I shared showed improve cognition and

student health which for some, led to higher academic achievement. I shared various ways that

movement can be merged into learning. From this review came my action research project

proposal. We were given the freedom to pick a topic of our choice, and I wanted to build on my

knowledge of movement while learning. After beginning my journey into this research project

while in undergrad, I compared aerobic vs. anaerobic breaks. Once I had successfully

implemented my plan into action, I learned that aerobic breaks did improve student cognition.

However, anerobic breaks (breaks that involved action/inquiry-based learning) showed an

increase in academic achievement as well through (collaborative) formative and summative

assessments. Although my focus has shifted from incorporating movement into my practice, I

have gained insight on this approach that I was able to implement on my own. Experimenting

this with my students will give me new insight and information that will help me improve my

future work and give my students a real-world, hands-on authentic learning experience.

My second artifact focuses on three approaches of PBL: place, project, and problem-

based learning. Project-based learning is one of the pedagogical practices listed in the STEM

Education Endorsement Standards and is defined as: a hands-on approach that is based on

student choice, research and inquiry, and the relevancy of content (Roy 2022). Through this

assignment, I learned that place and problem-based learning are under the umbrella of project-

based learning. This approach was something I had already started to implement into my science

content. For example, giving students a passion project related to sustainability and requiring

them to engage/collaborate with their community and peers, while giving them the freedom and

opportunity to be hands-on with the assignment. As I stated in my second artifact, PBL can be

beneficial across any subject matter, as long as we are creating meaningful learning

environments for our students to thrive in.

My final artifact is something I completed most recently and focuses on culturally

relevant pedagogy (CRP) and social justice pedagogy (SJP). Something known to the education

world is that everyone has their own definition of effective teaching. This quote by Mason

defined my perspective of what being an effective teacher means to me, “Rather than teaching

subjects or content, we must think of teaching as simply teaching students.” “Learning about

your students, understanding their abilities, and considering the experiences they bring into
classrooms can help to teach them more effectively (Roy, 2022). CRP brought attention to what

it means to have a culturally responsive classroom: which means you actively advocate for

individuals that are underrepresented. My role as a culturally responsive teacher has helped me

to better understand the silent battles and obstacles that my students are facing. Sometimes it

may mean going against authority to fight for your students. In other words, showing students

you care about their overall well-being in various ways through your teaching. With this, your

instructional planning, assessments, and approaches will improve as you reflect on your

philosophy.
 References:
Brown, B. A. (2019). Science in the city: Culturally relevant Stem education. Harvard Education
Press.
Hmelo‐Silver, C.E. (2004). Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students Learn?
Educational Psychology Review, 16, 235-266.
Johnson, C. C., Mohr-Schroeder, M. J., Moore, T. J., & English, L. (2020). Handbook of
Research on Stem Education. Routledge Taylor et Francis.
LOVE, B. E. T. T. I. N. A. (2020). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and
the pursuit of educational freedom. BEACON.