Mr. Spong's Blogs

2026.09.29

CONT 951 – Module 1 – STEM Perspectives Part 1

Creating a STEM environment.

Nurturing a holistic view of science requires careful consideration of the interconnected nature of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Ejiwale, 2012; Kelley & Knowles, 2016; Stehle, 2019). Integrating aspects of these four disciplines in student learning encourages mental flexibility and deepens knowledge. This flexibility and deep understanding are critical to thriving in a rapidly evolving global society.

To effectively teach students using integrated STEM concepts, an educator must first recognize the need for a “paradigm shift” from a traditional direct-instruction “teacher” to a “facilitator” role that guides students through challenges (Ejiwale, 2012; Kelley & Knowles, 2016). Next, a STEM educator needs to have deep knowledge of STEM concepts to address a wide variety of impromptu questions. Therefore, thorough preparation of course materials, course expectations, and environmental design is required so the educator can focus on the tasks at hand.

Stehle (2019) states that STEM activities should emphasize “real-world, problem-based learning.” Activities should pull from a bucket of skills typically “taught separately in each discipline.” Stehle, Ejiwale, and Kelley & Knowles agree that engineering design principles are what connect the skills and thought processes across disciplines.

With sufficient preparation, an educator promotes “an enabling learning environment for learners” (Ejiwale, 2012). Kelley & Knowles (2016) describe this learning environment as a “community of practice.”

Goals and challenges of STEM education, and some personal thoughts.

Students are more interested in science and math topics when learning concepts alongside real-world applications (Kelley & Knowles, 2016). By combining the four disciplines, students can make connections and deepen their understanding of the world around them, leading to increased interest in science-related careers (Ejiwale, 2012; Kelley & Knowles, 2016; Stehle, 2019).

This can be challenging, however, because students must have a base of conceptual understanding from each discipline before they can make connections between them (Kelley & Knowles, 2016). Therefore, educators must scaffold STEM learning and inquiry sufficiently to make this integrated approach accessible. Another barrier to an integrated STEM education is that educators “often feel underprepared because they are lacking authentic scientific research and inquiry experiences themselves” (Kelley & Knowles, 2016).

When I think about my educational experience, it was fairly traditional. Labs were more an assessment of a student’s ability to read and follow directions than an opportunity to ask questions, form hypotheses, and determine methods to test them. The recent practices I have observed perpetuate this rigid understanding of experimentation. A question posed as “Why do you think X happened?” has a right and a wrong answer, and if the student provides incorrect reasoning, they are docked marks. Emphasis is not placed on the thinking process, but rather on another form of regurgitation. I wonder how this problem could be addressed through practical STEM applications.

Teachers as economic vehicles.

Each article carries a theme that educators should strive to “produce citizens who are productive” (Ejiwale, 2012). Problems posed to students should include a business element so future employees have the skills employers need. I often feel conflicted about my job as an educator, which seems to primarily serve to produce citizens in the interests of capital. Or, as Kelley & Knowles (2016) frequently allude to on pages 1 & 2: to maintain American economic dominance. Perhaps an economic argument is required to gain funding from government programs.

Works Cited

Ejiwale, J. A. (2012). Facilitating Teaching and Learning Across STEM Fields. Journal of STEM Education, 13(3), 87–94.

Kelley, T. R., & Knowles, J. G. (2016). A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education. International Journal of STEM Education, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-016-0046-z

Stehle, S. M., & Peters-Burton, E. E. (2019). Developing student 21st Century skills in selected exemplary inclusive STEM high schools. International Journal of STEM Education, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-019-0192-1

Journal 2026.09.29

CONT 961 – Module 1 – Establishing an EDI Learning Community

The Readings

The Harvard EdCast podcast episode titled “Unconscious Bias in Schools” and the online article “Strategies for Countering Unconscious Bias in the Classroom” discuss how educators need to be aware that they are not immune to acting prejudiced toward racialized students.

Educators likely want to provide quality instruction to all students, regardless of race (Anderson, 2019; Bowman, 2020). However, racist beliefs and habits are developed through societal “indoctrination” throughout one’s life. Learned racist biases need to be addressed in order to provide equitable instruction to all students.

Do the authors agree on strategies for teachers to reduce bias?

Both Anderson (2019) and Bowman (2020) agree that educators must:

1. acknowledge that they have some bias toward racialized individuals;
2. be willing to take risks and be uncomfortable to address said biases; and
3. name their identity as a racialized person themselves.

Both authors employ the use of the term “unconscious bias” to describe racism. Sarah Fiarman explains that this verbiage helps make tackling racism more palatable for white educators, as people tend to retreat when there is an implication that they are racist (Anderson, 2019).

How does our recognition of bias help us to provide an equitable learning experience?

Recognizing bias helps educators provide an equitable learning experience by reducing the outward effects of racist conditioning perpetuated by society. During the Harvard EdCast podcast, Tracey Benson describes an experience with a teacher he hired as a principal. He observed that a group of black students in a classroom with a white female teacher were not participating during lessons, nor were they being called on by the teacher (Anderson, 2019). He noted that the teacher often had her back turned toward the group of black students and therefore did not see them throughout the lesson. A couple of days after informing the teacher of his observation, Benson returned to the classroom and noted that the teacher was calling on students to participate. By simply acknowledging the unconscious bias that the teacher exhibited, the black students began to receive a more equitable learning experience. This example shows that actively addressing potential unconscious bias is a huge first step in creating a more equitable learning environment.

In my own practice.

In my Grade 8 science class, I had a seating arrangement that changed every two weeks. One time, I thought that I had found the perfect seating arrangement. For a few days, the class was on task, collaborative, and engaged like I had never seen before. However, during the latter half of the first week, a student began to act out. This behaviour was uncharacteristic of the student. At first, I didn’t think much of it; I thought that maybe they were having a bad couple of days. By Friday, I could feel a tension whenever I interacted with this student. After class, I had asked them if something was wrong. The student became animated and said, to the effect of, “Mr. Spong, I’m constantly separated from my friends. Look at how you single me out on the other side of the class! Johnny, Jim, Jared, and Josh all sit in that corner. It’s unfair!”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Here I was, thinking the new seating plan was perfect, but actually a student felt I was treating them unfairly by keeping them isolated from their friends. I had no idea that this was a pattern across multiple seating arrangements. I apologized for my actions, assured the student that I was doing this accidentally, and changed the seating plan the next day.

By explicitly acknowledging my unconscious bias toward the student, I showed respect, dignity, and mutual concern, which in turn strengthened our relationship (Evans, 2022).

By asking questions, building relationships with all students, and being aware of others’ emotions, I learned about an unconscious bias I might not have noticed otherwise. This interaction changed how I view seating arrangements and made me much more careful.

Thank you for reading,

Jordan

Works Cited

Anderson, J. (2019, November 20). Unconscious bias in schools. Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unconscious-bias-in-schools/id1062333296?i=1000457358698

Bowman, K. D., West, C., & Toner, M. (2020, August 4). Strategies for countering unconscious bias in the classroom. Association of International Educators (NAFSA). https://www.nafsa.org/ie-magazine/2020/8/4/strategies-countering-unconscious-bias-classroom

Evans, K., & Vaandering, D. (2022). The little book of restorative justice in education: Fostering responsibility, healing, and Hope in schools. Good Books.