Program Director Chris Kennedy will be presenting on STEMteachersNYCat a STEM in NYC Colloquium presented by the Department of Mathematics at Teachers College, Columbia University this Thursday! Here is a quick excerpt of the presentation he’ll be giving:
STEM Teacher Agency: Leveraging the Power of Teacher-Led Professional Learning
As the demand for STEM education and workforce development has grown across the US, the need for effective professional development models have become increasingly important. However, teachers’ voices are regularly absent from conversations about their professional growth and many schools lack opportunities for teacher leadership. This can hinder teacher effectiveness and retention, as well as undermines teacher decision-making. Over the past decade, a movement towards teacher-led professional development has emerged across the US in support of teacher agency and autonomy. This presentation will examine the possibilities and challenges of this approach, highlighting the work of STEMteachersNYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating teacher-led STEM professional development programs in NYC. Program Director, Chris Kennedy will discuss the organization’s peer-to-peer leadership model as well as the emerging landscape of STEM education in NYC.
