Development of a Learning Design Training Program for Beginning-level STEAM Education for Mid-career Elementary School Teachers

Abstract

There is a demand for promoting STEAM education, which is cross-curricular inquiry learning. Recently, a great deal of research on STEAM education has been conducted in Japan. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is little research on improving the competencies of teachers who implement STEAM education. In this study, we clarified how to design a learning design training program for STEAM education beginners for mid-career elementary school teachers, and then developed and implemented that training program, and measured its effectiveness. We used the Kirkpatrick model in designing the training program and measuring its effectiveness. A one-day training program of four 90-minute sessions was developed and implemented for four participants. We evaluated the training outcomes for one of the four participants and found two implications. (1) It is effective to design training programs using the Kirkpatrick model. (2) Participants can implement STEAM education by designing lessons using the Process Design Sheet and the STEAM Competencies Classification Model.