Rethinking the Who, What, and How of Teacher Professional Development: A Framework Emerging from the Special Issue on Technology-Enabled Professional Development for Science, Mathematics, and STEM teachers

Abstract

This paper concludes the Special Issue entitled “Innovative Use of Technology in Professional Development for Science, Mathematics, and STEM Teachers”. It examines how the contributions of five empirical studies advance our understanding of the literature on teacher professional development (TPD) and analyzes the technology-enabled designs in the preservice teacher education and in-service professional development programs featured in this SI. Based on the analysis, we propose an emergent framework that outlines how educational technologies compel us to rethink the Who, the What and the How of the TPD process. This framework emphasizes the deeper value of technology in transforming TPD, as highlighted by Fishman and Dede (2016): Technology not only enhances conventional practices but also enables us to achieve greater outcomes. We conclude by inviting reflection on critical questions related to the use of technology in TPD.