Abstract
- This exploratory study investigated the instructional perceptions of four middle school principals regarding STEM instruction. By seeking to better understand their own experiences as teachers and administrators, their preferred teaching style, their use of observation instruments, their vision of STEM instruction, and their practices regarding observation and feedback in the middle school level, we sought to provide insights on how principals perceive STEM instruction and their role in working with teachers. Four principals were showed clips of classroom math instruction. As the four principals’ perceptions and feedback varied, it indeed appears that there was a different “noticing” apparent even though these four middle school principals served within the same district and had experience with the same observation protocols and related trainings. Based upon the narratives provided by the four administrators, we can determine that there is divergence in identifying what good STEM instruction is. It is evident from the principal interviews that feedback can vary from person to person even when employing the same observation protocol and training. Given the lack of STEM instruction training for a number of today’s highly qualified principals, it is important to consider how principals interpret STEM instruction, and how they impact teaching and learning. The results suggest that we have some distance yet to travel to effectively provide all teachers with the feedback necessary to meet our school based goals of STEM literacy.