Co-Learning: A Hybrid Model for Integrated STEM Teacher Professional Learning and Student Out-of-School Learning

Abstract

Our paper presents a case for co-learning, a novel hybridization of teacher professional learning and student out-of-school learning wherein students and teachers collaborate and learn together. The benefits of collaborative learning are well documented in the literature; however, a co-learning approach to engaging teachers and students in integrated STEM activities is unexplored. This qualitative study was designed to unpack the co-learning experience from the perspectives of teachers and students to understand the opportunities and challenges of a co-learning model. We drew upon end-of-workshop semi-structured interviews with teacher and student participants, focusing specifically on participants’ reflections and insights about their experience with co-learning. The findings of our study highlight that (1) co-learning can be a powerful model for learning STEM content for both teachers and students, (2) co-learning leads both teachers and students to develop new insights and perspectives about each other, (3) co-learning requires teachers to navigate multiple roles, and (4) challenging group dynamics can impact co-learning. This research provides a proof of concept that co-learning is a model with much potential and may serve as a valuable model for creating integrated STEM learning experiences that serve both teachers and underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students.