  This study involves a theory-based teacher professional development model
that was created to address two problems. First, dominant modes of science
teacher professional development have been inadequate in helping teachers
create learning environments that engage students in the practices of science,
as called for most recently by the NGSS. Second, there is a lack of teacher
presence and voice in the national dialogue on education reform and assessment.
In this study, teachers led and participated in a professional community
focusing on STEM education research. In this community, teachers became
increasingly responsible for designing and enacting learning experiences for
themselves and their colleagues. We investigated the characteristics of the
science teachers learning process. Findings suggest that teachers who
participated in this model generated knowledge and practices about teaching and
learning while simultaneously developing identities and practices as education
reform advocates and agents of educational change.
