The Role of School Leadership in the Implementation of Programming and Stem Concepts into Classroom Practice

Abstract

This short practitioner report discussed the role of the school leadership in the implementation of programming, and STEM concepts into classroom practice in an educational institution in Izmir, Turkey. The study investigated the process of how the school's leadership team including the ICT coordinator made it possible to integrate these relatively new concepts into the school’s curriculum by effectively managing the change process. 50 teachers from different fields including early years, primary, history, science, mathematics, computing, visual arts, and English, were active participants in the implementation program and were asked to regularly reflect on their experiences. The data from the teacher’s reflective journals showed that both programming and STEM concepts were seamlessly integrated into the schools’ curricula and classroom practice. The teachers reported that by receiving training about these concepts and the tools that are necessary for teaching them, was beneficial for supporting the student’s development of 21st-century learning skills such as collaboration, communication and problem-solving. They also explained how the supportive attitude of the leadership team which provided time, resources and training opportunities for teachers, had an impact on the teachers' attitude towards the change process.