Conference Agenda

Due to current migration movements in Europe, primary education has to address students from socio-cultural diverse home contexts. These home contexts include more than languages, cultural habits, and traditions; they also encompass a wide diversity of themes, practices and attitudes towards school-based learning requirements (e.g. Liebenwein, 2008; Vester et al., 2001). The objective of the research and development project “MINTeinander” (an acronym for STEM and together) at Bielefeld University (Germany) is to explore the interrelation between practices of STEM sensemaking in families and in primary schools (Fraefel, 2022; Odden & Russ, 2019; Tiedemann, 2012).

First, the project reconstructs forms of alignment between home environments and STEM-related tasks in interactions between caregivers and their children, with respect to different ways of thinking, acting, and valuing shaped by family environments, with reference to Pierre Bourdieu (2009/1983). Second, we aim to identify (common) STEM-related themes occurring in these interactions, which emerge or convey patterns of fit between home contexts and school (Jorgensen, Gates, & Roper, 2014; Bender, 2015). In its third phase, the project brings together primary school children, caregivers, and STEM teachers to characterize core practices (Grossman, 2021) of STEM sensemaking, based on their joint interactions. These core practices are intended to be applicable across both home contexts and school-based learning opportunities.

In its developmental design, the project draws on internationally established family math programs (e.g., Eason et al., 2020) and focuses on STEM-related themes in joint interactions. Based on the characterizations of core practices of STEM sensemaking, the project aims to develop instructional materials to strengthen school-family partnerships in primary education through STEM-themed formats. This paper will present preliminary results from a pilot study of the first and second phase of the project, where we examine patterns of alignment and (common) themes that occur in the interaction between primary school children and their parents to start understanding the grounds for the characterizations of practices of STEM sensemaking.

1. Research Topic and Objectives

As interdisciplinary STEM education scales globally, a persistent "didactical gap" has emerged: while curricula promote integration, classroom enactment often collapses into "activity-centric" learning without conceptual depth. This study investigates the Didactical Design of STEM tasks, specifically focusing on how task architectures can be engineered to support interdisciplinary reasoning—the ability of students to coordinate concepts from different domains (science, mathematics, engineering) to solve complex problems.

The primary objective is to develop and validate a Learning-Sciences-Oriented STEM Instructional Task Design Framework. This framework aims to provide teachers with a structural map for sequencing inquiry and design tasks that manage cognitive load while preserving the epistemic integrity of each discipline.

2. Research Questions

The study is guided by the following central question:

• How do didactical task architectures mediate the relationship between teacher orchestration and student interdisciplinary reasoning within elementary STEM environments?

Sub-questions include:

1. What specific design patterns in task sequencing facilitate the transition from scientific inquiry to engineering application?

2. How do cognitive constraints (e.g., cognitive load) necessitate "adaptive didactical transpositions" during the engineering iteration process?

3. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

The study is grounded in three pillars of Didactical Theory and Learning Sciences:

• Theory of Didactical Situations (TDS): We utilize the concept of the "Didactical Contract" (Brousseau) to examine the implicit expectations between teacher and student regarding interdisciplinary work. We argue that "add-on" integration fails because the didactical contract remains mono-disciplinary, requiring a new "Contract of Integration" where evidence-based justification is the currency of success.

• Didactical Transposition (Chevallard): This framework allows us to analyze how "expert" engineering practices are transformed into "teachable" classroom tasks. We focus on Adaptive Transposition, where teachers strategically reduce the complexity of iteration cycles to align with the developmental readiness of primary learners.

• Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) & Multimedia Learning: To address the "fragile moments" of interdisciplinary synthesis, we apply CLT to identify where task complexity exceeds student capacity. This informs the design of scaffolding at critical transition points (e.g., moving from a 2D sketch to a 3D prototype).

4. European and International Dimension

While the empirical case study is situated in the Asia-Pacific region, the research addresses a universal didactical crisis prevalent across European contexts (e.g., Germany’s Sachunterricht, France’s La main à la pâte, and UK STEM initiatives). The struggle to move beyond "kits and crafts" toward rigorous interdisciplinary didactics is a global challenge.

By utilizing European didactical traditions (TDS and Transposition) to analyze contemporary STEM practices, this study bridges regional pedagogical insights with established international theoretical rigor. The resulting five-component framework—focusing on Explicit Goal Design, Evidence-Oriented Prompting, Segmented Iteration, Transition Scaffolding, and Load Regulation—offers a scalable model for European teacher education programs seeking to professionalize STEM didactics.

5. Methodology Summary

The proposal integrates a systematic review (n=38) to establish global design norms with a micro-genetic classroom analysis. Using the Classroom Sequence Mapping System (CSMS), we visualize the temporal flow of "Didactical Trajectories," pinpointing exactly where student reasoning falters during task enactment. This data-driven approach allows for the refinement of the framework based on "lived" classroom evidence.

Classroom discourse and formative feedback are widely recognised as central components of effective science teaching, particularly in primary education, where students are developing foundational scientific concepts and practices. Teacher-led discussions can serve as an important bridge between hands-on activities and conceptual understanding by helping students connect observations, ideas, and scientific principles (Puntambekar and Goldstein, J., 2007). Similarly, formative assessment and feedback support learning when teachers attend closely to students’ responses and use emerging information to guide instruction (Haug & Ødegaard, 2015; Harrison, 2015). Research suggests that scaffolding classroom discourse and feedback is especially beneficial for supporting conceptual development in science and may be particularly important for students with lower language proficiency (Decristan et al., 2015). Despite broad agreement on the importance of dialogue and feedback, studies have shown that classroom discourse in primary science often remains limited in scope. Chin (2006) demonstrated that teachers use a variety of questioning strategies and feedback types to engage students, yet discourse that explicitly addresses causes, mechanisms, and reasoning is relatively rare (Newton & Newton, 2000).
A substantial body of research underscores the role of teacher-led discourse in facilitating productive classroom talk. Smith and Hackling (2016) argue that students’ learning in inquiry-based science relies on their participation in substantive conversations that allow them to explore ideas and construct explanations. Similarly, France (2019) emphasised that effective dialogue supports critical thinking and can promote deep learning when teachers actively engage students in reasoning. Studies focusing on teacher discourse styles have identified specific feedback and questioning practices that support knowledge construction, such as prompting for evidence, evaluating ideas, and encouraging explanation (Chin 2006; Soysal, 2019). Across this research, teachers are consistently described as central actors in shaping classroom dialogue, functioning both as facilitators of discussion and as discursive role models.
Video-based reflective practice has gained increasing attention as a tool for supporting teacher professional development in science education. McConnel et al (2008) emphasised that video-supported reflection allows teachers to observe their teaching by using evidence rather than relying on memory. Consequently, leading to greater gains in instructional awareness and teaching efficacy compared to text-based approaches. Video allows teachers to pause, rewind, and closely examine classroom interactions, thereby shifting their focus from classroom management to instructional practices and student thinking (Rosaen et al., 2008).
Although research has shown that video reflection can support the development of higher-quality questioning and feedback practices, it also highlights that video-based reflection is not inherently transformative. Teachers often require structured support to engage in productive reflection. Previous studies suggest that the effectiveness of video reflection depends on the use of guiding frameworks and focused analytic tools that help teachers attend to specific aspects of teaching and learning (Chittleborough et al., 2015; Wenner and Kittleson, 2018).
The aim of this study was to investigate how classroom video recordings can support primary science teachers in Iceland in developing classroom discourse and effective feedback practices. Using the PLATO framework as an analytic and reflective tool, the study explores how video-supported reflection may help teachers become more aware of their questioning strategies, feedback moves, and opportunities to engage students in meaningful scientific dialogue and how such an approach in professional development may improve these teaching techniques.