Our partnership with The University of Texas at Tyler continues to develop, providing insightful information to direct our practice of architecture. Teacher efficacy is interesting to me, as those who perceive themselves as difference makers have the ability to instill a strong sense of the same in their students. Beliefs that guide students to learn at deep levels, accept challenges, and think at the most critical levels make strong classroom teachers.
Because teachers’ perceptions are so valuable in our work, we wanted to understand the reasons why they chose to teach at a STEAM-specialized campus. We wanted to know if our designed spaces made a difference in their teaching, and if their own behaviors differed from their previous behaviors in their comprehensive high school. Interestingly, the outcomes of this research centered around the behaviors and actions of students, based on teachers’ experiences.
To provide balance, we chose to also include the campus leader’s perceptions, which affirmed the opinions of the teachers. In many cases, his interview provided reasoning behind their actions. I found it fascinating!
Enjoy!
Dalane E. Bouillion, Ed.D., Chief Development Officer
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