Telling is not teaching, though through our years of schooling, we're habituated to conflate the two. Whether K-12 or university, educators tend to lecture and expect learners to learn from being told. Then when learners become educators, they perpetuate the cycle. Current efforts towards active learning strategies and high impact practices push on educators to expand our mindset and repertoire. But, habits are hard to break. Change can be difficult, but, individually, we do it. Change is evermore challenging to sustain if we're the only ones teaching differently. Culture (department/institution) and structure (tenure and promotion parameters, faculty development support) of the systems in which we teach are factors that can't be ignored. The power dynamics among colleagues (and with institutional leaders) can be a distraction, a barrier, or leveraged as an asset. Thus, impediments to change aren't always lack of willingness on the part of educators, though that certainly exists. The urgent need for addressing equity and inclusion in STEM and STEM teaching requires change at the systemic level in how we as educators think about and approach our practice but also understanding, questioning, and challenging the way things are done within our institutions.
This symposium makes space for discourse on institution-level changes to enable and maintain transformative STEM teaching. Models and success stories spark ideas and inspiration. Setbacks and misfires provide invaluable insights and strategies for next time. Collectively taking the time to share these stories and reflect on them can be helpful for generating solutions.