Abstract
Career change teachers with STEM expertise can bring unique insights into the classroom. In this chapter, based on a study jointly conducted in the Netherlands and Australia, the contributions and expertise that career change teachers with STEM backgrounds bring to the classroom and the broader implications for attracting this cohort in education are examined. The chapter outlines some of the barriers and enablers experienced by this cohort and strategies that can be employed by schools and policy makers to attract and retain STEM professionals in the teaching profession. Increasing the pool of industry-qualified, experienced teachers, with real-world expertise to classrooms will contribute to developing a strong STEM-skilled teacher cohort, a critical conduit to building a skilled future workforce and economy.
Dr. Lesley de Putter, Assistant Professor, Eindhoven School of Education, Eindhoven Institute of Technology (TU/e) is a guest co-author of this chapter.
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Varadharajan, M., Buchanan, J. (2021). How Do STEM Career Change Teachers Experience the Transition?: A Comparison Between Dutch and Australian Teachers. In: Career Change Teachers. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6038-2_9
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