STEM PD for Teachers: Building Data Confidence Beyond the Basics
STEM PD for teachers to build data literacy skills is essential for preparing students to navigate an increasingly data-driven world…and a critical aspect of learning how to best leverage and understand AI. But to be effective, professional development needs to go beyond exposure to tools or trendy techniques—it must empower teachers to build lasting confidence in teaching data literacy and integrating graphing and other data skills meaningfully into their instruction regardless of what curriculum or tools they are using.
Most science and math teachers already use data in their classrooms. But we often hear that their students struggle with the data tasks. Consistently at our sessions, teachers share that they want a deeper understanding of how to scaffold data-based learning experiences for students to overcome those struggles. Therefore, the challenge isn’t just getting students to use data—it’s teaching students how to think critically about it.
Let’s explore what we have found as ways for high-quality STEM PD to support teachers in developing confidence, deepening their instruction, and helping students succeed with real-world data.
STEM PD for Teachers: A Path Forward
Most K-12 teachers didn’t receive explicit training in how to teach data literacy—even though they’re now expected to do it in tandem with their content teaching. Whether it’s creating graphs, analyzing data features and patterns, or drawing conclusions from their data, these tasks require direct instruction. In our experience, many teachers we talk and work with are frustrated by the disconnect between what they are doing and how it is going for their students.
That’s where data-based STEM PD for teachers comes in. Focused, ongoing professional development helps teachers:
- Understand common student misconceptions and tripping points,
- Scaffold activities and lessons to build conceptual understanding,
- Integrate graphing and analysis into and across content topics, and
- Use real-world data to promote critical thinking overall and data literacy broadly.
From Basics to Mastery: What Deeper STEM PD Looks Like
Not all PD is created equal. We have found that to truly build data confidence, professional development must go beyond introductory overviews by diving into instructional and reflective practice.
Here’s what we have found effective data-based PD includes:
Hands-On Modeling
Teachers need to experience the strategies they’re expected to use. That means it including things like:
- Working through sample data tasks (e.g., graphing, analyzing, data organizing, interpreting, storytelling),
- Collaborating on various data tasks and protocols,
- Reflecting on how students might engage with the same content and tasks, and
- Reviewing student artifacts collaboratively to identify students’ strengths and areas for growth.
Scaffolded Skill Progressions
The worst thing we can do (believe us we have been asked to try it many times ;)) is through everything (data-related) and the kitchen sink into one PD session. It is not how we work with data, not how we learn to work with data, and certainly not a good use of any of our time in PD sessions. Instead we need to scaffold the skills out, over time across our professional learning and across the year(s) for our students.
There are a range of topic areas in data literacy, and this is why our Data Trailblazers® Series builds understanding across multiple focus areas, over time. We cover things like:
- Creating and iterating graphs,
- Communicating with data,
- Embracing and working with variability,
- Describing and analyzing patterns in data,
- Addressing common graphing misconceptions, etc.
Across each session, teachers are able to practice, refine, and revisit key skills for that particular topic as well as situate it into the broader canvas of data skills.
Customization to Curriculum
Hands down we believe that the best, and most impactful, PD aligns with what teachers are already doing. Therefore, we strive to embed sessions within our participating teachers' pacing guides and course goals so that nothing feels “extra.”
What does that look like? Well it can include things like:
- Standards- or state-assessment-based graphing examples,
- Lab-tailored data literacy instruction,
- Interdisciplinary connections with math or social studies in the same grade level.
Supporting Student Success Through Teacher Confidence
Teachers who feel confident in data instruction are better able to:
- Ask higher-order questions using data
- Guide students through the full data analysis cycle
- Create opportunities for student inquiry and investigation
And students benefit. They learn how to:
- Spot trends and unique features in data
- Think critically about evidence
- Communicate findings in clear, compelling ways
STEM professional development workshops that prioritize teacher growth translate into more rigorous, equitable, and engaging classroom learning.
Examples of Effective STEM PD in Action
Here are some examples of how schools are using in-school teacher training to deepen their data-based instruction:
- 3-Hour Session: Focused on addressing graphing misconceptions and struggles in middle school science and math.
- 2-Day Workshop: Co-planning data investigations with grade-level teams across disciplines that align to content standards and uplevel students’ work with data.
- 6-Session Series: Exploring how to integrate graphing, analyzing, and interpreting consistently across physical science, life science, and earth science content throughout a secondary science department.
Each approach is rooted in job-embedded PD principles—grounded in the curriculum, students, and instructional goals of the school we were working with.
Ready to Go Beyond the Basics?
If your team is ready to move past surface-level PD and toward deep, data-literate instruction, we’re here to help. Our sessions are designed by teachers who know the realities of teaching—and who know how to make graphing and data instruction both accessible and meaningful.
Whether you’re building a PD day, planning a district-wide initiative, or looking for targeted support, we’ll work with you to co-design a training that makes data literacy stick.
