Siti Mina Tamah, Cresensia Dina C. Kumala Dewi, Bergitta Dwi Annawati, Ivan Gunawan, Louisa Alexis Tanuraharja, Saviera Christina Devika
The word ‘learn’ is embedded in ‘learners’ to indicate that learners are those learning. What about ‘teachers’? Are they the ones teaching? Yes, definitely. Though the word ‘learn’ is not embedded in ‘teachers’, teachers also learn. They learn to grow professionally to continue with the development of approaches and methods in teaching—entailing lifelong learning for teachers. The research aimed to assist teachers learn professionally by developing their Cognitive Presence to introduce STEM-oriented instruction. In this research, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) serves as the theoretical framework. One of the three presences deemed to be essential for learning is Cognitive Presence to enable learners to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry. CoI consists of a reflective activity cycle that begins with a stage of pre-reflection triggered by the presentation of a problem. It starts with reflection and ends with a satisfactory resolution or post-reflection. Funded by the Indonesian government in 2021, the first year of a two year-project involved teachers of young learners from eight provinces. As Cognitive Presence enables teachers to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse, this book chapter sheds light on how this cohort of teachers of young learners developed their Cognitive Presence as a part of their professional growth. © 2025 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia; Growing Kid Elementary School, Surabaya, Indonesia; Gloria 1 Christian Senior High School, Surabaya, Indonesia