Faculty Innovator: Sumreen Asim

By Steven Krolak

(NEW ALBANY, Ind.)–Beliefs.

They frame ouridentity and shape our horizon.

They can limit,imprison, defeat us.

Or they can give formto our dreams and motivate us to pursue them.

A pre-occupation withbeliefs figures strongly in the life and work of Sumreen Asim, assistantprofessor of elementary science and technology education.

As a devout Muslimwoman, her religious belief is at the core of her love of learning. As a child ofimmigrants, belief in the promise of America has fueled her professional ambition.As a science educator, belief in the efficacy of technology has defined herresearch work and helped her surmount her greatest pedagogical challenges.

In blending thesebeliefs together, and in engaging the belief structures of her students andcolleagues in positive ways, Asim has brought a new type of innovative presenceto the classroom.

A changing dynamic

Visit Asim’s elementary methods class on any given day, and you are sure to find her students tinkering with some new educational technology. One day they might be trying out a new app on their phones or Apple iPads. Another day they might be wearing t-shirts that are electronically coded to reveal the inside of the human body. Or they might be fiddling with virtual reality headsets.

There’s learninginvolved. But the atmosphere is closer to play.

That’s entirely bydesign.

“I need to equip mystudents to meet the demands of tomorrow,” Asim said.

That means integratingtechnology into their training as teachers.

It’s particularlyimportant because many of her students are not confident in teaching science,much less in using technology, a phenomenon that afflicts teacher trainingacross the nation. So she must first focus on overcoming bias and anxiety.

That process beginswith “getting to know you” assignments that help her understand their uniqueabilities, concerns and areas of interest.

“I like to highlightthe backgrounds, experiences and needs of students, and sculpt classroomactivities to most effectively meet their needs,” Asim said. “This consistentlychanging dynamic makes teaching my courses fresh and fun for me.”

What follows is an exercise in “backwards design,” in which she structures her course based on desired end goals, incorporating student interests and emphasizing questions. Classes are divided into team-based learning groups, complete with designated discussion directors, connectors and quizzers. While these groups are effective devices for critical thinking and diversity of perspectives, they also build camaraderie and trust, which in turn reinforce confidence.

“Creatinginterdependency within the classroom is valuable and ensures that the groupprogresses together,” Asim said.

With these structuresin place, Asim is ready to introduce technological tools, essentially helpingteacher candidates overcome their fears, and preparing them for the kinds ofclassrooms they are most likely to encounter.

Kahoot, Peardeck, BreakoutEDU, Nearpod, Merge Cubes, PHET simulations, gamification, Project Learning Tree, outdoor activities—these are just a few of the novel tools that she has most recently integrated into her methods course.

But they are not all. Asimis constantly on the lookout for new instructional methods. She frequentlyattends research conferences (usually as a presenter), webinars and otherprofessional development events where new tech and best practices for its useare in the air. She accepts the need to change up her methods course, in lightof new modalities and new students.

“Each semester Ireinvent each course,” Asim said. “Keeping on top of new ideas in the educationfield allows me to apply new knowledge.”

Yet in acquainting herteacher candidates with the latest tools, she is not just helping them usegadgetry. She is teaching them to become innovators.

That means expandingtheir skills in areas such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking,creativity.

“Science content isintertwined with creativity,” Asim said. “Scientists use their creativity,innovation and imagination throughout the scientific process. This includesposing and developing research questions, designing investigations and theninterpreting and formulating reasons for phenomena discovered in evidencecollected in research.”

That approach informsher most recent scholarship, which focuses on changing the ways that studentsthink about science and technology.

“Advancing theteaching practices through understanding the beliefs of our teacher candidateshelps create discipline-specific strategies,” Asim said. “Applying thisknowledge to course modification and development helps improve our methodscourse here at IU Southeast.”

Each student can learn

In her teachingphilosophy, Asim echoes the simple but powerful commandment of her craft: “Eachstudent can learn.”

It’s a call to respectthe potential in every student. In her case, it’s a reminder of the highlyunique road she has traveled, beginning with her highly studious childhood onsuburban Long Island, New York in the 1980s.

Academics were never achallenge for Asim. She credits her parents with fostering a love of learningthat combined fearless experimentation with high expectations. Her father was acomputer scientist, her mother a pharmacist, both immigrants from Pakistan whohad achieved success in their respective careers. Asim recalls the constantpresence of early personal computers—black screens with flashing green lines ofbasic code. Her father was always bringing home new models for Asim and hersiblings to toy around with, nurturing her fearlessness toward technology.

“He always said, ‘Jumpon! Let’s explore!’” Asim said.

Asim was initially determined to become a doctor. When the recession of the early 1990s reduced the family income, she graduated from high school at age 15 and enrolled at Brooklyn College, commuting two-and-one-half hours each way and finishing her undergraduate degree while also working part-time in retail. Somewhere in that grueling time, she accepted the realization that her life goals–a family of her own before she was 30–would not be compatible with the demands of medical school or practice. When she broke the news to her father, and asked for his blessing for her shift to teaching, he was supportive.

“Teachers in Islam are on a pedestal,” he said.

Climbing that pedestal was another test of the strength of her beliefs–in herself, in her abilities, in the proposition that her achievements would bear fruit. With the help of grants and scholarships, she earned two masters degrees, and began to find her groove in science and environmental education, working with Dr. Eleanor Miele, who would become her mentor and friend, developing a passion for out-of-class learning and an appreciation for the value of partnerships with cultural institutions for teacher preparation.

Now married and withan infant daughter, she moved to Texas to pursue a doctorate, with the fullsupport of her husband. It was here that she became first a graduate assistant forSTEM educators, and then tenured member of faculty in that field.

Her own nonlinearjourney has given Asim an appreciation for the uniqueness of her own students,and a respect for their sacrifices. Those hours on the Long Island Railroad andholiday shifts at The Gap enable her to relate to teacher candidates in similarlife circumstances, and to draw on their perspectives when designing hercourses.

A corollary of “eachstudent can learn” is that each student brings something special to thelearning experience.

Beyond the classroom walls

This past fall, Asimreceived the IU Southeast Diversity Award, reflecting her efforts in helping tofoster an inclusive multicultural atmosphere on campus.

Those efforts includeeverything from a board where students can ask questions anonymously viapost-it note and receive an answer on CANVAS, to securing a prayer space forfellow Muslim students and community members, and from working with colleaguesto launch the first on-campus Muslim Meet-and-Greet to bringing education tomarginalized children in the community through the Teach A Kid, Make IndividualLife organization.

While the transitionfrom self-awareness to advocacy is relatively recent, it is deeply anchored inher earliest teaching experiences in New York City schools, where sheencountered approaches that were out of touch with the population.

“Traditional methods of teaching seemed ineffective and at best subpar to reach the diverse set of students in the urban school setting,” Asim said. “I sought to unlock ways to bring the students to their utmost learning potential.”

To unlock thatpotential is as much a spiritual as it is an intellectual exercise. For aneducator who admits thriving on the intersectionality of science, technology,engineering, language arts and math, the first order of business is thehumanistic embrace of all people and the special spark they share.

“Having cultural understanding and awareness allows relationships to build, brings together harmony and makes us emotionally intelligent,” Asim said. “Education does not stop at the classroom walls.”