This study investigates the effectiveness of a Knowledge Building Teacher Professional Development (KB-TPD) program in enhancing K-12 teachers' design thinking (DT) mindset and alignment with Knowledge Building (KB) principles. The 10-week online course, conducted with 49 K-12 teachers from Taiwan and the United States, aimed to deepen participants' understanding of KB principles and lesson design practices. Data collection included online activity logs from the Knowledge Forum (KF), pre- and post-course DT mindset surveys, and evaluations of lesson design outcomes using rubrics based on the 12 KB principles. Descriptive statistics analyzed participants' online behaviors, while paired sample t-tests, independent samples t-tests, and correlation analyses assessed changes in DT mindset, compared KB lesson plans with benchmark plans, and explored relationships between KF activities and lesson plan scores. Results reveal significant engagement on the KF platform, with reading being the most common activity, followed by modifying and creating content. Teachers' DT mindset improved significantly across all dimensions, particularly in holistic thinking and creative confidence. KB lesson plans generally outperformed benchmark plans in most principles, especially in idea diversity and epistemic agency. However, in principles such as pervasive knowledge building, both KB and benchmark groups performed at similarly high levels. Further analysis showed that overall KF engagement, especially in reading and modifying content, positively correlated with higher lesson plan scores. This study contributes to understanding professional development's role in fostering KB and DT skills among educators, with suggestions for enhancing engagement strategies and building upon areas where both KB and benchmark groups excelled.

Authors:
Chih-Hsuan Chang, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Chih Hui Seet, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Cing-Sin Lin, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
Mei-Ju Chen, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Guo-Tsai Hung, National Taichung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Hung-Yao Hong, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Chih-Hsuan Chang is a postdotral fellow in National Chengchi university. Also an adjunct assistant professor in the Center for General Education, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.

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