Co-adapting a reflective video-based professional development in informal STEM education

Professional development for informal educators is often short, lecture-based, and focused on familiar teaching approaches. But this kind of training doesn’t always prepare educators for the real, messy moments of learning—especially when young people struggle or experience failure. Over four years, we partnered with 27 informal learning organizations to develop a more meaningful, long-term approach to professional development. Together, we worked to adapt and refine a reflective, video-based learning cycle that helps educators notice, make sense of, and respond to youths’ experiences with failure during hands-on STEM activities. Along the way, organizations tailored the process to fit their own realities, including limited time, staff turnover, discomfort with being on video, and a lack of available tools. These adaptations strengthened the professional development model and made it more practical and supportive. Our work offers a flexible framework that informal STEM organizations can use to build educator skills, foster collaboration, and better support young people as they learn through failure.