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(in alphabetical order)
Emory University: PRISM
The Problems and Research to Integrate Science and Mathematics
program has 10 Emory graduate fellows and 2 Clark Atlanta University
graduate fellows in several science disciplines. Each are
teamed with middle and high school teachers in 4 metro Atlanta
school districts. 5 undergraduate fellows also contribute to
these teams. Our teams create and implement Problem-Based Learning
cases that engage students in the science behind real-world
problems. Teachers and fellows become facilitators of small groups
of students, guiding their efforts to ask appropriate questions,
uncover answers
through investigation, and share new knowledge with peers. These
cases will be available in an online searchable database on
December 1 at our new Web site: CASES
Online. PRISM is in its third year of Track I funding.
Florida
Institute of Technology: InSTEP
In an effort to enhance science instruction in K-12 schools,
Florida Tech has developed a new partnership between students, researchers,
and high school teachers in Brevard County, FL. The Integrated Science
Teaching Enhancement Partnership (InSTEP) is designed to foster student
interest in science while boosting teacher confidence in science
content and inquiry-based instruction. Each year, eight graduate
students from Florida Tech’s science departments (Biology,
Chemistry, Marine and Environmental Systems, and Physics) are matched
with eight Brevard County high school Integrated Science (IS) teachers
to design and pilot a series of learning modules linking core IS
content areas—Earth science, biology, chemistry and physics.
Using “ocean exploration” as a common theme, the program
takes advantage of Florida’s extensive coastal resources and
student awareness of local ocean-related issues. Modules are based
on state and national curriculum standards and include demonstrations
and inquiry-based laboratories that rely heavily on instructional
strategies that encourage experimentation and problem solving. To
support hands-on activities at local field sites, a 24 ft. RV is
being purchased and renovated to serve as a mobile laboratory [SEAS
(Science Exploration At Sea) Lab]. In addition to assisting with
classroom instruction and serving as content resources for teachers,
Graduate Fellows also coordinate bi-monthly seminars by nationally
recognized scientists and serve as co-advisors for Ocean Science
Bowl teams that participate in a district-wide competition held each
spring.
Florida State University
The goals of our GK-12 project, funded by the NSF, at
Florida State University (FSU) are as follows: 1) to increase
the number of science professionals making meaningful contributions
to K-12 science
and mathematics and 2) to enhance the science and mathematics
teaching practice of K-12 teachers.
To familiarize the cohort of nine FSU Fellows with successful
teaching practices, we designed a graduate course, Science Teaching
and Learning, which focused on two themes: 1) child development
and learning, and 2) effective communication of science content.
The foundation
for the course was the National Science Education Standards,
and we interwove theoretical aspects of teaching with practical
lesson applications.
Fellows and their partnering GK-12 Teacher utilize a co-teaching
format in K-8 classrooms. Fellows serve as content and curriculum
resources and participate in classroom instruction. Short-term
benefits of this
project include the learning and experience that the program
immediately brings to the Fellows, enhancing their communication
and teaching skills
and thus their value as educators, not only for the K-12 community,
but also for the undergraduate classroom.
Seven of the GK-12 Fellows each contributed a chapter to the monograph, Science
Graduate Students in K-8 Classrooms: Experiences and Reflections, published by
SERVE (2005), found at http://www.serve.org/Curriculum/products.php.
In addition, there is a chapter on the graduate course on the teaching and learning
of science
and an evaluation chapter focused on all the Fellows in the program.
Georgia
Institute of Technology: STEP
The Georgia Tech Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP) Program is
a
partnership between Georgia Tech, and the Fulton County, DeKalb County, Rockdale
County, Marietta City, and Atlanta Public School
Systems. STEP partners
advanced Undergraduate and Graduate Student Fellows (from fields supported
by the National Science Foundation) with metro-Atlanta area high
school Science,
Mathematics, and Technology (STEM) teams that are led by master science or
mathematics teacher-coordinators. The program seeks to improve
the teaching-related communication
and leadership skills of Georgia Tech graduate students and to use the exceptional
scholarly expertise available at Georgia Tech to assist in increasing the mathematics
and science performance of Atlanta-area school students. STEP Fellows participate
in summer training workshops to familiarize them with inquiry-based learning
pedagogy, classroom management and effective teaching skills, and appropriate
uses of educational technologies. They also work with high school personnel
to develop a needs assessment and action plan for the school.
During the school
year they work in teams (each having at least two Georgia Tech students) with
their partner school, choosing activities from a menu of options that includes:
1) Student instruction, 2) Teacher professional development, 3) Student enrichment
and mentoring, 4) Implementation of classroom websites, 5) Science fair project
assistance, and 6) Georgia Tech lab tours.
Louisiana State University
This GK-12 program (Track 1, 2005-08) is a joint effort of the Colleges
of Arts and Sciences, Basic Sciences, and Engineering at LSU. It is
coordinated by LSU’s Gordon A. Cain Center which currently manages
or collaborates in over $8M in grant and contract funding for a variety
of education, research, and outreach programs. The GK-12 project profits
in many ways by the vast opportunities to network, share, and collaborate
with other major education initiatives like LSU’s (a) Concentrations
in Secondary Education, (b) Math and Science Partnerships, and (c)
Advanced Placement Initiative.
The GK-12 project activities are designed to support the educational
needs of the school systems in the greater Baton Rouge area. The project
supports nine school teams per year consisting of one graduate fellow,
two teachers, and one undergraduate fellow.
The GK-12 teachers have the year-long support of an advanced
math, science, or engineering graduate student. It is hoped that the
level of math and science instruction can be improved significantly
and permanently through this professional development and support program.
This is especially true for advanced classes, such as AP Calculus,
AP Chemistry and AP Physics, but also at the middle school level where
many teachers get “bumped up” to 7th and 8th grade classes
and where some are admittedly struggling with the unfamiliar content.
In addition to a shortage of teachers who are comfortable in teaching
advanced math and science classes, in many Louisiana high schools another
main obstacle to offering such courses is that too few students are
prepared well enough for such an endeavor. As a consequence, in many
cases advanced courses are not offered at all, and if they are offered
then they are almost always watered down versions with little advanced
mathematical or scientific substance.
To change this, as a first step, we are taking a sequential approach
pairing the teacher of a more advanced class with a teacher from one
of the feeder classes and assigning a graduate fellow to work with
both teachers at the same time. For example, a graduate fellow assists
a teacher in a calculus class and, during the same school year, another
teacher in an advanced mathematics class. The graduate fellow, the
two teachers, and the mentor teacher will work together for at least
one school year (with the graduate fellow splitting 10 hours per week
in the school between the two classes) and they participate as a team
in the preparatory summer workshop and its academic year follow-ups. During
preliminary discussions, some teachers pointed out that they could
profit from a graduate student that could help them to build bridges
between subject matters. For example, a successful AP Calculus teacher
said that she often skips around the applications of calculus to physics,
although many of her students either take AP Physics at the same time,
or have a strong background in physics. She said that she would love
to work closer with her colleague teaching physics and with a graduate
student with a strong physics background. Our program makes this possible.
To each graduate fellow/teacher team we assign one undergraduate
fellow and each team gets substantial funds to install its own Math
Lab. During the academic year, undergraduate fellows spend about ten
hours per week at their schools organizing the Math Lab. The
general objectives of the labs are to improve math learning in the
participating schools, provide tutoring, remediation, and prep classes
for various standardized tests, and ACT targeted programs. Additional
graduate and undergraduate students are being recruited through LSU’s
community outreach programs.
Louisiana Tech University
The GK-12 program at Louisiana
Tech University has switched its focus from Fellow/Teacher
Classroom Partnerships to a structure
that is focused more on addressing broader community needs. This
year, fellows were assembled into "teams" based on their
interests, abilities, and preferred age groups, with returning
fellows as team leaders. One major unexpected endeavor we were
faced with was organizing activities for students affected by
hurricanes Katrina and Rita at the local shelters. Other major
accomplishments this year include organizing math and science
nights for several
elementary and middle schools, tailgating activities at Tech
football
games to
engage students outside of the traditional classroom setting,
and establishing a program to assist more than 150 students in
seven parishes in achieving
higher scores on the ACT.
University of Central Florida: Greater Orlando GK-12
Partnership
The Greater Orlando GK-12 Partnership (GO GK-12) is in its first
year of
Track I. Eight graduate fellows (6 graduate students and two
undergraduate
students) are assigned to classrooms at six different high schools
in the
Orange County Public School District. All fellows are assigned
to a ninth
grade integrated science class. During the summer, graduate fellows
attended 10 "Fellow Friday" sessions
to learn pedagogical practices appropriate for ninth grade students
and were
introduced to inquiry-based learning. During an additional two
week
seminar, fellows and teachers were introduced to additional inquiry-based
lessons. They designed and delivered inquiry-based lessons that
were peer-evaluated. By the end of this school year, the teachers
and fellows will
have attended five monthly workshops to continue developing their
skill in
teaching inquiry based lessons. Fellows spend 10 hours weekly in
the classroom plus 5 additional hours of
joint planning time with their assigned teacher. During Fall
Semester, they
attended a 3 hour Science Methods Course offered by the College
of
Education. Fellows are required to submit a monthly lesson which
is then
made available on the GO
GK-12 website.
They
also attend a weekly "Fellow Friday" meeting to discuss issues
and concerns
associated with their classroom experiences. GO GK-12 team members include
faculty and staff from the College of
Engineering, College of Education, College of Optics and Photonics,
Department of Chemistry, and the Faculty Center for Teaching
and Learning.
Partner organizations include the University of Central Florida,
Orange
County Public Schools, the Orlando Science Center, and the
National Science
Foundation.
University of Florida: SPICE
SPICE (Science Partners in
Inquiry-based Collaborative Education) is a
cooperative venture between the University of Florida and the
School Board
of Alachua County. We partner UF graduate students in the fields
of
Environmental Engineering Sciences and Zoology with middle
school teachers
to enhance science education through eco-health inquiry-based
activities.
Our participants have produced 17 modules that are published
on our website
for public use. We are in our third year of our phase 1 grant.
University of Georgia:
The Science Behind Our Food
We have 10 graduate fellows in agricultural
and environmental science disciplines partnered with lead science
teachers in eight high schools in eight school districts in the
state. The main
focus of the program has been for the teacher/fellow partners
to implement as much inquiry-based learning as possible in the
schools. We
have found there is significant value in the use of food as an
overall theme for these learning activities. Few activities were
readily available to teachers that were connected to our state’s
curriculum standards, were inquiry based, and used themes that
would engage students. We
have gathered many lesson plans, and the fellows have created
many additional lesson plans, which are all on our website. We
have 487 lesson plans categorized by high school course/subject
area, of which 132 have been created by our fellows. While some
lessons are short-term and can be done in a single class period,
or a portion of a class period, other lessons are more long-term. Some
of these include the construction of ponds, the constructions
of wetlands in water retention areas of the school, and the creation
of new food
productions.
University of South Carolina
The SC Commission on Higher Education, the National Science Foundation
and ExxonMobil are supporting the Center for Engineering and
Computing Education at the University of South Carolina to:
1) Develop the communication skills and teaching abilities
of graduate and undergraduate students in Chemical Engineering,
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer
Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering;
and 2)
Enhance Science Education in South Carolina Schools by providing direct assistance
to teachers in the classroom and by providing professional development opportunities
for teachers in the summer.
University of South Florida: STARS
The objective of STARS is to develop a unique collaborative model
among elementary schools, school district administration, and
the University of South Florida to: 1) foster systemic change
in elementary curricula with the potential to fundamentally
change math, science and long term professional development
of science and mathematics teachers; and 2) infuse science and engineering
principles as well cutting-edge technology (such as nanotechnology, optics, computer
vision, etc.) into the elementary
grade curriculum. The enriched curriculum will not only help the students become
better prepared as they engage in engineering and science educational processes,
it will also
help plant and later sow the seeds of successful engineers and scientists of
the future in the students.
Vanderbilt-Meharry-Tennessee
State University Graduate Teaching Fellows Program
The
Vanderbilt-Meharry-Tennessee State University GK-12 program
is now in its sixth year. Our program focuses on partnering science
graduate students (GTFs) with middle school teachers to present
hands-on, inquiry based lessons in science classrooms. The
2005-2006
school
year teams 14 Metropolitan Nashville Public School teachers
and 13 graduate students in a collaborative effort to improve
science instruction
and provide opportunities for middle school students to work
with scientists. The current cadre of graduate students represents
scientific
research in biomedical engineering, computer engineering,
electrical engineering, microbiology, immunology, earth and environmental
sciences, and mathematics.
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