Northern Arizona University's Science Learning Center Middle School Teacher Preparation Project

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Northern Arizona University will develop a five-year model program for the preparation of middle school science and mathematics teachers. The proposed effort will involve the teaching of strong content courses in science and mathematics in agreement with NSTA and NCTM guidelines, and the development of a series of courses, referred to as "integrated laboratories", that attempt to help students tie the science and mathematics content to the realities of the middle school curriculum. The focus throughout the program is on integrating the mathematics and science and helping students to apply the formal content to the middle school. The proposed program represents a coordinated effort involving scientists and mathematicians, science and mathematics educators, teacher educators, master teachers and school personnel. This program will prepare a teacher who has both content knowledge and skill with methods of teaching in the middle school. Numerous experiences with middle school children are planned. A capstone experience, following student teaching, is a summer "camp" in which students teach middle school children full-time under the guidance of master teachers and university personnel. Part of the evaluation of the project is to compare the content knowledge and teaching performance of teachers in this program with a matched control group. Dr. Gordon P. Johnson will direct the project. Dr. Johnson is a Professor in the Department of Physics and is very well qualified to direct this major effort. During the first year the project will be co- directed by Dr. Ray Tamppari, Professor of Biology. The critical staff involved in program development hold academic appointments in science and mathematics departments or are science and mathematics educators. The links with the public schools are evident and the necessary school personnel are intrically involved in all aspects of the project. This is a very strong project and will serve as a model for those institutions desiring to prepare middle school teachers having exceptionally strong science and mathematics content knowledge.