San Juan County Initiative for the Enhancement of Pre-Service and In-Service Math/Science Teacher Education Through Curriculum Development and Internship Experiences in Technology

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San Juan College is providing a 9-credit hour block of workshops designed to provide in-service and pre-service teachers with instruction in teaching math and science grades 5-8. The overall goals of this project are: (1) improved quality of math and science instruction based upon use of teaching pedagogy, curriculum materials, and technology that address the standards, benchmarks, and competencies, (2) gains in children's knowledge of and interest in math and science as indicated by improved standardized test scores and increased enrollment in high school math and science classes, and (3) gains in recruitment and retention of math and science teachers. The project is training pre-service teachers planning to endorse in math and/or science and in-service math and/or science teachers during summer weekdays and Saturdays during the fall. During the spring, each pre-service teacher works with his/her mentor teacher as a team teacher for 40 hours in the mentor teacher's classroom, presenting the lessons and activities learned in the workshops. The intellectual merit of this project is evident in the variety of the topics and activities that do not comprise components of the standard teacher education math and science curriculum. The use of technology in the delivery of the workshop content and in the public school classroom as a tool to promote exploration, investigation and discovery learning, is a major and integral component of the project design. The broader impacts resulting from this project include a systematic, directional, sustainable, and measurable improvement in a quality learning setting in San Juan County's math and science classrooms. Teachers more highly trained in the development and implementation of math and science classroom activities using technology are more knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and self-confident. These traits, in turn, produce students who are excited about math and science and who are critical, procedural, and analytical thinkers and problem solvers.