Enhancing Minority Middle School Student Knowledge, Literacy, and Motivation in STEM Using Contextualized Agricultural Life Science Learning Experiences

该项目将推进“面向学生和教师的创新技术体验”（ITEST）项目的努力，以更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学、技术、工程、科学和技术领域追求职业的动机和能力的实践。通过探索连贯的经验如何支持城市学生对STEM的能力和兴趣，以及相关的行业劳动力和社区成员如何参与提高学生和教师对当地和区域STEM职业机会的兴趣和认识，或数学（STEM）。为了实现这一目标，研究人员将采用基于设计的研究方法，为15名学校教师和250名代表性不足的市中心4 -6年级学生提供广泛的专业发展，这些学生具有农业生命科学经验，与食品科学、健康、环境和能源等实际问题有关。研究人员将使用基于设计的研究方法来创建教师专业发展和新课程。项目可交付成果包括：1)设计、实地测试和实施四个开放式模型启发活动（mea），通过农业生命科学背景下基于问题的体验将学生与社区联系起来；2)基于文化相关教学法和情境化探究原则的教师专业发展；3)一个引人注目的指导计划，通过行业、社区和大学的合作伙伴关系，将参与的青年与当地和区域相关的STEM职业联系起来。这种课程开发、教师专业发展和导师支持的学生参与的整体方法可以作为如何为学生未来的STEM学术和职业道路做好学术准备的模式。特别是“青年指导计划”（Youth Mentoring Program）， stem相关社区、行业和大学合作伙伴为参与的学生提供指导（作为mea制定的一部分），让学生参与问题情境化、模型构建和沟通。这些导师还将帮助学生提高对当地STEM职业和就业以及区域教育资源的认识。

This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by exploring how coherent experiences can support urban student competency and interest in STEM and how related industry workforce and community members can participate in increasing student and teacher interest in, and awareness of, local and regional STEM career opportunities. To achieve this, researchers will use a design based research approach to developing and providing an extensive professional development to 15 school teachers and engage 250 underrepresented inner-city 4th-6th grade students with agricultural life sciences experiences that connect to real issues in food science, health, environment, and energy. Researchers will use a design based research approach to creating the teacher professional development and new curriculum. Project deliverables include: 1) the design, field-testing, and implementation of four open-ended Model-Eliciting-Activities (MEAs) which connect students to their community through problem-based experiences in agricultural life science contexts; 2) teacher professional development grounded in the principles of culturally relevant pedagogy and contextualized inquiry; and 3) a compelling mentoring program that connects participating youth with locally and regionally relevant STEM careers through industry, community, and university partnerships. This holistic approach to curriculum development, teacher professional development, and mentor supported student engagement could serve as a model for how to prepare students academically for future STEM academic and career paths. In particular, the Youth Mentoring Program, in which STEM-related community, industry, and university partners serve as mentors to participating students (as part of the enactment of MEAs), engages students in problem contextualization, model building, and communication. These mentors will also help increase student awareness of local STEM careers and employment, as well as regional education resources.