Talented Teachers in Training for Texas Phase II

在美国国家科学基金会Robert Noyce教师奖学金项目的资助下，这个名为“德克萨斯州优秀教师培训（T4）第二阶段”的项目将通过招聘、教育和装备优秀的本科STEM专业学生，继续解决对高素质科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教师的极端需求。在T4第二阶段，奖学金将颁发给20名本科STEM专业的学生，他们正在寻求获得教学证书，并承诺在高需求学区教学至少四年。在第一阶段成功的基础上，这些新的学者群体将在奖学金期间参加密集的学术指导，三年的课堂引导和指导，并有机会参加STEM教学会议，努力建立一个科学和数学教师的合作网络。SFA将专门设计两门新课程，提供真实的教学探索，包括实地体验，由大师教师监督。此外，T4第二阶段的领导团队将与德克萨斯州11所社区学院的代表合作，在学生转入大学之前提高STEM教学作为职业选择的意识。第一阶段为大一/大二STEM专业的学生发起了一个Master Teacher Job Shadow项目，为本科STEM专业的学生提供了一个与Master Teacher一起度过整整一周的机会，让他们对这个行业有一个真实的了解。第二阶段将提供一个接触社区大学合作伙伴STEM主要人群的机会，以识别更多的影子。通过T4阶段II，项目研究人员将对(1)早期教学参与和短期指导活动如何影响STEM专业学生的坚持和职业选择进行纵向调查；(2)哪些因素影响学者对学位的坚持和对本科STEM教学认证的坚持；(3)加入T4师徒社区对学者在教学效能、学生学习和教师领导成长方面的影响。第二阶段将维持第一阶段发展的成对纵向比较组，并为新的学者产生新的比较组。T4第二阶段将扩大机会，研究队列模型对职前教师的影响，以及将Master Teacher导师纳入其准备工作的影响。更好地了解支持性学术团体与课堂教师留任之间的联系，对于提高全国教师留任率至关重要。

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, the project, Talented Teachers in Training for Texas (T4) Phase II, will continue to address the extreme need for highly-qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers by recruiting, educating, and equipping talented undergraduate STEM majors. In T4 Phase II, scholarships will be awarded to 20 undergraduate STEM majors who are seeking to earn their teaching certifications and who commit to teaching in high-needs school districts for at least four years. Building on the successful elements of Phase I, these new cohorts of scholars will participate in intensive academic mentoring during their scholarship years, three years of classroom induction and mentoring, and opportunities to attend STEM teaching conferences in an effort to build a collaborative network of science and mathematics teachers. Two new courses at SFA will be designed specifically to provide authentic explorations into teaching, including field experiences, supervised by Master Teachers. Additionally, the T4 Phase II leadership team will work in partnership with representatives from 11 community colleges in Texas to raise awareness of STEM teaching as a career option before students transfer to a university. Phase I initiated a Master Teacher Job Shadow for freshmen/sophomore STEM majors, providing an opportunity for undergraduate STEM majors to spend an entire week with a Master Teacher for a realistic look into the profession. Phase II will provide an opportunity to reach into its community college partners' STEM major populations to identify additional shadowers.Through T4 Phase II, project researchers will conduct longitudinal investigations into (1) How early teaching engagement and short-term mentoring activities affect STEM majors' persistence and career choice; (2) What factors affect Scholars' persistence to degree and persistence to undergraduate STEM teaching certification; and (3) How inclusion into the T4 mentoring community impacts the Scholars in the areas of teaching efficacy, their students' learning, and their growth as teacher leaders. Phase II will sustain paired longitudinal comparison groups developed in Phase I and generate new comparison groups for the new Scholars. T4 Phase II will expand opportunities to study the effect of the cohort model on preservice teachers as well as the impact of including Master Teacher mentors in their preparation. Better understanding the linkage between supportive academic community and the retention of classroom teachers is vital to improving teacher retention rates nationwide.