Preparing STEM Majors to become Highly Qualified STEM Teachers

帮助 STEM 专业学生成为高素质的 STEM 教师

• 批准号: 1557316
• 负责人: Valerie Allison
• 金额: $ 119.97万
• 依托单位: Susquehanna University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1557316&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Preparing; STEM; Majors; become; Highly

The Susquehanna University Noyce project addresses the need for highly qualified STEM teachers in urban and rural communities. It will prepare and support 25 physics, chemistry, and mathemtics majors to become highly qualified secondary education candidates for teaching positions in high-need school districts in Pennsylvania. Project objectives are to: recruit, retain, and graduate the Noyce scholars; to ensure they benefit from innovative best practices in STEM pedagogy; and to ensure they develop cultural competencies and the preparation needed to successfully teach in rural or urban high-need classrooms. The project emphasizes instructional practices that engage learners in inquiry-based learning activities and provides relevant and significant field experiences. An important component of the project is the emphasis placed on promoting cultural competencies related to linguistic, cultural, and economic diversity. Candidates develop these competencies through field placements, cultural immersion, and add-on certification as English as a Second Language (ESL) Program Specialists. Upon graduation and employment in Pennsylvania schools, Noyce scholars will be provided on-going mentorship through site visits and alumni retreats. The Susquehanna University Noyce project will prepare the physics, chemistry, and mathematics majors through the following: An internship program that provides these pre-service teacher candidates with early teaching experiences incorporating systematic reflection, mentoring, and constructive feedback; field experiences that provide cross-cultural immersion in high-need rural or urban communities and are supported through systematic critical reflection; field experiences that prepare the candidates for working in economically, culturally, and linguistically diverse classrooms; courses that include best pedagogical practices for diverse classrooms, and optional ESL certification. In addition, the STEM educational methods courses will model and prepare candidates to utilize instructional activities characterized by inquiry, experimentation, collaboration, and interdisciplinary learning. Finally, during student teaching, Noyce scholars will complete action research capstone projects on their instructional practices. Data will be systematically collected on each element of the Noyce Scholars project, as well as on the holistic experience of Noyce scholars, to assess individual and cumulative consequences. Ultimately, the project will prepare STEM teachers with a sophisticated understanding of diverse and underserved students' learning needs and deep knowledge about their content area and effective pedagogical approaches. Teachers who possess strong content knowledge, employ engaging instructional practices, and understand students and their communities promote greater student academic achievement and sustained interest than those lacking one or more of these capacities. When learners from underserved communities view their teachers as community members and/or invested in their communities, they are more likely to see themselves as capable of pursuing similar academic and professional paths. This project has the potential to positively impact surrounding high-need communities by increasing academic achievement, STEM engagement, and subsequent interest in postsecondary education and/or STEM-related careers. In turn, these project outcomes hold potential to expand the knowledge-base regarding the preparation of teachers to succeed in such high-need school districts. Susquehanna University has a commitment to actively recruit Noyce scholars from historically underserved populations (minority, low-income, and first-generation students) in order to increase the presence of relatable role models in mathematics and science.

萨斯奎哈纳大学诺伊斯项目解决了城市和农村社区对高素质 STEM 教师的需求。 它将培养和支持 25 个物理、化学和数学专业的学生成为高素质的中等教育候选人，担任宾夕法尼亚州高需求学区的教学职位。项目目标是：招募、留住诺伊斯学者并使其毕业；确保他们从 STEM 教学法的创新最佳实践中受益；确保他们发展文化能力并做好在农村或城市高需求教室成功教学所需的准备。该项目强调教学实践，让学习者参与基于探究的学习活动，并提供相关且重要的现场经验。该项目的一个重要组成部分是强调提升与语言、文化和经济多样性相关的文化能力。候选人通过实地实习、文化沉浸和英语作为第二语言 (ESL) 项目专家的附加认证来培养这些能力。毕业并在宾夕法尼亚州学校就业后，诺伊斯学者将通过实地考察和校友静修会获得持续的指导。萨斯奎哈纳大学诺伊斯项目将通过以下方式为物理、化学和数学专业做好准备： 实习计划，为这些职前教师候选人提供早期教学经验，包括系统反思、指导和建设性反馈；在高需求的农村或城市社区提供跨文化沉浸的实地经验，并通过系统的批判性反思得到支持；为候选人在经济、文化和语言多样化的课堂中工作做好准备的现场经验；课程包括针对不同课堂的最佳教学实践以及可选的 ESL 认证。此外，STEM 教育方法课程将为考生建模并帮助他们做好利用以探究、实验、协作和跨学科学习为特征的教学活动的准备。最后，在学生教学期间，诺伊斯学者将完成有关其教学实践的行动研究顶点项目。将系统地收集诺伊斯学者项目的每个要素以及诺伊斯学者的整体经验的数据，以评估个人和累积的后果。最终，该项目将使 STEM 教师对多样化和服务不足的学生的学习需求有深入的了解，并对他们的内容领域和有效的教学方法有深入的了解。与缺乏其中一项或多项能力的教师相比，拥有丰富内容知识、采用引人入胜的教学实践并了解学生及其社区的教师可以促进学生取得更高的学业成绩和持续的兴趣。当来自服务欠缺社区的学习者将他们的老师视为社区成员和/或对社区进行投资时，他们更有可能认为自己有能力追求类似的学术和职业道路。该项目有可能通过提高学术成就、STEM 参与度以及随后对高等教育和/或 STEM 相关职业的兴趣，对周围的高需求社区产生积极影响。反过来，这些项目成果有可能扩大有关教师准备在此类高需求学区取得成功的知识库。萨斯奎哈纳大学致力于积极从历史上服务不足的人群（少数民族、低收入和第一代学生）中招募诺伊斯学者，以增加数学和科学领域相关榜样的存在。