Preparing Elementary Pre-service Teachers to Support STEM Success for English Learners

该项目旨在通过改善初级STEM的教与学来服务于国家利益。为此，它将创建和研究一项旨在更好地为小学职前教师做准备的科学教育计划。该项目将重点发展职前教师的STEM，并教授教学知识和教学技能，特别是针对英语学习者的教学。该项目将通过大学小学和早期教育部门与国防部在汉斯康姆空军基地的STARBASE计划建立战略合作伙伴关系，为职前教师创建两门三学分的课程和一次实地体验。第一门课程将讲授物理科学、技术和工程，使用国防部的STARBASE课程，结合综合数学。Starbase是一项STEM增收计划，面向有大量经济困难学生的学区。这门专门的STEM内容课程的设计将使职前教师将他们对科学概念的理解与科学教育研究倡导的教学模式相结合。这门课程将由布里奇沃特州立大学的一名科学教育者和STARBASE教师共同教授，他们全年向小学生传授相同的科学概念。第二个课程将为职前教师提供知识、技能和最佳实践，以帮助英语学习者成功地学习科学。它将包括符合马萨诸塞州中小学教育部指导方针的保护性教学战略。STARBASE课程中的物理科学和技术概念将被用来向职前教师传授有用的教学策略，以支持英语学习者的成功。内容课程和迷人的英语学习者课程都需要实地考察。这些要求将通过安排职前教师作为助理参加为期一周的STARBASE英语学习者暑期项目之一。本项目的研究性研究旨在促进对职前教师学习动机和教学内容知识发展之间关系的理解。它试图增加与影响职前教师的兴趣、参与度、自我效能感和学生在科学上取得成功的结果预期相关的研究结果。它将遵循基于设计的研究方法，并结合非等价组的准实验设计。该项目的一套课程和实地经验中的职前教师将与参加传统校园物理课程和英语学习者教学课程的职前教学样本进行比较。该项目旨在为职前教师提供为英语学习者学习教学策略并直接与其合作的机会。一个潜在的结果是使学习英语的儿童从小就能在学习科学方面取得成功。这样的成功可能会为整个学习者社区提供一条通往教育项目和职业的途径，这些课程和职业曾经是无法进入的。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。这是一个专注于本科生职前教师的参与式学生学习1级早期研究项目。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving elementary STEM teaching and learning. To this end, it will create and study a science education program intended to better prepare elementary pre-service teachers. The project will focus on developing the pre-service teachers’ STEM and teaching content knowledge and teaching skills, particularly for teaching students who are English learners. The project will do so through a strategic partnership between the University’s Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department and the Department of Defense STARBASE program at Hanscom Air Force Base to create and two three-credit courses and a field experience for preservice teachers. The first course will on teaching physical science, technology, and engineering, with integrated mathematics, using the Department of Defense STARBASE curriculum. STARBASE is a STEM enrichment program for school districts with large populations of economically disadvantaged students. This specialized STEM content course will be designed so that pre-service teachers integrate their understanding of science concepts with teaching models advocated by science education research. The course will be co-taught by a Bridgewater State University science educator and STARBASE teachers, who teach the same science concepts to elementary students throughout the year. The second course will be designed to provide pre-service teachers with knowledge, skills, and best practices to assist English learners' success in learning science. It will include sheltered instruction strategies consistent with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidelines. Physical science and technology concepts from the STARBASE curriculum will be used in teaching the pre-service teachers about useful instructional strategies to support the success of English learners. Both the content course and the engaging English learners course require fieldwork. These requirements will be met by placing the pre-service teachers as assistants at one of the one-week STARBASE for English learners’ summer programs. This project’s research study aims to advance understanding of connections among motivation and pedagogical content knowledge development for pre-service teachers. It seeks to add to research findings associated with affecting pre-service teachers’ interest, engagement, self-efficacy, and outcome expectancy for student success in science. It will follow design-based research methodologies in combination with a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent groups. The preservice teachers in the project’s set of courses and field experience will be compared to a sample of pre-service teaching taking the traditional on-campus physical science content course and course on instruction for English learners. This project intends to provide the pre-service teachers with opportunities to learn pedagogical strategies for and work directly with English learners. A potential outcome is enabling children who are English language learners to experience success in learning science from an early age. Such success may offer entire communities of learners a pathway to educational programs and careers that were once inaccessible. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. This is an Engaged Student Learning Level 1 early stage research project focused on undergraduate pre-service teachers. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.