Day of Discovery: A STEM Pipeline Program for Middle School Students

 为了响应国家改革的努力和国家和地方商界领袖的呼吁，大都会纳什维尔公立学校（MNPS）致力于为K-12 STEM教育设定更高的期望和标准。作为这一努力的一部分，科学推广中心（CSO）为对STEM感兴趣的高中生开发并实施了两个严格的，跨学科的，以研究为重点的项目：范德比尔特科学与数学学院（SSMV）和跨学科科学与研究项目（ISR）。目前提案的重点是垂直扩展这些计划，以更好地准备高中学生进入SSMV和ISR通过发现日（国防部）。国防部将接待来自六所中学的大约200名学生，他们每年的成绩水平各不相同，在学年和夏季的经验中，估计有48名来自干预和比较中学的7年级和8年级科学教师在整个赠款期间接受专业发展培训。具体来说，该提案旨在1）为7年级和8年级的学生设计和实施一项创新计划，为他们做好准备，并激发他们对基于研究的STEM研究的兴趣; 2）为国防部中学生建立夏令营，以增强他们的STEM学习体验; 3）让中学教师参与真实的研究经验，帮助他们理解如何整合项目-在他们的教室里学习。DoD是一个为STEM感兴趣的学生提供的拉出式充实计划。学生每周将与由博士后科学家和MNPS教师组成的国防部教学团队一起度过大约四个小时。在CSO工作人员的帮助下，该教学团队将通过使用PBL和探究开发支持当前科学标准的年级适当课程单元。为了延长STEM学习时间并与学年建立联系，还将建立夏令营。在科学家的指导下，学生们每年夏天将花五天时间探索社区健康问题，并制作演示文稿，将这些发现传达给当地官员。教师也将有机会在暑期专业发展期间参加真实的研究经验。在PD第一阶段，国防部教学团队将建立科学家-教师合作教学伙伴关系，开发课程， DoD，并创建前和后的内容评估，以支持学生学习的评估.在第二次会议期间，来自干预和比较学校的教师将接受关于PBL基本要素的复习，并制定一个在科学课堂上实施的学习单元。这一建议的预期成果包括：1）国防部学生将退出该计划更好地准备参加SSMV，ISR或其他高级STEM选修课在高中; 2）国防部夏令营将提供一个急需的学习“桥梁”学年之间，并缓解从8年级到SSMV或ISR的过渡; 3）教师将体验到实施PBL教中学科学的信心增加。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to national reform efforts and calls by state and local business leaders, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has committed to setting higher expectations and standards for K-12 STEM education. As part of this effort, the Center for Science Outreach (CSO) has developed and implemented two rigorous, interdisciplinary, research-focused programs for high school students interested in STEM: the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV) and the Interdisciplinary Science and Research programs (ISR). The focus of the current proposal is vertical expansion of these programs to better prepare upper middle school students for entrance to SSMV and ISR through the Day of Discovery (DoD). DoD will host approximately 200 students from six middle schools with varying levels of achievement each year for academic year and summer experiences with an estimated 48 7th and 8th grade science teachers from intervention and comparison middle schools receiving professional development training throughout the grant period. Specifically, the proposal aims to 1) design and implement an innovative program for 7th and 8th grade students that will prepare them for and excite them about research-based STEM studies; 2) establish summer camps for DoD middle school students to enhance their STEM learning experiences; 3) engage middle school teachers in authentic research experiences to assist them in understanding how to integrate project-based learning in their classrooms. DoD is a pull-out, enrichment program for STEM-interested students. Students will spend about four hours each week with the DoD instructional team comprised of a postdoctoral scientist and an MNPS teacher. With the help of CSO staff, this instructional team will develop grade level appropriate curricular units supporting the current science standards through the use of PBL and inquiry. To extend the STEM learning time and create a linkage to the school year, summer camps will also be established. Under the direction of scientists, students will spend five days each summer exploring community health issues and developing presentations to communicate these findings to local officials. Teachers will also have an opportunity to participate in authentc research experiences during summer professional development. In PD session I, DoD instructional teams will build the scientist-teacher co-teaching partnership, develop curricula for DoD, and create pre- and post- content assessments to support evaluation of student learning. During session II, teachers from both intervention and comparison schools will receive a refresher on the essential elements of PBL and develop a unit of study for implementation in their science classroom. Anticipated outcome of this proposal include 1) DoD students will exit the program better prepared to participate in the SSMV, ISR, or other advanced STEM electives in high school; 2)DoD summer camp will provide a much-needed learning "bridge" between school years and ease the transition from 8th grade to SSMV or ISR; 3) Teachers will experience increased confidence in implementing PBL to teach middle school science.