Science Education Enabling Careers (SEEC)

描述(由申请人提供)：学生进入青春期的中学阶段，可能是让他们参与科学教育并将他们的梦想与科学事业相协调的最关键的教育点；然而，有几个障碍使这一过渡变得困难。现有的文献和我们与教师的长期互动伙伴关系确定了三个可能限制MS科学教育有效性的重要障碍。1)教师往往在他们的科学领域缺乏足够的学科知识，无法有效地教授他们的学生。随着科学的快速发展，这一点变得更加复杂，要求教师进行重大的专业发展，以跟上知识变化的步伐。2)MS教师通常在生物医学专业方面缺乏经验，因此，他们和他们的学生缺乏对科学教育如何转化为有意义的职业的充分理解。3)虽然探究式教育显然是培养和维持学生对科学的兴奋的最有效的教育方法，但许多教师，特别是那些服务不足的学校的教师，使用他们认为维持课堂秩序的传统教学方法。如果教师想要激发学生对科学的兴趣，他们需要实用的课程、帮助和课堂管理方面的实践。SEEC将通过教师教育和创建模块来解决所有三个问题，这些模块将形成有效的桥梁，让学生和家长实现 非常激动人心的生物医学职业，科学教育可以引领我们走向这一道路。每年将有12名理科教师参加暑期理科职业训练营。夏令营每天都会集中在国家科学标准的一个领域，在这个领域，学生历来存在缺陷。每次会议都会开始内容深化信息，由一位在生物医学相关领域工作的科学家提供。然后，教师将进行一项基于探究的参与性实验，使用该职业的工具来回答一个科学问题。教师还将接受课堂管理和个人学习方式方面的培训，并将创造基于探究的体验，以解决科学方面的不足，并激发学生对科学职业机会的兴趣。然后，所有教师将继续通过教学和研究实习(学术界和/或生物医学企业)和在课堂上使用他们开发的模块进行学习。该计划还将包括为学生在科学领域具有竞争力做准备的科学博览会，以及为学生和家长了解科学职业而举办的生物医学招聘会。该项目的智力价值将是通过提供最新的科学内容知识、接触生物医学科学家以及参与性科学实验和课堂管理方面的培训来促进教师发展，从而使他们能够激发MS学生对生物医学科学教育的兴趣，并使他们为竞争激烈的生物医学职业生涯做好准备。更广泛的影响将包括科学教育模式的转换和测试，以及将NIH生物医学科学研究整合到MS教育中的经验的创造。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Middle school (MS), when students enter adolescence, is perhaps the most critical educational point at which to engage them in science education and attune their dreams to careers in science; however, several obstacles make this transition difficult. The extant literature and our long-term interactive partnerships with teacher identify three important barriers that can limit the effectiveness of MS science education. 1) Teachers often lack sufficient content knowledge in their area of science to effectively teach their students. This is compounded as science is rapidly evolving, requiring teachers to engage in significant professional development to keep pace with knowledge changes. 2) MS teachers typically have little experience in biomedical professions, and thus, they and their students lack a full understanding of how science education translates into meaningful careers. 3) While inquiry-based education is clearly the most effective educational method to create and sustain excitement in students about science, many teachers, especially those in underserved schools, utilize traditional didactic teaching methods they feel maintain classroom order. If teachers are to excite students about science, they need practical lessons, assistance and practice in classroom management. SEEC will address all three issues through teacher education and the creation of modules that will form an effective bridge to allow students and parents to realize the very exciting biomedical careers to which science education can lead. Twelve MS science teachers each year will be enrolled in a summer science careers Boot Camp. Each day the camp will focus on an area of State Science Standards in which the area students are historically deficit. Each session starts content deepening information, delivered by a scientist working in that biomedical-related field. Teachers will then conduct an inquiry-based, participatory experiment that uses the tools of that career to answer a scientific question. Teachers will also receive training in classroom management and individual learning styles and will create inquiry-based experiences that will address the science deficiency and excite students about science career opportunities. All of the teachers will then continue to learn through teaching and research internships (academia and/or biomedical businesses) and in the classroom using modules they develop. The program will also include Science Fair Overnighters to prepare students to be competitive in science and a Biomedical Jobs Fair for the students and parents to learn about science careers. The Intellectual Merit of this project wil be to enhance teacher development by providing up-to-date knowledge of science content, exposure to biomedical scientists and training in participatory science experiments and classroom management thus enabling them to excite MS students about biomedical science education and position them for competitive biomedical careers.. The broader impacts will include the translation and testing of a science education model and the creation of experience that integrate NIH biomedical science research into MS education.