U-FUTuRES--University of Florida Unites Teachers to Reform Education in Science

佛罗里达大学联合教师改革6 -8年级的科学教育（U-FUTuRES）是佛罗里达大学P.K. Yonge发展研究学院、教育学院、文科和科学学院以及大学预科教育和培训中心之间的一个机构合作伙伴关系；利维县学区；东北佛罗里达教育联盟及相关学区；以及密歇根大学。该伙伴关系正在合作实施一个连贯的、以学习目标和探究为导向的、以问题为基础的、与标准一致的科学课程（通过科学和技术调查和质疑我们的世界），并正在发展可持续的学区能力，通过以下方式引领这一改革：(1)由佛罗里达大学教育学院和佛罗里达大学文科与理科学院的STEM合作伙伴共同举办的36学分、嵌入工作的科学教师领导力研究生学位课程；(2)持续支持科学教师领导（stl）在其所在学区培训和指导6 -8年级科学教师；(3)与stl合作，因为他们组织地区领导支持以改革为导向的中学科学教学，以提高代表性不足的学生群体的成绩和参与度；(4) UF跨部门合作，致力于支持6 -8年级科学成就的提高，同时在UF STEM入门课程中刺激基于探究的方法。40名担任地区stl的中学科学教师在其所在学区平均指导10名中学科学教师，影响了佛罗里达州20个学区的58,500名中学生，这些学区主要是高度贫困的农村和城市地区。设计、开发和评估u -未来科学教师领导研究所的有效性采用了一个迭代过程，相关的研究问题集中在stl促进的专业学习社区和教学支持策略的影响上：(1)stl对中学科学教师实践的影响是什么？(2)专业学习社区STL方法的差异是否会影响科学教师的实践和学生的科学成就？(3)传统上代表性不足的科学专业学生在成绩和学术参与方面是否存在差异，这种差异是否因专业学习社区的方式而异？正在确定具体的循证STL战略，以促进中学生科学内容知识、课堂参与和学术能力的公平增长，为我国增加STEM管道的多样性和能力提供信息。U-FUTuRES利用过去UF/K-12合作伙伴关系的成功经验，直接涉及新教师培训或新探究性教学的STEM教师，设计以探究为基础的科学内容课程，作为负责领导其地区中学科学改革的stl的综合学习目标驱动方法。这些努力包括(1)为对观察、学习和实施基于探究的科学感兴趣的学校团队提供“行动研究日”；(2)让职前科学教育学生参与有指导的实地体验；(3)制作短视频记录，为转变中学科学教学提供网络支持；(4)教师探究系列，支持教师之间的合作，致力于中学科学学术成就的公平。通过标准驱动的、基于探究的科学来提高参与度和能力。所有主要中学科学专业学习社区的教师培训模块、案例研究和经过验证的协议都可以免费提供给没有直接参与合作关系的感兴趣的学区。我们也为有兴趣的地区/学校领导团队提供U-FUTuRES Science Reform Leadership Institute。

University of Florida Unites Teachers to Reform Education in Science (U-FUTuRES) at the 6th-8th grade level is an Institute Partnership between the University of Florida's P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School College of Education, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Center for Precollegiate Education and Training; the Levy County School District; the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium and associated school districts; and the University of Michigan. The partnership is engaging in collaborative implementation of a coherent, learning goals- and inquiry-driven, problem-based, and standards-aligned science curriculum (Investigating and Questioning our World through Science and Technology), and is developing sustainable school district capacity for leading this reform through: (1) a 36-credit, job-embedded Science Teacher Leadership graduate degree program co-facilitated by UF College of Education and UF STEM partners in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; (2) ongoing support for the Science Teacher Leaders (STLs) as they train and coach 6th-8th grade science teachers in their school districts; (3) partnering with STLs as they organize district leadership to support reform oriented science instruction in middle schools that increases achievement and engagement among underrepresented student populations; and (4) UF cross-departmental partnerships dedicated to supporting improvements in 6th-8th grades science achievement while simultaneously stimulating an inquiry-based approach in introductory UF STEM courses. The 40 middle school science teachers serving as District STLs coach an average of 10 middle school science teachers in their home districts, impacting 58,500 middle school students in 20 Florida school districts in primarily high poverty rural and urban areas. An iterative process is being used for design, development, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the U-FUTuRES Science Teacher Leadership Institute, with associated research questions that focus on the impact of STL-facilitated professional learning communities and instructional support strategies:(1) What is the effect of STLs on middle school science teachers' practices? (2) Do differences in STL approaches to professional learning communities influence science teacher practices and students' science achievement outcomes? (3) Are there differences in achievement and academic engagement of traditionally underrepresented students in science that vary by approach to professional learning communities? Specific evidence-based STL strategies for facilitating equitable growth in middle school students' science content knowledge, classroom engagement, and academic competence are being identified to inform our nation's efforts to increase diversity and capacity in the STEM pipeline. U-FUTuRES leverages the success of past UF/K-12 partnerships to directly involve new-to-teacher-training or new-to-inquiry-based-teaching STEM faculty in designing inquiry-based, science content courses as a comprehensive, learning goals-driven approach for STLs responsible for leading middle school science reform in their districts. Efforts include (1) Research in Action days for school teams interested in observing, studying, and implementing inquiry-based science, (2) participation of preservice science education students in guided field-based experiences, (3) production of short video recordings that provide web-based support for transforming middle school science teaching, and (4) a Teacher Inquiry Series to support teacher-to-teacher collaboration dedicated to equity in middle school science academic achievement, engagement, and competence through standards-driven, inquiry-based science. All teacher training modules, case studies, and validated protocols for leading middle school science professional learning communities are freely available to interested school districts who are not directly engaged in the partnership. A U-FUTuRES Science Reform Leadership Institute is also offered to interested district/school leadership teams.