Preparing Secondary STEM Teachers for Success in Teaching Students with Disabilities and from Diverse Backgrounds

在美国国家科学基金会Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划的支持下，本项目旨在服务于高质量STEM教学的国家利益。该提案专门针对国家和地方缺乏合格和认证的数学和科学教师的问题。林奇堡大学寻求招收22名本科STEM学生（分四组），他们主修生物、化学、物理、环境科学或数学，并在获得教师资格证书后辅修中学教育。该项目的重点是提高未来STEM教师在教授有学习或发展障碍的特殊教育学生方面的有效性，这是一个具有国家重要性的问题，因为这些学生可能占学生总数的10%以上。STEM教育工作者需要专门的准备来与特殊教育学生和来自不同文化的学生一起工作，因为许多人没有针对这些人群的教育技术准备。在许多情况下，教师准备不足导致学业成绩不佳。该项目还旨在通过开发教育途径，使社区学院STEM学生能够转到林奇堡大学，在那里他们将完成STEM专业的学士学位，并获得二级教师证书，从而招募更多多样化和合格的教师候选人。这条道路将通过与当地一家非营利组织合作来促进，该组织的使命是帮助来自弱势背景的高中生接受高等教育。这些策略旨在增加诺伊斯学者的多样性。该项目由林奇堡大学牵头，是与中弗吉尼亚社区学院、非营利性希望之灯塔、林奇堡市、阿默斯特县、贝德福德县和坎贝尔县学区的合作伙伴。它旨在通过体验式教学机会、教师咨询、指导和研讨会来提高科学和数学教师的准备，使职前教师能够有效地教授残疾学生和来自不同背景的学生。教师和在职教师导师将接受新教师中心模式的培训，该模式侧重于三个协同工作的领域，通过以下方式创造“最佳学习环境”：(1)创造情感、智力和身体安全的环境；(2)实施公平、符合文化、符合标准的课程和教学；(3)满足每个学习者的多样化需求。诺伊斯奖学金获得者和他们的同行导师、在职教师将举办一系列8个讲习班，重点是支持来自不同背景的残疾学生。与这些研讨会和对残疾学生进行STEM教学的实地经验相关，该项目的研究议程将探讨以下重要问题：(1)参加Noyce研讨会是否显著改变了职前和在职STEM教师对残疾学生教学的认识和信念？(2)在实地体验中与残疾学生的互动如何改变职前STEM教师对这些学生的看法？(3)在职Noyce学者在第一年的教学中如何评价他们的准备水平和工作满意度，他们的结果与其他未参加Noyce计划的教师相比如何？在职STEM教师认为哪些技能、信念或知识对有效地与残疾学生合作最重要？这项调查有可能为STEM教师在普通课堂上教授不同能力学生的准备工作提供新的知识。所产生的证据可能会促进新教师的准备。讲习班中使用的教育材料、讲习班参与者的知识收获数据以及讲习班的感知有效性，特别是为教师在STEM课堂上与不同能力的学生合作做准备，将被传播到更广泛的STEM教育界。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富的模范K-12 STEM教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性、留任性和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project aims to serve the national interest in high-quality STEM teaching. This proposal specifically responds to a national and local shortage of qualified and certified mathematics and science teachers. The University of Lynchburg seeks to recruit 22 undergraduate STEM students (in four cohorts) who are majoring in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, or mathematics and minoring in secondary education as they obtain teacher certification. The project focuses on increasing the effectiveness of future STEM teachers in teaching special education students with learning or developmental disabilities, an issue of national importance as these students can compose more than 10% of the student population. STEM educators need specialized preparation to work with special education students and students from a culture different than their own, as many are not prepared in educational techniques specific to these populations. This lack of teacher preparation leads to poor academic outcomes in many cases. This project also aims to recruit more diverse and qualified teacher candidates by developing educational pathways that enable community college STEM students to transfer to the University of Lynchburg, where they will complete a baccalaureate degree in a STEM major and obtain secondary teacher certification. This pathway will be facilitated by working with a local nonprofit whose mission is to empower high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds in pursuing higher education. These strategies are intended to increase the diversity among the Noyce scholars. This project, led by the University of Lynchburg, is a partnership with Central Virginia Community College, the nonprofit Beacon of Hope, and the Lynchburg City, Amherst County, Bedford County, and Campbell County school districts. It is designed to advance science and mathematics teacher preparation through experiential teaching opportunities, faculty advising, mentoring, and workshops to prepare preservice teachers to effectively teach students with disabilities and from diverse backgrounds. Faculty and in-service teacher mentors will be trained in the New Teacher Center model, which focuses on three domains that work synergistically to create an "optimal learning environment" by: (1) creating emotionally, intellectually, and physically safe environments; (2) implementing equitable, culturally responsive, and standards-aligned curriculum and instruction; and (3) meeting the diverse needs of every learner. A series of eight workshops focusing on supporting students with disabilities who are from diverse backgrounds will be provided to the Noyce Scholars and their peer-mentor, in-service teachers. Related to these workshops and field experiences on teaching STEM to students with disabilities, the project's research agenda will explore the following important questions: (1) Does participation in the Noyce workshops significantly alter knowledge and beliefs of pre-service and in-service STEM teachers about teaching students with disabilities? (2) How does interaction with students with disabilities during field experiences alter pre-service STEM teachers' beliefs about these students? (3) How do the in-service Noyce scholars, in their first year of teaching, rate their level of preparation and job satisfaction, and how do their results compare to those of other teachers who did not participate in the Noyce program? What skills, beliefs, or knowledge do in-service STEM teachers consider most important for working effectively with students with disabilities? This investigation has the potential to add new knowledge about the preparation of STEM teachers for teaching differently abled students in the general classroom. The evidence generated may advance new teacher preparation. Educational materials used in the workshops, data on workshop participants' knowledge gains, and the perceived effectiveness of the workshops, especially for preparing teachers for working with differently abled students within the STEM classroom, will be disseminated to the broader STEM education community. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.