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

该项目旨在通过改善小学STEM教学和学习来服务于国家利益。 为此，它将制定和研究一项旨在更好地培养小学职前教师的科学教育计划。 该项目将重点发展职前教师的STEM和教学内容知识和教学技能，特别是针对英语学习者的学生。该项目将通过该大学的小学和幼儿教育部门与汉斯科姆空军基地的国防部STARBASE计划之间的战略合作伙伴关系来实现，以创建两个三学分课程和一个现场经验的副教授。第一门课程将使用国防部STARBASE课程，教授物理科学、技术和工程，以及综合数学。 STARBASE是一个针对有大量经济困难学生的学区的STEM强化计划。这门专门的STEM内容课程将被设计为使职前教师将他们对科学概念的理解与科学教育研究所倡导的教学模式相结合。 该课程将由布里奇沃特州立大学科学教育家和STARBASE教师共同教授，他们全年向小学生教授相同的科学概念。第二门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学习科学。它将包括与马萨诸塞州中小学教育部指导方针一致的庇护教学战略。STARBASE课程中的物理科学和技术概念将用于教授职前教师有用的教学策略，以支持英语学习者的成功。无论是内容课程还是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在为期一周的STARBASE英语学习者暑期课程中担任助理来满足。本研究旨在探讨职前教师教学动机与教学内容知识发展之间的关系。它旨在增加与影响职前教师的兴趣，参与，自我效能感和学生在科学方面取得成功的预期结果相关的研究结果。它将遵循基于设计的研究方法，结合非等效组的准实验设计。 该项目的一套课程和实地经验的副教师将进行比较，以职前教学的样本采取传统的校园物理科学内容的课程和课程的指导英语学习者。该项目旨在为职前教师提供学习英语教学策略的机会，并直接与英语学习者合作。一个潜在的结果是使英语学习者的儿童从小就能成功地学习科学。这样的成功可能会为整个学习者社区提供一条通往曾经无法进入的教育计划和职业的道路。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。这是一个以本科生职前教师为研究对象的学生学习水平1早期研究项目。 该奖项反映了NSF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。

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.