Developing Elementary STEM Teachers Through Mentorships, Interdisciplinary Instruction, and Cultural Competencies

该项目旨在满足国家对培养高素质的STEM教师的需求，这些教师将在低收入、多元文化的小学任教。该项目的目标是在五年内招聘和准备18名新的STEM教师，他们将致力于在高需求学区任教。圣心大学和Housatonic社区学院之间的合作将帮助社区大学的学生进入基础教育领域。预计这将增加未来教师的多样性，因为许多社区大学的学生来自不同的族裔或种族背景，往往是第一代大学生，或者来自经济资源不足的家庭。为了在高需求的课堂上发挥作用，未来的教师在教学生如何成为一名科学家的同时，需要对文化做出反应。拟议的项目将在响应文化的STEM教学方面提供指导和专业发展，预计教师将培养强烈的STEM认同感，并了解不同STEM领域之间的联系。圣心大学的这个项目包括与豪萨顿社区学院以及安索尼亚、布里奇波特和斯特拉特福德公立学校的合作。该项目支持获得侧重于生物和物理科学的理学学士学位和基础教育教学文学硕士学位的学生。该项目基于对文化反应和了解创伤的教学方法的需要，以便在迫切需要的课堂上有效地教授儿童。在未来的小学教师中培养STEM认同感将有助于他们在未来的学生中培养同样的认同感。该项目将研究项目活动如何支持未来的教师理解文化如何影响STEM的学习和教学。它还将调查学者对不同STEM学科之间的相互联系的理解，以及他们对STEM身份的发展。项目评估将产生进一步的证据，证明项目活动有能力提高教学效率。与圣心大学和Housatonic社区学院的联合规划将开辟一条从社区大学到初级STEM教育的途径。更广泛的影响包括改善高需求地区的STEM教育，以及可复制的教师培养模式。传播将在康涅狄格州和全国范围内进行。这个Track 1：奖学金和津贴项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划(Noyce)提供支持。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12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教师的有效性和留住的研究。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 need of producing high-quality STEM-prepared teachers who will teach in low-income, multicultural elementary schools. This project aims to recruit and prepare 18 new STEM teachers over five years who will commit to teaching in high-need school districts. A partnership between Sacred Heart University and Housatonic Community College will help community college students enter the elementary education field. It is anticipated that this will increase the diversity of prospective teachers, as many community college students are from ethnically or racially diverse backgrounds, are often first-generation college students, or are from financially under-resourced families. To be effective in high-need classrooms, prospective teachers need to be culturally responsive while teaching students how to be a scientist. The proposed project will provide mentoring and professional development in culturally responsive STEM teaching, and it is expected the teachers will develop a strong STEM identity and understand the connections between different STEM fields. This project at Sacred Heart University includes partnerships with Housatonic Community College and Ansonia, Bridgeport, and Stratford Public Schools. This project supports students who receive a Bachelor of Science degree focused on the biological and physical sciences and a Master of Arts in Teaching in elementary education. The project is based on the need for culturally responsive and trauma-informed pedagogy to effectively teach children in high-need classrooms. The development of a STEM identity in prospective elementary teachers will help them foster the same sense of identity in their future students. The project will research how project activities support prospective teacher understanding of how culture influences STEM learning and teaching. It will also investigate Scholar understanding of the interconnectedness of different STEM disciplines and their development of a STEM identity. Project evaluation will generate further evidence to demonstrate the ability of project activities to promote teaching efficacy. Joint programming with Sacred Heart University and Housatonic Community College will create a pathway from community college to elementary STEM education. Broader impacts include improved STEM education in high-need areas and a teacher preparation model that may be replicated. Dissemination will occur regionally in Connecticut and nationally. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention 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.