Pre-service Teacher Research Experience in Biodiversity Studies

该项目旨在服务于培养高素质中学科学和数学教师的国家需求。现代教学标准和最佳做法要求教师不仅要重申事实，而且要让学生参与科学过程。然而，未来的教师沉浸在真正的研究体验中的机会往往有限，这些类型的研究经验对他们达到这些标准做好了最好的准备。该项目通过在芝加哥洛约拉大学为正在攻读生物学、生态学或环境科学学士学位的未来科学教师提供真实的STEM研究经验来解决这一限制。研究的重点将是城市环境中的生物多样性。与研究计划相结合的是一个专业发展暑期计划，重点是向项目参与者介绍许多可以应用研究的方法。与此同时，该项目将帮助他们确定如何将研究和其他基于探究的体验融入他们未来的课堂。该项目的基本目标是每年指导8名新的职前教师，这是一个为期5年的项目，共有40名独特的参与者，他们将拥有真实的STEM研究经验。反过来，这些未来的教师将为促进K-12课程的研究活动做好准备。芝加哥洛约拉大学(LUC)的这个项目将专注于几个目标。首先，调查人员寻求增加芝加哥地区具有真正STEM研究经验的STEM专业的职前教师的数量和多样性。第二个目标是通过专业发展机会增加暑期研究经验。这些机会将旨在增强STEM的认同感，增加教学和教学知识，获得传播科学概念和技能的经验，并讨论教学实践，特别注意在K-12环境中实施研究。专业发展的一个组成部分将是一个研讨会，如何使用数据块来使职前教师能够将他们的研究经验转化为他们未来的教师职业生涯。三是为职前教师准备增加知识库。为了实现这一目标，该项目将收集和分析有关职前教师研究和其他专业发展经验对教学和教学知识、科学和科学教师身份以及教学实践的短期和长期影响的数据。最后一个目标是传播关于LUC模式的结果和发现，特别是向其他有兴趣使用真实的STEM研究经验和教师专业发展的项目，以加强和改进职前科学教师的准备。对所述计划目标的定性项目评估将依赖于形成性评估，包括导师反思、焦点小组和访谈。此外，还将纳入对研究的深度和严谨性以及专业发展经验的总结性研究。总体而言，评估旨在帮助理解如何将研究经验整合到初任科学教师的早期准备中。该项目有可能成为改善职前教师培训的典范，对此而言，深入的研究经验将是一个重要的方案组成部分。诺伊斯职前教师研究经验项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金项目(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，并支持有经验的、模范的K-12教师成为高需求地区的STEM硕士教师。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality secondary science and mathematics teachers. Modern teaching standards and best practices call for teachers not simply to reiterate facts, but rather to engage students in scientific processes. However, prospective teachers often have limited opportunities to immerse themselves in the types of authentic research experiences that best prepare them to meet these standards. This project addresses this limitation by providing a summer program at Loyola University of Chicago with authentic STEM research experiences for prospective science teachers who are pursuing a baccalaureate degree in biology, ecology, or environmental science. A research emphasis will be on biodiversity in an urban setting. Coupled with the research program will be a professional development summer program with a focus on introducing project participants to many ways in which research can be applied. At the same time, the program will help them determine how research and other inquiry-based experiences can be integrated into their future classrooms. The project has an underlying aim to mentor 8 new pre-service teachers each year of a 5-year project for a total of 40 unique participants who will have an authentic STEM research experience. In turn, these future teachers will be prepared to facilitate research activities in the K-12 setting. This project at Loyola University of Chicago (LUC) will focus on several goals. First, the investigators seek to increase the number and diversity of pre-service teachers in the Chicago area who are STEM majors with a genuine STEM research experience. A second goal is to augment the summer research experiences with professional development opportunities. These opportunities will be aimed at enhancing STEM identities, increasing pedagogical and content knowledge, gaining experience with communication of science concepts and skills, and discussing teaching practices with special attention given to implementing research in the K-12 environment. A component of the professional development will be a workshop on employing data nuggets to empower the pre-service teachers to translate their research experience into their future careers as teachers. Third is to add to the knowledge base for pre-service teacher preparation. To accomplish this, the project will collect and analyze data about the short and long-term implications of pre-service teacher research and other professional development experiences on pedagogical and content knowledge, science and science teacher identities, and instructional practices. A final goal is to disseminate outcomes and findings on the LUC model, especially to other programs interested in using authentic STEM research experiences, coupled with teacher professional development, to enhance and improve pre-service science teacher preparation. Qualitative project evaluation of the stated program goals will rely on formative assessment, including mentor reflections, focus groups, and interviews. Also, a summative study of the depth and rigor of the research and professional development experiences will be incorporated. Overall, evaluation is designed to contribute to understandings of how research experiences can be integrated into beginning science teachers’ early preparation. The project has the potential to serve as a model for improving pre-service teacher preparation for which intensive research experiences would represent an important program component. This Noyce Research Experiences for Pre-service Teachers 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 districts. It also supports research on the 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.