Project Pathways targets mathematics and science learning and achievement
in grades 9-12. The project will produce a research-based and tested
model to support secondary mathematics and science teachers. Core partners
include four school districts (Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, and Tolleson) and
the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering,
and Technology (CRESMET) at Arizona State University (ASU). The Maricopa
Community College District and Intel are collaborators with ASU in delivering
the project's research-based services and products to these districts.
The demographics of the partner school districts mirror those of Arizona,
where 45% of students are persons of color and the Hispanic population
is expanding rapidly.
Pathways will produce tools and knowledge to
guide secondary mathematics and science teachers in promoting conceptual
learning and STEM behaviors that the literature deems essential for continued
STEM learning and course-taking. These key behaviors include competence
and flexibility in scientific inquiry, mathematical problem solving, and
engineering design. A central concept is that of function, which research
identifies as a unifying concept of secondary mathematics and science.
As the core strategy of the Pathways model, teams of engineers, mathematicians
and scientists will partner with master teachers and STEM education faculty
to generate instructional sequences for both teachers and students. The
instructional materials will take the form of modules for secondary mathematics
and science teachers, with companion modules for secondary STEM classrooms
and companion tools for secondary STEM learning communities. The professional
learning community tools will support teachers in adapting their new knowledge
and instructional approaches to their own classrooms by engaging them
in deep reflections on their instruction and their students' learning.
Pathways materials will be easily adaptable in any learning environment.
In this project, however, they will be packaged for use in four courses
in an ASU graduate degree program for inservice teachers, delivered on-site
in the teachers' schools. To better assist Arizona's many bilingual students,
Pathways will adapt student modules to an innovative, research-developed
English language learner technology platform. Other Pathways strategies
include activities (such as science fairs for students and a regional
conference for high school guidance counselors) to encourage all students
to take challenging mathematics and science courses and to consider science-based
careers.
Teams of STEM education faculty and graduate students will
research the effectiveness of the courses and learning communities on
teachers' understanding of mathematics and science concepts and their
understanding of the process by which foundational STEM concepts and behaviors
develop in students. They will also investigate the process by which
teachers shift their classroom practices to promote improved STEM learning
in their students. Graduate research assistants will be recruited to
participate in the Pathways project, preparing many future faculty for
careers as STEM education researchers. Pathways will establish new patterns
of information-sharing and collaboration among STEM scientists and educators,
community college faculty, secondary administrators and teachers, and
industry partners. The project aims to narrow the majority/minority achievement
gap, encourage students to take challenging STEM courses, increase high
school student STEM learning and achievement, and improve the pass rates
in ASU's introductory calculus, physics and biology courses.
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