Clarkson University in collaboration with 3 local school districts places 20 graduate students and 7 undergraduate students in local school districts to facilitate a "Problem Based Learning" (PBL) experience for the 7th and 8th grades with faculty collaboration from SUNY-Potsdam. This project is providing a learning experience within a multidisciplinary atmosphere creating a direct link between basic science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) and their relevance to the solution of societal problems. Graduate and undergraduate fellows are using this pedagogical technique as a means to enhance the teaching of SMET in area schools while simultaneously increasing the interest in SMET subjects by the K-12 student population. The year-long curriculum is exposing 7th and 8th grade students to a wide variety of SMET concepts as they solve problems associated with environmental contamination that have direct impacts on their community. Specific modules associated with the overall problem are being adapted to target high school and elementary school levels. The curriculum includes two initial projects, solid waste management at the school and the hazards of human exposure to environmental lead. The fellows are distributed across SMET disciplines at Clarkson. Through this process the fellows are also gaining a better understanding of problem solving strategies, and valuable experience in teaching and communication. Additional activities include: 1) seminars and a three-credit course to prepare the fellows; 2) workshops for teacher training in technology applications and PBL methodology; 3) partnership meetings for review of on-going projects and assessment of outcomes, and; 4) presentation of results to external review groups and educational societies.
Project Title: GK-12 Cornell Environmental Sciences Research Partnerships
Institution: Cornell University
PI/Co-PI: Marianne E. Krasny, Christine M. Cunningham,
Partner School Districts: Ithaca, Cortland, Rochester, Lansing, Central, Lockport, Marcus Whitman, Moravia, Newark Valley, South Seneca Falls, Groton, Southern Cayuga, Union Spring, Waverly, and Whitney Point
Number of Fellow/year: 7 Graduates, yr 1; 11 Graduates, yr 2/3; 5 Undergraduates
Through this three-year Cornell Environmental Sciences Research Partnerships program (CERP), 27 graduate and 15 undergraduate GK-12 fellows are guiding middle and high school students in conducting scientific research. Fellows are working intensively in 10 core schools in the vicinity of Ithaca, NY, and are conducting teacher workshops and shorter research projects with students in 15 satellite schools in NYC and rural, upstate NY. They are drawing on curricula and models for high school student and teacher research developed through eight, previously funded NSF programs at Cornell. High school students are developing the ability to conduct original research, participating in classroom and Internet-mediated research communities, and enhancing their understanding of the nature of science and environmental sciences content. Teachers are enhancing their ability to guide student researchers and developing partnerships with universities and community organizations. GK-12 fellows are developing leadership, mentoring, and teaching skills, the ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, and partnerships that aid them in their research and future job search. Their work with students is also helping them formulate ideas and collect data for their thesis research. An important outcome of CERP is new models for high school student research, which are being disseminated nationwide.
This project involving the North Carolina State University and Duke University Colleges of Engineering, the Research Triangle Science and Math Partnership and Wake County Schools focuses on teaching physics, engineering and math to diverse populations including students from underrepresented groups in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET), hearing-impaired students, and students for whom English is a second language. The underlying theme for the entire program provides encouragement to students from groups that are underrepresented in SMET through the use of role models and particular teaching techniques. This theme is emphasized in both the recruitment of GK-12 Fellows and the teaching of students. A high percentage of women and individuals from underrepresented groups comprise the role model teams. Activities and modules developed for use by the teams include: 1) "Hands-on Engineering", 2) exploring engineering in-group settings, and 3) basic electricity and communication. Benefits to the K-12 schools include curriculum that integrates science, technology, and engineering topics with math, reading, and writing. Benefits to the Fellows include improved communication skills and self-image.
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine - Dunbar High School NSF GK-12 Graduate Teaching Fellows Program (Hopkins-Dunbar Fellows Program) matches Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine PhD students (Fellows) with mentor teachers at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in teaching apprenticeships. The Fellows receive formal training in classroom teaching and serve as student teachers in science and biotechnology classrooms at Dunbar High School. The overall goal of this program is to improve the quality and depth of science education at the high school and to empower the students with improved learning skills. The Fellows serve as important content resources to Dunbar teachers and allow the teachers to fully utilize biotechnology and information technology as teaching and learning tools. The Fellows benefit through improved skills in communication, presentation, and organization. The Hopkins-Dunbar Fellows Program is also helping to foster interest of underrepresented minority groups in biomedicine and related fields. This program should also have a favorable effect on the pool of local underrepresented minority students interested in careers in science.
This project places science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) graduate students from Michigan Technological University (MTU) into schools of the Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD) to serve as resource consultants to K-12 teachers. The goals of the project include: 1) improving mathematics and science programs in the schools, 2) improving the communication and teaching skills for the SMET fellows, and 3) disseminating the best ideas and practices that are evolving from the project. The GK-12 fellows are: 1) developing science and mathematics experiments to enable students to actively engage in doing and learning the subject, 2) developing family math, family science, and family computing programs, 3) helping teachers apply the tools of technology, and 4) sharing their special interests and career options within their major field of study. The GK-12 fellows and cooperating teachers are also hosting a two-day hands-on summer workshop for 75 Upper Peninsula K-12 mathematics and science teachers. The workshop will have a space odyssey theme and will be held during the summer of the year 2001.
This project involving the North Carolina State University and Duke University Colleges of Engineering, the Research Triangle Science and Math Partnership and Wake County Schools focuses on teaching physics, engineering and math to diverse populations including students from underrepresented groups in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET), hearing-impaired students, and students for whom English is a second language. The underlying theme for the entire program provides encouragement to students from groups that are underrepresented in SMET through the use of role models and particular teaching techniques. This theme is emphasized in both the recruitment of GK-12 Fellows and the teaching of students. A high percentage of women and individuals from underrepresented groups comprise the role model teams. Activities and modules developed for use by the teams include: 1) "Hands-on Engineering", 2) exploring engineering in-group settings, and 3) basic electricity and communication. Benefits to the K-12 schools include curriculum that integrates science, technology, and engineering topics with math, reading, and writing. Benefits to the Fellows include improved communication skills and self-image.
In partnership with Hewlett Packard Foundation, the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium, Northeastern University will develop and implement a training program for graduate teaching fellows and K-12 classroom teachers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET). The goal is to support teachers in their efforts to increase student excellence in SMET, improve achievement scores, and better prepare classroom students for future careers in an increasingly complex technological society. The program will use a systematic approach to assess classroom needs, develop material that incorporates Boston Public Schools curriculum standards and is attuned to the needs of a diverse student population. Discipline-specific teams comprised of Northeastern University faculty and graduate fellows will work with the classroom teachers to create lessons. The graduate students will serve as the conduit between classroom teachers and Northeastern University faculty.
This NSF GK-12 Fellow Project involves a collaboration of 17 grade 4-6 teachers, 17 NSF graduate and undergraduate content and technology resource fellows, and Ohio State University (OSU) science, engineering, pharmacy and math professors. The collaboration is adapting and implementing scientific and math investigations in grade 4-6 classrooms of the 64,000 student urban school district in Columbus, OH. The inquiry investigations support the curriculum of the schools and the inquiry strategies in the National Standards, the Ohio Model Competency-Based Science Program, and the Benchmarks in Science Literacy. The project involves several key components: a) Four-person teacher-fellow teams each adapt 12 hours of inquiry investigations for use in special parts of the local curriculum. b) Before their use with students, other teachers and fellows participate as students in using the investigations during weekly 3-hour teacher-fellow classes. The teachers and fellows provide feedback that is used to modify the investigations. c) After revision, all of the teachers assisted by fellows use the inquiry investigations in their grade 4-6 classrooms. Each year, the focus is on one particular grade level, with follow-up visits to classes involved during previous years. In addition, the teacher-fellow teams produce kits that can be used by teachers in classes throughout Ohio. The dissemination of these kits is facilitated through summer workshops led by fellow-teacher teams for other Columbus grade 4-6 teachers and for OSU Extension Agents who offer workshops for teachers throughout Ohio.
Oregon State University in collaboration with 9 schools in 3 school districts (a large city setting, a University town setting and a dispersed rural setting) placed 14 K-12 Fellows in the system to facilitate the development of active science learning. The Fellows are derived from a variety of disciplines that include Molecular and Cellular Biology, Mathematics, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Bioresource Engineering. The Fellows are called "Adopted Scientists" in grades K-6 and "Teaching Assistants" in grades 7-12. They spend 6 months in the schools and 3 months in extended outreach activities. This program will develop active science and mathematics learning through the use of 5 themes: (1) Inquiry-based Learning; (2) Communication of Content; (3) Use of Appropriate Learning Styles; (4) Use of Technology; and (5) The Research Paradigm. During the initial tenure (summer), Fellows take 4 courses specifically designed for them by the Science and Mathematics Education Department (SMED). In cooperation with the school district teachers, the Fellows attend a 2-day workshop. A weekly seminar series is organized to facilitate in-class activities. Teachers from the school districts join the Fellows in the workshops at weekly meetings. An aggressive performance assessment of the Fellows' in-class activities, extended outreach activities, and impact of the program is adequately detailed.
Manipulatives, motivation, mentoring (M3) - these are the three themes this GK-12 project is using to create a technologically innovative highway that is empowering K-12 students with science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET) skills and thus broadening their career opportunities. The project uses Hybrid and electric vehicles as the platform for investigation and discovery in new, emerging, and environmentally responsible fields that affect not only individuals in our society, but also society in America as a whole. Manipulatives such as addition and subtraction conceptualization in the early years, alternative fuel engine simulation in junior high, design and analysis of semi-conductor solar panels in high school, and graphical computer-based education tools throughout these years, are providing visualization of real-world systems. Through exposure to the frontiers of discovery in electronics, power systems, computer-based control, system dynamics, safety, etc., this project is developing a vision that motivates students to master SMET fundamentals. Mentoring relationships are bringing the skills, vision, and enthusiasm of successful engineering graduate and undergraduate students into the lives of grades K- 12 children. M3 education is being constructed via a partnership between three participating Pennsylvania school districts, the Women in Science and Engineering Program with General Motors support, and Penn State University's Colleges of Engineering, Science, Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Education.
Rice University and two University of Houston campuses are joining the Houston Independent School District to create an innovative program that teams master and novice middle school teachers with SMET undergraduate and graduate students, designated as GK-12 Fellows. Seven four-member teams are working together over a fifteen month fellowship period in an exchange of content knowledge and pedagogy. The program includes the following major features: (1) Fellows are introduced to K-12 education by participating in teacher enhancement programs at the participating universities. After spending an entire academic year working with their teacher team-mates, GK-12 Fellows serve as instructors in these same teacher enhancement programs during the last three months of their fellowship. (2) Teams design a two-semester project that involves the middle school students of the participating teachers. Projects focus on one of three themes: curriculum development, learning processes, or integration of instructional technology into the K-12 science and mathematics curriculum. (3) In addition to their time on K-12 campuses, Fellows participate in a weekly seminar on precollege science and mathematics educational reform. (4) Fellows serve as role models for middle school students as they provide instructional assistance to their teacher teammates. Our universities have a long history of working closely with the local school district to meet identified needs. This program strengthens and expands the already established relationships among the participating institutions, provides K-12 teachers with an exceptional professional development opportunity and their students with enriched instruction in science and mathematics, at the same time preparing graduate and undergraduate students to support K-12 education in their future careers.
This GK-12 program enhances K-12 science and mathematics education by creating dynamic learning environments partnering Rutgers graduate and advanced undergraduate students in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology (SMET) with teachers, administrators, and students in three New Jersey school districts. Each year, ten graduates and ten advanced undergraduate students in SMET (referred to as "fellows") serve as resources for middle school and junior high school teachers in science and mathematics instruction. Ten teams of fellows form partnerships with two or three teachers in a participating middle school and collaborate during the year to develop curriculum-based SMET activities in areas targeted by the schools. Teachers and fellows begin their partnerships each year in a Summer Institute, which includes sessions on curriculum, pedagogy, and advances in SMET fields. Teams of fellows and teachers begin the process of developing new curriculum-based science activities during the Summer Institute, and continue to work together in the schools for ten hours each week. Fellows devote an additional five hours to preparation and regular meetings and seminars. This project benefits several constituencies. While working in schools, fellows improve their teaching skills as they communicate and convey the spirit and substance of science and scientific research. The science and mathematics background of middle school/junior high school teachers are strengthened and enhanced through their participation in these professional collaborations. K-12 students experience the excitement and relevance of science, mathematics and technology education. School districts, their administrators and educators, benefit from their sustained partnership with the University, its faculty and students.
This project, composed of 13 graduate students from San Diego area universities and 3 from Illisaguik College and the College of Barrow Alaska, is expanding the San Diego County PISCES Project; an ongoing, district-based, community-supported elementary science improvement program for grades K-6 in eight participating school districts. The project is providing instruction to 16 fellows and at least 48 teachers annually in appropriate and effective learning processes for science education, facilitating science content knowledge transfer to cooperating teachers and enriched science curriculum development, and utilizing educational technology to leverage project impact. Educational features include both summer and school-year on-site workshops and seminars for the fellows and their cooperating teachers, and extensive use of the San Diego County Office of Education's educational technology resources. The project is developing improved communication and teaching skills for the fellows, providing enriched learning for K-6 students, offering professional development opportunities for K-6 teachers funded by the cooperating districts and private funds, and strengthening partnerships among science education stakeholders in San Diego. The professional development instruction of the participating teachers is being co-funded by private sources through the San Diego Science Alliance and the participating school districts. A bonus result of this project came from Dr. Walter Oechel's NSF Polar Programs environmental research program in Arctic Alaska and chaparral research in California, which is providing exchanges of Science Corps fellows and internet video and data links for use in this project.
This project is using the systemic reform efforts already underway at two schools, under the NSF funded Texas Rural Systemic Initiative (TRSI), as a laboratory for introducing GK-12 fellows to issues of national consequence concerning how students are taught and learn high quality SMET K-12. The Beeville school district, located in South Texas, enrolls 4,305 students and employs 173 mathematics and science teachers K-12: 63% of students are economically disadvantaged and 68% are Hispanic. The Hereford school district, in the Texas Panhandle, enrolls 4,501 students and employs 176 mathematics and science teachers K-12: 61% of the students are economically disadvantaged and 71% are Hispanic, of which over a quarter are from migrant agricultural families. Participants in the program are being immersed in the systemic reform efforts at these two schools. Rural schools are under-served in access to SMET resources and expertise, and often under-served by policy makers on issues of rural education; e.g., resources, geography (distance and isolation), demographics, poverty, and community.
This program, a project of the College of Engineering with collaborative support from the Department of Education at Tufts University and the Nashoba Regional School District, is infusing the K-10 curriculum with engineering approaches and activities that are aligned with the new Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Standards by placing engineering and computer science students (fellows) in the classrooms. Using their backgrounds, and equipped with a set of hands-on engineering-based project ideas and pedagogy know-how, the fellows are working with teacher liaisons to introduce engineering principles into the K-10 grades. The material being introduced conforms with the recently developed Massachusetts Standards for Science and Technology/Engineering and National Standards of Technology and Science. This material is being collected and created by an experienced team of Tufts faculty, K-12 professionals and graduate students. This is the first systemic and formal attempt to introduce engineering throughout the K-10 student experiences, with special emphasis on middle school. As a by-product, it is expected that this program will lead to new and productive collaborations between engineers and mathematical scientists, educators, and education researchers, and create a model program for engineering education in K-12 environments.
This grant provides fellowships and training for 10 graduate and 10 advanced undergraduate science students per year for three years. These students are serving as resources in K-12 science education through a teaching apprenticeship program that utilizes the UAB/public school partnership infrastructure, the facilities of the new McWane Science Center, and seven highly successful K-12 science outreach programs. Fellows are recruited from the entering and current graduate student pool (200+ students) in the biology, chemistry, physics, and basic health sciences departments, with an emphasis on students from underrepresented populations. Fellows are receiving training in learning theory and pedagogy, as advocated by the National Science Education Standards, and the specific outreach programs in which the fellows serve as apprentices. These include four ongoing outreach programs that deliver science equipment and curricula to K-12 students and three professional development programs for K-12 science teachers. A new hands-on molecular biology course is being developed and implemented in the public schools. Graduate fellows are providing expertise in science content and participating in the teaching, curriculum development, hands-on science instruction, and mentoring activities with K-12 teachers and students.
This GK-12 program, in partnership with seven local school districts, is developing a sustainable program for the integration of SMET research and education. The program is strengthening the already successful, and on-going, partnerships between the school districts and the UA's current outreach programs by incorporating strong partnerships between University of Arizona fellows and K-12 educators for bi-directional knowledge transfer. Fellows and their faculty mentors are gaining experience with inquiry-based teaching and diverse learners while sharing their research expertise with K-12 educators. K-12 educators are gaining experience in scientific inquiry, and are sharing their knowledge of teaching and learning with the fellows and faculty mentors. The long-term impact will result in more effective teaching within the college professorate and K-12 educators. The unique feature of this program is that districts are able to identify a particular outreach need, and work in collaboration with CATTS to create customized programs to address the need. The program has four components: (1) an organizational and governing structure that includes input from K-12 educators, faculty mentors, and outreach directors; (2) a preparation stage in which fellows, faculty mentors and K-12 educators are laying the groundwork for the partnerships and preparing the fellows for the K-12 learning environment; (3) an implementation stage in which the partners are working together in the local schools; and (4) an assessment program that measures the programs success in integrating science, mathematics, and engineering research with education at all levels. Recruitment and selection processes are ensuring the participation of diverse groups, especially Hispanic minorities, which comprise about half the student population in Tucson. The program is receiving strong support from teachers, school districts, and The University of Arizona, including matching financial support for graduate fellows and a University of Arizona pledge to maintain the program at least 3 years beyond NSF funding.
This project builds on successful reforms in hands-on engineering education that are the core of the Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL) Program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Twenty graduate and 8 undergraduate GK-12 Fellows, comprehensively trained as "engineering ambassadors," are delivering the pedagogy and engineering content pioneered in the ITL Program over the past seven years. Each Fellow is paired with a faculty mentor selected for his/her demonstrated interest in engineering outreach. The GK-12 program is creating a significant partnership between the College and K-12 schools to extend the success of the ITL undergraduate engineering program by providing a unique graduate student learning and mentoring experience that impacts the K-12 community of learners. The Fellows serve as classroom agents to help teachers better prepare students for a world increasingly dependent on engineering and technology through the integration of technology-enhanced, hands-on learning components with math, physical science and technology curricula. Fellows impact K-12 students with diverse learning styles through the use of project-based, hands-on learning, while assisting K-12 teachers in gaining content knowledge on engineering and technology as vehicles to address appropriate state educational standards. A number of formative and summative evaluation methods are being used to assess and continuously refine the many facets of the program. In addition to providing classroom support and encouraging more K-12 students to pursue technical careers, the project helps legitimize outreach as a valid and worthwhile academic endeavor for graduate students and engineering faculty.
Based on the theme "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution", the Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB) Graduate Program has entered into a partnership with the State Department of Education to enhance K-12 education in the biological sciences. Students in the EECB program comprise some of the best students in the biological sciences at the University of Hawaii, and by taking their field-oriented thesis research programs into the K-12 classroom they are developing a science education program that is motivating and stimulating K-12 students into considering science as a career opportunity. The program is providing an opportunity for EECB students to improve the content knowledge and inquiry skills of the students and teachers at K-12 schools in Hawaii. The program is also conducting a series of courses that provide students selected as GK-12 Fellows with the learning processes, knowledge transfer/curriculum development techniques, and the teaching and learning tools to enable them to work effectively with K-12 students and teachers.
The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education program encompasses four different components built on existing innovative science and math instruction and teacher development programs at UIC. Thus, the program features the addition of Fellows to existing or emerging teacher development initiatives. Each cohort of Fellows is trained as they, K-12 teachers, and University faculty work together during summer workshops and academic year seminars and meetings. In the classroom, UIC GK-12 Fellows support teachers by a process of (a) documenting an understanding of the schools, classrooms, students, and teachers, (b) assisting teachers in developing and implementing activities in classrooms, and (c) assessing their impact. The four components are a high school Chemistry Van project that currently offers equipment but little teacher support beyond of a summer in-service program; a K-8 mathematics curriculum with laboratory options that can be further developed to utilize computer analysis of data; state-of-the-art virtual reality platforms in support of conceptual learning in elementary science; and a whole school development project built on a partnership between UIC and an urban high school. Themes of learning processes, materials development, and technology are all present. Program benefits include increased student conceptual learning, enhanced curricula for classroom use, and increased ability for teachers to teach science and mathematics using a broad base of activities. Evaluation focuses on portfolio development by each Fellow and a separate evaluator of the teacher-Fellow, student-Fellow interactions during the interventions and then the resulting changes in teacher-student interactions.
Through this three-year project, twenty-six Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, and Biology graduate students and twelve advanced undergraduates from the University of Kansas (KU) are participating in a Teaching Fellows program focusing on the Kansas City Kansas (KCK) Public School District. The Fellows provide in-service and in-class support for middle and high school science and mathematics teachers on three levels: 1) technology training and knowledge transfer for a new generation of teachers implementing inquiry- and problem-based curricula, 2) assistance for teachers and student teams who are implementing standards-based curricula, and 3) curriculum enhancement and knowledge transfer in support of research- and problem-based curriculum units for mathematics, life science, and physical science classes. Fellows work directly with teachers in planning and training sessions to prepare content support and increase technology expertise for KCK District teachers. Each Fellow attends a one-week pre-assignment training workshop and a university-level course covering best practices in K-12 teaching, multicultural education, and cognitive skill development. This project is helping the KCK Schools implement a new advanced science graduation requirement and accomplish a long-term District goal, instituted under an NSF-funded TEAMs project, to improve mathematics and science instruction. This project is assisting KU by building collaborations with teachers in the KCK public schools and by establishing a mechanism for attracting students from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups into mathematics, science, and engineering majors. Teaching Fellows will graduate from KU with an unusually deep understanding of science and mathematics pedagogy, K-12 teaching, and multicultural education.
The program for Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education at the University of Maine is consistent with the State's legislatively mandated goals for education in Science and Technology. Twelve Fellows are working in four local school districts through this program, which engages colleagues at the University and K-12 schools in transfer of knowledge and curriculum development with respect to topics such as Classifying Living Things, Forestry & Pulp and Paper Studies, and The Hydrological Cycle. The project is providing K-12 students and teachers with access to curriculum development, field trips, technology, and equipment that local school budgets had not provided. A summer "science camp" is being used in the training program to establish the teaching teams (university faculty and K-12 teachers) that mentor Fellows. The program provides SMET fellowships for the University, professional development for K-12 teachers, important role models and knowledge to K-12 students, and a strong bond between the science faculty of the University and K-12 teachers.
The North Mississippi GK-12 Project is providing fourteen Fellows from eight SMET related disciplines to two local school districts, where they are serving on interdisciplinary teams as resources for the local teachers. This goals of this GK-12 Project include: 1) communicating SMET content, applications, and career paths to students and teachers in the Oxford and Lafayette County school districts; 2) providing the location and/or development of a growing supply of high quality SMET instructional activities, laboratory exercises, software, and demonstrations to expand and enhance the educational practices in use by K-12 teachers and students; and 3) increasing the ability of the teachers and Fellows to effectively utilize technology as a means to enhance the education of the students. The school districts are benefiting from the variety of newly developed materials, the increased ability to effectively utilize technology in the educational process, and the meaningful interaction between teachers, students, and the Fellows. Benefits to the Fellows include a better understanding of pedagogical best-practices, and an increased understanding of the various student needs. Benefits to The University of Mississippi include the recruitment of excellent Fellows, better relationships with the local schools, and improved communications between SMET related departments.
This project is bringing together research scientists and dedicated teachers to assist Graduate Teaching Fellows to improve mathematics, science and technology education for K-12 students in the urban Philadelphia School District. While significant efforts by the Urban Systemic Initiative and other programs have begun to establish a solid foundation for science education, most of the District's elementary and middle grades teachers and many secondary teachers have limited knowledge of science content and little experience with inquiry-based instruction. As a result, science education is often textbook-based and superficial. The Teaching Fellows are working with teachers under the guidance of disciplinary faculty, and faculty in the-Graduate School of Education, to incorporate current scientific knowledge and an inquiry-based approach into all levels of the school district curriculum. Pre-service and in-service teachers, Fellows, and mentors are working as a team to take existing "hands on" science demonstrations and experiments, and incorporate them into the curriculum in a scientifically sound, pedagogically useful, safe, and cost effective manner. The project's curriculum support is in alignment with the School District of Philadelphia's standards, which are closely aligned with NCTM and Project 2061. These activities are serving to amplify and extend the current activities of Penn's Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics Departments, and the Penn Merck and PennLincs programs of the Graduate School of Education and Penn's Institute for Research in Cognitive Science. The project has established collaborative arrangements with other institutions, including the Franklin Institute Science Museum (Philadelphia's science museum) and the University City Science Center (Philadelphia's technology small business incubator), to support both curriculum and teacher development activities.
The University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras campus and Mayaguez campus) in collaboration with Puerto Rico's Department of Education (PRDE) provides 45 K-12 Fellows as professional development resources for K-12 science and mathematics teachers in a constructivist and interdisciplinary approach to key concepts in alignment with national standards. This project is aligned with Puerto Rico's statewide systemic initiative. This project recruits, trains, and engages K-12 Fellows as professional development resources in the promotion of conceptual understanding of content knowledge for science and mathematics teachers in Puerto Rico. The K-12 Fellows serve in several capacities: 1) as professional development resources in the scaling-up effort of the PRSSI reform-Phase II, as part of the team of university faculty and lead teachers reaching 400 additional schools (25% of the Island's 1,538 schools in the public system) to be inducted into the standards-based reform during 2000-2002; 2) as follow-up to teachers from among the 200 PR-SSI schools that initiated the whole school based strategy during Phase II in 1998, which are currently completing the professional development program and require assistance in the effective implementation of the standards based curriculum; 3) as support to cooperating and mentor teachers in the preparation of future and novice teachers participating in the Puerto Rico Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (PR-CETP) who are carrying out their practicum and induction experience in PR-SSI schools; 4) as co-teachers with K-12 teachers and serving as role models of future scientists, mathematicians and engineers for K-12 students. The K-12 Fellows are prepared for this activity by means of a year-long program consisting of: (1) four-day retreat (summer), (2) two workshops during the year, (3) monthly meetings, and (4) Field Experiences. Performance assessment parallels the SSI and CETP programs that are in place. The main purpose of the research-based evaluation is to translate data from multiple sources into meaningful information that is used to drive the systemic reform in Puerto Rico.
This project is a three-year collaboration between the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), Office of Marine Programs (OMP), and fourteen marine and environmental academic departments. This wide-ranging effort prepares twelve Graduate Teaching Fellows per year to engage K-12 teachers and students in inquiry and educational technology activities, field exercises, and URI's NSF-funded Living on the Edge exhibit. Paired with Faculty Mentors, Fellows are working with Project Staff to directly reach 272 teacher participants and more than 13,300 students and their parents, many underrepresented, through a suite of formal and informal education. Two activity themes provide the foundation for project activities. Under the learning processes theme, content knowledge related to marine and environmental topics is being used to enhance student and teacher learning. Methods apply cognitive principles and innovative pedagogy. Incorporated in the technology theme, teachers are receiving instruction in the use of the Internet (including OMP's interactive site, Discovering Coastal Environments (http://omp.gso.uri.edu/doce.htm) to access educational resources and evaluate them for use in the classroom. Fellows are also introducing teachers and students to other technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, and the instrumentation they utilize in their thesis research.
The major goals of this GK-12 project, Partnership for Research in Inquiry-based MSE Education (PRIME), are to enhance learning among middle school students, teachers, and GK-12 Fellows in math, science, and engineering (MSE); enhance the diversity of the MSE workforce; and develop a cadre of scientists and engineers who will enter the workforce ready, willing, and able to continuously improve the quality of K-12 education in the next century. PRIME is a partnership among five Seattle-area school districts; three NSF Local Systemic Initiatives; and fifteen academic departments in mathematics, science, and engineering, faculty in the College of Education and four diversity programs at the University of Washington in Seattle. PRIME's conceptual focus is inquiry-based MSE education in middle school settings with diverse student and teacher populations. Of 22,585 middle school students potentially affected by PRIME, nearly one-fifth (19%) are African American, Native American, or Hispanic. A summer learning sciences institute prepares PRIME Fellows to engage in partnerships with middle school teachers and students in MSE. This institute focuses on middle school learning and teaching, assessment practices, classroom instruction, and diversity. The institute prepares the Fellows to engage in sustained partnerships with classroom teachers. Fellows provide their disciplinary expertise to enhance classroom-learning opportunities while also developing an increased understanding of pedagogy and diversity. The partnerships focus their efforts on the adaptation and localization of exemplary curricular materials. PRIME studies these sustained partnerships and disseminates the products of their efforts through annual regional showcases for teachers.
This GK-12 program, K-through-Infinity Professional Development Partnership (K--+-PDP) is more closely coupling K-12 education with the excitement of discovery, and the understanding of scientific knowledge, experienced by "fellows"-graduate students and upper-division undergraduate students in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering and technology (SMET). The project is promoting and facilitating collaboration between university faculty and K-12 educators to effect a new type of university training that produces a generation of SMET professionals who are skilled in, and committed to, SMET education and service learning at all levels. The ways that university researchers view and do science are important benefits that are now being shared with students and teachers in the K-12 schools. This initiative is providing K-12 students with the opportunity to learn how to do science from the example of a researcher who probes the unknown everyday. This program is transforming teachers into people who see themselves as "scientist-teachers," and transforming graduate student fellows-and by extension, their faculty advisors-into " teacher-scientists."
This GK-12 project is a collaborative effort by Vanderbilt University, Meharry Medical College, and the Davidson County Metropolitan School District to enhance 7-12th grade science and technology education through the use of teaching fellows as resource persons for teachers. Teacher-mentors who are recognized as expert teachers by their peers and supervisors are participants in this program. Twelve graduate and two advanced undergraduate teaching fellows from Vanderbilt and Meharry are participating in the project each year. Faculty members from graduate programs in chemistry, physics, biological sciences (eight departments), chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, and environmental engineering are serving as mentors. The teaching fellows are assisting the teachers in the implementation of an integrated 7-12th grade science curriculum, as well as helping teachers to match the local core curriculum with national and state science standards. The main objectives for 7-12th grade students are to increase inquiry-based activities, enhance science literacy, develop positive attitudes about science, provide individual attention for students through tutoring and mentoring, and provide role models for students. The objectives for teachers are to increase science content knowledge and the use of computer technology, and enhance communication links between teachers and the learning community. Goals for teaching fellows include learning how to transform their science knowledge into an appropriate form for understanding by students and teachers (and the general public), and developing an appreciation for the professionalism of teachers.
The project is a partnership between the Detroit Public School System, six departments in the College of Science (Physics, Biology, Geology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Computer Science), and the College of Education on the Wayne State University campus. Teams of graduate and advanced-undergraduate students from the mathematics and science departments are working with pre-service students and teachers to enhance the classroom efforts of teachers in the Detroit Public Schools, with emphasis on the middle grades. Formal preparation of the fellows for their K-12 classroom experience is being accomplished through workshops planned and implemented by the two colleges using the input of master teachers from the middle schools with current classroom experience. In addition, the participating teachers are reviewing fundamentals and learning about current research in the fellows' fields through formal workshops designed to support joint classroom-activity planning by the fellows and teachers involved. The project supports the science and mathematics standards adopted by the Detroit Public School System and enhances materials currently in use in the schools.
SMET graduate students at West Virginia University are providing content and instructional support to middle school teachers through a project involving West Virginia University Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Mineral Resources, and Human Resources & Education. As a part of TIGERS (Teams of Interdisciplinary Graduate- Fellows Engaged to Reinvigorate Students about SMET), three teams of four graduate students are formed around interdisciplinary themes that are a part of normal instruction in middle school science under Project CATS (Coordinated and Thematic Science). TIGERS fellows and 12 middle school teachers work together during the summer to pool their strengths of content and pedagogy in organizing thematic mathematics and science instruction to be implemented in the fall. TIGERS fellows share the insights gained from their research, while teachers share an appreciation for the middle school learner and school context. During the academic year, the teams of TIGER fellows visit the participating schools, facilitating science and mathematics instruction through hands-on learning experiences, long-term investigations, and field experiences. Upon completion of their experience, TIGERS fellows have an enhanced capacity to integrate their content experience with pedagogy as they become the professoriate and professionals of tomorrow.
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