Project Title: GK-12 Formal Proposal: Down to Earth Science - Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
PI/Co-PI:B. L Ramakrishna, Philip R Christensen, Samuel A DiGangi, Charles L Redman, and Frederick A Staley
Institution: Arizona State University
Partner School Districts: Phoenix, Charter, Roosevelt, Tempe, and Creighton
Number of Fellows/year: 10 Graduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Materials Science and Engineering, Ecology, Anthropology, and Planetary Studies
PI email: Bramakrishna@asu.edu
URL: http://gk12.asu.edu
Experimentation and exploration - the way scientists create new knowledge - will be adopted as the cornerstone for learning and teaching science in Arizona State University's Down to Earth Science fellow/teacher/student partnership program. The activities are based on a strongly interdisciplinary, multiscalar approach to earth systems science in three important research domains that powerfully convey science content - Materials Science and Engineering, Ecology, and Planetary Studies. ASU is poised to launch, and sustain, new approaches to increasing scientific literacy. We will expand upon the strong infrastructure of successful K-12 educational outreach programs from large-scale science and engineering research projects as well as ongoing and extensive collaborations with K-12 education. This project will: 1) integrate research, education, and outreach in a meaningful way by incorporating instructional strategies consistent with the national science standards; 2) increase teachers 'knowledge of science content and concepts, and provide them opportunities to engage their students in actual scientific research; 3) help revitalize science education from the use of abstract and obscure examples to the contextual and the relevant; and (4) instill fellows with the skills to communicate scientific concepts to a wider audience and prepare them to be mentors and role models for students. This award is co-supported by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Baylor College of Medicine (0086397)
Project Title: GK-12 at Baylor College of Medicine
PI/Co-PI:Nancy P Moreno, Scott F Basinger, and Barbara Z Tharp
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Partner School Districts: Houston Independent School District
Number of Fellows/year:
Target Audience: High School
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Sciences, Molecular and Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Pharmacology, Audiology and Bioaccoustics Structural Computational Biology and Virology
PI email: nmoreno@bcm.tmc.edu
URL: Not available
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the Houston Independent School District (HISD), propose to partner BCM graduate student scientists and HISD biology teachers to improve teaching and learning in biology, while providing opportunities for graduate students to improve their teaching-related skills. The project will create guided, goal-oriented partnerships between BCM graduate students and 15 selected HISD teachers, provide new professional development for all 96 HISD life sciences high school teachers and produce science, mathematics, engineering and technology career awareness events for all HISD secondary students. A Biosciences Learning Center will be established at an HISD school to support project activities as an in-kind contribution. BCM graduate student scientists will have opportunities to improve their own teaching skills, their knowledge of K-12 education and their abilities to communicate science information to novice audiences. Project evaluation will investigate changes in graduate students' personal science teaching paradigms and beliefs, to development of graduate students' teaching and communications skills, to changes in science teachers' content knowledge and to changes in student science learning and achievement. Each year, proposed activities will impact more than 400 biology students annually through graduate student/teacher partnerships, and all 8,000 students enrolled in biology classes through teacher professional development.
Clemson University (0086426)
Project Title: Clemson University GK-12 Project
PI/Co-PI:John K Luedeman, Robert Horton, William H Leonard, and John R Wagner
Institution: Clemson University
Partner School Districts: Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee
Number of Fellows/year: 14 Graduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Urban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics
PI email: Lued@clemson.edu
URL: http://www.clemson.edu/gk12
The goal of the Clemson University GK-12 Project is to improve student performance and the teaching of mathematics and science in the middle grades in Title I and "impaired" schools in the school districts of Anderson and Pickens county through the use of inquiry based learning exemplifying a standards-based approach. Benefits are to improve the perception of K-12 mathematics and science education among professional graduate scientists and mathematicians in academe and industry, to increase knowledgeable participation and support by scientists and mathematicians of K-12 education; to improve the perception of collegiate education and the professorate among professional K-12 teachers and administrators, and to improve the teaching skills of graduate students in mathematics and science disciplines through practice and training in the inquiry method with practice in the K-12 arena. Benefits to the teachers include a stipend, content resource support, graduate credit, improved laboratory equipment and manipulatives, and role models for their students. The University will benefit through closer ties with the local schools. The Fellows will have improved presentation skills through mentoring from the teachers. Graduate students in Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Geological Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physics will undergo in-depth training in teaching methods, familiarization with South Carolina frameworks and performance standards, a series of seminars with their mentoring teacher to develop demonstration lessons and ways in which the Fellows will provide content resources for NSF sponsored exemplary curricula, several of which have been developed at Clemson University. Fellows will team with mentoring teachers to provide professional development to colleagues in their schools.
Columbia University (0086390)
Project Title: GK-12 Formal Proposal - Integrating New Media Technologies into Teacher Development
PI/Co-PI:Jack McGourty
Institution: Columbia University
Partner School Districts: New York City School District
Number of Fellows/year: 11 Graduates
Target Audience: Middle-High School
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Engineering, Science, Mathematics, and Education
PI email: jm723@columbia.edu
URL: http://satchmo.cs.columbia.edu/tip/
Through the unique partnering of Engineering and Education Graduate Fellows, Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, Teachers College, Barnard College, and New York City School Districts will create a comprehensive model of teacher recruitment and education that is a significant departure from traditional pre-service and in-service teacher training programs. The long-term objective of this program is to create a sustainable teacher-training model that significantly infuses technology-competent teachers into urban school systems. The proposed fellowship project has as its major goal to develop a unique pre-service and in-service teaching model that has the following program elements:
- the creation of an innovative, interdisciplinary education program that seamlessly integrates new educational technologies into their curriculum and capitalizes on a large pool of technology-savvy undergraduate and graduate engineering, science, math, and education students;
- the collaboration of Columbia University's Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), Barnard College, and Teachers College (TC) with Community School Districts and High Schools in Harlem to share institutional resources, experience and expertise;
- the organization of parallel college and secondary school technology environments for the training of teachers in academic and real world school settings;
- the development and organization of curriculum modules in the sciences and mathematics that enable the full use of computer technology and the Internet to foster learning through self-directed study and group project applications; and
- the demonstration and assessment of the impact a technology-integrated learning environment has on secondary students' science and math knowledge and skills.
The project's concept is to build the infrastructure and formal mechanisms required to develop the technology and pedagogical skills of graduate and undergraduate engineering, science, and math students to prepare them for careers in urban secondary schools systems. Engineering and Education Graduate Fellows, as partners, will be responsible for the creation of educational technology laboratories located at Columbia and School District #5, the development of technology-enhanced curriculum modules in support of secondary school student learning in science and math, direct mentoring of secondary school students, and the supervision of undergraduate teaching students during a junior year technology-focused field experience. Throughout the project, the fellows will participate in a series of special workshops and mentoring experiences to support the development of their teaching knowledge and skills.
Georgia State University Research Foundation (0086392)
Project Title: GK-12: The Bio-Bus Pilot Project
PI/Co-PI:Barbara R Baumstark, G. Davon Kennedy
Institution: Georgia State University
Partner School Districts: DeKalb, Clayton, Fulton, Coweta, Douglas, Gwinnett, Rockdale, Henry, Troup, Atlanta City, Bremen, Carrollton, Carroll, Decatur, Dawson, Fayette, Haralson, Polk, Whitfield, Forsyth, Paulding, Hall, and Spalding
Number of Fellows/year: 26 Graduates, 5 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Urban, Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, and Astronomy
PI email: bbaumstark@gsu.edu
URL: http://biology.gsu.edu/industry/bio-bus/index.html
For the past year, Georgia State University has successfully operated the Bio-Bus, a 3 0-foot mobile instructional laboratory that serves Georgia's K- 12 school systems. In partnership with six Georgia School systems (Bremen City, Carrollton City, Carroll County, Decatur City, Haralson County, and Paulding County), the University proposes to inaugurate the GKI2 Bio-Bus Pilot Project, an extension of the main Bio-Bus program that provides additional preparation and reinforcement learning experiences not currently available to Bio-Bus participants. For the Pilot Project, science graduate students and advanced undergraduates chosen as GK12 Fellows will present a selection of learning modules to novice learners in their partner districts that incorporate scientific inquiry, hands-on investigation, and student-directed learning. Though centered around a biological theme, each learning module will take a multidisciplinary approach, presenting fundamental physical, chemical and geological concepts in a biological context. Summer workshops in biotechnology will be provided for in-service teachers and their GKI2 Fellow partners. Teachers who complete the summer workshop will qualify for the Bio-Bus Lending Lab, which provides free equipment and supplies for a week's worth of biotechnology experiments during the school year.
Project Title: The Georgia Tech Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP) Program
PI/Co-PI:Donna C Llewellyn, Marion Usselman
Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology
Partner School Districts: DeKalb County, Fulton County, Rockdale, Marietta City
Number of Fellows/year: 12 Graduates, 2-4 Undergraduates
Target Audience: High School
Setting: Urban, Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Engineering, Sciences, and Computing
PI email: donna.llewellyn@cetl.gatech.edu
URL: http://www.cetl.gatech.edu/menu_options/gta/step/stepfellowindex.htm
The Georgia Tech Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP) Program partners Graduate Fellows from the Colleges of Sciences, Engineering and Computing with metro-Atlanta area high school SMET teams that are led by master science or mathematics teacher-coordinators. The program seeks to improve the teaching-related communication, and leadership skills of Georgia Tech graduate students, and to use the exceptional scholarly expertise available at Georgia Tech to assist in increasing the mathematics and science performance of Atlanta-area school students. STEP Fellows will participate in summer training workshops to familiarize them with inquiry-based learning pedagogy, classroom management and effective teaching skills, and appropriate uses of educational technologies. They will also work with high school personnel to develop a needs assessment and action plan for the school. During the school year they will work in pairs with their partner school, choosing activities from a menu of options that includes: 1) Student instruction, 2) Teacher professional development, 3) Student enrichment and mentoring, 4) Implementation of classroom websites, 5) Science fair project assistance, and 6) Georgia Tech lab tours. The program will be open, by competitive application, to all of the nearly 3,000 graduate students in the Georgia Tech Colleges of Engineering, Sciences, and Computing.
Harvard University (0086387)
Project Title: GK-12 Environment, Materials Science, and Information Technology Themes in Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Grades
PI/Co-PI:John W Hutchinson, Ana P Barros, Eric Mazur, Philip M Sadler, and Robert M Westervelt
Institution: Harvard University
Partner School Districts: Cambridge Public Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 6 Graduates, 1 Undergraduate
Target Audience: High School (Grades 8-10)
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Engineering and Applied Sciences, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, and Chemical Biology
PI email: hutchinson@husm.harvard.edu
URL: http://www.deas.harvard.edu/gk12/ http://www.deas.harvard.edu/aboutdeas/deasinthecommunity/index.html
http://gk12.harvard.edu/
We propose collaboration between Harvard and the Cambridge Public Schools to help public school students learn science and technology. Cambridge teachers follow a curriculum, which meets standards of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and prepares students for statewide examinations. Our plan is based on teams, each consisting of one faculty member, three GK-12 Fellows, and three Cambridge teachers. Each team will choose a topic from one of three areas: the environment, materials science, and information technology. During the first half year the team will meet weekly to introduce Cambridge teachers to research at Harvard and to discuss how to involve students in investigations related to the Cambridge curriculum and MCAS standards. In the second half year, GK-12 Fellows will move to the Cambridge Public Schools to help teachers and students in discussions and student projects. A workshop will be held at the end of the year in which Cambridge students present their results to an audience of students and parents. We will start with eighth grade students and move to the ninth and tenth grades in following years. These activities will help Cambridge students learn science and technology and help GK-12 Fellows become more involved in public education. This award is co-supported by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Illinois State University (0086354)
Project Title:GK-12 Graduate Fellows for Science and Math Education
PI/Co-PI:Cynthia J Moore, Jenny D Grogg, William J Hunter, and Carol A Thornton
Institution: Illinois State University
Partner School Districts: Bloomington, Community Unit District 10, McLean County District 5
Number of Fellows/year: 10 Graduates
Target Audience: High School
Setting: Urban, Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Microbiology, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Library and Information Science, Computer Science, Cell and Structural Biology, and Biochemistry
PI email: cjmoor1@ilstu.edu
URL: http://www.gk12.ilstu.edu
This program will train and support graduate students in science and mathematics to provide resources for middle and high school students and teachers. Fellows will participate in workshops that focus on interdisciplinary science and math curriculum and effective teaching. University faculty and K-12 teachers will provide a background in inquiry-based techniques and activities, emphasizing national and state learning standards. Fellows and teachers will form school-based teams that will formally assess the science, mathematics, and technology needs at each site. They will collaborate to compile and present curriculum enhancement mini-units, emphasizing inquiry-based activities. The fellows will also adapt the computer technology available at school sites to the needs of specific classrooms. Fellows will provide science resources for students through e-mail communication, an 'Ask-a-Scientist' network, Saturday Science workshops, and collaboration with the Children's Discovery Museum of Central Illinois. University faculty, fellows, and staff members of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education will plan and present professional development programs for classroom teachers. The project will address issues of scientific literacy, equity, and attitudes toward science and math among middle and high school students. It will integrate research and teaching, as well as enhance teaching and curriculum selection/development skills for all participants through collaboration.
North Dakota State University (0086445)
Project Title: Graduate Student-University-School Collaborative for Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology
PI/Co-PI:Dogan Comez, Edward Deckard, William O. Martin, Gregory J. McCarthy, and Sudhir I. Mehta
Institution: North Dakota State University
Partner School Districts: Fargo, Casselton, Kindred, Minnesota (152), Northern Cass, West Fargo, and Enderlin
Number of Fellows/year: 13 Graduates, 14 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Middle-High School (Grades 6-12)
Setting: Urban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology
PI email: dogan.comez@ndsu.nodak.edu
URL: http://www.ndsu.edu/grasus/
The NDSU Graduate Student-University-School (GraSUS) Collaborative for Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology is a project in which graduate and advanced undergraduate students (fellows) will work with science and mathematics teachers in grade 6-12 classrooms. The project uses problem-or inquiry-based learning, in which solutions of interesting real -life problems promote students' learning, problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and teamwork. Challenging problems will be selected to reflect existing school curriculum in the context of the research and applications from core SMET disciplines at the university. The school courses involved include mathematics, general science, environmental science, chemistry, physics and biology. Real-life applications in these areas will come from the same disciplines and from several engineering, agricultural, and technology disciplines. The graduate and undergraduate fellows will receive pedagogical training. Summer workshops will involve schoolteachers and university faculty in planning and development activities with the fellows. The project's expected outcomes include enhanced communication and teaching skills for the fellows, enriched learning by K- 12 students, professional development opportunities for K- 12 teachers, and stronger partnerships between NDSU and local school districts. This project will build upon several other similar and successful programs at NDSU.
Rutgers University (0086448)
Project Title: Graduate Student Outreach to the Newark Public Schools
PI/Co-PI:Jeffrey D Kidder, Ismael Calderon, Beth Anne Ebler, Michael Nolan, and Gary Roth
Institution: Rutgers University
Partner School Districts: Newark Public Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 18 Graduates, 15 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology
PI email: jkidder@andromeda.rutgers.edu
URL: Not available
This proposal outlines a plan to involve Rutgers University-Newark graduate students and advanced undergraduates with the Newark Public Schools, Newark Museum, and Kids Corporation as NSF Teaching Fellows. The conceptual focus of the proposed program falls largely under the thematic heading of knowledge transfer and curriculum development. The university students will be trained to deliver educational activities that are curriculum integrated, inquiry-centered, and constructivist-based. The strength of the proposed program is that all participants, university students, teachers, and school students will benefit from the experience. The benefits to be realized are inherent in the following program goals:
- to enhance the teaching skills of the university participants
- to motivate and excite students about science, mathematics, and technology
- to expose students to new ideas, resources, and potential careers and to demonstrate the relevance of their learning experiences to real life situations
- to contribute to student knowledge and understanding of science and mathematics
- to provide teachers an opportunity to collaborate with graduate students and advanced undergraduates in designing learning experiences for their students and incorporate new ideas, activities, and resources into their curricula
- to provide teachers opportunities to learn, and become comfortable applying, hands-on, inquiry-based approaches to teaching.
San Francisco State University (0086467)
Project Title: San Francisco State University GK-12 Fellows Project
PI/Co-PI: John Stubbs
Institution:San Francisco State University
Partner School Districts: San Francisco Unified School District
Number of Fellows/year: 15 Graduates
Target Audience: Middle-High School
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Earth
Sciences, Engineering, and Physics
PI email: stujod@sfsu.edu
URL: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~gk12sf
San Francisco State University's College of Science and Engineering (COSE) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) have collaboratively developed a GK-12 Fellows project to serve students at under-performing middle and high schools (3 each). Fellows will be systematically prepared to support the efforts of SFUSD teachers to deliver an inquiry-based pedagogy rich in science and math content. Fifteen SFSU Fellows per year will directly benefit by enhancing their teaching and learning skills; SFUSD will benefit by the having these Fellows co-teach with SFUSD teachers, tutor, and serve as school-based resources, knowledgeable about the content and the application of SMET. Fellows will complete two formal classes--one focused on pedagogy and another focused on either the physical or natural sciences. To ensure compliance with state and national standards as well as to develop collegial relationships, teachers will partner with the Fellows in the content classes which will provide both with basic concepts in integrated biological areas and in fundamental concepts of physical sciences, along with laboratory curriculum modules. Fellows will be selected from COSE's diverse (63% minority) student body. Inverness Research Associates, an evaluation group specializing in science education, will conduct a comprehensive evaluation with both quantitative and qualitative components.
Southwest Missouri State University (0086335)
Project Title: Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
PI/Co-PI:Tamera S Jahnke, Georgianna Saunders
Institution: Southwest Missouri State University
Partner School Districts: Springfield Public Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 12 Graduates, 20 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Middle School
Setting: Urban, Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Ecology, Mathematics, Engineering, Material Science, and Natural and Applied Science.
PI email: TameraJahnke@smsu.edu
URL: http://www.GK-12Fellows.SMSU.edu
This project allows for the continuing collaboration of Southwest Missouri State University (SMSU) with Springfield Public Schools (SPS) in a nationally recognized manner. The plan includes the involvement of twelve GK-12 Fellows (four graduate students and eight senior undergraduate students) for year one of the project and 16 GK-12 Fellows (eight graduate students and eight senior students) for years two and three of the project. Initial training of the GK-12 Fellows will include a two-week session prior to the beginning of the academic year. Training will continue through the academic year with weekly follow-up meetings led by two SMSU faculty members. Goals and objectives of this program have been developed in collaboration with SPS. Four SPS Middle Schools will be targeted in this project based on a recent study conducted by a School Board appointed task force on the dropout problem in Springfield. These four middle schools feed into high schools with the largest dropout rates. GK-12 Fellows will work with SMSU faculty and middle school teachers to make a significant positive impact on student-teacher contact and student learning in selected middle schools within the SPS system.
SUNY-Binghamton (0086375)
Project Title: Graduate Teaching Fellows in Elementary School Education
PI/Co-PI:Nancy E Stamp, Jeffrey Barker, Eric J Cotts, and Thomas P O’Brien
Institution: SUNY-Binghamton
Partner School Districts: New York State and Binghamton City Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 14 Graduates, 7 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Elementary-Middle School (Grades 3 – 6)
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology, Earth Sciences, Physics, and Astronomy
PI email: nstamp@binghamton.edu
URL:http://biology.binghamton.edu/nsfk12
The teaching fellows (graduate and senior undergraduates in biology, earth sciences, physics and astronomy) will be trained in a summer institute, and then paired with grades 3-6 teachers. In consultation with Binghamton University faculty, the pairs will develop the "research lessons", test them during the academic year in grades 3-6 classrooms and continue to refine them. Each research lesson" is a series of lessons based on the 5E Teaching Cycle and with an emphasis on identifying and challenging misconceptions of students in grades 3-6. The "research lessons" will provide models for addressing the new curricula programs of New York State and Binghamton City Schools, the chosen school district. The "research lessons" will make use of a wide variety of excellent educational materials, and so what the lessons will do is provide conceptually linked and carefully sequenced lessons that specifically address the students' misconceptions. A priority will be to develop the habits and skills of scientific inquiry through demonstrations and hands-on activities. An important outcome is that both the teaching fellows and the teachers will learn how to develop, assess and refine "research lessons" that target science content, habits and skills in students.
University of Akron (0086378)
Project Title: GK-12 Formal Proposal
PI/Co-PI:Peter H Niewiarowski, Qetler Jensrud, Kathleen G Sparrow, and Deborah S Yandala
Institution: University of Akron
Partner School Districts: Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center, Bath Township Elementary School and Akron County Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 8 Graduates
Target Audience: Elementary-Middle School
Setting: Urban, Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology
PI email: phn@uakron.edu
URL: Not available
We describe an educational partnership between The University of Akron, the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center, Bath Township Elementary School, and Akron Public School District that builds an educational community covering K-graduate work in Life Sciences. Each partner will provide expertise in training GK- 12 fellows in research, teacher training, and curriculum and pedagogy development. Impact of our project will stretch well beyond a single school district, to train teachers that come into contact annually with more than 15,000 K- 12 students in over 20 school districts in NE Ohio. A compelling feature of our project is the integration of GK- 12 graduate research projects into content modules that will serve as the organizing theme for teacher professional development and curricular enhancement. Our model moves well beyond the central goal of using GK- 1 2 Fellows as K- 12 content resources. Our approach allows faculty and GK- 12 fellows to integrate their research and teaching goals (an NSF priority) and to provide curricular content that is immediately and directly relevant to the K- 12 institutions. Because each of these partners already cooperate in educational activities, building the comprehensive partnership we describe will benefit from well-established lines of communication. Furthermore, extending the existing solid foundation promises that the educational community we seek will have longevity well beyond the granting cycle.
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign (0086455)
Project Title: GK-12 Ed-Grid Graduate Teaching Fellows Program
PI/Co-PI:Richard D Braatz, Eric Jakobsson
Institution: University of Illinois-U-C
Partner School Districts: Urbana High School, Danville High School, Technology Center of Dupage (Addison), Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale South High School, Centennial High School (Champaign), Bismarck High School, Oakland High School
Number of Fellows/year: 15 Graduates
Target Audience: High School
Setting: Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Engineering
PI email: braatz@uiuc.edu
URL: http://gk12.ncsa.uiuc.edu
This proposal extends the catalyzing impact of EdGrid, a consortium committed to developing, testing, and disseminating systemic approaches to integrate the use of computer-based modeling and scientific visualization in science and mathematics education. The role of the GK-12 fellows is to bring to each team content expertise and experience with applications of computational science, modeling and visualization. Fellows will benefit by improving their own computational skills, learning to relate complex science and mathematics concepts to others, by becoming comfortable with teaching, and by understanding how they can participate in the improvement of science and mathematics education. Teachers and education faculty benefit from access to content expertise, assistance with the use of computational modeling and visualization tools, and by learning current scientific methods.
The main objectives include:
- Training on issues of K-12 science and mathematics education and computer-based modeling and visualization.
- Enhanced communication among the content and education faculty within the university, and between the university and K- 12 communities.
- Science and mathematics curriculum utilizing computational science, modeling and visualization tools, technologies, and methodologies.
- Classroom experiences for K- 12 students using computational science, modeling and visualization to do science and mathematics.
- Dissemination of experiences and materials.
- Inculcating a commitment to broaden outreach of leading-edge scientific ideas on the part of future scientists who will be the graduate student trainees in the project.
- Applying to the GK-12 enterprise abilities that NCSA/EOT-PACI have developed for long-distance collaboration communication, and community building.
Noteworthy features of the project include the collaboration of very different and geographically separated university communities as well as the integration of research university science education enterprises. This will be facilitated by NCSA/EOT-PACI experience in organizing and computing across geographically distributed human and material resources.
Project Title: GK-12 Formal Proposal
PI/Co-PI:Ellen D Williams, Donna Hammer, and Luz J Martinez-Miranda
Institution: University of Maryland-College Park
Partner School Districts: Prince Georges, Howard, Montgomery
Number of Fellows/year: 19 Graduates, 3 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, and Engineering
PI email: edw@physics.umd.edu
URL: http://mrsec.umd.edu/GK12.html
The purpose of this project is to place undergraduate and graduate students from science and engineering at UMCP as teaching Fellows in area middle and high schools to enhance and extend the science and mathematics curriculum. The conceptual and pedagogical focus of this project is to develop a program in which Fellows and teachers work together to integrate learning practices into classroom based activities. The Fellows will be drawn from the departments of chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering. They will enhance the curriculum in collaboration with K-12 teachers to develop classroom hands-on, inquiry-based activities that will supplement the curriculum content, by integrating programs that connect classroom learning to science and technology beyond the classroom. The Fellows will also act as liaisons between teachers and university based resources. Through training and direct involvement in K-12 schools, Fellows will become knowledgeable in education outreach, and will in turn become a resource to the University. It is expected that the GK-12 Fellows will develop a broader sense of their professional options, a stronger grounding in science and engineering education, and a sense of the educational relationships between the university and the community. This award is co-supported by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
University of Nebraska (0086358)
Project Title: GK-12: Project FULCRUM - Building Partnerships
PI/Co-PI:Diandra L Leslie-Pelecky, Gayle A Buck, Patrick H Dussault, Roger D Kirby, and Suzanne R Kirby
Institution: University of Nebraska
Partner School Districts: Lincoln Public Schools
Number of Fellows/year: 15 Graduates, 2 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Elementary-Middle School (Grades 4-6)
Setting: Urban, Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Chemistry, Physics/Astronomy, Geosciences, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science & Engineering, Mathematics, and Biological Sciences
PI email: dleslie@unlnotes.unl.edu
URL:www.physics.unl.edu/~fulcrum
PROJECT FULCRUM: BUILDING STUDENT-SCIENTIST-TEACHER PARTNERSHIPS - Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I can move the Earth - Project. FULCRUM is a teacher-scientist-teacher educator collaboration that will place graduate and undergraduate science students from the University of Nebraska in grades 4 - 8 in the Lincoln Public Schools to form partnerships with teachers. The goals of this collaboration are:
- Enhance 4th – 8th grade students' opportunities to team science by increasing access to inquiry-driven experiences in content areas that satisfy national and state science standards;
- Assist teachers in feeling more comfortable and knowledgeable about teaching science;
- Provide students with diverse role models by involving women and other underrepresented groups at all levels;
- Improve student attitudes regarding their involvement in and future study of science; 5) Help GK-12 fellows improve pedagogical, communication and teamwork skills, thus enhancing future employment opportunities;
- Assess the short- and long-term impacts of the program on the elementary and middle schools, the teachers at those schools and the GK- 12 fellows;
- Strengthen the UNTL - LPS partnership by establishing an infrastructure that facilitates interactions between teachers, teacher educators and scientists; and,
- Promote long-term cooperation between scientists and teacher educators at UNL to stimulate additional joint activities impacting. K- 12 education.
Project FULCRUM is based on school-centered teams that include a graduate and an undergraduate GK-12 fellow, a lead teacher, other classroom teachers, faculty scientists and pre-service teachers. GK-12 fellows will form partnerships with teachers at their school to increase the inquiry component of existing activities and to develop new activities that introduce the students to science content, and to the relationship of science to people and society. Fellows will attend a summer institute to introduce them to inquiry learning. Seminars throughout the school year will help them understand their role in the classroom. The lead teacher will mentor the fellow and assist the Pls in gathering and evaluating data from their schools. Pre-service teachers will share a common methods course and will discuss experiences from the program as part of their course. Internal and external assessments will monitor whether the program is meeting the needs of the students.
Project Title: (GK-12) Graduate Teaching Fellows: Human Impact Along the Front Range of Colorado
PI/Co-PI: John C Moore, William Blubaugh, William H Hoyt, Robert L Mayes, and David M Swift
Institution: University of Northern Colorado
Partner School Districts: Weld County, Poudre RI School District
Number of Fellows/year:
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Natural Resource Ecology, Biological Sciences Atmospheric Science, Mathematics, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism
PI email: john.moore@unco.edu
URL: http://www.cahs.colostate.edu/GK12/
The University of Northern Colorado, Colorado State University, Weld County School District 6, and the Poudre RI school district propose a collaborative to support fellows in SMET disciplines and discipline-based education. Our teaching and research themes focus on Human impacts on land use and ecosystem structure and function along the Front Range of Northern Colorado.
Objectives and Activities:
- Form Teaching-Research Teams - of teachers, fellows, and researchers that will interact throughout the year, for up to 3 years;
- Conduct Teaching and Research Strategy Workshops - to familiarize teachers, researchers and fellows, with each other’s culture;
- Conduct Grant Writing Workshops - for the teachers and fellows for professional development and sustainability;
- Develop Schoolyard Research Plots - based on the research experience. Teachers and fellows will establish schoolyard plots; and
- Apply age-appropriate, Standards-Based Modules - will be developed to link the research to the classroom.
Benefits include:
- Fellows: 1) Guide fellows to include K-12 outreach as a career goal, 2) Improved communication-teaching related skills, 3) Financial stability, and 4) Improved grantsmanship
- K-12 Teachers: 1) Connect with the research community, 2) Professional development (travel, credit, stipends), 3) Improve classroom resources (supplies, equipment technology), 4) Schoolyard sites, and 5) Provide additional classroom help via the fellows.
University of Oklahoma (0086415)
Project Title: GK-12 Formal Proposal: Authentic Teaching Alliance (ATA)
PI/Co-PI:Mark A Nanny, Anant R Kukreti, Mary John O’Hair, and Teri R Rhoads
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Partner School Districts: Oklahoma City and Del City
Number of Fellows/year: 13 Graduates, 12 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Middle-High School
Setting: Urban, Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering
PI email: nanny@ou.edu
URL: http://www.coe.ou.edu/ata
Project STEALTH involves thirteen graduate and twelve advanced undergraduate Fellows, twelve secondary science and mathematics teachers (from two high schools and two middle schools located in Oklahoma City and Del City), and seven OU faculty (from the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, School of Industrial Engineering, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and the Oklahoma Networks for Excellence in Education), who will work in teams developing, designing, implementing, and assessing authentic learning, inquiry-based activities for secondary science and mathematics students. These activities will be incorporated into lessons, demonstrations, laboratory exercises, individual and group projects, and field experiences in order to: 1) emphasize authentic and community-based experiences; 2) encourage creative problem-solving skills; 3) develop interest in life-long learning; and 4) prepare secondary students for advanced education. Activity themes will focus on environmental science and engineering, new materials and their use, and civil infrastructures. Activities will be designed to fit the teachers and students' needs based on curriculum requirements, course content, students' abilities and interests, and available resources. Fellows will be prepared to create and implement these activities through a new course presenting: 1) educational theory, concepts, and assessment congruent with authentic learning; 2) the design, implementation, and assessment of hands-on, inquiry-based activities in secondary science and mathematics curricula; and 3) appropriate teaching practices and methods for secondary students, as well as local, state, and national curricula standards. The program's effectiveness on the Fellows' teaching skills, as well as its effect on secondary science and mathematics education will be quantitatively assessed and used to continually improve the program.
University of Oklahoma (0086457)
Project Title: GK-12: Adventure Engineering: An Inquiry Learning, Design Driven Approach to Middle Grade Science and Mathematics Education
PI/Co-PI:Robert C. Knox, Michael A Mooney, Edmund A Marek, and Anne M Reynolds
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Partner School Districts: Oklahoma City, Moore, Lexington, Shawnee, and Norman
Number of Fellows/year: 10 Graduates, 21 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Grades 5 - 9
Setting: Urban, Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Mathematics, Science, and Engineering
PI email: rknox@ucsd.edu
URL: www.coecs.ou.edu/aeweb
This project is designed to integrate exciting adventure-based scenarios, solutions to which require inquiry learning and an engineering design approach, into the middle grade (5-9) science and mathematics classrooms. Middle grade students win be posed with adventurous scenarios, e.g., Engineering the Congo, Mission to Mars, filled with carefully crafted obstacles, e.g., water purification, power generation, route optimization. The level appropriate science and/or mathematics principles are woven into the obstacles. Student groups then develop solutions to the posed obstacles through inquiry learning and the engineering design approach, running the gamut from experimentation to conceptualization to prototype construction and testing. This curriculum that weaves m the required science and/or math content is designed to replace the existing middle grade content. A team (AE Team) will develop the Adventure Engineering curriculum of engineering graduate and undergraduate Fellows, middle grade science and mathematics teachers from urban, suburban and rural schools, and faculty from Science Education, Mathematics Education, and Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The engineering fellows will be extensively prepared in the pertinent standards, existing curriculum, and inquiry learning method through observation and participation in the middle grade classrooms, participation in College of Education methods courses, and workshops with middle grade teachers. During the three-year project, the AE Team will develop inquiry and design based science and math curriculum, with diligent assessment, under the adventure-based engineering premise. To accommodate the middle grade teachers, the AE Team will meet outside the classroom monthly on Saturday mornings during the academic year and for daylong workshops in the summer. Between AE Team meetings, the Fellows will work to develop and implement curriculum with the designated teachers in the middle grade classrooms. Each year, the engineering Fellows will increase outreach activity by seeking different teachers and assisting them with Adventure engineering curriculum implementation. The curriculum will be developed and prepared for web-dissemination to be self-sustaining beyond the three-year project period. The Adventure Engineering program is designed to motivate those students in the critical middle grades that otherwise would not pursue technical careers, particularly women and minorities. To this end, the Adventure Engineering curriculum will be developed for and implemented in approximately 72 classrooms, half of which will be predominantly minority classrooms in Oklahoma City. The AE team Fellows will be recruited from and with the dedicated assistance of the outstanding Multicultural Engineering Program at the University of Oklahoma.
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (0086400)
Project Title: Graduate and Undergraduate Students Enhancing Science and Technology in K-12 Schools (GUEST K-12)
PI/Co-PI:Juan J Lopez-Garriga, Dalas E Alston, Nelson Cardona, Jose E Cortes-Figueroa, and Hernan Santos
Institution:University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Partner School Districts: San Juan, Bayamon, Ponce, Morovis, San German, etc.
Number of Fellows/year: 16 Graduates, 4 Undergraduates
Target Audience: Grades K-12
Setting: Urban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Geology,
Biology, Chemistry, and Technology
PI email: sonw@caribe.net
URL: http://sonw.uprm.edu
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus, has developed various K-12 educational programs, which coherently couple motivation, orientation, training, and follow-up activities of K-12 teachers and students with undergraduate, graduate, and university professors. Among them are the programs enclosed in the Earth Science Initiative: Science on Wheels, GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment), SCBL (Sensors and Calculator-Based Laboratory) and the Geology Outreach. University graduate and undergraduate students are already a significant part of the training activities resulting in a favorable model for the development and motivation of future science and engineering professionals and pre-college teachers. Therefore, the GUEST K-12 (Graduate and Undergraduate Students Enhancing Science and Technology in K-12 Schools) program proposes to coordinate and reinforce the partnership between the university and K-12 schools by funding highly qualified undergraduate (four) and graduate (sixteen) students to serve as resources in the pre-college classroom. This initiative will be coupled with existing K-12 outreach programs and will benefit more than three hundred teachers and over ten thousand students. The GUEST K-12 program will transform pre-college teachers into science and technology proficient educators while fellows will improve communication and teaching-related skills. This award is co-supported by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
University of South Carolina (0086427)
Project Title: GK-12 Engineering Fellowships to Enhance Science Education in South Carolina Schools
PI/Co-PI:Jed S Lyons, Christine Ebert
Institution: University of South Carolina
Partner School Districts: Richard 1, Richland 2, and Lexington 1
Number of Fellows/year: 10 Graduates
Target Audience: Elementary-Middle School
Setting: Urban, Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical, Computer, Civil and Environmental Engineering
PI email: lyons@sc.edu
URL: http://cece/engr.sc.edu
K-12 schools in South Carolina are implementing new state science standards. As a result, many teachers must obtain significantly new content knowledge while developing new curricula and lesson plans. This project supports ten graduate students majoring in mechanical, chemical, electrical, computer, civil and environmental engineering to work with grades 3-9 science teachers and their students. Project planning involving school district personnel has identified a number of connections between the content knowledge of these engineering students and the new science standards for these grades. The graduate fellows will help teachers adopt, adapt and develop curriculum and instructional materials that use engineering examples, experiments and inquiry and design problems. Each fellow will become an expert in one or more area of the standards, and will work with several teachers and schools throughout their tenure. This plan effectively integrates the fellows' teaching activities with their graduate education and research experiences. In addition to the service learning activities proposed, the fellows will receive formal instruction on teaching principles, cognitive processes and learning styles through a field-based course developed by the College of Education. A series of summer workshops involving the fellows and participating teachers is also proposed.
University of Southern Maine (0086341)
Project Title: A Maine Science Corps Promoting Excellence and Equity in High School Biological Science Education
PI/Co-PI: Samuel M. Duboise, Walter C. Allan, Paula K. Haddow, Ah-Kau Ng, and Stephen C. Pelsue
Institution: University of Southern Maine
Partner School Districts: Augusta, Caribou, Central Aroostock, Hall-Dale, SAD25, SAD40, SAD47, SAD17, SAD54, Limestone, and Millinocket
Number of Fellows/year: 12 Graduates
Target Audience: Middle-High School
Setting: Suburban, Rural
NSF Supported Disciplines: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics
PI email: duboise@maine.maine.edu
URL: www.usm.maine.edu/ams/sciencecorps, www.fbr.org/swksweb/sciworks.html
A Maine Science Corps Promoting Excellence and Equity in High School Biological Science Education In partnership with high school biology teachers, a "Science Corps" of University of Southern Maine (USM) immunology and molecular biology graduate student fellows will bring laboratory and inquiry-based activities into underserved Maine classrooms while adding a focus upon inquiry methods of learning and teaching to their graduate curriculum. Students in chronically underfunded rural schools typically have inadequate access to laboratory facilities and the scientific world beyond the classroom. Science Corps extends the twenty-two year partnership of USM and the Foundation for Blood Research in enrichment of high school biological sciences education through programs of inquiry-based learning activities and laboratory experiences for students and teachers. Science Works for ME, an ongoing program providing summer institutes for teachers and students and hosting visiting high school biology classes for laboratory-based activities, provides the framework for much of the training that graduate fellows will need to serve effectively in high school biology classrooms. Science Corps teams, each consisting of two graduate fellows, will take activities developed and tested through Science Works into rural high school classrooms across the state and will also work with skilled high school teachers in developing new activities that will facilitate these teachers' efforts to meet state and national science education standards.
University of Washington (0086280)
Project Title: GK-12 Program in Mathematics at the University of Washington
PI/Co-PI: Loyce M Adams, Ramesh A Gangolli, Lillian C McDermott, and Warfield
Institution: University of Washington
Partner School Districts: Northshore, Seattle
Number of Fellows/year: 12 Graduates
Target Audience: Elementary-Middle School
Setting: Urban,Suburban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology
PI email: adams@amath.washington.edu
URL: http://www.amath.washington.edu/~adams/gk12
This project leverages several K-12 outreach programs at the University of Washington to help increase the subject-matter understanding of pre-college mathematics teachers and their students while increasing the Fellows' understanding of teaching and learning. The College of Arts and Sciences, as home of the departments that teach mathematics and the sciences, has a long history of preservice and inservice teacher preparation. The proposal seeks to place 12 graduate students (recruited university wide) as GK-12 Fellows in local elementary and junior high mathematics classes. The project will involve a coordinated program of selection, initial preparation, in-depth preparation, on-going mentoring and assessment. Feasibility has been demonstrated by a two-year pilot project supported by the UW President's Fund and NSF. Fellows will receive initial preparation in instructional methods of inquiry based mathematics by Lillian McDermott and the Physics Education group followed by Developing Mathematical Ideas session to analyze student thinking given by the Expanding a Community of Mathematics Learners local systemic change project. This GK-12 project extends partnerships with local school districts already involved in systemic change efforts and strengthens on-going attempts to help teachers implement curricula that meet state and national standards.
Virginia Commonwealth University (0086320)
Project Title: GK-12 Fellows: Virginia Consortium Interdisciplinary Program
PI/Co-PI:William E Haver, Julia H Cothron, Reuben W Farley, Loren D Pitt, and Stephen T Thornton
Institution: Virginia Commonwealth University
Partner School Districts: Central Virginia
Number of Fellows/year: 25 Graduates
Target Audience: Middle School
Setting: Urban
NSF Supported Disciplines: Physics, Mathematical Sciences, and Chemistry
PI email: wehaver@vcu.edu
URL: http://www.math.vcu.edu/NSF_Grad_Teaching_Fellows/
A total of 24 outstanding middle school teachers will be recruited to be students in an Interdisciplinary Science program of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia and to serve as Graduate Teaching Fellows. Each Graduate Fellow will:
- Complete an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies of an M.S. program in physics, mathematical sciences or chemistry. The Interdisciplinary Science program included graduate course work in at least two disciplines, two interdisciplinary science courses and a final thesis.
- Receive training for in-school activities through the mathematics and Science Center of the Richmond area schools.
- Provide enriched science and mathematics disciplinary content for current middle-school teachers working with them in a training institute and offering in their classrooms model lessons for students.
After serving as Fellows, they may become members of the Clinical Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University or the University of Virginia, continuing to link the schools and the college teacher preparation programs. This award is co-supported by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
