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SciMathTeaching Fellows Program: A Paradigm for a New Beginning

This program aims to transform the preparation of STEM educators through a collaborative, innovative, and regionally sensitive approach. It offers an intensive and accelerated 1-year fellowship for career changers and school professionals, with support from various funding sources. The program focuses on inquiry-based teaching, mentorship, extensive field work, and continuous professional development.

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SciMathTeaching Fellows Program: A Paradigm for a New Beginning

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  1. Presenters Ralph Martin, Director of Special Projects Jeff Connor, Chair, Mathematics Dept. Pam Beam, SciMath Program Leader Lauren Metcalf, Noyce Scholar & SciMath Fellow Al Cote’, Center Coordinator

  2. SciMathTeaching Fellows Program: A Paradigm for a New Beginning bridges to Noyce for STEM career changers for school professionals and learners for higher education

  3. Funding from … • U. S. Department of Education and with support from congressional representatives and senators • National Science Foundation: Noyce Scholars • Ohio University’s Patton College of Education and Human Services • South East Ohio Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science (SEOCEMS)

  4. Purpose Transform the preparation of STEM educators • based on earlier work submitted for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship program … • “… develop an innovative, regionally sensitive, content rich, school-embedded, time accelerated program for STEM education teacher preparation.” • with an eye toward Noyce Phase II

  5. Rural SE Ohio

  6. A 1st Step - How? Use collaborative processes to: • Design and operate a Pilot: test ideas and processes • Evaluate impact & document outcomes • Reward risk taking and collaboration • Support Fellows and Mentors for success • Enrich the lives of school pupils

  7. Processes • Intensive & Accelerated, 1 year • Teach to Inquire to Learn to Teach– an embedded fellowship with mentors and learners • Research-based Mentor preparation • Re-aligned, synergistic course preparation for Fellows • Extensive, strategic field work and applied action research • STEM context & modified course work • New delivery mechanisms • Immersion in to a professional community of learners • Evaluation used to inform program innovation & redesign

  8. Outcomes • Do No Harm: • Add value, enrich pupil learning, support the school’s & Mentor’s missions • For Fellows - top level new teacher preparation • Continued professional teacher development for all • PRAXIS II PLT success • Wide scale University program revision • Strong professionals added to the pipeline with a history of successes

  9. How does the pilot compare? 10 Peer Programs • 14 month average • Full Time • On-campus, face 2 face • PRAXIS II at end • 60 credit average (qtr equiv) • Moderate field component • 60% no financial aid SciMath Fellows Pilot • 12 months • Full Time • On-campus, face 2 face, in-field • PRAXIS II content @ beginning, PLT @ end • 75 credits • Intensive, extensive field, full year • Fellowship and tuition scholarship

  10. SciMath Fellows & Noyce Scholar Angonique, Pam, Chandana, DECA teacher, Jen & Lauren

  11. Program Structure What drove the program and how was it designed?

  12. Guiding Principles and Standards • Inquiry habits of mind and actions • Research base and actions • Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession • Academic content standards of the discipline • PRAXIS II content and PLT examinations

  13. Program Summer Fellow & Mentor Preparation Fall School & Campus Winter School & Campus Spring School Professional Internship Summer Complete Masters degree Requirements for Teaching License

  14. Mentors Provide much needed support, guidance and assistance: • Involve Fellows in all aspects of being a teacher as related to teaching standards, • Add depth to the Fellows’ knowledge of professional practice and subject matter, • Assist the Fellows’ professional “habits of mind and practice:” plan, act, observe, reflect • Collaborate with and assist faculty with program redesign and improvement

  15. Fellows • School beginning to the end • Add value from STEM career • Learn via structured skills and behaviors based on standards for the teaching profession • Growth toward autonomy • Extensive professional internship

  16. Function From the Faculty Perspective Dr. Pam Beam

  17. Cohort Make-up Career Changers Prior Career Skills that Supported Fellow Success Family Dynamics of the Fellows What We Learned

  18. Mentor Teachers Mentor Preparation Placement Match-ups and “Sharing” What We Learned

  19. Teacher Education Program Course Changes Spiraled Courses With Shared Assignments Reading Courses Assignments Aligned With Grade Level and Subject Content Focus on Reflection and Application What We Learned

  20. New Cohort Differences and similarities between Cohort 1 and Cohort 2

  21. Function From the Noyce Scholar’s perspective Lauren Metcalf

  22. The Checklist Noyce + SciMath = “all that” …and more: • Mentored experience in the classroom • Foundation in educational theory • Accelerated program • Financial support during transition • Full year in the classroom—WOW! • Respected program • Small cohort • and more…

  23. The Experience… • Targeted instruction • Availability of counsel from university & field mentors • Action research

  24. Action Research: Project Based Learning • Followed PBL model to create unit • Compared PBL unit to traditional unit • Looked for measures of student engagement & achievement

  25. Buck institute for Education www.bie.org • Community cooperation • Technology tools • Great finished product!

  26. The Research Plan Institute for Democracy in Education & Program Leaders • Evaluation through research • Creation of special tools, interaction among Mentors, Fellows, Faculty & Evaluators Fellows & Noyce Scholar • Embedded action research • Improving teaching and learning • Masters Research Project

  27. Preliminary Findings Curriculum Improvements Mentoring Fellows’ experiences Institutional procedures Positive outcomes

  28. Curriculum improvements that are needed include: • Assignments need to be connected to the field • Reading curriculum needs to be connected to grade level • Masters research project may be too much, given the demands of teaching

  29. Mentoring • Next time try front-loaded professional development mentoring • Improve balance: too much vs. too little mentoring • Mentors should improve communication • Mentors should become more aware of what the Fellows are experiencing

  30. Fellows Experiences • A demanding experience with a steep learning curve • Strongly connected with the field • At times the candidates felt vulnerable • More scaffolding and instruction for writing is needed, especially support for international students and others, as well

  31. Institutional Procedures • Support for graduate students: limited options • Barriers setting up contracts for Fellows • Funding limitations • Quirks in sessions considered/not considered as instructional sessions

  32. Positive Outcomes • Longer time to build mentoring relationships and relationships with students • Fellows have a higher level of confidence upon completion • Fellows are a greater asset to Mentors • More opportunities to do creative, less traditional learning activities • Mentor believed Fellows had positive impacts on learners • Little concern was reported about classroom management • Fellows were better able to connect theory to practice

  33. Continuing Challenges a.k.a. Some Open Problems Jeff Connor

  34. New Directions Deepen the Connection Between STEM experience and STEM teaching: filling the gaps • Career changers come from a wide variety of professional experiences and moments in their lives • There may be a disconnect between • Their previous life and being a student • Work-force norms and educational norms • Professional and academic content knowledge and the K-12 curriculum • Focus on some content knowledge issues

  35. Content knowledge: What may need to be bridged. Basic content knowledge: • Traditional Teacher Preparation Courses: Geometry, Abstract Algebra, Number Theory, Logic & Proof, and Discrete Mathematics. • Common Core State Standards: Modeling, Transformational Geometry Understanding content with a view towards teaching the content: • Different than the approach used for a STEM career. • Not the normal perspective of content oriented faculty. • Requires a fluidity of understanding that allows one to ‘go with’ the student. • Potentially difficult to relate advanced concepts to introductory courses (in mathematics).

  36. Possible Research Base • Reports from Centers and Professional Organizations: Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (2001), Dana Center, Woodrow Wilson Foundation and Noyce. • Journal Articles related to the mathematical preparation of teachers: there does not appear to be that many, especially related to STEM career changers • Rubrics from ‘best practice’ lesson plans • Philosophical considerations on the epistemology of mathematics and mathematics education. • The experience of the SciMath scholars. However - these tend to skirt the underlying issue of what the curriculum should focus on with respect to content understanding for teaching.

  37. Questions?

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