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Presenters
Ralph Martin, Director of Special ProjectsJeff Connor, Chair, Mathematics Dept.Pam Beam, SciMath Program LeaderLauren Metcalf, Noyce Scholar & SciMath
FellowAl Cote’, Center Coordinator
• bridges to Noyce• for STEM career
changers• for school professionals
and learners• for higher education
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)
PurposeTransform 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
Rural SE Ohio
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
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
OutcomesDo No Harm:
Add value, enrich pupil learning, support the school’s & Mentor’s missions
For Fellows - top level new teacher preparationContinued professional teacher development
for allPRAXIS II PLT successWide scale University program revisionStrong professionals added to the pipeline
with a history of successes
How does the pilot compare?10 Peer Programs14 month averageFull TimeOn-campus, face 2 facePRAXIS II at end60 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
Angonique, Pam, Chandana, DECA teacher, Jen & Lauren
What drove the program
and how was it designed?
Guiding Principles and Standards
Inquiry habits of mind and actionsResearch base and actionsOhio Standards for the Teaching
ProfessionAcademic content standards of the
disciplinePRAXIS II content and PLT
examinations
Summer
Fellow & Mentor
Preparation
Fall
School &Campus
Winter
School & Campus
Spring
SchoolProfessional
Internship
Summer
Complete Mastersdegree
Requirements for Teaching License
MentorsProvide 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
FellowsSchool beginning to the endAdd value from STEM careerLearn via structured skills and
behaviors based on standards for the teaching profession
Growth toward autonomyExtensive professional internship
From the Faculty
PerspectiveDr. Pam Beam
Cohort Make-upCareer Changers
Prior Career Skills that Supported Fellow Success
Family Dynamics of the Fellows
What We Learned
Mentor TeachersMentor Preparation
Placement Match-ups and “Sharing”
What We Learned
Teacher Education Program Course ChangesSpiraled Courses With Shared
Assignments
Reading Courses Assignments Aligned With Grade Level and Subject Content
Focus on Reflection and Application
What We Learned
New CohortDifferences and similarities between
Cohort 1 and Cohort 2
From the Noyce Scholar’s perspective
Lauren Metcalf
The ChecklistNoyce + 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 cohortand more…
The Experience… Targeted
instruction Availability of
counsel from university & field mentors
Action research
Action Research: Project Based LearningFollowed PBL model to create unitCompared PBL unit to traditional unitLooked for measures of student
engagement & achievement
• Community cooperation
• Technology tools• Great finished
product!
Buck institute for Educationwww.bie.org
The Research PlanInstitute for Democracy in Education & Program Leaders
Evaluation through researchCreation of special tools, interaction
among Mentors, Fellows, Faculty & Evaluators
Fellows & Noyce ScholarEmbedded action researchImproving teaching and learningMasters Research Project
Preliminary FindingsCurriculum ImprovementsMentoringFellows’ experiencesInstitutional proceduresPositive outcomes
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
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
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
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
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
Continuing Challengesa.k.a. Some Open Problems
Jeff Connor
New DirectionsDeepen 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
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).
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.