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.