PI/CoPI:
Julian F. Tyson (PI), Chemistry; Kathleen S. Davis (co-PI), Teacher
Education and Curriculum Studies; Morton M. Sternheim (co-PI). Physics and
STEM
Institute.
Number
of Fellows per year:
Ten graduate students (GK-12 Fellows).
Target
audience of the project (K-12 grade band):
Middle school students in Springfield, MA
NSF supported disciplines involved:
all STEM disciplines with emphasis on contributions from chemistry,
physics, astronomy, geosciences, and biology.
Brief
description:
Middle school teachers in a master’s degree program will work in
teams
(six in all--consisting of a UMass faculty participant, one or two GK-12
fellows, and up to three teachers) on the implementation of research
projects
with their school students.
STEM Connections will start with summer workshops for the Fellows and
teachers. Teams will then work together for
two semesters in a course focused on teacher learning of
project-based
instruction while concomitantly developing similar projects with middle
school
students.
Objectives
and benefits: The project will provide science teachers in the middle
schools in the Springfield school district with opportunities to acquire
science
content knowledge and training in inquiry- and project-based teaching,
including
the opportunity to conduct research as a part of a team with GK-12 Fellows,
and
UMass faculty.
The Fellows and faculty will gain an understanding of the needs and
culture of the schools, laying the foundations for future
collaborations.
The project will provide fellows with increased experience in
effective
pedagogical approaches, and will also provide a diverse population of middle
school students with role models and mentors.
Activity
Themes:
Six UMass faculty participants will work with the GK-12 Fellows on the
research
themes during the summer, participate in the initial workshop, and work with
teams during the remainder of the summer and the academic year.
The research topics include the hydrologic cycle, water chemistry,
atmospheric ozone, arsenic from pressure-treated decks, factors affecting
plant
growth (including microgravity), pollen and seed cell growth, and the
ecology
and behavior of birds. The teachers involved are working towards a Master’s
Degree in Science Education, for which STEM Connections will offer a
year-long,
six-credit course (taught by PI Davis) on Inquiry- and project-Based
Learning.
The GK-12 Fellows will be prepared for their role in helping
implement
inquiry-based projects in the middle schools by visiting schools, working
with
faculty, taking a methods course for pre-service teachers, and planning and
participating in the summer workshops.
Fellows will join the middle school teachers for the Inquiry-Based
Learning course, and also meet as a group at UMass.
Both Fellows and teachers will take part in local professional
society
activities, and prepare manuscripts for submission to relevant
journals.
The year-long experience will culminate in a middle school science
conference in Springfield.
Innovative
aspects are (a) the alignment of the program with the Master’s program,
to
give a
tighter
focus to the professional development aspects for the teachers in line with
their expressed needs for real research experiences where inquiry is
embedded in
content learning, (b) the integration of the preparation of the Fellows with
that of pre-service science teachers, and the provision of training in
diversity
issues by Springfield professional development staff, and (c) the oversight
of
the activities in the schools by graduate research assistants from the
School of
Education working with the course instructor (co-PI Davis).