This proposal outlines a plan to involve Rutgers University-Newark graduate students and advancedundergraduates with the Newark Public Schools, Newark Museum, and Kids Corporation as NSF TeachingFellows. 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 curriculumintegrated, 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:
o to enhance the teaching skills of the university participants
o to motivate and excite students about science, mathematics, and technology
o to expose students to new ideas, resources, and potential careers and to demonstrate the relevance of their learning experiences to real life situations
o to contribute to student knowledge and understanding of science and mathematics
o to provide teachers an opportunity to collaborate with graduate students and advanced undergraduates indesigning learning experiences for their students and incorporate new ideas, activities, and resources into their curricula
o to provide teachers opportunities to learn, and become comfortable applying, hands-on, inquiry-based approaches to teaching.
