Pellissippi State Technical Community College (PSTCC) is creating Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Resource (MASTER) Hubs at the main campus and a branch campus in an Empowerment Zone. These MASTER Hubs are innovative learning environments surrounding preservice and inservice teachers with fun and interesting mathematics, science, and technology materials and experiences. The purpose of the Hubs is to recruit, train, and support prospective teachers in a teacher preparation project that is a collaboration among PSTCC, K-12 students and teachers, four-year universities and local mathematics and science resources.
A number of articulation pathways are available to PSTCC preservice teachers; however, the focus of the current project is a program in which Tennessee Technological University (TTU) provides its four-year education licensure program on the PSTCC campus. This program includes new reformed science and mathematics courses developed and implemented by PSTCC faculty, as well as upper level education courses offered by TTU faculty at the MASTER Hub sites. The curriculum also includes an early exposure to the teaching profession through a field experience course integrated with instructional technology. Recruitment of new teachers is being addressed through open houses at the MASTER Hubs, as well as recruiting visits to local area high schools. The participation of underrepresented groups is being actively enlisted through the MASTER Hub on a branch campus of PSTCC located in an Empowerment Zone of Knoxville, TN.
Mentoring teams composed of PSTCC and TTU students, as well as K-12 teachers and K-12 pre-education students provide collegial support among preservice and inservice teachers. These teams also collaborate on curriculum development and applications that contain hands-on, discovery-based pedagogy infused with technology applications. It is expected that newly graduated teachers will continue to participate in mentoring teams, resulting in continued support during their induction into the teaching profession and increased rates of retention.
