Preparing Today's Scientists to be Tomorrow's Teachers proposes to build capacity by developing a large-scale sustainable partnership with seven high-need school districts, three STEM focused high school programs, the Mobius Science Center, non-profit programs for youth, and local STEM industries. The outcomes expected through this partnership are: (1) development of new curricula for both a STEM track in the awardee institution's existing Master in Teaching and Evening Teacher Certification programs and also new courses (called Step-Up) at the undergraduate level to ease the way into graduate level work, (2) development and implementation of informal science opportunities during the academic year and summer to encourage freshmen and sophomores to consider teaching, and (3) design of the infrastructure needed for recruitment, selection, data base tracking and induction activities necessary to support an application for a Track 1, Phase 1 Noyce project.
Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit of the development of a STEM track in the graduate teacher preparation program lies in a research-based curriculum that spans multiple effective pedagogies from both formal to informal. Developing skill in multiple pedagogies provides teachers with the ability to teach well in differing environments.
Broader Impacts : The broader impact of multiple pedagogical experiences, being designed by this capacity building project, will be highly qualified teachers capable of teaching in a variety of educational environments and inspiring a new generation of students to pursue STEM.
