In recognition of the necessity to support teachers as professionals, the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program appreciates the need and opportunity to bring Noyce Teacher Scholars, and the university faculty that support them, together for the purpose of continued networking. Therefore, the Noyce program supports this structured opportunity for networking, growing in depth of content knowledge and pedagogical acumen, and challenging each other to work boldly to improve the teaching and learning of STEM disciplines in high-need school districts. The Northeast Regional Conferences III project, funded by the Noyce program, will support three years of Noyce regional conferences to serve and bring together all Noyce projects in the northeast area. Each year, individuals (project administrators and Noyce scholars) from 75 projects will receive financial support through this grant to participate in the conferences which will be held in a different city each year (Brooklyn, NY, Cambridge, MA, and Albany, NY). The project will work to provide opportunities for participants to learn about practices which will enable them to create equitable learning spaces for their students and communities. Among the entities that will provide workshops at the conferences are the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, located at Stony Brook University; the latter will develop teacher specific curriculum and deploy staff to conduct the workshops on effective communication of technical content. The overarching intent of the conferences is to advance content knowledge and pedagogical practices of STEM teachers through professional networking, presentations, and workshops. The conferences will enable participants to learn about, discuss and practice the latest methods for teaching STEM content and provide direct training in topics including how to improve communication skills, leadership, and how to better use informal STEM learning centers.
The goals of this conference project are informed by the evaluation of past Northeast Regional Conferences which have occurred since 2012. All three conferences will focus on the theme of Successful Teaching in High-Need Schools. The project goals include to: (i) continue to build a community of Noyce project leaders, teachers and scholars who collaborate to improve teaching and learning in high-need schools; provide exceptional professional development opportunities for Noyce Scholars and Noyce awardee personnel; (ii) advance the knowledge base of teaching STEM in high-need schools; (iii) explore challenges and successes of long term Noyce projects to help create a blueprint of success for future programs; and (iv) explore the use of informal STEM learning as a resource to assist in engagement and recruitment of future STEM educators. Online mini-conferences will be held with representatives from regional Noyce projects and their school districts to collaboratively plan and organize the conference each year. Each Noyce project in the northeast region will be supported in bringing a team of four participants, consisting of one faculty/project team member and three Noyce Teacher Scholars. Other conference participants will include in-service teachers, Noyce program alumni, local school district leaders, and conference and keynote speakers. Noyce Scholars and other stakeholders in teaching and learning of mathematics and science who live near the conference each year will be accommodated to attend at least one day of the regional conference. The evaluation will examine both the implementation and impact of the conferences on the participants while at the conference as well as measure impacts on the participants after they leave the conferences. The work of those engaged in this professional networking enterprise has the potential for broader impact as it advances teaching and learning in high-need school districts and promotes the continuous progress of Noyce Teacher Scholars as they persist in the teaching profession.
