At the request of the hosting school district, teams that include a practicing teacher, a college faculty member, a graduate student and an advanced undergraduate student are developing problem centered, interdisciplinary learning environments that focus on the application of mathematics to earth science and engineering for middle school students. Through workshops and classroom experiences, this project is improving the instruction of middle school and high school students and the preparation of future teachers and faculty. The broader impacts of these activities include enriching: the teacher preparation experiences of undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in pursuing pre-college or college education as a potential career; the content, application and interdisciplinary knowledge of practicing science and mathematics teachers with respect to the application of mathematics to earth science and engineering; the learning experience of middle school students by creating problem centered, interdisciplinary learning environments that focus on the application of mathematics to earth science and engineering. Part of the support for this project comes from the Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
Title of Project: GK-12 Learning Partnerships: Creating Problem Centered, Interdisciplinary Learning Environments Institution: Colorado School of Mines PI/Co-PI: Barbara M. Moskal (PI); Barbara B. Bath, Joan P. Gosink, Cathy Skokan Colorado School of Mines; Tina Falconer, Adam's County School District School Districts Involved: Adams County District 50 Total Funding: $1,494,022 total for 3 years Number of Fellows per year: 8 graduate students and 8 undergraduate students Target audience: grades 6-8 Setting: Suburban, rural NSF supported disciplines involved: Mathematics and Computer Sciences, Engineering and Geophysics
