Title: GK-12: EdGrid Graduate Teaching Fellows Program (Track 2) Institution: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Principal Investigator/Co-Principal Investigators: Deanna Raineri (PI)/Bertram Bruce, Eric Jakobsson, Richard Braatz, Vernon Burton (Co-PIs) Number of Fellows per Year: 8 to 10 Graduate; 6 Undergraduate School District Partners: Champaign Centennial High School; Danville High School; Hinsdale, District 86; Technology Center of DuPage; Urbana High School, Home Hi (all girls) High School, Okaw Valley High School, Jefferson, Brownstown and Cerro Gordo Elementary Target Audience: Middle and High School Setting: Rural, Urban and Suburban NSF-Supported Disciplines Involved: Animal Science, Anthropology, Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences
Narrative: The Fellows collaborate with campus faculty and participating K-12 teachers to integrate computer-based modeling, scientific visualization and informatics in K-12 science and mathematics education. Modeling and visualization tools are developed that engage students and help them to "learn how to do science, learn the nature of science and learn science content". The GK-12 EdGrid project provides professional development opportunities for K-12 science and mathematics teachers to improve K-12 science teaching and learning.
Intellectual Merit. The GK-12 EdGrid Program draws on significant higher education institutional resources (both human and technology-related) in the STEM disciplines to create a framework for sustainable K-12 education outreach. These efforts contribute to advancing knowledge and understanding of the role of: a) higher education STEM discipline faculty and students in the professional development of K-12 teachers; b) STEM discipline faculty and students in improving learning of K-12 students through the engagement of innovative technologies that foster integration of research and education; c) educational collaboratories in K-12 settings; c) graduate students in building sustainable university-school partnerships; d) graduate students in promoting K-12 student interest in higher education STEM disciplines (by acting as role models); e) university-school partnerships in improving pedagogical practices in university education through the engagement of higher education faculty and graduate students with experienced K-12 teachers.
Broader Impacts. The GK-12 project utilizes EdGrid's web portal, the Inquiry Page (www.inquiry.uiuc.edu), national conferences and various publications to disseminate the GK-12 experiences, modeling and visualization tools and curriculum materials to support teachers nation-wide. By partnering with other on-campus programs serving primarily underrepresented student groups, the GK-12 EdGrid program actively seeks and recruits graduates and advanced undergraduates from underrepresented populations. The GK-12 EdGrid program also broadens its already interdisciplinary focus by actively recruiting graduate students from the social sciences. The addition of social science disciplines allows for more coverage of the K-12 curriculum and adds yet another varied vision that contributes to the richness of the UIUC GK-12 program. The GK-12 EdGrid program leaders are working with institutional and school administrators to make GK-12 activities an integral and sustainable part of the UIUC graduate training experience.
Outcomes from Track 1. This project is receiving partial support from the Directorate for Biological Sciences.
