With funding from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, a team at East Carolina University (ECU), partnering with the Office of Alternative Licensure, Partnership East (a network of Community Colleges) and the Latham Clinical School Network (a 43-member network of school districts, 41 of which are high-need), will recruit and prepare mathematics and science majors for careers in teaching secondary mathematics or science. The project will support 30 individuals earning or possessing a STEM baccalaureate degree to become new mathematics and science teachers through scholarships, mentoring, and induction support with a particular focus on successfully teaching mathematics or science in rural, low-wealth, under-resourced schools. Undergraduate recipients will receive up to two years of scholarship support; post-baccalaureate STEM recipients will receive one year of scholarship support to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching program.
The project will implement best practices grounded in current research, including co-teaching/co-planning, engaging students with cognitively challenging tasks, and culturally responsive teaching. The project will also implement an induction model that includes a virtual learning community as well as face-to-face coaching in the first two years of teaching. Research questions include: 1) What are the potential and implemented cognitive demands of tasks (both technology and nontechnology tasks) used by Noyce Scholars?; 2) What is the nature of classroom discourse facilitated by Noyce Scholars?; 3) When incorporating technology into instruction, what instructional strategies do Noyce Scholars use?; and 4) What barriers do Noyce Scholars encounter when trying to implement cognitively demanding tasks, facilitate classroom discourse, and incorporate technology into their classrooms?
