GK-12 at Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College Of Medicine, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

Baylor College of Medicine (tCM) and the Houston Independent School District (HISD), propose to partner BCM graduate student scientists and HISD biology teachers to improve teaching and learning in biology, while providing opportunities for graduate students to improve their teaching-related skills. The project will create guided, goal-oriented partnerships between BCM graduate students and 15 selected HISD teachers, provide new professional development for all 96 HISD life sciences high school teachers and produce science, mathematics, engineering and technology career awareness events for all HISD secondary students. A Biosciences Learning Center will be established at an HISD school to support project activities as an in-kind contribution. BCM graduate student scientists will have opportunities to improve their own teaching skills, their knowledge of K-12 education and their abilities to communicate science information to novice audiences. Project evaluation will investigate changes in graduate students' personal science teaching paradigms and beliefs, to development of graduate students' teaching and communications skills, to changes in science teachers' content knowledge and to changes in student science learning and achievement. Each year, proposed activities will impact more than 400 biology students annually through graduate student/teacher partnerships, and all 8,000 students enrolled in biology classes through teacher professional development.