GK-12 Engineering Fellowships to Enhance Science Education in South Carolina Schools

University Of South Carolina At Columbia, Columbia SC

Investigators

Abstract

K-12 schools in South Carolina are implementing new state science standards. As a result, many teachers must obtain significantly new content knowledge while developing new curricula and lesson plans. This project supports ten graduate students majoring in mechanical, chemical, electrical, computer, civil and environmental engineering to work with grades 3-9 science teachers and their students. Project planning involving school district personnel has identified a number of connections between the content knowledge of these engineering students and the new science standards for these grades. The graduate fellows will help teachers adopt, adapt and develop curriculum and instructional materials that use engineering examples, experiments and inquiry and design problems. Each fellow will become an expert in one or more area of the standards, and will work with several teachers and schools throughout their tenure. This plan effectively integrates the fellows' teaching activities with their graduate education and research experiences. In addition to the service learning activities proposed, the fellows will receive formal instruction on teaching principles, cognitive processes and learning styles through a field-based course developed by the College of Education. A series of summer workshops involving the fellows and participating teachers is also proposed.