Rhode Island Marine and Environmental Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

Project Summary The University of Rhode Island's (URI) Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), Office of Marine Programs (OMP), fifteen of the university's marine and environmental academic departments and four Rhode Island school districts are building upon a previous GK-12 partnership to introduce K-12 students to current issues in ocean and environmental sciences through locally created classroom modules and field exercises involving coastal, estuarine, and fresh water ecosystems. In addition to partnering in the classroom, Fellows and teachers are spending three weeks in a summer institute during which Fellows present current information and concepts concerning ocean and environmental sciences and lead field studies, while Teacher Partners instruct the Fellows in classroom management, student assessment, and curriculum implementation. The teams produce academic plans for integrating the Fellows and relevant science content into the school year. A URI faculty member mentors each Fellow and makes two visits each year to their Fellow's K-12 classroom. The Faculty Mentors, Fellows, and Teacher Partners convene for a mini-institute each November to build partnerships, reacquaint everyone with the goals of the project, and investigate national and state science standards relevant to their ocean and environmental modules. In addition to their classroom experiences Fellows give presentations relating to their coursework, theses research and Fellowship experiences to parents, teachers, and other members of their school district communities in district-organized events. The broader impact of the project includes its affects on the participating Fellows, teachers, and K-12 students and is reflected in the demography of the school districts involved. The Fellows are learning how to present their scientific findings and interests to a broad audience and are developing useful teaching strategies that reflect current insight into teaching and learning. The teachers are gaining increased confidence in their knowledge of environmental and ocean sciences, in conducting inquiry activities and in taking groups of students out into the field. The K-12 students are gaining a new appreciation and understanding of science because of seeing the Fellows as role models for themselves, improving their science literacy, and engaging in a study of science that investigates global issues that have definite local implications. The school districts involved range from an urban district with 88% of the students eligible for free or reduced lunch and 71% from minority populations to a suburban district with 13% eligible for free or reduced lunch and 5% from minority populations. Title: Rhode Island Marine and Environmental Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (RIME) Institution: University of Rhode Island PI/co-PIs: John Merrill; Gail Scowcroft; Sara Hickox School District Partners: Central Falls, Warwick, Cranston and Narragansett Award: $1,499,753 total for 3 years Number of Fellows/year: 11 graduate Target Audience: K-12 Setting: Urban, Suburban NSF supported Disciplines Involved: Ocean and environmental sciences