The Kean Noyce Scholars Program

Kean University, Union NJ

Investigators

Abstract

The Kean Noyce Scholars Program is providing scholarships and stipends to 52 science and mathematics majors to encourage them to become teachers. The scholarships/stipends are provided during the summer before the senior year, the senior year and the summer teacher certification program following the senior year. Students are recruited as Noyce Scholars in their junior year from the pool of science and mathematics majors and from a new interdisciplinary mathematics, science, and technology major program. Recruitment efforts are also targeting community colleges with articulation agreements with Kean. A Noyce Scholars seminar is being developed to include pedagogy, lesson development and integrating technology into the teaching of science and mathematics. While enrolled in the preservice program, students are introduced to leader teachers, visit classrooms and sample teaching techniques. Two mentors, one from pedagogy and one from a science or mathematics content area, and a leader teacher are assigned to each Scholar in their senior year and continue to mentor the Scholar throughout the first year of teaching. The Program involves students as a single cohort in their senior year and engages them in a yearlong academic seminar that is team-taught, interdisciplinary, and revolves around research experiences for students. Through this forum, the Scholars also interact with regional scientists and science teachers and are exposed to the latest trends and issues in the teaching of science and mathematics. Noyce Scholars are placed in high need schools within eight partnering school districts, which provide support for the teachers through leader teacher mentors and professional development workshops. In addition to increasing the production of science and mathematics teachers, the project seeks to: (1) improve the quality of mathematics and science education; (2) increase the number of students from partnering schools and at Kean who may see teaching as a viable career choice for mathematics and science majors; (3) increase the number of underrepresented minorities teaching mathematics and the sciences in the partnering school districts; and (4) provide minority students with role models with which they can identify.