GSE/DIS: Tech Team/TeacherLine Partnership

Etv Endowment Of South Carolina, Inc., Spartanburg SC

Investigators

Abstract

ETV Endowment of South Carolina is training 150 new middle school teachers in Title I school districts in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia in a program that promotes learning of inquiry-based, gender-equitable learning practices, particularly in relation to math, science and technology. The teacher training components of a multi-year, NSF-funded demonstration program called Tech Team are the basis for the program (see www.knowitall.org/techteam). Intellectual Merit The core goals of the Tech Team/TeacherLine Partnership professional development models are: (1) to establish and nurture a commitment to professionalism among new teachers; (2) build a substantial foundation of inquiry-based, gender equitable learning practices, particularly in relation to STEM- related teaching and learning; (3) encourage full integration of inquiry-based learning objectives into the regular classroom and the after-school program network; and (4) create an ongoing learning community amongst new teachers that supports and challenges their practice and provides a forum for sharing innovative ideas and best practices. The program will use TeacherLine, which is a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series of on-line professional development courses staffed by scholars in state-of-the-art teaching practices wherein teachers can earn re-certification and gradate credit. The Administrators will host several symposia and on-site training opportunities to develop appropriate versions of Tech Team programs in their area. Each year of the two-year program will culminate with a summer camp to address issues of program implementation and provide a forum where participating teachers can showcase projects. Symposia will be conducted using a combination of face-to-face meetings and web conferences through the project's Web portal. The program will offer twenty-one mini-grants of $2200 each to establish a Tech Team after-school program to those teachers successfully completing the first year of the program. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation will determine the effectiveness of the training and professional development, with an emphasis on the integration of inquiry-based learning objectives into the regular classroom and the after-school program network. Broader Impact Establishing a professional community in the first five years of teaching is critical to helping new teachers build effective teaching strategies. Professional development is a key avenue through which new teachers create important links between theory and practice and discover inspired ways of bringing these skills into the classroom. The project is providing new teachers with the technical, theoretical, practical and professional support and resources necessary to understand and incorporate the practice of project-based, gender equitable teaching. This model broadens the potential for both after-school Tech Team programs and in-class integration of inquiry-based learning of technology, math and science, with the ultimate goal of retaining more skilled teachers by means of this experience and increasing the number of girls interested in science and technology.