Recruiting and Preparing Exemplary Science and Mathematics Teachers through a Student Teacher Residency Model

University Of Colorado At Denver-Downtown Campus, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

This Noyce Track 1 project responds to a national need and a persistent need in the Denver area to provide excellent teachers of science and mathematics to high-need school districts. With funding support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, this University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) project will recruit thirty (30) science and mathematics majors, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM, to pursue secondary teaching licensure. Eligible students will receive up to $20,000 for one year of post-baccalaureate graduate study leading to licensure and an M.A. in Education. Among the project's recruitment strategies are paid internships for potential Noyce Scholars to participate in activities that expose and enhance interest in STEM educational activities in order to explore teaching as a possible career choice. Examples of potential internship activities include (but are not limited to): summer or academic year research experiences in a scientific laboratory or in science education, K-12 outreach activities (tutoring, after school STEM clubs, classroom helpers), tutoring in STEM bridge programs between high school and college, and serving as counselors in summer STEM camps. CU-Denver Noyce Scholars will obtain licensure through a student teacher residency program, where, four days a week, they will be immersed in a classroom setting with an exemplary teacher mentor from the partner high-need district, the Denver Public Schools (DPS). This will occur from the outset of their post-baccalaureate teacher licensure program. The course content that they would traditionally complete in the CU-Denver School of Education and Human Development will occur through a weekly seminar, occurring on the fifth day, coupled with online course offerings. The student teacher residency model represents an evidence-based shift in the approach to teacher education. Results from this program in elementary teacher preparation at CU-Denver have demonstrated that classroom immersion, when it parallels coursework, enhances the contextual aspects of that coursework leading to better integration of educational theory and classroom practice. This project posits that this integration will be particularly beneficial to STEM teacher candidates, as the pedagogical content knowledge associated with mathematics and science is so deeply rooted in context, background, and instructional strategies. In order to promote greater efficacy in the classroom at the outset of their teaching careers, mentor teachers will be carefully selected and matched with the Noyce Scholars in order to create the best opportunities for learning. Teacher candidates in this program will also receive support from the contributions of the Noyce Mentor. As a master teacher with a STEM background, the Noyce Mentor will serve as a consistent mentor to the Noyce Scholars, from the beginning of their selection as Noyce Scholars and continuing through their induction year of actual teaching. The Noyce Mentor has proven to be an extremely successful support role for pre-service and novice teachers at CU-Denver at the elementary level. This project will also provide additional post-licensure induction support in the form of workshops. Research has shown that this type of support is critical in providing new teachers with early professional development strategies they need to be successful in the classroom. Research on induction support has also shown that it improves the likelihood that new teachers will stay in the profession beyond the five-year mark. Ultimately, this project's implementation of a STEM cohort in partnership with DPS's Residency Program coupled with STEM-focused induction support offers a strong model for other teacher preparation programs and for STEM recruitment and retention efforts in high-need districts.