River Region Master Teaching Fellowships in Environmental Sustainability

Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

To help meet the need for highly qualified STEM teachers in Southern Illinois and surrounding areas, Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) will implement a Track 3 Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship project. The project focuses on environmental sustainability, with the aims of addressing local environmental problems and modernizing the STEM curricula, thereby training secondary school students for college success and living-wage jobs. To accomplish the project goals, SIUC is partnering with the Carbondale Science Center and high-need schools and school districts in the region. Participating schools or school districts include Belleville Township High School West, Cairo Jr./Sr. High School, Carruthers School, Norris City-Omaha-Enfield High School, Grayville Community Unit School District 1, Trico Community Unit School District 176, and Steeleville Community Unit School District 138. The project will select fifteen middle and high school teachers with master's degrees to serve as Master Teaching Fellows. Selection criteria include performance as educators, content knowledge, and commitment to enhancing STEM teaching practice through innovative and effective pedagogy. These Master Teaching Fellows will engage in summer research experiences and professional development throughout the five-year project. The goal of the project is to improve educational practices of STEM teacher leaders through engaging activities, targeted mentoring, and partnership with a local community Science Center. Participants will engage in a five-year program that integrates four core experiences throughout: content enhancement, research experiences, pedagogy, and leadership. Through teacher professional development, science literacy enhancement, and authentic research experiences, Master Teaching Fellows will lead their schools and districts to improve STEM education for thousands of underserved students in the rural River Region. Engagement of Master Teaching Fellows in collaborative efforts to enhance displays and events at the Science Center of Carbondale has the potential to reach learners in an informal setting and enhance science literacy in the community. Leadership development will be systematically incorporated into each year of the program through coursework, through pre-service and novice teacher mentoring, and through school reform activities. Program elements will follow a progression of topics through general sustainability concepts, toxicology/waste management, biodiversity, global environmental change, and energy. Coursework and authentic research experiences follow these topics and will culminate in a graduate Certificate in Sustainability designed specifically for teachers. will take science content courses prior to engaging in five consecutive Summer Research Institutes that immerse them for three weeks in inquiry-based and research activities mentored by SIUC researchers and science education experts. Activities will be designed to impart problem-solving, inquiry and critical thinking skills to students. During Summer Research Institutes, Master Teaching Fellows will also develop sustainability plans specific to their schools, such as reduction of pesticide loading and conservation of local energy usage. Master Teaching Fellows will develop and implement classroom activities based upon their coursework and research experiences. These activities will be NGSS-aligned, assessed through Action Research, and fine-tuned to maximize student learning. Student outcomes will be assessed through pre- and post-tests, established attitude and STEM assessment instruments, and high-quality tests developed by Illinois that are NGSS-aligned. Master Teaching Fellows will be guided via leadership workshops, coursework, and mentoring to increase professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to lead and bring about positive change in STEM education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.