Preparing Highly-Qualified STEM Teachers: Supporting Student-Centered Instruction

Christopher Newport University, Newport News VA

Investigators

Abstract

This Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Track 1 project at Christopher Newport University (CNU) aims to help address the national need for effective STEM teachers. The overall goal of the project is to recruit and train twenty-four STEM majors to be highly-qualified teachers who persist in their profession and who are prepared for the challenges of teaching in high-need schools. In addition to coursework, the preparation program will include early field experiences and internships at local STEM academies. A yearlong mentoring experience will be paired with a weekly seminar to provide guidance and support to teachers in their first year. The project team aims to address teacher retention by creating a triangular support network between the Noyce Scholars, their mentor teachers, and their university mentors. This project builds on an existing partnership between CNU and Newport News Public Schools to prepare twenty-four new teachers who are licensed in STEM disciplines. Students who are recruited as undergraduates will complete a 4 + 1 master's program to gain licensure. Well-qualified post-baccalaureates in STEM fields will complete a one-year Master in Education degree. The project team intends to train the future teachers to use research on student thinking and learning and reflections on their experiences to develop and refine effective student-centered lessons. The project team anticipates that this training will encourage the Scholars to continually improve their instructional practices after they enter the teaching profession. The project intends to generate new knowledge by investigating how the unique aspects of the preparation program (e.g., the mentoring activities and the focus on developing an understanding of student thinking and learning) affect the preparedness of the Scholars. The findings from the project will be disseminated via journal publications and presentations at professional organizations. 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.