Making STEM Matter: Transforming Learning through Teacher Leadership, Justice-Centered Pedagogy, and Makerspace Technology

Morgan State University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This Noyce Track 3 project aims to serve the national need of developing highly effective teacher leaders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) who can create sustainable improvements in middle grades and secondary STEM education. Additionally, this project will support 15 Master Teacher Fellows (MTFs) who are experienced and exemplary STEM teachers in grades 4-10 in a large urban school district by establishing a 5-year professional learning community. The proposed project components will enable high-achieving practicing teachers to transform their instruction and become the STEM teacher leaders of tomorrow by: (1) integrating place-based and student-centered STEM pedagogies and (2) leveraging makerspaces to introduce new opportunities for community-oriented STEM learning. This project at Towson University and Morgan State University includes partnerships with Prince George’s County Public School System and Open Works, a nonprofit makerspace in Baltimore. Project goals include increasing capacity for STEM teaching in Maryland by empowering a cohort of experienced STEM teachers to become expert makers, student-centered classroom practitioners, and teacher leaders. The project structure will provide a scaffolded pathway that allows MTFs to enhance their knowledge of place-based and student-centered STEM pedagogy, along with emerging technologies commonly found in makerspaces, as they evolve as both teachers and teacher leaders. Through a series of planned leadership opportunities, they will then share their knowledge by designing, implementing, and reflecting on multiple iterations of professional learning experiences, offered to prospective and practicing teachers both within their district and across the state of Maryland. This project will be iteratively evaluated. Evaluation of the project will be guided by the following evaluation questions: (a) How effective have each of the project’s major activities been in terms of their contributions to the achievement of the project’s purpose and goals?; (b) To what extent did the project build a network to sustain and cultivate teacher leadership?; and (c) To what extent did the project support MTFs as they take on leadership roles in their schools and districts? What are the obstacles/barriers MTFs met along the way? This Track 3: Master Teaching Fellowships project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. 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.