- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660644
- First Name Nazan
- Last Name Bautista
- Discipline Other: STEM, STEM
- Co-PI(s)
Tammy Schwartz, Miami University, schwarta@miamioh.edu
Jeffrey Wanko, Miami University, wankojj@miamioh.edu
Ellen Yezierski, Miami University, yeziere@miamioh.edu
Jennifer Blue, bluejm@miamioh.edu - Presenters
Nazan Bautista, Miami University, nubautista@miamioh.edu
Tammy Schwartz, Miami University, schwarta@miamioh.edu
Jeffrey Wanko, Miami University, wankojj@miamioh.edu
Ellen Yezierski, Miami University, yeziere@miamioh.edu
Jennifer Blue, bluejm@miamioh.edu
Goals
MU-Noyce Program is designed to increase the number of highly-qualified high school mathematics and science teachers who are well-prepared for the realities of the high-needs schools and communities they serve through engaging in culturally relevant pedagogy.
The specific objectives of the MU-Noyce project are to:
1.Prepare 34 additional highly-qualified mathematics and science teachers over a five-year period, a full 38% increase over our current capacity.
2.Provide paid summer internship opportunities for up to 50 undergraduate STEM majors (freshman and sophomore) to engage them in STEM teaching experiences.
3.Sustain, strengthen, and increase the partnership with high-needs school districts in the Southwest Ohio.
4.Improve and strengthen the existing collaboration among STEM and STEM teacher education faculty and increase the involvement of both groups in the UTC program.
5.Further the research on the effect of residence-based and culturally responsive approach to teacher education on preservice preparation, beginning teacher induction, and teacher retention.
The project offers two scholarship and stipend pathways and internship options for talented STEM undergraduates and STEM professionals to pursue secondary teacher certification (Grades 7-12) in either science or mathematics at Miami. Pathway 1 is for undergraduate STEM majors who commit to becoming a Noyce scholar during their freshman or sophomore year and pursue a double major in a STEM content discipline and in integrated mathematics or a science education program. Pathway 2 provide stipends for one year to outstanding STEM professionals and recent STEM graduates who wish to pursue their master?s degree in secondary science or mathematics education. MU-Noyce Project will also provide a robust mentoring and professional development project for MU-Noyce scholars that supports their transition into full-time teaching and assists them during the difficult early-induction period, where research cites the highest rate of teacher attrition occurs.
Approach
Culturally responsive teaching as operationalized by Gay provides the foundation for the MU-Noyce Scholars Program. Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students, such as those in most high-needs urban school districts, as conduits for teaching them more effectively. According to Gay, culturally responsive teaching connects students’ cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles to academic knowledge and intellectual tools in ways that legitimize what students already know. By embracing the sociocultural realities and histories of students through what is taught and how, culturally responsive teachers negotiate classrooms cultures with their students that reflect the communities where students develop and grow.
Outcomes
The project has just been awarded by the NSF in May 2017. At this time, we do not have any outcomes to report.
Broader Impacts
The MU-Noyce program will have a positive impact on the diversity on Miami’s campus, retention of STEM teachers, and the teaching and learning of STEM in high-needs schools. Special emphasis will be on the recruitment of minorities as Noyce scholars in high-needs schools and economically disadvantaged communities because they are more likely to return to their communities to champion reform efforts that could lead to the empowerment of minority students, who will then be motivated to pursue STEM degrees. Furthermore, the retention of STEM teachers in these schools will consequently increase. Strengthening partnerships with high-needs schools and communities will ensure a future pipeline of qualified STEM teachers to serve in area high-needs schools. Finally, the MU-Noyce Program will contribute to Miami’s mission to increase diversity on its campus while also increasing the number of racially and culturally diverse teacher candidates in the STEM education programs.
