- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660776
- First Name Vishodana
- Last Name Thamotharan
- Discipline Other: STEM Education
- Co-PI(s)
Laird Kramer, Florida International University, Laird.Kramer@fiu.edu
Zahra Hazari, Florida International University, zhazari@fiu.edu
Maria Fernandez, Florida International University, mfernan@fiu.edu - Presenters
Vishodana Thamotharan, , Florida International University, , vthamoth@fiu.edu
Laird Kramer, Florida International University, Laird.Kramer@fiu.edu
Need
Florida International University’s (FIU’s) Noyce Scholar Project, Breaking the cycle: Preparing future STEM teachers for the highest need urban schools by embracing culturally responsive instruction, will substantially increase the number of highly qualified teachers prepared to serve in critical needs schools. The project will recruit, prepare, administer two-year scholarships and facilitate induction for 33 Scholars over the five-year project. The project embraces the diversity of FIU’s student body, over 78% of which are from historically underrepresented groups, and develops their culturally responsive instructional practices so they are prepared to break the cycle of persistent low achievement as future education leaders in the highest need schools. In parallel, the project will establish a dissemination model to enable adoption and adaptation across the nation.
Goals
The project targets developing critical teaching agency in Noyce Scholars in order to prepare them to serve in critical needs school via authentic community-based learning focused on 3 major activities: 1) Authentic Field Experiences in Critical Needs Schools, 2) Cohort Experience 3) Research and Instructional Internships. Noyce Scholars will be primarily recruited through the FIUteach program, FIU’s high-fidelity replication of the UTeach teacher preparation model that has developed into one of the nation’s largest UTeach replication sites. Upon induction, Scholars will receive dedicated support including 1) a paid on-site mentor, 2) Master Teacher coaching visits, 3) professional development and 4) Alumni meetings, all complementing the induction support of the district and school. The project’s research and evaluation activities seek to understand how to recruit and prepare future science and mathematics teachers to be effective in the highest needs schools, how to support their induction into these schools, and how the Scholar’s classroom practice progresses over the project. The project will also investigate the development of teacher identity and critical agency for teaching during both the Scholarship and induction phases of Noyce Scholars careers. Thus, the project will generate critical insight into best practices for how to prepare preservice teachers to serve in diverse, urban schools.
Approach
FIUteach Noyce Scholars will engage in three major activities to develop their skills as future highly effective STEM teachers and instructional leaders in high-needs schools: 1) Authentic Field Experiences in Critical Needs Schools, 2) Cohort Experience 3) Research and Instructional Internships. The goal of these activities is to foster their preparation, motivation and critical teaching agency for implementing culturally relevant teaching in critical needs school. These experiences will be enhanced with mentoring by the FIUteach team and teaching/research internships.
Since the goals of the project are to prepare Noyce scholars to serve in critical needs schools as agents of change and empowerment for students, we include a research component to assess how an individual puts change into action through teaching (critical teaching agency) is strongly related to how much they see themselves as a teacher/educator (teaching identity) and use this identity.
Outcomes
The outcomes of the project originates in the research and evaluation that will develop understanding of how to recruit and prepare future science and mathematics teachers for the highest needs schools, how to support their induction into these schools, and how their classroom practice progresses over the project. The project will also examine the development of teacher identity and critical agency for teaching during both the Scholarship and induction phases of Noyce Scholars careers. All of this development will take place at a highly diverse university and school district, providing critical insight into best practices for diverse, urban schools.
Broader Impacts
The Broader Impacts of the project includes the direct development of the 33 Noyce Scholars and at least 5,000 students in the highest needs school where they will teach during the project, the majority of scholars and their students will be from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The project will also impact another 87 students participating in the Noyce Recruiting Workshop and at least 25 in-service teachers serving as mentors and/or coaches. Dissemination includes the UTeach and other teacher networks (reaching thousands of teachers) as well as peer-reviewed journals. Ultimately, it aims to incorporate teacher identity and critical teaching agency development treatments into teacher preparation programs in order to overcome the national shortage of STEM teachers.
