- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1340110
- First Name John
- Last Name Keller
- Discipline Science
- Co-PI(s)
Ed Himelblau, Cal Poly State University SLO, ehimelbl@calpoly.edu
; Jane Lehr, Cal Poly State University SLO, jlehr@calpoly.edu - Presenters
John Keller, Cal Poly SLO, jmkeller@calpoly.edu; Felicia Krieter, Cal Poly SLO, krieterfelicia@gmail.com
Need
The Cal Poly Science Noyce Phase II Project mutually benefits Noyce alumni and new Noyce Scholars from Cal Poly as well as Noyce Scholars from across the country who have participated in STAR, the STEM Teacher and Researcher Program. The project fulfills the need to maintain strong connections with alumni in order enhance and sustain high quality STEM teaching aligned with standards, teacher leadership, and retention in teaching in high need districts.
Goals
The goals for this project are to build and sustain strong relationships across cohorts of Noyce Scholars, both from the Cal Poly Noyce Program and from the STAR Program. Through an annual Noyce-STAR Summer Retreat, we bring together over 20 Noyce alumni from Cal Poly and/or STAR to engage in action research and peer lesson study efforts during each upcoming academic year. We also provide funding for Noyce alumni for other professional development opportunities. The project also brings on new cohorts of pre-service teachers each year as Noyce Associates who are mentored by Noyce Scholars and Noyce Alumni to create a connections between pre-pre-service, pre-service, and in-service teachers. Finally, through the STAR Program, the project provides research opportunities to Noyce Scholars to participate in paid summer research experiences at national research laboratories (NASA, NOAA, NSF, DOE, DOD, USGS) as a component of STEM teacher preparation.
Approach
As a revision to our Noyce recruitment strategy, we bring on cohorts of Noyce Associates to join in monthly Noyce seminars before committing the next year to receive Noyce Scholarships and teach in high need districts. Both Noyce Associates and Noyce Scholars co-plan these seminars with the support of the project PIs. Noyce Associates also observe and participate in the science classrooms of Noyce Alumni who are teaching in the local area to build a mentorship relationship. We also bring together Noyce Alumni, Scholars, and Associates through quarterly videoconferences to share with and support each other. Through our summer retreat provides a focused week-long opportunity for Noyce Alumni to develop action research plans for use in their classrooms during the next academic year. These efforts help Fellows who have participated in the STAR Program to further develop identity and efficacy as teacher-researchers.
Outcomes
Through our research efforts, we are tracking persistence of our Noyce and STAR alumni in the teaching profession along with classroom practices and evidence of teacher-leadership. We are also further refining our Noyce mentorship program outlined above and identifying effective ways to connect our pre-pre-service teachers and pre-service teachers with high quality in-service teachers. We are also demonstrating the impact of including authentic research into STEM teacher preparation, both through summer research opportunities as well as emphasis on student research and project based learning during credential training.
Broader Impacts
The broader impacts of this project include increased recruitment and retention of Cal Poly science graduates teaching in high need school districts. Through our Phase I and Phase II projects, we have involved over forty Noyce Scholars at Cal Poly. Through the STAR Program, we have provided over 550 summer research opportunities for roughly 425 aspiring STEM teachers. Each of these individuals influences over a hundred students for each year that they remain in the teaching profession. Through our efforts, we are also also positively impacting the prestige and professionalization of STEM teaching.
