- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1136356
- First Name Tim
- Last Name Howard
- Discipline Other: Multiple STEM disciplines
- Co-PI(s)
Deborah Gober, Columbus State University, gober_deborah@columbusstate.edu
Kimberly Shaw, Columbus State University, shaw_kimberly@columbusstate.edu
Cindy Ticknor, Columbus State University, ticknor_cindy@columbusstate.edu - Presenters
Tim Howard, Columbus State University, thoward@columbusstate.edu
Need
This project utilizes a STEM Camp staffed by Noyce interns to recruit pre-service teachers. A focus group discussion conducted in 2016 suggests recent adjustments positively influenced considerations of teaching as a career.
Goals
This project aims to quadruple the number of STEM teachers graduating from our baccalaureate program by building a recruiting pipeline that incorporates a summer STEM camp for K-12 students, internships for university freshmen and sophomores, scholarships for juniors in seniors pursuing secondary teaching certification with a STEM major, and Connections Seminar for scholarship recipients.
Approach
Our strategy is inspired by the UTeach model involving early field experiences, hands-on learning opportunities, and close mentorship of potential pre-service recruits. The STEM Camp serves as a vehicle for recruiting university freshmen and sophomores (Noyce interns) to become secondary teachers, motivate grades 6-12 students to pursue STEM majors and careers, and inform high school students about STEM related careers. We assign mentors to work closely with our Noyce Interns and Noyce scholars, to help each develop a sense of self efficacy as a teacher and consider the value of teaching in a high need school. A monthly Teaching Connections Seminar builds a sense of community among the scholars, addresses the rewards and challenges of teaching in high need schools, and introduces various pedagogical topics of interest.
Outcomes
Thus far, 14 out of 45 interns have taken at least one course in our teacher preparation program of study. Lessons learned through four years of project operation led to significant design changes in 2016, and additional changes for 2017. We will report on the experiences and feedback by 2016 interns. A qualitative investigation of the influences of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at Columbus State University on college students’ teaching plans suggests that it is not effective as a means of recruiting teachers, but it does positively influence considerations of teaching in high need schools.
Broader Impacts
The STEM Camp has benefited 95 high school students and 32 middle school students, including numerous students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields, and many of whom attended high need schools. Lessons learned in our project may help others develop more effective strategies for recruiting future STEM teachers.
