- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1136359
- First Name Janet
- Last Name White
- Discipline Math
- Co-PI(s)
Tyrone Washington, Millersville University, twashington@millersville.edu
- Presenters
Janet White, Millersville University, jwhite@millersville.edu
Tyrone Washington, Millersville University, twashington@millersville.edu
Need
The Millersville University Noyce Scholars Program seeks to increase the number of highly-qualified mathematics teachers teaching in high-need school districts. The challenge for mathematics teacher education programs is to develop strategies to prepare the preservice teacher with the theory, skills, and aptitude to teach all students (Gardner, 2005). The program provides Millersville’s mathematics education majors with a greater opportunity to develop those necessary skills.
Goals
Now working with its 5th cohort of preservice teachers, the MU Noyce Scholars program has a great deal of success with two high-impact experiences. As consistently reported by our scholars, the Philadelphia Two-Week Urban Seminar, provides a strong foundation that sets the stage for their year-long field placements in the much smaller urban setting of Lancaster. The second high-impact activity engages the scholars in their own research and/or professional development project that results in their own conference presentation at the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Approach
In Philadelphia, scholars are immersed into a city school environment with active teaching, and they experience many cultural and community aspects of urban life. They also participate in a community service project. Particularly important to this activity is the impact it has on confronting many of the stereotypes that the scholars have. For the scholars’ presentation project, they are given the task of identifying (through readings and research) a particular mathematics education topic that they want to explore further to share at a professional conference. The scholars are given full ownership of the projects’ direction.
Outcomes
The impact of these two experiences on our scholars has been profound. The urban immersion experience breaks down many of the scholars pre-conceived notions of what teaching in an urban setting entails. The foundation that is established during these two weeks prepares them in ways that could not be accomplished otherwise. The presentation project allows the scholars to see themselves as contributors to the professional development of their peers and future colleagues and to see themselves as professionals.
Broader Impacts
Both of these activities have great potential for helping to better prepare all potential educators, not just those in the Noyce program. We hope to take these to the next stage and actively recruit our teacher candidates for these experiences, even without being Noyce scholars.
