- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660849
- First Name Shannon
- Last Name Guerrero
- Discipline Other: Math and Science
- Co-PI(s)
Sharon Cardenas, Northern Arizona University, sharon.cardenas@nau.edu. Terry Crites, Northern Arizona University, terry.crites@nau.edu, Patty Horn, Northern Arizona University, patty.horn@nau.edu
- Presenters
Sharon Cardenas, Northern Arizona University, sharon.cardenas@nau.edu; Allison Steinken, Northern Arizona University, ans243@nau.edu
Need
Arizona has a huge need for qualified and effective teachers. Mathematics and science teacher preparation programs at Northern Arizona University are motivated by several commitments: to provide high-quality, content-specific, research-based teacher certification programs that contain integrated field experiences; to increase the number of secondary science and mathematics teachers that we graduate each year; to increase the diversity of these teachers; and to provide support for new teachers. Arizona benefits from well prepared and professional teachers.
Goals
Goals of the NAU New Teacher Induction program are to promote long term retention in teaching and continued professional growth through regular mentoring and the development of professional learning communities and an annual NAU Noyce Summit that focuses on community building, content instruction, pedagogical knowledge and dispositions, and being successful in high-need LEAs.
Approach
NAU faculty have collaborated on the design and continual update of our teacher preparation and induction programs. We work within the entire professional development continuum of secondary teachers from teacher preparation that emphasizes early, frequent, and intensive classroom based instructional experiences to providing crucial support for new teachers via a research-based innovative hybrid induction program. Our new project incorporates deliberate leadership development and opportunities for all Noyce graduates to engage in continued professional development and community building through an annual summit and cross-experiential PLCs. A newly developed and innovative approach to successfully delivering an online/hybrid induction program that emphasize cross-experiential learning communities, explicit leadership development, and pedagogical content knowledge has the potential to inform the field of induction and continued professional development of inservice teachers.
Outcomes
A hybrid Math/Science Induction Program includes a two-year research-based program that incorporates a flexible modular approach during the first year and a learning-community based approach during the second year. A Noyce Summit will be offered every July and will be utilized to jump-start the induction courses through face-to-face learning and planning experiences for all induction participants. Evaluation will focus on recruitment and marketing strategies and how they impact levels of interest in teaching.
Broader Impacts
By supporting scholarships, induction, community building, and continued professional development of Noyce graduates, the infrastructure for education at NAU will enhance the success of our graduates. We will be able to expand our focus on recruiting, preparing, diversifying, and supporting mathematics and science teachers through collaboration with CCC. We will provide students with substantial scholarship/stipend support. Beginning teachers will benefit from participation in an induction program and building a network of collegial support through participation in an annual NAU Noyce Summit. Results will be disseminated through conference and workshops at conferences as well as research paper proposals and presentations.
