- Year 2018
- NSF Noyce Award # 1136414
- First Name Karen
- Last Name Renzaglia
- Discipline Other: many disciplines
- Co-PI(s)
Harvey Henson, SIUC, Henson@siu.edu
Lingguo Bu, SIUC, lgbu@siu.edu
Sedonia Sipes, SIUC, ssipes@plant.siu.edu
Tim Bellamy, retired - Presenters
Karen Renzaglia, SIUC, Renzaglia@siu.edu
Laxmi Sagwan, SIUC, laxmi@siu.edu
Selena Sasser, SIUC, sksasser@siu.edu
Renee Lopez, SIUC, rlopezswalls@gmail.com
Jessica Krim, SIUE, jkrim@siue.edu
Need
This project is important because it fulfills the goals of the Midwest Noyce Connections grant; it fulfills a need for teachers to conduct science education research in their classrooms, specifically in high needs settings. It creates connections between two universities that prepare teachers through the Noyce Programs. This activity directly relates to goals of the Noyce Scholarship Program; to provide quality STEM educators to work in high-needs areas, identified by the National Science Foundation. This project benefits pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as their current and future students.
Goals
Through a subaward from the Midwest Regional Noyce Conference grant, we implemented a partnership between Noyce Programs at two different campuses in the Southern Illinois University (SIU) system. Four in-service teachers from the SIU Carbondale Master Teaching Fellowship (MTFs) Program were partnered with four pre-service scholars from the SIU Edwardsville Noyce Scholarship Program. Early in the partnership, teacher pairs participated in the Science in the South conference, an annual meeting for regional STEM teachers, where they attended sessions on evidence-based pedagogy and a day-long workshop on tardigrades. Over the following months, MTFs trained scholars on the collection, identification, and data analysis of tardigrade populations in Southern Illinois, and teacher pairs developed and implemented an inquiry-based lesson on tardigrades that reflected the three dimensions of the NGSS.
Approach
This grant utilized constructivist teaching and learning methods to instill an inquiry-based model of instruction for teachers, preservice teachers, and students. Teachers guided preservice teachers and students in the processes of science through hands-on collection and analysis of tardigrade populations in students’ local areas.
Outcomes
Changes in science attitudes and tardigrade knowledge of students were assessed before and after classroom activities with positive outcomes. All eight participants evaluated the quality of their professional relationship as successful/ valuable based on follow-up questionnaires and interviews. The partnership succeeded in increasing pre-service scholar efficacy and positive dispositions towards research-based pedagogy, while building leadership skills among MTFs.
Broader Impacts
Broader impacts of the Midwest Noyce Connections include innovative STEM content development and opportunities to share lessons learned and use these lessons to impact teachers and students in high-needs areas. Additionally, continuing opportunities were provided for STEM educators to develop high-quality evidence-based communities of practice in areas of high need. Scholars and MTF pairs presented their collaborative work at the Illinois State Academy of Science Conference and conducted a workshop on the use of tardigrades in the classroom.
