- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1439817
- First Name Steven
- Last Name Fletcher
- Discipline N/A
- Presenters
Jeffrey Mark Townsend, St. Edwards University, jtownsen@stedwards.edu
Need
The Texas STEM Teacher Circle is a professional development collective which has been driven by the ideas and needs of the participants, and the group decides on topics and issues to learn about together through collaborative decision-making consensus. The continuation of this program ensures that the newest Noyce Scholars will continue to be supported. The broader impact of this program is the development of the teacher circle model to other disciplines (History, ELAR, Arts) as a model for collaborative induction at St. Edwards University. This longitudinal study measures the impact of the impact of the Noyce scholar performance as teachers, their completion of the teaching requirement, and their retention in the teaching profession.
Goals
Participants will continue to advance their science and mathematics knowledge and instruction through collegial groups, mentoring and peer-centered support practices, and extensive follow-up in the Texas STEM Teacher Circle. Participants will also continue to build contemporary practices in teaching math and science.
Approach
Participants are Noyce Scholars and mentor teachers. Six Texas STEM Teacher Circle sessions are held per academic year (three each semester) pertaining to effective science and mathematics instruction using engineering design and technology as cornerstone themes to help build authentic project-based instruction. Topics also include appropriate instruction based on expressed needs of the group. One summer professional development institute per year are held to focus on developing teacher leadership potential. Two classroom visits per year from St. Edwards University Noyce project staff are made to local Scholars, and Scholars are given a chance to visit peers’ classrooms as well to support and learn from each other. If teaching science, participants increase their use of inquiry instruction as is consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards. If teaching mathematics, participants increase their use of problem solving and inquiry instruction as is consistent with the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. All participants increase the use of the principles of engineering design and technology as is consistent with the NGSS core concepts.
Outcomes
The Texas STEM Teacher Circle builds STEM teacher leadership potential for participants through 40 hours of professional development contact per year with a focus on STEM content, induction support, and innovative practices with engineering and technology. This summer, participants will plan and teach (or co-teach) one project-based lesson in science or mathematics that uses a topic from the Grand Challenges for Engineering (engineeringchallenges.org) as a core element of instruction.
Broader Impacts
Noyce Scholar participants are teachers who work with underserved and unerrepresented populations in central Texas. University science and mathematics educators, outstanding mentor science and mathematics teachers, and community experts provide ongoing assistance for new teachers, who tend to take on leadership roles in their schools or communities. The broader impact of this program is the development of the teacher circle model to other disciplines as a model for collaborative induction at St. Edwards University.
