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Science education integrates the study of and practices from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). At the fundamental level, the pedagogy involves teaching and learning that emphasizes the use of scientific inquiry and the engineering design process to develop students’ problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. Unfortunately, funding and professional development for teachers, which is essential to assure successful implementation of science lessons to increase the potential for student achievement, is lacking. Therefore, this NSF-funded science-education research project explored the development of a model that deepens the existing partnerships among grass-roots, non-profit community education organizations, K-12 public schools, and local university partners. Together, they worked collaboratively to develop systems where teachers could implement high-quality, place-based, NGSS-aligned science learning opportunities that actively engage students. This research project may lead to a future proposal for high-quality professional development for teachers, using the Teacher-to-Teacher professional development model, with the goal of impacting student achievement in science. The goals of this research project were to (1) develop a collaborative model that deepens community, public school, and university partnerships designed to support science educators and their students and (2) explore the current academic and social impact of the Teacher-to-Teacher professional development program as a possible solution for the development and implementation of high-quality, place-based, NGSS-aligned learning experiences for and with students. This presentation will focus on the components used to develop the partnership model with community partners, K-12 teachers and administrators, and university professors. Finally, the Teacher-to-Teacher (T2T) model and its new iteration, the Teacher-Plus-Community Partners T+CP Model will be shared for future development of place-based science learning experiences.
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Work in Progress: Involving Teachers in International Community Engaged Learning Projects to Enhance Their Understanding of Engineering and Intercultural Awareness
The University of Dayton and Central State University are engaged in a new collaborative NSF Research Experience for Teachers project that has an emphasis on international engineering research focused on human-centered design and appropriate technology for developing countries. This three year project will engage 36 G6-12 in-service and pre-service teachers in a variety of engineering research opportunities through the University of Dayton’s Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities for Service-Learning (ETHOS) Center which focuses on engineering and community engaged learning. This paper will summarize the project, present observations from the spring participant sessions, and discuss the unique opportunities and challenges associated with involving teachers in international community engaged learning.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1855239
- PAR ID:
- 10175914
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 2020 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35664
