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  • NSF Public Access
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  • Bringing Research into the Classroom: Bacteriophage Discovery Connecting University Scientists, Students, and Faculty to Rural K-12 Teachers, Students, and Administrators
Title: Bringing Research into the Classroom: Bacteriophage Discovery Connecting University Scientists, Students, and Faculty to Rural K-12 Teachers, Students, and Administrators
Bringing Research into the Classroom (BRIC) engaged rural K-12 science teachers in sustained, mentored science research. BRIC’s goal was to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide high-quality biomedical research opportunities for K-12 students and teachers. Programmatic elements included authentic, place-based, microbiology outreach in K-12 classrooms, summer teacher research academies focused on content knowledge and research, and a capstone symposium. Over 9,000 Montana students collected and tested environmental samples to isolate new-toscience bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). University scientists, faculty, and students mentored K-12 teachers and students during classroom outreach visits and teacher research academies. BRIC aimed to increase teacher and student bacteriophage content knowledge and research skills through meaningful, mentored research projects. BRIC researchers hypothesized greater program impacts from intensive teacher professional development combined with classroom outreach, compared to classroom outreach visits alone. Program evaluation compared two cohorts of teachers, which each received all programmatic elements through a four-year, staggered rollout. Teachers and students were assessed for gains in knowledge, skills, and science attitudes. A subset of our evaluation instruments and outcomes, program dissemination, lessons learned, and recommendations for replicating the BRIC model are discussed.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2216488
PAR ID:
10521557
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Journal of STEM Outreach
Date Published:
Journal Name:
The Journal of STEM Outreach
Volume:
7
Issue:
2
ISSN:
2576-6767
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Bacteriophage discovery, K-12 STEM Outreach, Teacher Professional Development, Biomedical Research Teacher Mentoring Student Mentoring Near-Peer Mentoring
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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