Noyce Project Needs, Assumptions, and Hypothesis

Needs Statement• Careful attention to teacher induction, in the first

three years of teaching assists novice teachers in successfully navigating their early career experiences (Moir et al., 2009)

• Much of the praxis of mathematics and science teachers in middle schools is not consistent with the knowledge of how young adolescents learn developed in the last several decades.

• A middle school classroom today does not look terribly different than one four decades ago, and these practices persist in spite of many efforts to change them (Duschl et al., 2007)

• Schools face the quandary of placing teacher candidates in settings where they will learn to ignore the principles of learning emphasized in coursework. (Crawford, 2007) .

• In order to meaningfully improve student learning, veteran and novice teachers must come to see continuous improvement of teaching (Stigler & Hiebert, 2009) as a crucial professional function.

Assumptions and Hypothesis• Professional learning communities, in which teacher

candidates, novice teachers, experienced teachers, administrators, and university faculty work together to interrogate students’ learning and achievement, provide the mechanism for integrating research-proven best practices into the everyday context of school life.

• The professional learning community will mediate the closing of the gap between theory and practice.

• General principles of curriculum design for young adolescents include developing real-world connections arising out of students’ concerns, integrating knowledge across disciplines, building upon the strengths that youth bring, accepting diverse cultural backgrounds as the basis for learning rather than a deficit, and posing serious, intellectually challenging tasks.

• Research supports engineering and problem-solving challenges as a way to implement these goals for STEM learning in the middle grades

Goals and Anticipated Outcomes• List sent yesterday to Joan Prival

Cheche Konnen Center of TERCASME Engineers

ICGB Digital Innovations

Mercer Un? RESA

CONSUMERS

FACILITIES

EXPERTISE

GCSU STEM and education faculty

Digital InnovationsCommunities In

Schools

Grad. assistantsClerical staff

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INPUTS ACTIVITIES – committee work

Master Teaching Fellows Scholars-in-Residence Program

Mentoring Program

Courses

PLC Seminar

Leadership and school improvement

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OUTPUTSProducts- committee work

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Formative instruments and assessment data;

summative reports

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OUTCOMESChanges- committee work

Increased PDK of host teachers

Increased poolof well-qualified STEM

teacher candidates

Effective project management

Continuous improvement of project

Increased capacity in STEM teaching at middle and college

levels in central Georgia

IMPACTshort-termlong-term

Increased STEM achievement by middle

level students

National model for rural regional communities of

STEM educators

Noyce Project LOGIC MODELGeorgia College & State University

Master Teaching FellowsSchool

administrators

Teaching Fellows

Georgia College

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Assessment of activities, projects,

and products

Science Education Center

Digital Innovation Center

Evaluators

Increased pedagogical skills of STEM faculty

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Effective recruitment plan for STEM MAT

candidates

Effective field-based teacher prep program

Oversight Committee

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Bridge-building competitions

Engineering Day

Parental involvement

Scholarship program management

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Teaching Fellows

Middle Grades Master Teacher

Fellows

PROPOSED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY

PL

CS

EM

INA

R

GCSU Education FacultyGCSU STEM Faculty

CheChe Konnen Science & Engineering

OrganizationsDigital Innovation CenterCommunities in Schools

Scholars-In -Residence

Mentoring

Master-level courses

Mentoring

Coaching and

Mentoring