Debra Tomanek - US grants

9453185 Tomanek This is a one year planning grant project to provide funds associated with a year-long process for the North Dakota Teacher Enhancement Project. The Planning Grant will be used to improve and refine the proposed project in the following areas: 1. Involvement with the schools and school personnel 2. Curriculum identification for the summer program (both content and pedagogy. The planning grant will provide financial support of the following activities: 1. Travel--to collaborate with key individuals from across the state. 2. Project Refinement and Development--the PI will devote a significant amount of time in the summer for project development. 3. Project Advising--The PI will seek advice from other NSF project directors concerning the project. The project requested $45,696.

9618711 Tomanek The North Dakota Science Teacher Enhancement Program (ND-STEP) involves 20 teachers per year in a 14-month program of research and inservice activities, at one of North Dakota's research universities. During each of 4-years 10-pairs of middle and high- school science teachers from North Dakota and Minnesota will participate in ND-STEP. Each pair will work with one scientist. The 6-week summer research experience is complemented by completion of a graduate course on inquiry teaching and attendance at four full-day sessions during the academic year where the focus is on implementation of action plans and teaching by inquiry. Teachers may earn seven graduate credit hours for the summer activities and 2-Continuing Education credits for the academic year sessions. In years 2-4 a small group of "master" teachers will be selected as ND-STEP Adjunct Faculty. Their preparation includes working with NSF supported curriculum materials such as SEPUP, ChemCom, A Private Universe, etc. They will conduct science seminars for their peers about the research they've done and lead inservice sessions on the NRC Science Standards and inquiry teaching. An ND- STEP Steering Committee will meet twice a year to guide the project.

The NDSU Collaborative for Mathematics and Science Teacher Preparation (NDSU-CoMSTeP) is a three-year, single-institution, CETP Track I project designed to increase the number of middle and senior high school science and mathematics teachers prepared in North Dakota. The undergraduate students at North Dakota State University (NDSU) and Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) are the target recruitment populations. The project goals are to: (1) at least double the number of science and mathematics teachers prepared by the two institutions, (2) significantly increase the number of Native American science and mathematics teachers, and (3) develop a model for increasing the number and cultural diversity of secondary science and mathematics teachers prepared in rural regions. The project involves three interventions: (1) proactive recruitment of students from first and second year university /college science and mathematics courses and high school seniors into teaching career tracks, (2) undergraduate student involvement in science/mathematics teaching interest groups designed to support and enrich the students' desires to enter teaching, and (3) the reform of teaching in undergraduate science and mathematics courses in order to improve the quality of learning for all, but particularly for those students in the science and mathematics teacher preparation programs.

Interdisciplinary (99)
This project is a collaborative effort among faculty members in several departments in the College of Science and in the College of Education of the University of Arizona. These faculty are designing a formative assessment process for a set of newly designed courses for pre-service teachers. Because there is a paucity of comprehensive models that can be used to assess the effectiveness of actual teacher preparation programs, the main goal is to develop such a comprehensive formative assessment model, by adapting and implementing diverse assessment instruments to evaluate five key aspects of the program's student learning outcomes: (1) conceptual understanding, (2) subject-matter "structure," (3) teaching and learning beliefs, (4) decision-making skills, and (5) "professional performance" during the student teaching period in secondary schools. These different assessment tools and practices are drawn from current research in science education and from recent work undertaken in NSF-supported projects known as Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation. Through these activities the project team is (1) assembling a set of tested and reliable assessment instruments that will be made available to science and science education teachers; (2) implementing an ongoing evaluation process that will provide information about the effectiveness of the educational practices in the science education and subject-matter courses at the college level; and (3) reporting the evaluation results in a way to foster among faculty an analysis of and reflection on the nature and quality of the subject-matter courses for all the students. "Conceptual Understanding" of prospective teachers is being measured by developing an instrument that will draw upon research analyzed in Wandersee, Mintzes, and Novak, "Research in Alternative Conceptions in Science", in D. L. Gabel (Ed.), Handbook of research in science teaching and learning (pp. 177-210), New York: Macmillan and the NSTA (1994), and Pfundt and Duit, "Bibliography: Students' Alternative Frameworks and Science Education," Institute for Science Education at the University of Kiel, Germany (March, 2000). A very well-known example of such an instrument is the Force Concept Inventory designed by Halloun and Hestenes in the field of physics in the 1980s. The acquired "Subject Matter Structure" of students is a measure of the coherence of their understanding of science disciplines -- the ability to see the big picture and the place of a body of specialized knowledge in that larger framework. Research indicates that secondary science teachers with high scores on "Subject Matter Structure" have greater skill in selecting topics for inclusion in the secondary science curriculum. Their starting point is the work of G.R. Gess-Newsome and N.G. Lederman, "Preservice Biology Teachers' Knowledge Structures as a Function of Professional Teacher Education: A Year-Long Assessment, Science Education, Vol. 77, No. 1 (1993), pages 25-45. The work of Simmons et al., "Beginning Teachers: Beliefs and Classroom Actions," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Vol. 36, No. 8. (1999), pp. 930-954, is being adapted to measure "teaching and learning beliefs." Some prospective teachers still believe that boys are better suited for science than girls, that some students are bound to fail, that learning is passive, that teaching is imparting knowledge to students, and that theory is largely not relevant to teaching. If these beliefs go unchallenged and future teachers are not taught to critically examine their own ideas, ineffective models of teaching are perpetuated. The work of Koballa and Tippins is being used as a starting point to creating instruments for measuring "decision making skills." See T.R. Koballa and D.J. Tippins, "Cases in Middle and Secondary Science Education," (Merrill Publishers, Upper saddle River, NJ, 2000). "Professional Performance" is being measured by adapting James Gallagher's Secondary Teacher Analysis Matrix (Michigan State University, Department of Teacher Education, 1995) and the Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in Preparation of Teachers' "Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol."

The creation of the College of the Science Teacher Preparation Program (CoS TPP) in 2000 and the Secondary Education Program in Mathematics (SEPM) in 2003 have resulted in increased numbers of science and mathematics majors entering secondary level teacher preparation. The University of Arizona's (U of A) Robert Noyce Scholars Program: (1) Recruits and prepares up to 56 STEM undergraduate majors from Pima Community College (PCC) and the U of A for science or mathematics teaching careers at high-need middle or high schools, and (2) supports the professional development of Noyce Scholars in their early years of teaching. The recruitment pool is second year STEM students at PCC and second year STEM undergraduates at the U of A. Up to 14 scholars receive scholarships for third or fourth year support based upon the selection factors of academic merit, financial need, cultural diversity, and motivation to teach in high-need schools. The third and fourth years of the scholars' preparation occur in either the CoS TPP or the SEPM. The U of A and PCC collaborate with the Sunnyside School District and the Tucson Unified School District to develop and oversee the Noyce Scholars Program. These Districts have 76% and 48% student population in the free and reduced lunch programs, respectively.

(Biological Sciences 61)

The web based modules created within this project are designed to help undergraduate students in introductory classes understand the mathematical basis for upper level biology courses and the increasingly quantitative work required by current careers in biology. The materials being created can be implemented in a large Introductory Biology classroom. The key objectives are: (1) development and refinement of quantitative learning modules (QBLMs) for instructional use in introductory courses for biology majors; (2) evaluation of the student learning effects of engagement with the QBLMs; (3) identification of the modules' characteristics that support learning; and (4) creation of a faculty/staff study group that systematically studies the student learning outcomes associated with QBLM use and plans implementation strategies accordingly. Initially these modules are being implemented into selected sections of the Introductory Biology course at the University of Arizona. Upon completion of this project the materials being developed will be ready for implementation by other faculty in additional sections of the course. Ultimately, partnerships will be formed with other institutions with the goal of disseminating the materials more broadly.

Intellectual merit: This project is developing and implementing new teaching materials that integrate quantitative concepts early in biology education and change the way students think about biology. The proposal builds on prior work in the development of student learning in two ways: it provides a variety of learning tools designed to engage students to become active participants in their own learning; and it employs a cyclic model for knowledge production and improvement of practice in undergraduate STEM education. In addition, the proposal serves to engage scholars from different disciplines (biology, mathematics and science education) in a dialogue that focuses on the common goal of enhancement of student learning and incorporates perspectives from these disciplines and serves to build a community of scholars.

Broader impacts: Dissemination is occurring through the following channels: on the website (http://dels.nas.edu/summerinst/index.shtml) of the National Academies Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Education in Biology; and publication of one or more articles describing the new version of our entry-level biology course in undergraduate education biology journals (eg Cell Biology Education); and presentations in conferences on undergraduate education. Since durable changes in the way mathematics is taught to life sciences students involves the collaboration of mathematics and biology instructors, the material is also being shared with mathematics educators through articles in mathematics education journals. In addition, the data collected during the various stages of implementation of the project is being analyzed by the biology education co-PI, with the assistance of a graduate student. They are investigating student learning styles and assessing the efficacy of the modules, resulting in publications in journals on education research as well as presentations in conferences.

Interdisciplinary (99)
The overarching goal of this project is to provide undergraduate students with interdisciplinary skills that will help them remain abreast of and understand the content and organization of rapidly growing scientific knowledge. This goal is being addressed by developing a laboratory course for sophomores majoring in any of the natural science disciplines. The course consists of four student-centered, inquiry-based modules - each of which cuts across multiple disciplines, namely, (1) protein folding, (2) biological motion, (3) physical phenomena at multiple scales, and (4) entropy. The impact of this approach on student learning is being assessed and will be published in science education journals. An online laboratory manual is being prepared.

Intellectual Merit: The effectiveness of future STEM professionals depends in part on their skill in integrating knowledge across disciplines, often in teams. This project is designing activities that provide students with broad experiences in solving complex problems in interdisciplinary settings. The laboratory course is designed as a complement to the typical series of discipline-based courses offered by traditional departments in the natural sciences and mathematics. It is also a core requirement for a new major in Integrated Science.

Broader Impacts: This course is building on integrated science courses at Princeton University and Harvey Mudd College. It is closely modeled on the Harvey Mudd design. Future collaborative work is planned to design and assess integrated science laboratory courses for students from different backgrounds and levels of scientific preparation at other colleges and universities.

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).

This Phase II Noyce Scholarship project is providing twelve $10,000 scholarships annually to junior and senior STEM majors seeking a career in secondary science or mathematics teaching, leading to 40 new teachers.

High needs partner school districts are Sunnyside Unified School District (in Tucson) and the Tucson Unified School District. Teachers from these school districts serve on the project's Faculty Advisory Group. Among the duties of the advisory group are holding small group interviews with scholarship applicants and selection of scholarship awardees.

Summer internships are available to freshmen and sophomore STEM majors expressing an interest in a teaching career. Examples of the camps are "The Science Detectives" and "Tucson Sweetness: Honey from the Tucson Desert." The former is a forensics science experience involving the Arizona Research Labs, the Tucson Police Department Crime Lab, Pima County Superior Court and the Human Origins Genotyping Laboratory. The latter is working with the Native American Summer Institute, a joint endeavor by two tribal units, the Bee Center and the university. Participants learn principles of economics, biology of bees, dynamics of the hive and mechanisms of colony migration. They work at an apiary at the San Xavier Farm Coop and bottle honey for sale under the name, "Tucson Sweetness: Honey from the Tucson Desert." The project supports the Noyce Scholars' professional development with regard to their awareness and acknowledgement of the factors that challenge high need students' opportunities to receive a quality education. Research associated with the project is contributing to the knowledge base on STEM teachers' perspectives on teaching and learning in high need schools.

Three institutions- California State University-Fresno, California State University, Long Beach, and the University of Arizona- are planning and implementing three annual conferences for faculty and students from Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program sites located in the western region of the United States. The conferences are focusing on three primary goals: 1) to provide professional development to meet the specific needs of the Noyce Scholars/Teachers who will be or are working in "high need" schools and districts; 2) to provide a forum in which Noyce program leaders can congregate in order to share ideas, challenges, and successes as they relate to their respective programs; and 3) to strengthen local, state-wide, and Western Region networks through person-to-person meetings and online media such as MERLOT, MERLOT Voices, and the Noyce Commons. Noyce Scholars/Teachers attend a variety of sessions at these annual conferences that expose them to information and professional development on learning and teaching. They are able to collaborate and share experiences, expertise, and skills with their peers and colleagues through person-to-person and online networking. Results and information from the conference are disseminated at the Noyce national conferences, journals, MERLOT Noyce Voices, Noyce Commons, the MERLOT Science Education Community portal, and other websites. The Western Regional Noyce Conference series provides a powerful opportunity for Noyce Scholars/Teachers to interact, sharing their experiences, concerns, frustrations, and hopes as they begin a profession in teaching science or mathematics. The conferences help them to reinvigorate their commitment to excellence as current or future science or mathematics teachers and to serve as the role models they should be as members of the Noyce Community.

This project is advancing undergraduate STEM education through the improvement of ways in which science majors, who anticipate becoming science teachers at the secondary level (middle school and high school), are prepared to engage in formative assessment reasoning that is grounded in evidence of student learning and understanding.

Traditional secondary level school assessment methods stress grading with too little emphasis on the role of assessment in fostering student learning. This encourages rote and superficial learning with teaching practices tending to emphasize completion of work over the quality of student understanding. This project seeks to revolutionize teachers' assessment practices as crucial to advancing educational reform. The work especially focuses on formative assessment, the type of assessment that holds the most direct promise for enhancing student learning in classrooms.

The prospective teachers in this project are undergraduate science majors preparing to become middle school and high school science teachers through a teacher preparation program in the College of Science at the University of Arizona. The project is being accomplished in four phases: (1) development of assessment probes to diagnose prospective science teachers' formative assessment reasoning skills at different points in the science teacher preparation program, (2) creation of two "maps," one that characterizes the progression of prospective teachers' reasoning throughout the program and a second map of expert teacher standards for formative assessment reasoning, (3) development and implementation of instructional activities designed to improve the alignment between prospective teachers' reasoning progression and the expert teacher reasoning map, and (4) analysis of the learning outcomes associated with the implemented instructional activities followed by revision of the activities.

The products created in this project - assessment probes and instructional activities - will be sustainable and directly incorporated in the daily instructional practices in the teacher preparation program at the University of Arizona. All of the products and research findings of this project will be fully available for other science teacher educators for use in teacher preparation programs across the nation.

This project will significantly improve opportunities for learning experienced by all students in large enrollment introductory STEM courses. Too often, undergraduate introductory STEM courses are offered in 100+ seat lecture halls where student engagement in the hard work of learning new information, as opposed to simply listening to an expert talk about it, is the exception rather than the rule. Many undergraduates entering STEM majors need help in learning how to learn, especially in large enrollment classes with challenging STEM content. This project will change this situation. Using large classrooms recently redesigned for small group collaborations, this project will use evidence from research on learning, teaching, and assessment to create and refine a model for training teams of STEM instructors and their instructional assistants as learning leaders. All students in the collaborative learning environments, with guidance and support from the instructional team, will have opportunities to learn STEM in collaborative, task-oriented classes. Simultaneously, students will learn how to learn STEM in an environment which likely resembles the work environment of their future professional careers.

This project will generate a professional development model that improves instructional team members' abilities to practice evidence-based instruction in large enrollment undergraduate STEM collaborative learning environments (CLEs). The quality of instruction and assessment practiced by these teams is an important aspect of successful student learning in large enrollment CLEs. Each team will be comprised of four roles: (1) a lead instructor, a faculty member who will be the primary instructor, curriculum planner, and developer of learning tasks; (2) a learning assistant trainer, a faculty member who will train learning assistants on evidence-based practices for engaged student learning; (3) assessment coaches, experienced learning assistants who will serve as lead assessors of student engagement by monitoring and supporting learning coaches' formative assessment practices and feedback providers to lead instructors and learning assistant trainers; (4) learning coaches, learning assistants who will directly engage with students and provide formative assessment. The project will build upon research on learning task quality, formative assessment practices, and student-assisted teaching, which suggests that productive student learning in large enrollment CLEs: (1) requires engagement with appropriately challenging, high quality learning tasks, (2) is fostered with evidence-based formative assessment practices, and (3) involves efficient functioning of instructional teams prepared to support student learning with evidence-based practices. Built upon these premises, the project's professional development activities will build instructional team members' abilities to succeed in their roles. Research goals are to: (1) track changes in task quality, formative assessment practices, and instructional team performance over several semesters within six to nine large enrollment CLEs, and (2) document and describe the challenges associated with achieving the desired evidence-based practices of task development, formative assessment, and instructional team performance using, and annually revising, the professional development model.