Search: Rutgers Web World Wide Web Jump to: Program Abstract Program Objectives Program Highlights Related Sites: Center for Mathematics, Science and Computer Education Math and Science Learning Center Program Contacts: Dr. Kathleen Scott Ms. Susan Coletta		Program Abstract
			This Track II GK12 program builds upon the experiences and achievements of our initial program to establish and support learning communities among the university and local school districts. It partners teachers and administrators from local school districts with Rutgers University Fellows (graduate students and advanced undergraduate students) and faculty in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.  School teams, each comprised of a Rutgers University STEM graduate student and two or three middle school teachers, will work together to enhance their school curriculum and develop new hands-on science and mathematics activities. Each team will share activities with a partner team. Training will be provided in a two-week Summer Institute that will include team-building activities, development of team goals, training in pedagogy for the Fellows, exposure to new material in science and mathematics for the teachers, and preparation of a standards-based hands-on activity. Throughout the academic year, the teams will work together to enhance existing curricula and develop innovative hands-on activities. Fellows will collaborate on developing and presenting activities with their partner teams. Professional development of teachers will be enabled during the Summer Institute, each semester at Rutgers, and by the fellows in the schools. The Rutgers Science Bus Program, where fellows will showcase their most innovative activities, will be integrated with this project, will enhance the dissemination of the results of this GK12 program, and institutionalize the involvement of graduate students in New Jersey schools. Each of these activities will be evaluated throughout the project by analysis of team portfolios, focus groups and surveys. The primary intellectual merits of this project include: enhanced instruction of middle school students in STEM disciplines through student-centered classroom experiences, refined methods of training teachers and fellows to work collaboratively, and development of a graduate level teaching course based on GK12 activities.  This project will have broad impact on all participants.  The graduate and undergraduate fellows will enhance their teaching and communication skills, learn to work as members of a team, and be better prepared for future careers where they can build on their GK12 experiences. Teachers will become knowledgeable about current trends in these disciplines as they increase their interest in and knowledge about STEM. Middle school students, including urban students from disadvantaged backgrounds, experience the excitement and relevance of science and mathematics, becoming familiar with career opportunities in these fields. The modeling of innovative hands-on inquiry methods will become a part of each school’s mathematics and science program.  The results of this project will be disseminated across the state by graduate student involvement in the Science Bus Program.
			This program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Program "Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education."