Best Practices in Educator Preparation

One of the themes emphasized in the College of Education (COE) Conceptual Framework is excellence in teaching. As defined in the Conceptual Framework, excellence in teaching embodies the use of best practices which embody a variety of educational ideas and activities that lead to improved student learning. The phrase “best practice” is used frequently in fields such as medicine or law to describe reputable work based on current research and employing the latest knowledge, technology, and procedures in the field (Zemelman, Daniels, & Hyde, 1998). However, best practice in education has been somewhat difficult to define

Lessons Learned in an Internship Program to Recruit Pre-service Teachers

The Columbus Region Academy of Future Teachers of STEM (CRAFT-STEM) utilizes an internship program for university freshmen and sophomores and a STEM camp for pre-college students to encourage the interns to consider careers in teaching. Interns assist with camp activities and other projects, supported by funding from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (award #1136356). As part of an ongoing research project, we examine four years’ worth of data to identify strengths and weaknesses of the experience, and propose adaptations based on these findings

The Influence of the CSU Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program on Undergraduates\u27 Teaching Plans

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program offers academic and financial support for students pursuing secondary teaching certificates in STEM fields. In return, students commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts. The Noyce Program has had uneven results in increasing the number of teachers in high needs schools. Large scale studies of its impact indicate the program is not likely to influence decisions to teach but may persuade participants to initially teach in high needs schools. To better understand the influence of the Noyce Program, we offer case studies of two Noyce scholarship recipients at different stages: (1) a former scholarship recipient who has graduated and is currently teaching, and (2) a second-year recipient who is currently pursuing a teaching certificate. This qualitative analysis provides insights that may have implications for optimizing scholarship programs for recruiting and retaining highly qualified STEM teachers

γδ T cell responses: How many ligands will it take till we know?

γδ T cells constitute a sizeable and non-redundant fraction of the total T cell pool in all jawed vertebrates, but in contrast to conventional αβ T cells they are not restricted by classical MHC molecules. Progress in our understanding of the role of γδ T cells in the immune system has been hampered, and is being hampered, by the considerable lack of knowledge regarding the antigens γδ T cells respond to. The past few years have seen a wealth of data regarding the TCR repertoires of distinct γδ T cell populations and a growing list of confirmed and proposed molecules that are recognised by γδ T cells in different species. Yet, the physiological contexts underlying the often restricted TCR usage and the chemical diversity of γδ T cell ligands remain largely unclear, and only few structural studies have confirmed direct ligand recognition by the TCR. We here review the latest progress in the identification and validation of putative γδ T cell ligands and discuss the implications of such findings for γδ T cell responses in health and disease

The Influence of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program on Undergraduates\u27 Teaching Plans

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program offers academic and financial support for students pursuing secondary teaching certificates in STEM fields. In return, students commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts. In this completed research study, we examined factors that influence Noyce Scholars in their decisions about STEM as a major and teaching as a possible career. Through a thematic analysis of nine scholarship applications and a questionnaire, two participants at different stages in the program were selected to participate in a case study: (1) a former scholarship recipient who had graduated and was teaching, and (2) a second-year recipient enrolled in a teacher preparation program. Data were collected from these two participants through scholarship applications, questionnaires and a 45-minute interview. Findings indicated that informal or formal teaching experiences and socialization influences were highly motivating factors in participants’ decision to major in a STEM field and to pursue teaching as a career. The Noyce Scholarship was not a major factor in their decision to teach. These findings may have implications for optimizing scholarship programs to strengthen recruitment and retention in STEM teaching careers

Promoting Equity in Mathematics Classrooms

If male and female students are to have equal opportunities for success within and outside of school, teachers must create classrooms that value the mathematical ideas and contributions of all students. Middle school classrooms and teacher education courses have employed several activities to address gender issues and promote a more gender-equitable classroom environment. These include becoming aware of interactions between teachers and students, the draw a mathematician activity, and strategies that invite all students to take part in the mathematics classroom. Although these activities focus on gender issues, they can also be employed to help promote equity among all students

Examining the Influence of Internships on Teacher Recruitment

The Columbus Region Academy of Future Teachers of STEM (CRAFT-STEM) is a Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program awarded by the National Science Foundation to Columbus State University (grant 1136356). The program incorporates summer internships to recruit academically strong students into secondary STEM teaching programs and increase participation by underrepresented groups. We look at results from student surveys and course enrollments to examine the influence of the internship program on decisions about going into teaching

The Influence of the CSU Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program on Undergraduates' Teaching Plans

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program offers academic and financial support for students pursuing secondary teaching certificates in STEM fields. In return, students commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts. The Noyce Program has had uneven results in increasing the number of teachers in high needs schools. Large scale studies of its impact indicate the program is not likely to influence decisions to teach but may persuade participants to initially teach in high needs schools. To better understand the influence of the Noyce Program, we offer case studies of two Noyce scholarship recipients at different stages: (1) a former scholarship recipient who has graduated and is currently teaching, and (2) a second-year recipient who is currently pursuing a teaching certificate. This qualitative analysis provides insights that may have implications for optimizing scholarship programs for recruiting and retaining highly qualified STEM teachers

Investigating the Influence of the CSU Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program on College Students\u27 Teaching Plans

The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (CRAFT-STEM) at Columbus State University offers academic and financial support for students pursuing secondary teaching certificates in STEM fields. In return, students commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts in Georgia. Here we provide preliminary results regarding influences on students’ reasoning as they select teaching as a career, STEM as a content focus, and high-needs schools as future employment. With the support of a literature review, we plan to offer a preliminary qualitative analysis of case studies representing three Noyce scholarship recipients with a range of experiences: (1) a former scholarship recipient who has graduated and is currently teaching, (2) a second-year recipient who is currently pursuing their certificate, and (3) a recipient who subsequently decided not to pursue a secondary teaching certificate. Our goal is to offer insight to University STEM Professors on strengthening recruitment and retention in their areas of interest