SciTeach Program Elements
The SciTeach Program is a community involving a range of stakeholders committed to enhancing science teacher learning across the secondary and post-secondary science teaching community (see Figure to the left).
A brief description of roles to be played by the stakeholders include:
A brief description of roles to be played by the stakeholders include:
- Secondary Science Professional Development (PD) Community Involvement:
- Clinical and internship settings developed for SciTeach pre-service teachers.
- Department of Curriculum and Instruction SCTL Science Teacher Preparation Committee (STPC).
- UA Office of Research on Teaching in the Disciplines and Science Teacher Development Groups - e.g. Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) and current and pending grant development [Physical Science for the 21st Century (ACHE-PS-21), National Study of Education in Undergraduate Science (NSF-NSEUS), Science in Action (SIA), Alabama Physics Teacher Exchange (NSF-UA-APEX), and Physics Teacher Education Coalition (AAPT-NSF-PhysTec).
2. Early Experiences (Sustaining) Intervention:The program involves the collaboration of UA’s College of Education Secondary Science Program, College of Arts and Sciences, and College of Engineering in recruiting science interested freshman and first year Alternative Certification Master’s degree students through early Science Learning Communities. Science faculty and science teacher education faculty provide potential science majors with experience in science research facilities, current research and career trends in sciences, and involvement in secondary science classrooms (e.g. AMSTI/ASIM, VISTA and STPC) while at the same time, promoting the need for science pedagogies to benefit all secondary post secondary learners. See Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 under the Sample Undergraduate Study Plan page which illustrates the SciTech program course model for pre-service undergraduate and graduate students. The SciTeach program is designed to prevent an “leaky pathway (pipeline)” through interventions which sustains preservice teachers toward completing graduation in their science major and Alabama science teaching certification.
3. Secondary Science Education Program:
The Secondary Science Teacher education faculty worked with Arts & Science and Engineering faculty on the design of undergraduate science content courses, which involves:
3. Secondary Science Education Program:
The Secondary Science Teacher education faculty worked with Arts & Science and Engineering faculty on the design of undergraduate science content courses, which involves:
- Early Science Learning Communities [freshman, sophomore, and early graduate students (GLC)]
- UA Science and engineering course reform