COLLEGE PARK, MD (September, 2011) Faculty members from the University of Maryland across the Colleges of Education; Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences; and the i–School are coming together in an effort to improve the preparation of elementary teachers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). This collaborative initiative aims both to increase the number of elementary teachers specializing in STEM, as well as enhance their capacity to create an education of equitable excellence, particularly for those students who have been historically disenfranchised.
Photo: (left to right): Daniel Levin, Sabrina Kramer (CTE), Wesley Lawson, Ayush Gupta, Daniel Chazan, Karen McLaren, David Cavallo, Patricia Shields, Amy Green.
Nine faculty members across the University of Maryland have been selected to participate in a faculty learning community funded by the Maryland State Department of Education with Race to the Top funds. The group is also supported by a partnership with the Center of Teaching Excellence at UM.
The selected faculty will redesign science, mathematics, and technology content courses to meet the needs of certified elementary teachers to have the specialization in STEM, as well as to create a new concentration in STEM for pre–service teachers. The program will integrate technology and design principles to create a coherent set of courses that will bridge the content knowledge and pedagogical expertise to create an atmosphere of excellence and equity in the local schools.
In order to bridge the world of the University with that of elementary schools the project’s advisory group includes researchers from UM, district leadership, and exceptional STEM teachers from both Prince Georges County Public Schools and Montgomery County Public Schools.
The STEM Education Fellows are:
- Patricia Shields, Cell and Molecular Genetics
- Karen McLaren, Mathematics
- Christopher Jarzynski, Chemistry and Biochemistry
- David Hawthorne, Entomology
- Diane Ketelhut, Teaching, Learning, Policy and Leadership
- David Cavallo, i–School
- Lisa Boté, Teaching, Learning, Policy and Leadership
- Wesley Lawson, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Ayush Gupta, Physics
The principal investigators on this grant are Daniel Chazan, Daniel Levin, and Beatriz Quintos. Amy Green will serve as program coordinator.
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For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu
or contact
Halima Cherif, Assistant Director for Communications, at: hcherif@umd.edu
