College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
Terrapin Teachers
In partnership with the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Terrapin Teachers recruits undergraduates majoring in math and/or science to consider careers as STEM teachers. The students take four classes in pedagogy along with a project-based field placement in a local high school. Graduates receive teaching certification in grades 7-12. This program was developed in response to the national shortage of science and math teachers who are truly grounded in their disciplines, and who can effectively communicate not only the subject material, but also the excitement of discovery. One key feature of the program is early field experience in TLPL 101 and TLPL 102. Students will create and implement inquiry-based lessons in local public elementary and middle schools.
For more info, please contact: Anisha Campbell: amcamp10@umd.edu
Website: http://terrapinteachers.umd.edu/
College Of Engineering
MyDesign
Design is notoriously difficult to practice in traditional classrooms, school day schedules, and across disciplines. Increasingly, authentic opportunities are being made available for teachers to gain the competencies to prepare students to learn and practice Design across both formal and informal settings and prepare them for the 21st workforce. At the same time, the traditional classroom-based training of teachers is being transformed by online and active learning technologies.An UMCP based partnership has been formed between the College of Education and the School of Engineering to address this emerging and growing need for to prepare teachers and instructors to introduce Design to their students. A UMCP organized team has developed a scalable model utilizing web-based tools to create a mobile application (app), MyDesign. Recently awards from the National Science Foundation will allow the UMCP led team to: 1) introduce MyDesign as a toolbox to learn and practice design; 2) comparatively track cohorts of teachers to study changes in their confidence to teach Design; 3) document the effectiveness of MyDesign to support the instruction across disciplinary content; and 4) determine how to form vibrant, web-based professional learning communities to the instruction of Design.
For more info, please contact: Leigh Abts: labts@umd.edu
School of Social Work
Maryland Longitdinal Data System
In partnership with the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland Baltimore, faculty from the College of Education run the Research Arm of the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center. The MLDS Center, a separate unit of state government, consists of partnerships with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The statewide data system is designed to sho w how all Maryland public school students are performing once they enter college and the workforce. The goal of MLDS is to provide Maryland policymakers, educators, parents, and researchers with timely and useful data on students, schools, districts, institutions, as well as education and workforce programs. Maryland believes that with the MLDS, key stakeholders will be empowered to make data-driven decisions that will lead to more effective use of resources and ultimately to higher achievement by all Maryland students.
For more info, please contact: Laura Stapleton: lstaplet@umd.edu
Website: https://mldscenter.maryland.gov/
University-Wide Collaboration
Maryland Language Science Center
College of Education faculty members are involved in the newly created, University-wide Maryland Language Science Center, which represents a major commitment by the University of Maryland to language science as strategic priority. The Center is a collaborative effort involving more than 200 language scientists, drawn from 16 departments and centers in 6 colleges across the university. The Center’s efforts will focus on interdisciplinary research and training, with the goal of unraveling the mysteries of how human brains make language possible, and solving real-world language problems in education, technology, and health.
For more info, please contact:Jeff MacSwan: macswan@umd.edu
Website: http://ling.umd.edu/tags/language-science-center/
Brain and Behavior Initiative
The mission of the Brain and Behavior Initiative (BBI) at the University of Maryland (UMD) is to revolutionize our understanding of the brains role in complex behaviors using novel interdisciplinary methods, tools, and analyses. A number of College of Education faculty members participate in the BBI, using neuroimaging and brain-based methods to investigate the neural basis of the cognitive, emotional, and social processes involved in the developing mind. Current projects include research on temperament, reading, mathematical, scientific, moral, and social thinking, as well as the development of the underlying neural processes involved in learning, attention, reasoning and language that are vital to 21st century education. COE researchers are also investigating the effects of traumatic brain injury on children's social, social-cognitive, and emotional functioning.
For more info, please contact:Kevin N. Dunbar : kndunbar@umd.edu
Website: http://bbi.umd.edu/