We are in the process of recruiting elementary teachers who have an interest in improving science and engineering instruction in their classrooms. We started STEM STRONG in 2023 with approximately 160 elementary teachers located in four states. This project is a part of a DRK-12 study funded by the National Science Foundation that examines ways of sustaining professional learning outcomes. For the upcoming academic year, beginning in Summer 2024, we are recruiting up to X elementary teachers from North Dakota to join STEM STRONG. The project activities, which are described below, have been developed for teachers in grades 3-5 with a focus on supporting teachers and schools that serve rural communities.
Here are 3 Reasons to Participate in STEM STRONG:
1) All participating teachers will benefit from high-quality online professional learning to grow as science and engineering educators.
2) All participating teachers will be eligible to receive a stipend, funds for classroom materials, along with continuing education credits.
3) All participating teachers will contribute to our knowledge about professional learning outcomes for K-12 educators, and this may help us and others better understand the that specific supports influence the sustainability of professional learning over time.
If you are interested in participating, please follow this link to provide us with your contact information: https://und.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AIJFaytqu6D9MG
Details about Participating in STEM STRONG:
● All participating teachers will receive targeted support from professional learning providers (through K-12 Alliance) focused on science and engineering instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Topics will include 3- dimensional instruction and phenomenon-driven inquiry along with engineering design and design-based learning. o Two ½-day professional learning sessions are planned for Summer 2024. These sessions will be provided to participating teachers at a distance via Zoom. We expect for teachers to be synchronous for each of these 4-hour sessions. Professional learning sessions are tentatively planned for July 31 and August 7. o Throughout the academic year, we will also coordinate meetings among our STEM STRONG teachers as an online professional learning community (PLC). These sessions will occur outside of school hours, at a time convenient across our time zones, and we will use them to further our learning together.
● The professional learning providers and researchers will provide participating teachers with a variety of resources and supports that they can choose to use while developing and implementing science and engineering lessons during the 2024–25 school year. These “modest supports” do not require teachers to make significant changes to their curriculum or instructional materials.
● Teachers will receive a stipend of $1,600 for their full participation in project activities for the 2024–25 school year. o Teachers will also be eligible to get reimbursed for materials (up to $100) used to support science and engineering instruction in the classroom. o Teachers also have the option of purchasing continuing education credits through the University of Wyoming after completing the PLC sessions.
● Teachers participating in STEM STRONG will be asked to participate in some of the following research-related activities. o Complete surveys about science and engineering teaching and learning at the beginning and end of the school year. o Complete a survey about the quality and sustainability of the professional learning provided by STEM STRONG.
o Distribute electronic letters we provide to your students’ parent(s) or guardian(s) informing them about this project.
o Administer up to 2 science and engineering tasks in your classroom with students (like the SCALE task that was completed in spring 2024).
o *Complete up to 3 teacher logs per academic year to describe your science and engineering instruction and may include sharing lesson plans, assessments, presentations, worksheets, blinded student work, etc.
o *Participate in up to 2 short interviews, once after the Summer 2024 professional learning event, and another in April-May 2025.
o *Volunteer to record yourself teaching engineering or science in your classroom. Afterwards you would work with a group of teachers to review these instructional episodes and reflect on your teaching. Note: We take teachers’ preferences into consideration, and you will have choices about participating in some of the activities listed with an asterisk*.
You will not be expected to participate in all of these activities. We invite you to share this information with colleagues in your school or elsewhere who might be interested in participating in this project. Please do not hesitate to contact me, Principal Investigator Ryan Summers at ryan.summers@und.edu, if you have any questions about the project.