Graduate Teaching Fellows in the Classroom: Connecting University Research and Resources to the K-12 Community
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Graduate Teaching Fellows in the Classroom: Connecting University Research and Resources to the K-12 Community DONNA HAMMER, Assistant Director, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and Director, GK-12 Program; and DEEPA SRIKANTAIAH, Fellow, GK-12 Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
ABSTRACT University-based education outreach efforts in the areas of science and engineering are continuing to grow and be refined as their success stories rapidly increase. As we have learned, effective outreach to K-12 schools and the broader community requires an understanding of the K-12 educational system, making a long-term commitment to support and enhance the existing curriculum, training researchers, and meeting our own goals of integrating the Figure 1. High school student excitement of new science and technology into the visiting materials science classroom. laboratory during summer camp. The University of Maryland (UMD) Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) Graduate Teaching Fellows Program (GK-12) is making strides to accomplish these objectives. This paper will be a descriptive overview of the of the UMD GK-12 Program. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of developing viable partnerships, integrating research-based concepts into the curriculum (emphasizing materials science related topics), and training research Fellows to develop the necessary skills to take advantage of their research background and to refine their teaching and communication skills within the scope of informal science and engineering education.
INTRODUCTION Initiated through the infrastructure of the MRSEC education outreach component, the UMD GK-12 has become an established program. The GK-12 program strives to meet the challenges that face science and engineering educators and students by enhancing and extending sustainable practices and curriculum development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education with an emphasis on materials science related topics. The focus on materials science stems from the growing need to introduce pre-college students to materials and to allow them to participate in materials learning activities. Typically, materials science is not part of the K-12 curriculum and teachers are not trained to teach materials topics. Moreover, like science, there are few, if any, state assessments that effectively measure materials science and engineering knowledge at the K-12 level. Thus, in addition to meeting curriculum needs, the GK-12 program is decreasing the gap between materials science and public school learning. This paper will explain program goals and objectives, infrastructure, sample materials science activities, and related evaluation and results.
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GOALS AND OBJECTIVES GK-12 program goals and objectives include: 1) improving the communication and teaching-related skills for Fellows by providing them with training activities and authentic experiences in pedagogy, 2) enriching K-12 students’ learning by supporting and
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