8740 Views (as of 05/2023)
  1. Amanda Gunning
  2. https://www.mercy.edu/users/agunning
  3. Associate Professor
  4. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  5. Mercy College
  1. Kiowa Garcia
  2. 8th Grade Living Environment Teacher
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Charter School of Educational Excellence
  1. Marguerita Street
  2. Mathematics Teacher and Department Liaison
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Palisade Preparatory School
  1. Johanna Vasquez
  2. Elementary Teacher
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Trinity Elementary School

Preparing STEM Master Teacher Fellows in the Greater New York City Area

NSF Awards: 1758317

2020 (see original presentation & discussion)

Grades K-6, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12

Find out how experienced K-12 teachers are learning how to incorporate STEM in integrated lessons in high-needs schools. These STEM Master Teacher Fellows at Mercy College take courses focused on STEM pedagogy and integration. As teachers of elementary, middle and high school, they share their experiences as they plan and implement STEM-focused instructional approaches for diverse learners. This video addresses the first phase of the Fellowship, when Fellows are taking courses and learning to implement these approaches. The second phase of the program will focus on Fellows taking on STEM teacher leadership roles in their districts.

The STEM Master Teacher Fellows program aims to develop a cadre of high-quality STEM teacher leaders in high-needs K-12 schools in the greater New York City area through a partnership comprising Mercy College, a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI); a local school of engineering; and a nonprofit organization focused on environmental education. This program provides 14 diverse master teachers of K-12 math and science professional development via graduate courses in STEM pedagogy and mentoring under the guidance of STEM/STEM education faculty.

This video has had approximately 942 visits by 730 visitors from 269 unique locations. It has been played 411 times as of 05/2023.
Click to See Activity Worldwide
Map reflects activity with this presentation from the 2020 STEM For All Video Showcase website, as well as the STEM For All Multiplex website.
Based on periodically updated Google Analytics data. This is intended to show usage trends but may not capture all activity from every visitor.
show more
Discussion from the 2020 STEM For All Video Showcase (41 posts)
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 4, 2020 | 03:56 p.m.

    Thank you for viewing our video! I am the Principal Investigator on the NSF-funded STEM Master Teacher Fellows project and I am so impressed with all of our 14 Fellows! Although we are only wrapping up year two right now, I have already witnessed so much growth and engagement by our teachers. The leadership team feels this project will help make a difference in the lives and education of not only the K-12 students of the Fellows, but also in the district, and community. Our preliminary research shows our Fellows making strides in STEM teaching methods and developing increased self-efficacy for these approaches. Starting next school year, Cohort I Fellows will embark on leadership projects of their own design to support STEM teaching and learning in their districts. We would love to take any questions you may have and share your thoughts on introducing STEM teacher leadership in schools. Please share our video on social media tag our Mercy College Center for STEM Education in your posting! @Mercy_STEM

    For more information, you can also visit us: www.mercy.edu/stem-learning

  • Icon for: Dave Miller

    Dave Miller

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 5, 2020 | 08:46 a.m.

    Valuable work you and your team and your MTFs are doing, Amanda! The Warner School at the University of Rochester is also involved in Noyce MTF program, and we and the fellows are witnessing and experiencing the growth and engagement you mention. Thanks for sharing your work!

  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 5, 2020 | 11:53 a.m.

    Hi Dave, nice to meet you here! I just checked out your MTF program, it sounds great, with some similarities to our program. If the national or regional Noyce meeting occurs, were you planning to attend? Perhaps we could have our Fellows meet and we could connect. It is nice for them to meet master teacher Fellows, because there are usually lots more UG Scholars! I see that Warner also offers an advanced certificate - we have a STEM advanced certificate that Fellows get half of the coursework through the fellowship. So interesting we are doing somewhat parallel work!  Thanks for posting and sharing!

  • Icon for: Kiowa Garcia

    Kiowa Garcia

    Co-Presenter
    8th Grade Living Environment Teacher
    May 4, 2020 | 05:32 p.m.

    Hello!

    Welcome to our Public Discussion! My name is Kiowa Garcia and I am so blessed to be a part of the NSF-funded STEM Master Teacher Fellows project. It has been quite an experience for our Cohort, and I hope you enjoy this small snippet of or pedagogical journeys. Thank you so much for viewing our video! 

     

  • Icon for: Marguerita Street

    Marguerita Street

    Co-Presenter
    Mathematics Teacher and Department Liaison
    May 4, 2020 | 08:37 p.m.

    Hello and thank you for viewing our video! 

    I am one of the STEM Master Teacher Fellows featured in the video and I am so excited to be a part of this project bringing STEM education to the forefront!  We have been learning so many great things about STEM education and I have been so grateful for the opportunity to share what I have learned with my students!  I am looking forward to our leadership project and new ways I can inspire students through STEM.  Thanks again for viewing our video!

  • Icon for: Vernon Alexander

    Vernon Alexander

    K-12 Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 04:17 p.m.

    Awesome Job Marguerita, 

    Keep up the good work and striving for your students.  We love you at Palisade Prep.!!!!

    Vernon

  • Jessica College

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 5, 2020 | 10:10 a.m.

    Having one of my student teachers work with one of your fellows was an amazing and transformative experience for him to see himself and his learners as capable in ways he didn't know was possible. Her ability to be calm and assuring while being so real and honest with the students was something he always spoke of in class. It then cultivated my learning community of student teachers as we examined what was important for us to discuss and examine and reflect upon. Projects like this are one of the most important things we can actually do to really have an impact on the STEM pipeline. It's not for show, it's for real. Students need teachers who care about them, can connect with them, and understand how to make STEM real in their lives in the content of their lessons in the context of their lives. This project does that. Thank you for allowing me to share in your community.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 5, 2020 | 11:57 a.m.

    Thank you so much for your heartfelt post! I am so proud of our Fellows and not surprised at all since they are amazing professionals, but I appreciate your perspective as a colleague outside the project. This is what teaching and leading is all about!

  • Nagaraj Rao

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 5, 2020 | 11:10 a.m.

    Congratulations Amanda! I am very happy to watch this beautiful video which exposed me to understand how these passionate teachers are making math and science enjoyable for the kids. Great job.

  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 5, 2020 | 11:58 a.m.

    Thank you for the kind words and the feedback! The whole project leadership team of the project has worked to make this an amazing experience for the Fellows!

  • Nagaraj Rao

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 5, 2020 | 11:10 a.m.

    Congratulations Amanda! I am very happy to watch this beautiful video which exposed me to understand how these passionate teachers are making math and science enjoyable for the kids. Great job.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Johanna Vasquez
  • Icon for: Maureen Corrigan-Connell

    Maureen Corrigan-Connell

    K-12 Teacher
    May 5, 2020 | 04:15 p.m.

    Great job! I am so delighted to be associated with this project as a member of Cohort 2. Since the beginning of the year we have learned so much which has benefitted all of our classrooms and school communities. Truly a treasured experience and looking forward to the next four years. My students are grateful to me for being a part of the Noyce Program and sharing with them all I that I learn. 

  • Icon for: Karen Woodruff

    Karen Woodruff

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 5, 2020 | 04:18 p.m.

    Amazing Work Amanda and team!  Congratulations on supporting STEM teachers in meaningful ways throughout your network.

  • Icon for: Ann Cavallo

    Ann Cavallo

    Facilitator
    Assistant Vice Provost and Director, Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence
    May 5, 2020 | 11:36 p.m.

    It would be great to learn of an example STEM integrated lesson being developed by teachers in the program (briefly of course!). Also, what outcomes are being measured as evidence of impact - e.g., are you looking at student achievement gains, interest in continuing in STEM education coursework and/or future career paths? If so, what have you found so far (or what to do you hope to find, since it is still early in your program)? What have you looked at in a measurable way on how teachers may have changed their teaching approaches and/or philosophy toward more student-center inquiry based and STEM integrated pedagogy overall? The personal interviews with some teachers were nice examples. Thanks!

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Johanna Vasquez
  • Icon for: Hollylynne Lee

    Hollylynne Lee

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 6, 2020 | 02:25 p.m.

    I love the focus on empowering teachers to help their students be successful in STEM and see themselves as future STEM professionals. 

    I'd like to follow-up on Ann's questions. I would love to know if there is a particular model for STEM integration that your project is using or if there are particular resources/approaches you use to help the teachers and students to see the different aspects of STEM as a more connected whole. 

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Johanna Vasquez
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 6, 2020 | 07:30 p.m.

    Thanks for the questions, Ann and Hollylynne!

    I encourage the Fellows presenting to share some of their lessons, but for example, one of our elementary teachers planned a whole Social Studies STEM unit for teaching Colonial America, including ELA, science and engineering that had students building and testing boats, water wheels and butter making! An example of a HS unit in math, the Fellow plans to use the current pandemic to teach students about bell curves, exponential equations, and normal curves while bringing in epidemiology and an engineering design project for students to create no-sew face masks. I love all the engaging ideas Fellows present in our courses and then use in the classroom!

    In terms of measured outcomes, we are primarily focused on the teacher development - examining Fellow development of self-efficacy for teaching STEM. However, one of the metrics we will be reporting to the NSF is students' standardized testing data, which, IMO, is one step removed from the project, so is not a data source we will use as a primary focus, but rather as a piece of the descriptive picture we are building through qualitative data. Already, although we are only in year two of the project, we have begun analyzing the tremendous amount of data, including surveys, reflections, course work, focus groups and classroom observations. Preliminary analysis indicates that teachers' self-efficacy for teaching STEM is increasing, which is expected, but we are most interested in the avenues that are most important in this development. We are planning to share best practices and approaches for in-service teacher professional development for STEM teaching. The next phase of this project and research is to examine Fellows' leadership projects and teacher leadership identity.

    In terms of approaches, Fellows take three courses, which are part of the College's Advanced Certificate in STEM Education. These courses focus on STEM-specific pedagogy, vertical professional learning communities (VPLC) and teacher leadership. The research team has a paper currently in publication on the use of VPLCS, on which we have presented widely in the past.

    I hope I adequately addressed both of your questions, but if you have others, I am happy to explain further! Thank you for participating!

     
    2
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Johanna Vasquez
    Ann Cavallo
  • Icon for: Johanna Vasquez

    Johanna Vasquez

    Co-Presenter
    Elementary Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 11:07 p.m.

    Thank you Ann and Hollylynne for your kind words and for taking the time to watch our video. I am one of the Fellows and I agree with you Hollylynne. This program has made me feel empowered and motivated to teach with a STEM approach. Since I teach 4th grade, I love to integrate Social Studies with STEM. For my Native American unit, I decided to have students work in groups and learn about different Native American regions. Throughout the unit, students practiced their research skills and wrote about their specific Native American group using Google Slides. They wrote about their everyday life, but mainly focused on the specific natural resources that were found in the region. Students were provided with a variety of resources including online books, documents, websites, and videos. After class discussions and group meetings, students designed and built a Native American home based on the region they were given. They had to think about the natural resources found in the specific area, including native animals and plants that many Native Americans relied on. It was great to see how students applied their knowledge of the regions they researched. For example, one group studied the Seminole tribe, who were located in what is now Florida. Their structure included a raised home with “palmetto leave”. They knew how to elevate the home to prevent flooding, and knew how and why to incorporate native plants. Other groups created igloos, wigwams, teepees, cliff dwellings, and longhouses. It was one of my favorite STEM projects that I worked on this year! I was able to incorporate ELA and STEM with social studies.

  • Icon for: Hollylynne Lee

    Hollylynne Lee

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 11, 2020 | 10:12 a.m.

    I loved reading about your Native American unit! Thank you so much for sharing!  I hope you will take the opportunity to think about how you can share this unit (and others created by yourself and other teachers in this project) to a wider audience.  COnsider hosting them on a website, or submitting them to journals read by teachers (like Social Studies and Young Learner)

  • Marion Ben-Jacob

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 6, 2020 | 09:55 a.m.

    Great work, Dr. Gunning.  I am proud to be your colleague.

  • Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn

    K-12 Teacher
    May 6, 2020 | 10:12 a.m.

    Lovely job. So important to help expand the STEM pool and empower our students to become knowledgable citizens.  Wonderful work being done at Mercy College and the Center for STEM Education.

  • Icon for: Marguerita Street

    Marguerita Street

    Co-Presenter
    Mathematics Teacher and Department Liaison
    May 7, 2020 | 11:45 a.m.

    Thank you! One of the many things I love about this program is the fact that we are providing STEM opportunities to students in under-served communities.  Every child should have access to STEM education and the doors it can open to their future!

  • Aimee Ferguson

    K-12 Teacher
    May 6, 2020 | 10:14 a.m.

    This is amazing work being done right in Westchester County! To know that a program like this exist is so fulfilling and serves as a reminder that there are educators who -talk and walk- what they believe in...making STEM accessible to all. Go Amanda and felllows!

  • Icon for: Albert Byers, Ph.D.

    Albert Byers, Ph.D.

    Researcher
    May 6, 2020 | 05:40 p.m.

    Amanda, thank you for sharing your project and video. It is very moving!

    I too believe that an integrative, inter-disciplinary approach to learning STEM can provide powerful and deeper learning experiences. I also believe, as Roger Bybee says in his NSTA Press book: STEM Now More Than Ever, that foundational core learning in respective STEM subject areas (including literacy) is important, but that we should also integrate inter-disciplinary STEM units that explicitly demonstrate the tie-ins conceptually.

    All this said, given your target population in NY, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you address or incorporate the research related to cultural relevance, agency, and if the teacher PD also looks at constructs such as implicit/inherent bias, white fragility, or if it draws on work of folks like Chris Emdin (Reality Pedagogy), or others in this space. I work at Virginia Commonwealth University, and while "up" on STEM, now serving at a minority focused outreach institution, I'm excited to learn about these other areas to maximize learning for diverse audiences.

  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 6, 2020 | 08:51 p.m.

    HI Albert, thank you for your post. I agree that the interdisciplinary units are important, and Fellows do try to create those where possible (see my above post for a couple of examples). This approach provides and engaging context for other subject areas and relieves some of the time pressures at the elementary level by combining science and engineering in with other, heavily targeted subjects, such as ELA and math.

    In terms of of your second point, I hope one of the Fellows respond here, they are well-versed in equity issues in STEM and STEM education and the importance of social justice approaches. In their coursework we explore in CRT/P and Banks theory of transformative learning. In my work with Felicia Mensah (also at TC, as I am an alum!) I was fortunate to explore these tensions early in my career so I can now help teachers and teacher candidates confront their own biases and develop student-centered pedagogy that supports students' identities and communities through social justice awareness. The reality is that all of our Fellows teach in diverse settings and that is the ultimate goal of this project, to support ALL students' engagement and achievement in STEM. It is essential to have teachers purposefully consider the traditional shortfalls in education and work to connect content to students' lives and community.

  • Icon for: Albert Byers, Ph.D.

    Albert Byers, Ph.D.

    Researcher
    May 7, 2020 | 09:03 a.m.

    Thank you Amanda for such a rich response. It almost seemed axiomatic to even ask such as question, so I appreciate you sharing the research base that you draw from! That is what I was interested in learning more about. Indeed, having those courageous conversations is so important. I've learned from other colleagues there are those that champion Emdin's work and not so much. I do see easy "tie-ins" with this 5C pedagogy that can "translate" for science education (or phenomena-based/inquiry-based learning) when thinking about co-teaching, co-generative dialog, and cosmopolitanism. Thank you so much for sharing your work, and I'd love to hear from students too as their time/interest permit.

    Really important work! Thank you for sharing your project and its impact with us.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 7, 2020 | 02:25 p.m.

    Thank you for the feedback and the conversation!

  • Icon for: Beth Sappe

    Beth Sappe

    Facilitator
    Director - STEM Mathematics
    May 7, 2020 | 02:27 p.m.

    Thanks for sharing the video and including the teacher’s perspectives. Exciting that the teacher interviewed feels like the program is already helping her. Does your program include observations of teachers implementing what they are learning? Are the teachers seeing gains in student achievement on formative assessments, as they are engaging in this work?

    How are teachers in the program experiencing the expectations of their curriculum and standards while embedding these STEM opportunities? Are you seeing evidence that this is helping with student mastery of standards?

  • Icon for: Kiowa Garcia

    Kiowa Garcia

    Co-Presenter
    8th Grade Living Environment Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 06:54 p.m.

    Hi Beth, 

    Thank you so much for your post! Yes, in many ways the program is helping me. As a cohort, we are asked to reflect deeply on our practices, pedagogy, strengths and fears. When asked to create lessons, we are nudged to make them engaging, interdisciplinary and new. We are pushed outside of our comfort zones, yet scaffolded so we feel supported. Due to this, we are growing as educators. During our discussions, we are asked to reflect on what leadership means, and what this may look like as we explore our future projects. 

    I'd like to reflect on your question about observations and standards mastery. During the lesson that I created for my Vertical PLC, I was brave enough to invite our head of our English Department to come observe me. I did this because I wanted feedback from someone I felt was a teacher leader. I would have never dared in the past, but I have embraced the "growth mindset" as a STEM educator that this fellowship has instilled in me. I feel like I am exceeding the expectations of my curriculum because my students are not just learning content, they are firstly experiencing and practicing 21st century skills that are seen in STEM classrooms, and secondly passing the New York State Living Environment Regents. As my lessons evolve, I witness in my students increased levels of engagement, vocabulary acquisition, sense of autonomy and risk-taking during activities, discussion, and collaboration. This program encourages us to use the 5E instructional model, creating classroom environments that foster "productive struggle", exploration and meaningful learning. Due to this, the mastery of NGSS-aligned NYS educational standards has become a journey for us and our students, while meeting the task at hand. 

     
     
    2
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
    Beth Sappe
  • Icon for: Maureen Corrigan-Connell

    Maureen Corrigan-Connell

    K-12 Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 07:51 p.m.

    Well stated Kiowa. That same rigor has been felt by Cohort 2  of which I am a proud member. My students and school colleagues benefit from the work I have done as we begin to create more authentic STEM experiences for our classrooms. So, thank you for your eloquent response.

  • Icon for: Johanna Vasquez

    Johanna Vasquez

    Co-Presenter
    Elementary Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 10:24 p.m.

    Welcome Beth and thank you for taking the time to view our video. I am one of the fellows, and I am currently teaching 4th grade. Since I started this program, I have become more fluent in our math, science, and technology standards. This has allowed for more thoughtful lesson planning that provides rigor, but is also relevant to our curriculum. Since I am an elementary teacher, I am able to embed STEM in a variety of ways. My favorite is integrating the engineering design process into social studies and science. Students take their knowledge from a topic or unit and apply it to an engineer challenge. When students present STEM projects they practice their vocabulary, questioning, and feedback. I think this is when I see student mastery compared to traditional fact based learning mastery.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Sabrina Stanley

    Sabrina Stanley

    Graduate Student
    May 7, 2020 | 07:26 p.m.

    Very nice job demonstrating the effects of your program. It is exciting to see research-based teaching strategies put into practice. I hope attracting more students to STEM becomes an actual outcome for your project. Keep up the good work!

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Johanna Vasquez

    Johanna Vasquez

    Co-Presenter
    Elementary Teacher
    May 7, 2020 | 09:41 p.m.

    Thank you everyone for taking the time to view our video! Being part of this program has been such a great experience. Dr.Gunning and the professors in the STEM Master Teachers Fellow program have introduced me to a whole new way of teaching. I feel inspired and motivated to create engaging STEM lessons. In addition, I have been able to collaborate with the rest of the fellows, who have made me see how important it is to start STEM integration in the primary grades. This whole process has inspired me to be a better teacher to my students and to provide them with quality STEM education! Looking forward to the next chapter and bringing our vision to the staff and community of New Rochelle.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Beth Sappe

    Beth Sappe

    Facilitator
    Director - STEM Mathematics
    May 8, 2020 | 11:52 a.m.

    Hi Kiowa,

    Thanks for the response. You make some really great points and kudos for you to taking the risk of asking for a observation. We are finding that these experiences alongside the content is what get the kids to really build the skills and knowledge to problem solve and gain the tools needed to manipulate their thinking aligned to the demands of the 21st century skills  

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Vilmos Vass

    Vilmos Vass

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 9, 2020 | 02:31 a.m.

    Congratulations, Amanda. This is excellent work. Students' face can tell us everything about the project. I wish you and your colleagues a lot of success in the future of the project. 

  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 12, 2020 | 03:29 p.m.

    Thank you!

  • Icon for: Jennifer Carinci

    Jennifer Carinci

    Researcher
    May 9, 2020 | 10:19 a.m.

    Nice work capturing the movement your work is advancing! The teacher voices are powerful. Feel free to let us know, if you have not already, how we can feature one of your outstanding alums.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 12, 2020 | 03:28 p.m.

    Thank you! We did not know about that, so we definitely will!

  • Icon for: Amy Wagler

    Amy Wagler

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2020 | 12:20 p.m.

    I really enjoyed this video and the teach testimony was fabulous. I appreciate the approach you are taking here. Do you have resources available for training teachers in interdisciplinary teaching practices? We are struggling with that with our trainees right now. Perhaps we could collaborate too since our focus is also on adapting these approaches to a Spanish-English instructional setting. Feel free to email me anytime at awagler2@utep.edu if you have any questions or ideas. Thanks again for getting this video together-super nice job!

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amanda Gunning
  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 12, 2020 | 03:29 p.m.

    Thank you! I am going to email you, I think we can share some of our approaches from the Integrating Math with STEM course, which you may find useful.

     
    1
    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Amy Wagler
  • Icon for: Cynthia Callard

    Cynthia Callard

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 12, 2020 | 02:22 p.m.

    Hi Amanda and Team, 

    Thank you for your video and interesting conversation.  As my colleague Dave mentioned above, we also have a Noyce MTF program at the University of Rochester and are in our second year with an amazing group of K-12 STEM teachers, focusing on digitally-rich instruction.  

    I was curious about the leadership projects that you mention that fellows will "design to support STEM teaching and learning in their districts" next year.  Could you say more about what the design/structure of this project is?  We are also shifting the focus of our fellows' efforts next year from their classroom to their district, and I was wondering how you were supporting fellows' leadership in your project.

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Icon for: Amanda Gunning

    Amanda Gunning

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 12, 2020 | 03:26 p.m.

    Thank you for the great question. I am really excited about phase two of our project, the Fellows' in-district leadership work. We have extensive experience supporting science teacher leadership and projects through a previous grant (https://www.mercy.edu/education/specialized-pro...) and have found that model to be so valuable, we are implementing it again here, in a modified way. The capstone course that Fellows take is Leadership in STEM, where they learn about action research and participate in vertical professional learning communities. Through this course, they explore their own ideas on teacher leadership and what the literature has to say about leading from the classroom. Then they devise a leadership project to embark upon, with their district approval. We are coming up on the District Leader meeting with Fellows this month to hash that out. In addition, the grant has small pots of money available for Fellows as mini-grants to support this work. They may apply for one mini-grant a year. Fellows are supported by the project leadership through mentoring and monthly meetings of Fellows. 

    We are hoping for this model to be somewhat sustainable because we have started (just a year and a half old!) a NYS Advanced Certificate in STEM Education at Mercy College - this is an add-on to a teacher certification for K-12 teachers. Teachers who come to Mercy for the certificate get the Leadership course as a capstone, so we are hoping to grow the model of leading from the classroom among more than just our grant-funded Fellows. We are currently collecting data on the certificate program to find out how it supports teachers and students.

    I hope I did not go on too much, I am just really excited about where all this has led and the synergy among our efforts! I believe we are making a difference in our partner districts!  I am glad to have connected with you and your team and hope we can meet up at a Noyce event soon!

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.