2222 Views (as of 05/2023)
  1. Andrew Lazowski
  2. Associate Professor
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Sacred Heart University
  1. Mark Beekey
  2. Professor and Chair
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Sacred Heart University
  1. Bonnie Maur
  2. STEAM Director, College of Education
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Sacred Heart University
  1. Kristin Rainville
  2. Associate Professor
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. Sacred Heart University

Biology and Mathematics Educator (BioMe)

NSF Awards: 1557233

2021 (see original presentation & discussion)

Undergraduate

The Biology and Mathematics Educator (BioME) Noyce project offers a Master Mentors program to their scholars. To help future teachers start their careers successfully, Noyce scholars are paired with a practicing teacher to serve as a mentor. These mentors show support in their curriculum content area, demonstrate classroom management style, pedagogy, and other teaching philosophies and offer invaluable career advice. This arrangement begins in students’ junior year, which is well before they intern or student teach. The early interaction and potential friendship with an established teacher offers experience and support, which is valuable in the early stages of one’s career. Scholars take a course: Integrated Mathematics and Biology Across the Curriculum Undergraduate Seminar (IMBAC) to aid the program. While working with the master mentors, students keep a journal of their experiences and discuss this in the IMBAC. In response to this program, scholars have praised their mentors and expressed thanks for the experience.  This video features scholars in classrooms with mentors, provides direct feedback, and expresses excitement for their future.

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Discussion from the 2021 STEM For All Video Showcase (11 posts)
  • Icon for: Tami Lunsford

    Tami Lunsford

    K-12 Teacher
    May 11, 2021 | 03:29 p.m.

    Well done!  I am a high school teacher and helping guide some potential educators early in their college education this summer through an experience similar to this.  I would love to learn more about how you prepare/guide/reward the teacher/mentors for their expertise and time and how you create pairings.

  • Icon for: Bonnie Maur

    Bonnie Maur

    Co-Presenter
    STEAM Director, College of Education
    May 11, 2021 | 04:28 p.m.

    Thanks! I have specific schools that I have worked with over the past 5 years during which time we have grown the program. We meet with the mentor teachers on a regular basis in order to review our expectations and the ways in which the mentors can reach those with their mentees. We pay a stipend to mentors (which this grant supports) in order to reward them for their expertise and time. Over time, we have found that some mentors are extremely strong in this role and are committed to working with new mentees in subsequent years. If you need any information or if I can assist you in any way, please feel free to reach out to me at maurb@sacredheart.edu 

     
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    Tami Lunsford
  • Icon for: Tami Lunsford

    Tami Lunsford

    K-12 Teacher
    May 12, 2021 | 06:41 a.m.

    Bonnie, Thank you so much!  I am thrilled to hear the grant does provide stipends for the teachers, as that makes a big difference.  I will reach out and look forward to talking with you offline!

  • Icon for: Anne Kern

    Anne Kern

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 11, 2021 | 07:07 p.m.

    Hello BioMeTeam,

    Any way that you can motivate discipline-specific students to reach is super important! What do you do the recruit these STEM discipline students to teach?

    Cheers,

    Anne

  • Icon for: Bonnie Maur

    Bonnie Maur

    Co-Presenter
    STEAM Director, College of Education
    May 11, 2021 | 09:27 p.m.

    We speak to all biology and math majors. Some have considered teaching. Others haven't. We are also now working with admissions so that students hear these options as they choose to attend Sacred Heart. It's not always an easy process.  

  • Icon for: Ann Cavallo

    Ann Cavallo

    Facilitator
    Assistant Vice Provost and Director, CRTLE
    May 12, 2021 | 01:41 a.m.

    Very nice project! It is so important to place Scholars in schools early in the program so they can "try out" teaching and experience the classroom well before their student teaching semester. Do the students teach in their junior year, or is this year only observation or both? How do you select your mentor teachers - are you able to select the mentors you want to work with and match them with your Scholars (ideally)? Do the Scholars stay with the same mentor teachers for student teaching or are they placed with a different mentor teacher and different school? Thanks!

  • Icon for: Bonnie Maur

    Bonnie Maur

    Co-Presenter
    STEAM Director, College of Education
    May 12, 2021 | 11:30 a.m.

    Thanks! We actually place them in one school district during their junior year and another in their senior year so as to give them a variety of experiences. They begin by observing, then work with small groups and eventually teach lessons beginning later in their junior year. We do select the mentors that we want to work with and after the first year they are involved can judge whether they are totally committed to our mission, so to speak. We then match them with our Noyce Scholars so that it is most beneficial all around. 

     
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    Ann Cavallo
  • Icon for: Ann Cavallo

    Ann Cavallo

    Facilitator
    Assistant Vice Provost and Director, CRTLE
    May 14, 2021 | 11:28 a.m.

    That is great to be able to select the mentors and give the scholars varied experiences. This way they see different approaches and develop their own personal style. Much appreciated!

  • Icon for: Elizabeth Allan

    Elizabeth Allan

    Facilitator
    Professor; Secondary Science Education Program Coordinator
    May 13, 2021 | 08:59 p.m.

    Great support system for preservice teachers before they begin the formal student teaching process. Do you have data on the success of students who participate and those who do not? are they more likely to be more successful in their clinical placements? higher scores on content exams (PRAXIS), or other measures?

  • Icon for: Sabrina Stanley

    Sabrina Stanley

    Graduate Student
    May 17, 2021 | 10:50 a.m.

    Thank you for highlighting that there's so much more to teaching than it appears - all the little details. And then for the Noyce fellows, they are going into schools that demand even more from our STEM teachers than typical teacher education programs can prepare them for. So great that you are supporting your teachers in this way.

  • Icon for: John Coleman

    John Coleman

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 18, 2021 | 07:03 p.m.

    Great approach to developing new STEM teachers. One of the pre-service students in your video spoke to the issues that we have seen - showing STEM majors how to become a great teacher.  How has your process affected recruiting and retention of pre-service teachers?  Seems like it should have been positively impacted.

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