Todd Guentensberger, a former science teacher, creates a mud "worm" at the Teacher Link Fellows training in soils science.
Background: Recognizing that teachers typically don't have time to reach out to the professional community and that North Carolina has a wealth of untapped resources in its working and retired professionals in science, mathematics, and technology, the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center has created the Teacher Link Program (TLP). The aim of the TLP is to connect these community experts with teachers to provide teachers with new content and expertise in teaching science, mathematics, and technology.
The SMT Center is working with Duke University's Teachers and Scientists Collaborating (TASC) program to offer the TLP. Funded by a $5.3 million NSF grant, TASC's goal is to improve science education in grades K-8 in North Carolina.
Decades of educational research conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, the Smithsonian, the National Science Foundation, and other organizations shows that students learn science best when they practice it, asking and investigating their own questions. Though these research findings are well known and many states have adopted inquiry-based teaching, North Carolina is struggling to implement such an approach. TASC is dedicated to ensuring that all North Carolina's K-8 classrooms use inquiry-based science by offering three key services:
providing intensive teacher training
providing an inquiry-based curriculum
providing scientist support for teachers
The TLP program recruits the scientists who serve as mentors for teachers currently participating in the TASC program.
Participating School Systems: Alamance/Burlington, Chatham County, Harnett County, Iredell/Statesville, Lee County, Nash/Rocky Mount, Orange County, Randolph County, Roanoke Rapids Graded Schools and Robeson County. Additional school systems are being added.
Scientists/TLP Fellows: Scientists, mathematicians, and engineers participating in the TLP program are referred to as TLP Fellows. Fellows serve as resources and mentors for teachers as they implement inquiry-based learning in their classrooms. Fellows help teachers gain content knowledge and implement a nine-week, hands-on, minds-on science curriculum unit. Teachers will be thoroughly trained in teaching the unit and are given all the materials they need. A fellow will support no more than 20 teachers per semester. Fellows' responsibilities are as follows:
Receive 1-2 full days of training in the NSF-supported curriculum units that TASC partners and schools will be using. Each unit is designed to last nine weeks.
Assist teachers via phone and email in implementing the curriculum unit.
Contact teachers at least three times during the nine weeks the teachers have the science curriculum units.
Fellows will receive a modest stipend for travel and services offered. Though in general scientists will be assisting teachers via phone and e-mail, in some instances teachers may request that scientists visit the school to provide additional help. Fellows have also visited schools to judge science fairs and to provide information about careers. The Center will also provide opportunities for fellows to learn more about the NC school system and the policies affecting teachers.
To register as a Teacher Link Program Fellow: If you are a scientist, mathematician, or engineer interested in becoming a Teacher Link fellow, please register as a scientist on the Teachers and Scientists Collaborating Program website at http://www.ciblearning.org/login.php. Once we receive your registration, we (SMT Center staff and selection committee) will contact you to discuss the program and determine your areas of interest. Scientists who are selected will be enrolled in a training session on a curriculum unit and then will be linked with teachers.
SMT Education Center Partners: The SMT Education Center is working collaboratively with Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; Duke University; North Carolina school systems; and Teachers and Scientists Collaborating, a partnership funded by NSF.
TASC: TASC is a partnership among the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center, Alamance/Burlington Schools, Chatham County Schools, Harnett County Schools, Iredell/Statesville Schools, Lee County Schools, Nash/Rocky Mount Schools, Orange County Schools, Randolph County Schools, Roanoke Rapids Graded School District and Public Schools of Robeson County. Its vision is that all North Carolina K-8 students have the opportunity to learn to think as scientists — creatively, critically, and independently. TASC provides teachers with support to shift to inquiry-based science teaching, a proven technique that narrows achievement gaps and improves science knowledge and writing among students.
