Board 13: Research Experiences for Teachers in Precision Agriculture and Sustainability for Solitary STEM Educators

Bradley Bowen; Alan R. Kallmeyer; Holly Hermine Erickson

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--29917
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/29917
Download Count: 453

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Paper Authors

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Bradley Bowen Virginia Tech orcid.org/0000-0003-3987-308X

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Bradley Bowen is an assistant professor at Virginia Tech in the School of Education’s Integrative STEM Education program. He has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master's of Civil Engineering and an Ed.D. in Technology Education both from N.C. State University. Using his work experience in both engineering and education, he specializes in designing Integrative STEM activities for K-12 students and implementing professional development programs for K-12 educators.

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Alan R. Kallmeyer North Dakota State University

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Alan Kallmeyer is a professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at North Dakota State University. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah and MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa.

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Holly Hermine Erickson West Fargo Liberty Middle School

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7th Grade Math Teacher at West Fargo Liberty Middle School

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Abstract

Over the past two years, North Dakota State University (NDSU) has conducted a National Science Foundation sponsored Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) grant focused on Precision Agriculture and Sustainability. For six weeks in the summer, middle and high school math and science teachers engage in authentic research projects through the mechanical engineering and the electrical and computer engineering departments. The main goal of the program is for teachers to develop an understanding of research principles, engineering applications, and the engineering design process. By accompanying the research with professional learning sessions on effective pedagogy, active classroom environments, and student-centered learning strategies, these teachers are building capacity to increase student engagement. The intent is to create a shift in how the teacher approaches lesson plan design creating more meaningful, engaging, and authentic learning experiences for their students. Since the majority of the school systems in the upper Midwest are characterized as rural, a unique aspect of this program is the focus on this demographic of teacher. To create the largest possible impact in a rural educational community, this program selects participants who are the only math or science teacher in their school building. In addition, each in-service teacher works alongside a pre-service teacher in NDSU’s mathematics education or science education program. This provides a valuable experience for both the in-service and pre-service teachers while engaging in a collaborative experience. Having completed two summers of the three-year grant period, data results show the program has been highly effective in transforming the teacher’s approach to classroom practices that increase student engagement. Results also demonstrate a positive impact on the pre- and in-service teacher’s shift in attitude towards general classroom practices and teaching pedagogy. This paper describes the program goals and outcomes, specifics of the summer experience, data collection, results, and the next steps for research and practice.

Citation
Format

Bowen, B., & Kallmeyer, A. R., & Erickson, H. H. (2018, June), Board 13: Research Experiences for Teachers in Precision Agriculture and Sustainability for Solitary STEM Educators Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--29917

TY - CPAPER
AB - Over the past two years, North Dakota State University (NDSU) has conducted a National Science Foundation sponsored Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) grant focused on Precision Agriculture and Sustainability. For six weeks in the summer, middle and high school math and science teachers engage in authentic research projects through the mechanical engineering and the electrical and computer engineering departments. The main goal of the program is for teachers to develop an understanding of research principles, engineering applications, and the engineering design process. By accompanying the research with professional learning sessions on effective pedagogy, active classroom environments, and student-centered learning strategies, these teachers are building capacity to increase student engagement. The intent is to create a shift in how the teacher approaches lesson plan design creating more meaningful, engaging, and authentic learning experiences for their students. Since the majority of the school systems in the upper Midwest are characterized as rural, a unique aspect of this program is the focus on this demographic of teacher. To create the largest possible impact in a rural educational community, this program selects participants who are the only math or science teacher in their school building. In addition, each in-service teacher works alongside a pre-service teacher in NDSU’s mathematics education or science education program. This provides a valuable experience for both the in-service and pre-service teachers while engaging in a collaborative experience. Having completed two summers of the three-year grant period, data results show the program has been highly effective in transforming the teacher’s approach to classroom practices that increase student engagement. Results also demonstrate a positive impact on the pre- and in-service teacher’s shift in attitude towards general classroom practices and teaching pedagogy. This paper describes the program goals and outcomes, specifics of the summer experience, data collection, results, and the next steps for research and practice.
AU - Bradley Bowen
AU - Alan R. Kallmeyer
AU - Holly Hermine Erickson
CY - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA - 2018/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 13: Research Experiences for Teachers in Precision Agriculture and Sustainability for Solitary STEM Educators
UR - https://peer.asee.org/29917
DO - 10.18260/1-2--29917
ER -