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Math and Science across the Board: Connecting Professional Development to Classroom Practices via an Embedded Research Initiative

Abstract

With rising expectations of the educational community, general public and state/national policy makers, it is imperative that new curricula and teacher training programs adhere to the rigor and high standards presented in No Child Left Behind. Over the past eight years, the Kentucky Electronics Education Project (KEEP) has grown from an outreach project into an embedded research initiative. KEEP utilizes a microelectronics theme to connect math and science standards based lessons with hands-on real world applications. Efforts to date include teacher training, hands-on circuit building activities, construction/validation of training and classroom evaluations and standards-based lessons. This paper demonstrates the alignment of KEEP concepts with national math, science and technology standards, overviews the circuit project steps, reports empirical findings and summarizes current progress toward long term objectives.

Introduction

The concept of Kentucky Electronics Education Project (KEEP) started as the educational component of a National Science Foundation Career Award with the goal of using the multidisciplinary microelectronics theme to connect real world content with K-12 classroom education. Over the past eight years, KEEP has grown to include professional development workshops, interdisciplinary collaborations across the university and industry, classroom implementations and research, resulting in an effective educational intervention. The long term goals of KEEP are to (1) to develop a sustainable professional development model that supports the transition from training to classroom implementation; (2) to create a learning community of high quality STEM teachers, informed administrators, interdisciplinary university faculty and industry partners; (3) to enhance the quality of teacher instruction and support gains in student achievement; (4) to construct reliable and valid assessment tools for student and teacher content knowledge and (5) to increase student interest in STEM curricula and careers. Summarized below is the progress that has been made on each of these fronts, discussion of challenges along the way and the continuing plans to successfully accomplish the missions of KEEP.

The training and development phases are comprised of three main components: professional development workshops for teachers, development of math and science lessons and units and production of a CD-ROM resource. The CD-ROM is a collaborative effort of the research team, industry partners and public television to produce a resource for teachers and students that provides a tutorial via video segments on each project step, an illustration of applications through a virtual plant tour and background information. The CD-ROM will serve as a companion to teachers implementing the lessons in their classrooms, reducing the anxiety associated with introducing new concepts and materials into the classroom setting. In addition, teachers that implement components of the project have the support of the research team. Using the resources and training received through professional development workshops, teachers implement KEEP activities in their classrooms, embedding it within their curriculum – in contrast to extending the already growing demands of content coverage.

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Bradley, K., & Lumpp, J. (2006, June), Math And Science Across The Board: Connecting Professional Development To Classroom Practices Via An Embedded Research Initiative Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--839