Building Locally - Linking Globally : Networking Micro-Communities of New Science and Math Teachers Using the NSDL to Advance Instructional Excellence in High Need Schools (DUE 0735011)
The 23-campus California State University (CSU) system—the largest public university system in the U.S.—educates the majority of California’s teachers, and currently operates a number of NSF-funded Robert Noyce Scholars programs. CSU’s highly qualified mathematics and science pre-service teachers often come from communities with high needs schools, and many return to similar schools upon obtaining their teaching credentials. To support these mathematics and science teachers, the California State University (CSU) has created a linked series of websites associated with individual CSU Noyce projects which function as virtual communities for Noyce scholars (the “building locally” concept). These online communities connect the scholars to the electronic resources and tools provided by the NSDL and MERLOT, the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (the “link globally” concept). Originated by MERLOT, the Noyce Scholars’ website is designed to be a true “teaching commons”: a forum within which teachers can comment upon and recommend NSDL and other resources, and share exemplary practices and lesson plans relating to those resources, particularly those that work in challenging classroom management situations. Over the past two years, more than 200 Noyce Scholars and their faculty mentors have participated in professional development events to gain awareness of NSDL resources and their use in high needs classrooms, and have joined the MERLOT teaching commons. Many of these Scholars are now embarking on careers as high school and middle school teachers, are using NSDL resources successfully in their classrooms, and are mentoring other teachers on the use of these resources.
Project Track:
Pathways