Recruiting the Next Generation of STEM Teachers Through YouthTEACH2Learn

2015 California STEM Symposium

October 29, 2015 Anaheim, CA

Welcome & Introductions Session Description YouthTEACH2Learn is a high school class teaching students how to develop and teach mathematics and science lessons to elementary students. Presenters share the experiences of students, past and present, and review seven years of research on this program’s impact on student interest and motivation to pursue STEM teaching careers.

Gregory Nicholson, Ph.D., Director of Advancement, Project Tomorrow

Introductions • Name and school/education setting, your role • Why are you here for this session?

Inspiration

Take two minutes to turn and talk with a partner in response to these questions:

• Why did you/did you not become a teacher?

• What about teaching appeals to you

today?

About Project Tomorrow

The vision of Project Tomorrow is to ensure that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens of the world.

Innovation in Education • Innovation Awards

• Emerging Student Innovator ($1,500) • High Impact Teacher ($1,000) • Innovative Schoolwide Program ($1,000)

• Youth Leadership Summit • 225 students • 21 career professionals from 16 STEM fields

Speak Up • 12 years • 4 million participants • 35,000 schools • 50 states

“Via Speak Up, I finally have data that is useful and meaningful; it is an amazing service that is provided to schools. I can't wait to compare data from last year to this year to see how we've changed.”

- St. Ignatius High School (OH)

Speak Up 2014 Participation 521,846 TOTAL SURVEYS

K-12 Students 431,231

Teachers & Librarians 44,289

Parents (in English & Spanish) 35,337

School/District Administrators/Tech Leaders 4,324

Community Members 6,656 About the participating schools & districts

o 8,216 schools and 2,676 districts o 30% urban / 40% rural / 30% suburban o All 50 states + DC + Guam + DODEA schools

Teacher Shortage • 1/3 of CA teachers are

over 50 • Enrollment in teacher

preparation in CA is down 55%

• CA needs 33,000 new math and science teachers – Nationwide, 4,424

students taking ACT plan to teach math

Good Intentions, but Little Time

Despite educators’ beliefs that science education should begin early, more than half of teachers surveyed spend less than one hour per week on science in kindergarten and the first grade.

Time Spent on Science Instruction in Elementary School

High Hopes-Few Opportunities The Status of Elementary Science Education in California 2011 Report by The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd (Used with Permission)

…and Less Prepared for Activities Central to High Quality Instruction

Elementary School Teachers’ Self-Reported Preparedness in Specific Science Instruction Activities

High Hopes-Few Opportunities The Status of Elementary Science Education in California 2011 Report by The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning at WestEd (Used with Permission)

Tomorrow’s Teachers Initiative YouthTEACH2Learn

• 17 schools, 150 high school students

• 2015-16 participating high schools: • Canyon High School, Orange Unified

• El Modena High School, Orange Unified

• Jefferson High School, LAUSD

• San Juan Hills High School, Capistrano Unified

• Trabuco Hills High School, Saddleback Unified

• Tiger Woods Learning Center, Anaheim, Washington, D.C.

Educators Rising California • 17 chapters, 350 students

Goals of Program/Curricula • Provide opportunities to explore the teaching career

o Understand the elements of teaching and learning o Explore perspectives on teaching and schools o Develop a teaching skill set

• Increase interest in math and science o At the high school level through content based

lessons, lesson development, and teaching o At the elementary level through increased exposure to

hands-on science and math lessons • Develop college and career ready skills

Components of the YT2L Program

• Curriculum o Full year or half-year o In-school and OST curricula

• Teaching Experiences o Teach lessons to elementary students 6-12 times

during the year • Community Service

o Teacher identified community service projects

EDUCATION EXPLORATION: CAREER TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

Module 1: Orientation & California Future Educators Association* Module 2: The Structure & Economics of American Education Module 3: The Effective Teacher* Module 4: Human Growth & Development * Module 5: Teaching Students with Special Needs Module 6: Classroom Management & Community* Module 7: Observation Cycles (Inquiry, Differentiation*, Technology*) Module 8: Safety & Emergency Planning Module 9: Government Regulations: IEPs, 504, & Mandated Reporter Module 10: Standards-Based Instruction & Lesson Planning Module 11: Instructional Strategies*

MATH

Module 12: Perspectives on Math “How Many People?”

Math-o-Graphy Algebra Readiness

Module 13: Math Standards “Sleepy Time”

Understanding Common Core An Introduction to Backwards Planning

Module 14: Manipulative Use “Fraction Strips”

Module 15: Problem Solving “Seats on the Bus”

Solving Word Problems Module 16: Math Vocabulary

“Get it Together” Math & English Language Learners Module 17: Assessment Strategies

“Probability” Formative & Summative Assessment

Student Interviews Module 18: Lesson Development

Module 19: Health, Sanitation, & Nutrition Module 20: What’s Next? Career Planning

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Module 12: Perspectives on Science and Environmental Literacy

Ecosystem Services are Essential to Human Life Focus on Water Filtration Teaching Water Filtration

Module 13: Ecological Footprint People Influence Natural Systems

Ecological Footprint Worksheet Elements of Lesson Design Think-Pair-Share Strategy

Module 14: Tragedy of the Commons People Influence Natural Systems

“Tragedy of the Commons” Claim-Evidence-Reasoning

Module 15: The Nitrogen Cycle Dead Fish Case Study Nitrogen Cycle Game

Module 16: Particulate Air Pollution “Monitoring Particulate Pollution”

Protocols for Conducting an Effective Lab Module 17: Making Environmental Decisions

Environmental Issue Analysis Effective Presentation Skills

Module 18: What’s Next? Career Planning

SCIENCE Module 12: Perspectives on Science

“Egg in the Bottle” Sci-O-Graphy

Why Learn Science? Module 13: Science Standards

“Balloon Powered Car” Understanding Next Generation Science Standards

An Introduction to Backwards Planning Module 14: Hands-On Learning

“Index Card Towers” Problem Solving & Inquiry

Module 15: Problem Solving & Inquiry “Why Do Boats Float?”

Module 16: Science Vocabulary “Have Your DNA and Eat it Too”

Science & English Language Learners Module 17: Assessment Strategies

“Understanding Osmosis” Formative & Summative Assessment

Student Interviews Module 18: Lesson Development

Module 19: Heath, Sanitation, & Nutrition Module 20: What’s Next? Career Planning

Anatomy of a Lesson

Each lesson includes: • Standards addressed • Lesson overview • Lesson objectives • Lesson activities • Lesson materials • Estimated time • Sources

Teaching students to develop their own lessons (lesson development cycle)

• Group lesson development • Standards review • Lesson plan template • Project Tomorrow elementary science and math content resources • Pre-teaching practice • Peer review • Observation • Elementary teacher observation • Pre and post reflection

Clinical Experience • High school students design, deliver, and

debrief lessons 6-12 times in full year course • Students teach in groups of 3-4 • Lesson planning templates included in

curriculum • Students visit and observe elementary

teachers prior to teaching • Students practice in class prior to teaching • Students teach the same lesson twice to

different groups

Teacher responsibilities, PT supports

Teacher • Identify and recruit student participants • Teach YT2L curriculum • Facilitate classroom instruction • Arrange guest speakers • Identify community service projects • Establish relationships with partner site

personnel • Participate in PD-including online community • Provide PT access to materials for evaluation • Ensure student participation in evaluation • Present at conferences, as appropriate

Project Tomorrow • Provide teachers with resources including

curricula and lesson planning resources • Serve as a resource for day-to-day

operations • Promote community service opportunities • Provide ongoing programmatic support • Coordinate operations and logistics for

conferences offered to student participants

• Provide ongoing training to YT2L teachers

Impact “I can remember learning from high school students in the YouthTEACH2Learn program when I was little, and after being in the program, I truly understand how great the class is. This program was the key factor in my choosing teaching as my career path. I am beginning school at Cal State Fullerton as a Math major, in hopes of becoming a high school math teacher.”

Goals and Outcomes Goals: • To make steady gains toward fulfilling California’s future workforce

needs with students that are prepared, through their content knowledge and skills, for the higher-skilled jobs in science, math, and technology, especially in teaching STEM subjects.

• To encourage high school students to go to college and pursue science and/or math teaching careers

Outcomes: • Increased student interest in careers in teaching • Increased student content knowledge in math, science, and/or

teaching • Increased student proficiencies in key workplace skills such as

problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking • Increased student interest and plans for attending college • For elementary students, increased interest and engagement in

science or math

Impact • Increased student interest in teaching

– 43% of YT2L students indicated that they had always wanted to be a teacher

– 51% took the course because they are thinking about becoming a teacher

– 63% indicated that they were now interested in teaching after taking the course.

Impact

Impact

Impact • Increased student knowledge/skills in

teaching – 93% of participants were comfortable

managing a classroom, – 83% were comfortable developing or creating

a lesson plan, and – 83% were comfortable finding and sharing

different ways to make science interesting.

Impact • Increased student knowledge/skills in

teaching – 100% of the high school students effectively

communicated with the elementary students – 96% were successful in classroom management – 91% demonstrated an understanding of science

standards – 100% demonstrated an understanding of science

concepts – 100% implemented different techniques to make

science interesting

Impact

Impact

Impact • Increased student proficiencies in key

workplace skills – YT2L students reported feeling very

comfortable with the following: • 85% Meeting a deadline • 91% Being a leader • 89% Managing multiple tasks • 87% Giving a presentation • 87% Managing my time

Impact

Impact • Increased student interest and plans for

attending college – 2014-15: 90% of the participants indicated that they

intended to go to college • More students intended to pursue at least a 4-year

degree required for teaching: 94% versus 87% on the pre-survey.

– 2013-14: 92% were interested in pursuing a 2 or 4 year degree after high-school after participating in YT2L, an increase of 3% from the pre-survey.

Impact

Impact • For elementary students, increased

interest and engagement in science or math – In 2014-2015, 514 fourth and fifth grade

students reported: • Paying attention: 85% • Made learning science interesting: 76%

Impact • For elementary students, increased

interest and engagement in science or math – In 2014-2015, 476 second and third grade

students reported: • Paying attention: 84% • Science is their favorite subject: 49%

Impact • For elementary students, increased

interest and engagement in science or math – In 2014-2015, elementary teachers agree:

• 84% reported that their elementary students were more excited about learning science.

• 67% liked the hands-on activities

What’s Next? • Program

Expansion • After-School

Option • Recruitment

Research

Questions?

Discussion • Does your community face a STEM

teacher shortage?

• What efforts are underway to address it?

• What more can be done?

Resources

Thank You!