Motivation for STEER
Science education is most effective when students are engaged at an early age, participate in research and when their teachers have been involved with scientific research. This early education can provide life-long comfort with science in a way that influences students to choose STEM careers. Unfortunately, K-12 students rarely experience science as a process and many teachers have never conducted research. These two facts are connected; teachers that have never conducted research often feel inapt when teaching inquiry-based science, and therefore, they don't have the skills or tools to teach science as a creative and engaging process. Thus, to improve science education, teachers must be equipped with skills to engage students in inquiry-based learning. Programs that train teachers to use inquiry-based learning will advance science education and have impacts that multiply through the teachers’ careers. In addition, programs that target students at an early age (e.g., middle school) and provide teachers with innovative, hands-on training will stimulate interest in, and prepare students for, careers in science fields. |
The STEER program provides middle school teachers experience in designing and conducting research projects, fostering them with a capacity to increase science literacy. During this program, teachers will develop skills and obtain tools to effectively teach the process of science and will mentor student projects for a regional science fair. The STEER program targets middle schools in southeast Alabama with high numbers of underrepresented groups in high-needs school districts. Importantly, psychological changes in students at this age make middle school an appropriate stage to target, as inquiry-based learning may have life-long impacts on STEM knowledge. Overall, our goal is to increase diversity in STEM by providing teachers with skills to expose these students to science at an early age.
Objectives and Expectations
STEER is a summer fellowship program for middle school teachers that uses existing infrastructure of the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) Outreach Office, the Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity (OIED), and the AU Museum of Natural History (AUMNH). The overarching goal of STEER is to train teachers and students to implement the scientific method using ecology-based studies so that teachers can better engage their students in the process of science.
Although STEER is primarily meant to train middle-school teachers, this program will also train undergraduate and graduate students. For instance, undergraduate students in a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Auburn University will work along side teacher fellows while they are trained in research and education techniques. Additionally, all personnel in the Warner Lab (e.g., graduate students, postdocs) will be closely involved with mentoring the teacher fellows and REU students.
Summer expectations: REU students will begin their program several weeks before the teacher fellows. These students will be trained in basic lab activities and will work closely with Warner Lab members in designing a feasible research project that will be completed (at least data collection) during the summer. During the 2-week STEER program, REU students will also have the opportunity to work with teacher fellows to develop lessons conveying the scientific method to middle school students.
Objectives and Expectations
STEER is a summer fellowship program for middle school teachers that uses existing infrastructure of the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) Outreach Office, the Office of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity (OIED), and the AU Museum of Natural History (AUMNH). The overarching goal of STEER is to train teachers and students to implement the scientific method using ecology-based studies so that teachers can better engage their students in the process of science.
Although STEER is primarily meant to train middle-school teachers, this program will also train undergraduate and graduate students. For instance, undergraduate students in a summer Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at Auburn University will work along side teacher fellows while they are trained in research and education techniques. Additionally, all personnel in the Warner Lab (e.g., graduate students, postdocs) will be closely involved with mentoring the teacher fellows and REU students.
Summer expectations: REU students will begin their program several weeks before the teacher fellows. These students will be trained in basic lab activities and will work closely with Warner Lab members in designing a feasible research project that will be completed (at least data collection) during the summer. During the 2-week STEER program, REU students will also have the opportunity to work with teacher fellows to develop lessons conveying the scientific method to middle school students.
Teacher fellows will join the Warner Lab at Auburn University in mid-late June. They will participate in informal workshops about the scientific method, be actively involved with various ongoing research activities in the laboratory and local field sites, as well design a simple research project that could form the basis of future projects for their own students. Activities will also involve data analysis and interpretation of results. Teacher fellows will also develop lesson plans for middle school students about the scientific method, and then use these lessons to teach students in the Junior Curator Camp, which is coordinated through the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. Lessons will be designed to convey science as a process.
REU students will present a poster at an AU symposium. Teacher fellows will apply their new skills and lessons in their classroom and are strongly encouraged to mentor students in an annual science fair (GEARSEF). REU students and teacher fellows will be encouraged to present research and/or education results at a national conference (e.g., Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students). Both REU students and STEER teacher fellows will receive a stipend during the program. |
Timeline for teacher fellows in 2024
Early April: Applications advertised Late April: Applications due (apply here) Early May: Teacher fellows chosen June 24-28: STEER program (research and education) Fall and Spring: Teacher fellows mentor student science fair project Early March (of following year): Science Fair (GEARSEF) Teacher fellows are strongly encouraged to return the following year to help train the next year's fellows. |