Eos, Vol. 94, No. 23, 4 June 2013
VOLUME 94
NUMBER 23
4 June 2013 EOS, TRANSACTIONS, AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION
PAGES 205–212
Pilot Program for Teaching Earth Science in New York
situations that they might encounter with their students. A key aspect to the MAT program is an emphasis on collaborative design and delivery of graduate course content. Science courses are designed and taught by teams of research scientists and educators who have practical experience teaching in the state’s high schools. The educators add a pedagogical perspective to teaching science that will ultimately benefit both the MAT candidates and their future students.
PAGES 205 –206 During the 2009–2010 school year, 40% of New York City (NYC) Earth science teachers were not certified to teach Earth science [New York State Education Department (NYSED), 2011]. This highlights a longstanding shortage of certified teachers, which persists today and prevents many schools from offering courses on the subject, thus diminishing student opportunities to study or embark on careers in Earth science. More generally, the paucity of qualified, effective science teachers hinders student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and research has consistently shown that improving the quality of teaching substantially increases achievement in STEM-related fields [National Science Board, 2007]. With only 36% of NYC 8th graders scoring at or above the basic level of proficiency in science and with even lower scores for African-American and Hispanic students [Livingston and Wirt, 2005], the need for more qualified science teachers is clear. Educators and research scientists at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) have collaborated to establish a residency-based teacher education program with the goal of addressing this critical statewide shortage of qualified Earth science teachers for grades 7–12 in New York. This pilot program forges a partnership between a world- class research museum and high-needs schools in the NYC area—those that have high percentages of students below the poverty line, teachers teaching outside their certification, or high teacher turnover rates. By placing teaching candidates in such schools, the project has the potential to engage and motivate students, boosting Earth science achievement and interest in STEM for thousands of students from underrepresented populations, including English language learners (ELL), special needs students, and
BY P. A. NADEAU, K. E. FLORES, G. USTUNISIK, N. A. ZIRAKPARVAR, J. GRCEVICH, A. PAGNOTTA, J. A. SESSA, R. J. KINZLER, M. MACDONALD, E. MATHEZ, AND M.-M. MAC LOW
racial minority groups. The program, which is part of the state’s federally funded Race to the Top initiative, will prepare a total of 50 teaching professionals in two cohorts to earn a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with a specialization in Earth science, awarded by the New York Board of Regents. The intensive 15-month curriculum comprises one summer spent in a museum teaching residency, a full academic year residency in high-needs public schools, one summer of science research at AMNH, and concurrent graduate-level courses in Earth and space sciences, pedagogy, and adolescent psychology. In contrast to many traditional science teacher education programs, the AMNH program emphasizes field-based geological and observational astronomical studies and experiential, graduate-level, Earth and space science learning. To ensure that MAT candidates have a robust knowledge base in the Earth and space sciences, particularly what is covered by the state curriculum and needed per New York’s Department of Education requirements, candidates must have strong undergraduate preparation in the geosciences or related fields. The program’s faculty includes curators and postdoctoral fellows specializing in geology, meteoritics, astrophysics, and paleontology, as well as doctoral-level education specialists, who work together across disciplines to develop and teach courses.
MAT Graduate Courses MAT candidates earn 36 course credits in science and pedagogy. They spend Monday through Thursday of the academic year gaining teaching experience in high-needs schools; courses are taught on Fridays and, once per month, over the weekend. The course calendar does not follow a standard semester schedule; rather, courses are staggered. The adolescent psychology course, for example, runs the length of the teaching residency. This design ensures that when candidates are teaching, they have ready access to faculty members with classroom experience who can guide them through
© 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
Science in the MAT Program The MAT program was designed to implement hands- on, experiential learning of Earth science in advance of candidates becoming teachers themselves. All teaching candidates enter the program with a collegelevel geoscience background, and the AMNH faculty reinforces existing knowledge by providing a deeper understanding of scientific content and practices. Introductory Earth and space science seminars and three graduate courses— on space systems, Earth systems, and climate and weather—provide science opportunities during the first year of the program. Unlike traditional graduate courses on specific disciplines, these explore broader features of the science. For example, the Earth systems course seeks to enhance spatial thinking, understanding of geologic time, and geologic reasoning. During the second summer, candidates are in residence at AMNH to take part in an innovative practicum of field- and laboratorybased scientific research. The practicum takes place over 6 weeks, including approximately 3 weeks of field work in upstate New York, Long Island, and New Jersey. Daytime excursions emphasize observations and interpretations of local geology, paleontology, and tectonic history; evenings are devoted to making astronomical observations. The practicum focuses on local resources—things students may be able to see in their own communities or on a short field trip so that candidates develop ways to bring “real” science and scientific inquiry into their future classrooms. Following sample and data collection in the field, candidates work in small groups alongside scientists in the lab, completing their own mini-research projects in paleontology, mineralogy, stellar astronomy, or experimental petrology.
Eos, Vol. 94, No. 23, 4 June 2013 MAT Teaching Residencies In the first summer of the MAT program, candidates are assigned to teaching roles in youth programs at AMNH. Programs range from science camps for elementary school– aged children to more research-focused opportunities for high school students. Candidates also staff display carts in museum exhibition halls for experience in public science education. In this informal learning environment, candidates gain experience with a range of student ages and backgrounds. For the school residency, AMNH has partnered with five high-needs, lowperforming schools in the NYC area. Each school has a high population of ELL, special needs students, and economically disadvantaged students. Approximately five effective teachers are selected from each school to serve as mentors to MAT candidates, with additional part-time mentors for rotations in teaching ELL and special education students. Candidates coteach for an entire school year, sharing a schedule with their mentor, including course planning periods, so that they become involved in all aspects of teaching. They are also encouraged to immerse themselves in school culture, from parent conferences to after- school clubs. Throughout the school year, MAT candidates benefit from the help and guidance of not only their mentor but also faculty members at AMNH. Doctoral-level MAT education faculty members advise candidates on science teaching, make regular visits to schools to support the candidates, and offer evaluations and critiques of candidate progress.
Post Graduation Support As a condition of full financial support during the MAT program, graduates commit to teaching for 4 years at a high-needs school in New York State. In spite of their previous
experience with the program, teaching on their own in a high-needs environment will come with new pedagogical and scientific hurdles. MAT faculty therefore continue to support graduates via a 2-year postdegree induction-into-teaching program that offers mentoring, professional development, scientific resources, and other help, both online and in person, regardless of whether the new teachers find employment in the NYC area or elsewhere in the state.
Outlook The first MAT candidates entered the program in June 2012 and have a wide variety of scientific expertise, come from diverse geographic localities, and include both recent graduates and career changers. As with any new program, challenges have arisen, but flexibility within the program’s structure has allowed for adaptation to meet the needs of the candidates. For example, the introductory summer seminars were a late addition to the curriculum, as faculty realized that it was necessary to support candidates with a varied set of scientific backgrounds. With the first cohort more than halfway through their 15-month program, the MAT faculty has finalized admissions for the second cohort of teaching candidates, set to arrive at AMNH in June. Upon completing the MAT program, graduates will be qualified to teach Earth science in New York State and are expected to be highly competitive in the job market, especially given the current shortage of certified Earth science teachers at highneeds schools. Candidates in the first cohort are already reporting that they have received offers of employment. If all 50 graduates take positions in NYC, the percentage of uncertified Earth science teachers (based on 2009–2010 data [NYSED, 2011]) could decrease by nearly 9% after only 2 years. Implemented over a larger scale and longer time frame, programs like this will make high- quality education in Earth science
© 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
available to thousands more students who would not otherwise be exposed to geosciences. Given the opportunity to study geology, paleontology, astronomy, and meteorology with quality, scientifically trained teachers, these same students will be able to take advantage of the many career paths in Earth science–related fields.
Acknowledgments Funding for the MAT program is provided by the New York State Education Department and the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Discovery Research K–12 program, as well as by a generous gift from Kathryn W. Davis.
References Livingston, A., and J. Wirt (2005), The condition of education 2005 in brief, Rep. NCES 2005–095, Natl. Cent. for Educ. Stat., U.S. Dep. of Educ., Washington, D. C. National Science Board (2007), National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System, Natl. Sci. Found., Arlington, Va. New York State Education Department (NYSED) (2011), Teacher supply and demand reports, New York State 2009–2010, Albany, N.Y. [Available at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/oris/tsd/ TSDReports2011asof8-15-11.pdf.]
—Patricia A. Nadeau, Kennet E. Flores, Gokce Ustunisik, and Nasser A. Zirakparvar, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Department of Education, American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), New York, N.Y.; E-mail:
[email protected]; Jana Grcevich and Ashley Pagnotta, Department of Astrophysics and Department of Education, AMNH; Jocelyn A. Sessa, Department of Paleontology and Department of Education, AMNH; Rosamond J. Kinzler and Maritza Macdonald, Department of Education, AMNH; Edmond Mathez, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, AMNH; and Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Department of Astrophysics, AMNH
