Goals and Requirements for Teacher Mentors

Offered by:

The University of South Florida 's College of Marine Science through funding provided by the National Science Foundation

The OCEANS Fellowships are funded as part of the National Science Foundation's GK-12 initiative. These Fellowships seek to provide opportunities to highly qualified graduate students in NSF supported disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to serve as science resources in K-12 schools. The OCEANS program along with other GK-12 initiatives intends to 1) enhance the level of interaction in science education among K-12 schools and higher education in ways positive for all, 2) enhance appreciation and capability of graduate students for high quality science teaching, and 3) enhance both appreciation and capability for content-rich, inquiry-based approaches to teaching/learning science. Ideally, GK-12 Fellows will become emissaries for collaborative efforts between colleges of higher education, school districts, and community resources as part of their professional pursuits.

The purpose of the OCEANS fellowship program is to provide teachers in K-12 classrooms with current science concepts and activities about our oceans through partnerships with marine science graduate students (OCEANS Fellows) who serve as classroom science resources. OCEANS Fellows will become science resources for teachers and provide ocean science modules to expand and enrich existing school curricula.

OCEANS Fellows will serve as ocean science content resources for K-12 classrooms in Pinellas County . Training courses will provide Fellows with insights into current trends and practices in science education, opportunities to develop inquiry-based instructional skills, and strategies to communicate scientific concepts effectively to a broad array of audiences. It is our hope that Fellows will enhance and enrich science-learning environments, while realizing their value as scientific resources and role models for the ocean science profession.

Specific Project Goals

• Provide Graduate Fellows with an understanding of current trends and practices in K-12 science education, life-long teaching and evaluation skills, and experience communicating scientific concepts to a diverse audience of learners.
• Provide Elementary-level Teachers (grades K-5) with a foundation of content knowledge, inquiry-based instructional skills, and other tools to effectively and confidently incorporate more science into their curriculum; and provide Secondary-level Science Teachers (grades 6-12) Professional Development to address gaps in science content knowledge and effectively incorporate ocean-based inquiry learning and research activities in their classes.
• Improve the science-learning environment for students by increasing their content knowledge via high interest resources including the local ocean setting, and activities that invite inquiry and develop science processing skills, so students can understand the significance of real world applications and current career opportunities in science.
• Strengthen the collaboration among the USF College of Marine Science, College of Education ( USF St. Petersburg ), and public school district administrators and teachers to improve the science literacy of the general citizenry, present and future teachers, and students.

Eligibility Requirements of Teacher Mentors

• Sufficient experience in pedagogy to help improve the communication and teaching-related skills of the GK-12 Fellows; 3-years minimum teaching experience
• Teachers who model the best pedagogical strategies for Fellows to emulate
• Teacher-leaders who have the respect of their fellow professionals
• Strong desire to be an active participant in the partnership
• Elementary level teachers must demonstrate a specific interest in expanding science content knowledge to include the oceans
• S econdary level science teachers must be certified and demonstrate a strong motivation to expand their content knowledge about the Oceans
• Commitment to the scheduling requirements of the program
• Willingness to self-evaluate teaching effectiveness
• Enthusiastic support of school principal and other host-site administrators

Teacher Mentors are required to participate in the following activities

10-days of Summer Professional Development + 2 Planning days

• Setting the Stage' teambuilding and Doing Science via an Ocean Immersion experience
• Ocean Inquiries' field and lab-based Learning Experiences
• Ocean Survey' of how ocean science concepts align with standards & other connections
• Sneak Preview' ocean learning in action via Oceanography Camp for Girls

School-based Action Plan (2 hours/weekly)

• Weekly dialogue with Graduate Fellow who is available on-site for 10 hours/week •  Provide mentoring and teaching expertise to Fellow
• Facilitate Fellow's contribution as a science resource in classroom
• Identify science needs for classroom, including purchase of science resources via GK12 grant monies
• Inform development and implementation of Fellow's ocean science modules
• Evaluate modules effectiveness in classroom
• Provide ‘GK-12 Sharing Workshops' for teachers @ host school and @ district level

On-going

• Participate in all aspects of program evaluation and two “All Hands” meetings
• Submit monthly reflective journals via Blackboard site

Anticipated Benefits to GK-12 Teachers

• Increase science content knowledge and connections related to ocean science
• Expand confidence in the integration of science standards and technology
• Experience inquiry-based lessons, field experiences, and research projects
• Gain experience in an authentic scientific inquiry
• Develop skills in self-evaluation and how to improve teaching effectiveness
• Assess a pool of inquiry-based resources and learn how to evaluate
• Exchange of knowledge between locally accessible scientists and teachers
• Self-efficacy as a valuable mentor and teaching resource for science graduate students