The Indiana University Division of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) has received a $50,000 gift from the Duke Energy Foundation in support of an outreach initiative to strengthen K-6 science teaching and learning in school districts throughout southeastern Indiana.
According to Dr. Kate Baird, interim head of the Division of Education at IUPUC, the funding will enable the university to develop and support a regional cohort of well-prepared K-6 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educators. The goal is to increase their content knowledge in STEM subjects and promote inquiry-based classroom teaching.
“The Division of Education will offer a five-day, intensive summer workshop for K-6 teachers to help them more fully explore STEM content and develop innovative teaching material they can use in their classrooms next fall,” Baird reported. “After completing the workshop, we hope attendees will return to their home districts and share their new knowledge and teaching materials with their colleagues.”
Baird said the university will begin the project by recruiting a cohort of approximately 30 teachers from elementary schools throughout the region to participate in a set of differentiated workshops designed to meet the needs of novice, experienced, and expert K-6 teachers.
The workshops will focus on state academic standards in STEM subjects, using inquiry-based teaching methods, and creating multi-day units of student-driven instruction. They will also assist the educators in modifying existing lessons to better reflect STEM standards and incorporating appropriate testing strategies in STEM courses.
Four follow-up sessions, two per semester, will be held during the school year to support the educators in implementing their new knowledge and sustaining it for improved student learning outcomes.
“This project is a good example of how IUPUC is working with community partners like Duke Energy to develop educational solutions that meet regional needs,” noted Dr. Marwan Wafa, IUPUC's vice chancellor and dean.
“By helping educators enhance the quality of STEM education at the K-6 level, it is more likely that high school graduates will be prepared to continue their education at the university level. Increasing the educational attainment of Hoosiers in this part of the state will result in more adults who are better equipped to meet the high-tech demands of a 21st-century workplace. We thank Duke Energy for supporting IUPUC’s work and making this project possible,” Wafa added.
“The electric generation and delivery systems of the future will require an ongoing stream of highly-trained workers who are well-grounded in science, technology, engineering, and math concepts,” said Chip Orben, Duke Energy Indiana southeast district manager. “Our investment today in STEM education for young students will pay off for our customers, our community, and our company for years to come.”
The grant is closely tied to the university’s “STEMporium” initiative, Wafa added, explaining that faculty and staff are seeking additional support for a mobile science, technology, engineering, and math lab housed in an RV that will travel throughout the region.
The university hopes to have the mobile STEMporium lab on the road in 2013.