What is Expected of Graduate Fellows

Overall Goals, Eligibility, and Compensation of Fellows

• Develop an avocation for contributing to K-12 science education when they become professionals.
• Improve communication and teaching skills and mentorship.
• Role model for students.
• Increase teachers’ content knowledge and understanding of principles of science and math.
• Fellows in STEM - Typical science/technology/engineering/ mathematics student.
• Graduate Fellows must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents (student visa not allowed).
• Up to $30,000/yr ($2,500/month; including salary, fringe, and insurance) plus tuition for a minimum of 15 hours per week for a 10 or 12 month appointment (beginning in June or August, respectively).

Basic objectives (activities) related to the long term goals that will be assigned.             (Each Fellow will not perform all these tasks)

• Provide rural school teachers and students immediate access to enhanced science/math.
• Provide resources for both content and application of STEM to improve content taught.
• Provide mentor teachers with university contacts.
• Promote/help implement PEER curricula including state standard knowledge requirements (TEKS).
• Promote challenges and thrill of discovery.
• Interact in public school classrooms.
• Communicate with distant rural learning communities.
• Provide STEM resources, lesson plans, hands-on activities, and resource documents.
• Follow up on scientists’ visits of distant schools.
• Assist with evaluation of PEER curricula.
• Attend an NSF GK-12 Grantees Meeting.
• Bring resources to rural schools - communicate electronically.
• Selected Fellows to present at university symposia/student research week.
• Fellows help with teacher professional development - summer workshops; meet teachers in distant learning communities.
• Fellows help with regional science/engineering fairs.
• Fellows trained on inquiry-based strategies - problem solving and produce hands-on activities to relate to curriculum.
• Share interesting questions and solutions with other Fellows to transmit to other teachers.

Required Activities of Fellows

• All will attend an annual Fellow Training Workshop (tentatively set for August 4-8, 2008); those selecting a 12 month appointment will also participate in a two-week summer science and math camp.  (see "Fellows Training" below for details).
• Attend annual teacher summer workshop to meet mentor teachers (early summer) to plan for fall to customize and refine the role of the Fellows.
• Visit/be a resource in the schools (Fellows to spend a preponderance of 10 hours in the school each week with 4 hours prep time and a Fellows' meeting each week).
• Document their experiences for later evaluation and reporting at seminars through weekly online journals.
• Attend/participate in weekly planning meeting with Steering Committee members; share experiences, ideas, and resources and methods to overcome difficulties.
• Attend a retreat with Steering Committee once per year – Fellows’ presentation of experiences.
• Fellows summarize their activity that year for progress report (via Fast lane Annual Reports).

Fellows Training     Training for Fellows will be provided by the members of the Fellows-Training Task Force.  A series of modules will be taught by a mixture of lecture/discussion, videos, classroom observations, discussion groups, guest speakers, and video conferencing that will prepare Fellows to serve as resources for mentor teachers.  Topics will be taught in a summer institute so that primary preparation will occur before Fellows enter the assigned schools.  Topics to be taught include:

Psychology of the Adolescent- How do adolescents think and learn?

·         Principles of pedagogy

·         Differences between child (pedagogy) and adult (andragogy) learning

·         Types of motivation  (intrinsic vs. extrinsic)

Campus Culture- How do I fit into the campus environment?

·         Standards to follow as a “visitor”

·         Procedures for entering and exiting the school

·         Working effectively with administrators and support staff

·         Confidentiality of school and student records

Classroom Culture-  How do I enrich and enhance the existing classroom?

·         Characteristics of effective teachers

·         Setting the limits

·         Serving as a role model

·         Working effectively with classroom teachers and teacher aids

·         Working effectively with special needs students

·         Integrating your content specific experiences and knowledge into the classroom

State Standards-  What should students be learning in my specific content area?

·         Why are standards important?

·         Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards for subject areas

·         Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests for specific areas

·         Ensuring that standards are taught in the classroom

Teaching and Learning Resources- What exists for students and teachers to enhance the learning experience?

·         Web based materials

·         Textbook materials

·         Adopted materials

·         Making the most of your campus resources

Inquiry-Based Learning – How to teach by inquiry-based, problem-solving approaches.

          An inquiry based learning approach will be used with Fellows and promoted with the students in the classroom.  Basically, this approach uses problem-solving methods and encourages students to create their own knowledge rather than simply memorize facts.  It is characterized by interaction of the learner with outside components and encourages the learner to develop a context for knowledge related to how the content is organized, changes over time, and relates to other known knowledge.

List of Possible Faculty Mentors, but any TAMU faculty member can be mentors:

Typically, a given Fellow will be the full-time graduate student whose major professor is also a mentor in this program.  For the Honors Fellows, mentors will be designated according to mutual STEM interests of the Fellow and the faculty mentor. Science:  Larry Johnson (VIBS), Robert C. Burghardt (VIBS), Kirby C. Donnelly (SRPH), Vincent M. Cassone (BIOL), Rajesh C. Miranda (MANA), Ed Funkhouser (BICH), James R. Wild (BICH), Deborah T. Kochevar (VTPP), Ian R. Tizard (VTPB), Loren C. Skow (VIBS), Bhanu Chowdhary (VIBS), Louise C. Abbott (VIBS), Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni (VIBS), W. Les Dees (VIBS), Thomas H. Welsh, Jr. (VIBS), Nancy H. Ing (VIBS), W.R. Klemm (VIBS), Francois P. Gabbai (CHEM), Scott A. Senseman (AGRC), Andres de la Concha-Bermejillo (VTPB), James Womack (VTPB), H. Wayne Sampson (MANA), and Stephen H. Safe (VTPP). Mathematics:  Danate DeBlassie (MATH), G. Donald Allen (MATH), Richard E. Ewing (MATH), Raytcho Lazarov (MATH), Susan C. Geller (MATH/VIBS), Philip Yasskin (MATH), and Yalchin Efendiev (MATH). Technology:  Timothy D. Phillips (VIBS), Mark E. Westhusin (VTPP), Pete D. Teel (ENTO), and Marvin K. Harris (ENTO). Engineering:  Karan L. Watson (ELEN), Jyhwen Wang (ENTC), Dale Whittaker (AGEN), Mustafa Yavuz (MEEN), and Glen N. Williams (Computer Science Engineering). Educational Technology:  James Kracht (TLAC), James Lindner (AGED), Glen C. Shinn (AGED), Kim Dooley (AGED), Julie Harlin (AGED), and Chanda D. Elbert (AGED).

*Departmental Codes for STEM Faculty Mentor Participants:

AGED	Agricultural Education	EPSY	Educational Psychology
AGEN	Agricultural Engineering	MANA	Medical Anatomy
AGRO	Agronomy	MATH	Mathematics
BICH	Biochemistry	MEEN	Mechanical Engineering
BIOL	Biology	SRPH	Sch of Rural Public Health
CHEM	Chemistry	TLAC	Teaching, Learning and Culture
CHEN	Chemical Engineering	VIBS	Veterinary Intergrative Biosciences
ELEN	Electrical Engineering	VTPB	Veterinary Pathobiology
ENTC	Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution	VTPP	Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology
ENTO	Entomology

Annual Reports from Project Participants. All participants will summarize their activity that year for inclusion in Fast lane Annual Reports.