The overall goal of this project is to support undergraduate elementary teacher candidates’ learning about science and equitable science teaching. We plan to achieve this goal by designing learning activities for elementary science methods courses that leverage successful practices from the prior work of the project team, including immersive learning, collaborative planning, and reflection. Activities include resources for equitable teaching, such as anti-deficit noticing and multicultural curriculum design. We have designed, implemented, and evaluated learning activities with two cohorts of teacher candidates across two universities: Ohio State University and Vanderbilt University. Materials from 2023 and 2024 courses are shared on this website in the “curriculum and resources” section.
This project is supported by the NSF IUSE:EHR program (Collaborative Research: Equitable Science Sensemaking: Helping Teacher Candidates Support Multiple Pathways for Learning, NSF # 2213127, 2213168, 2213257). The NSF IUSE:EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.