Professors at USF St. Petersburg’s College of Education are building the foundation for a new master’s degree aimed at helping teachers trained in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) better connect with culturally diverse students.
Their efforts were recently rewarded with a $75,000 National Science Foundation Noyce grant, which they will use to identify the curriculum necessary to develop a one-year Masters of Arts degree in Culturally Responsive STEM Instruction in grades 6-12.
Once the one-year exploration period is complete, additional grant money will be sought to implement the degree at USF St. Petersburg, said David Rosengrant, an Associate Professor of STEM education and the principal investigator for the grant.
“Our goal is to develop a program that results in a mindshift for future STEM educators to refute deficit thinking and see cultural, language and identity differences as an asset,” said Rosengrant.
The program will focus on preparing teachers for classrooms in Pinellas County, which is racially, ethnically and culturally diverse. The county also has a demonstrated need for more teachers trained in STEM subjects. Of the 493 STEM teachers hired in Pinellas between 2014 and 2018, more than 200 are teaching a subject that is out of their field, Rosengrant said. Other teachers burn out and leave the industry, he added.
The proposed Master’s degree in Culturally Responsive STEM Instruction would address the high teacher turnover rates in schools with the fewest resources by supporting teachers who are developing the skills necessary to make learning accessible to all students.
Culturally responsive teaching is a practice that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references into all aspects of learning. To become culturally responsive, teachers and students must acknowledge the differences and similarities between individuals and groups. Other characteristics include cooperative and small group settings, music and movement and collaboration and student talk.
One of the key aspects of the program will be looking beyond well-known figures such as Albert Einstein and Ernesto Fermi to identify STEM pioneers who have made significant contributions to the field but have been traditionally overlooked, Rosengrant said.
“Once you start exploring, you uncover this rich history of women and minorities and their involvement in STEM,” he said. “That modifies the way that you teach these subjects.”
Other members of the USF St. Petersburg team developing the program are Karina Hensberry, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education; AnnMarie Gunn, Assistant Professor of Education; and James Ivey, Assistant Professor of Environment and Policy.
It’s another example of the College of Education’s commitment to helping teachers incorporate STEM into their training. In 2018, the College opened a state-of-the-art STEM Inquiry lab to allow aspiring educators and current faculty to infuse the latest in STEM technology into their teaching methods.
Another goal is to encourage women and people of color, who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM, to pursue the field. The new master’s degree would target that issue by helping to recruit more culturally diverse teachers.
“The current STEM teacher workforce doesn’t reflect the population they are serving,” said Rosengrant. “If students don’t have role models that look like them, they won’t have the desire to continue in the field. We’re here to say that STEM is for everyone.”