This study of a state‐funded, 3‐year implementation of an integrated STEM professional development (PD) program for teachers from two middle schools in the midwestern U.S. examined if participants in the PD were enabled to transform their practice and perceptions of STEM. An integrated STEM approach includes a focus on the STEM disciplines, along with leveraging social studies/history and English/language arts as important context and tools for solving society’s biggest challenges. Findings in this study indicated that teachers implemented more effective STEM teaching strategies and had more positive perceptions regarding STEM overall. Further, participants became more aware of their personal needs for resources and support to teach through integrated STEM. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Natural enemies of insect pests of annual crops have been hypothesized either to lag, or alternatively not to lag, behind their prey in dispersing to and colonizing new habitat. We examined parasitoid dispersal and parasitism of the cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus [L.]; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by the host-specific wasp Tetrastichus julis [Walker] (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in wheat fields of northern Utah to assess whether a colonization lag occurred. Equally high rates of parasitism of beetle larvae (including second instars early in the year) occurred in 2010 and 2011 in fields that were newly planted to wheat vs. in fields where wheat had been grown also the previous year. A caging experiment demonstrated that parasitism in these newly planted wheat fields did not arise from parasitoid adults that had matured within the fields; instead, upon emerging in other fields, parasitoid females dispersed a minimum of 100-250 m to parasitize beetle larvae early in the spring in the newly planted fields. A transect study in 2012 revealed that T. julis females dispersed rapidly at least 600 m into a newly planted wheat field to parasitize most of the early maturing beetle larvae, which occurred at very low density. Thus, the parasitoid has very strong ability to match its host in dispersal over long distances across a highly disturbed agricultural landscape, and colonization lag appears of little importance in affecting biological control associated with this host-parasitoid interaction.
rban food deserts, built environments and technology advancements (e.g., smart phones and computers) contribute to poorer diets and less physical activity, which tend to increase risks for childhood obesity (Brody 2002). Poor diet quality disproportionately affects our poorest children and ethnic minorities (Hiza et al. 2013;Kirkpatrick et al. 2012). Further, students' academic achievement is directly linked to their nutrition status and health (Glewwe et al. 2001), which includes a healthy mind and a belief in the capability to organize and execute a successful course of healthful action, known as self-efficacy (Bandura 1997). Self-efficacy instigates the adoption, initiation and maintenance of health-promoting behaviors
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Teens-as-teachers nutrition program increases interest in science among schoolchildren and fosters self-efficacy in teensAn after-school nutrition program increased children's preferences for gardening, cooking and science, and teen teachers reported an increase in health self-efficacy.
This study examined the ability of Transformative Professional Development (TPD) to transform science teacher quality and associated impact on science achievement, including particular focus on English Language Learners (ELL). TPD was implemented in a large, low-performing, urban district in the southwest with predominantly Latino ELL populations. Findings revealed TPD enabled significant growth in teacher quality and participants in TPD experienced gains in student science achievement on state assessments. Most importantly, ELL student achievement in science Grades 4 to 8 was improved. Challenges to implementation of TPD are discussed along with implications for future research.
School gardens are an ideal space to deliver a healthy living curriculum, such as nutrition and physical activity education, to elementary school youth. However, public schools often lack the resources and support to establish sustainable garden-based programming. We created the Healthy Living Ambassador program, a collaborative after-school garden program in low-income communities that brought together resources from schools, community programs, and University of California Cooperative Extension. This school garden program featured culturally competent teens as teachers to serve as near-peer educators and mentors to elementary school youth. The program development model incorporated lessons from sustainable community-based health program interventions and essential elements of teens-as-teachers programs. We share the program logic model and discuss the successes and challenges of this program model that we encountered while developing a long-term, maintainable community garden program to teach healthy living.
This study focused on intensive work within a large, urban, low‐performing middle school in the southwest to address and transform teacher beliefs regarding the role of culture within their science pedagogy. Given the recent, rapid growth of numbers of students from Hispanic/Latino(a) backgrounds in the United States, it is critical that a paradigm shift takes place within schools and existing beliefs of science teachers to address the needs of a much changed classroom. This study details the journey of middle‐school teachers who were provided support and experiences targeted at addressing their existing beliefs regarding the role of culture and the growth and change that were achieved through a science education reform effort. Implications for further research will be discussed, including the need for attention to beliefs regarding culture are shared.
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