No abstract

Dr. Carlson worked as a water resources engineer for 10 years prior to earning her doctorate, contributing to improved water management in communities within the United States, Middle East, and Singapore. She has been a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) since 2002. Dr. Carlson's research interests are broadly characterized as 'how civil engineering impacts public health', and include storm water management, modeling environment/engineering/social interfaces, combined sewer overflows, and improved communication and education of engineering concepts. Dr. Anne Pfitzner Gatling, Merrimack College I taught for 10 years as an elementary teacher in Alaska. I won the Presidential Award for Science Teaching, was an Einstein Fellow in Senator Lieberman's office where I worked on the teacher quality portion of the Higher Education Reauthorization. Now as a professor, I have been the co-director of the STEM Education program for Early Childhood and Elementary Majors for 8 years.

No abstract

This chapter describes a teacher preparation model incorporating a STEM focused, technology enhanced course and field experiences for preservice teachers. This field-based science method course supports and engages preservice teachers in creating and implementing lessons for early childhood and elementary students enrolled in an afterschool STEM Enrichment Program offered in a diverse urban elementary school. Technology is woven throughout the model, supporting preservice teachers as they build their content knowledge, and research effective practices to teach and assess their students. This model also helps to address the need to enhance STEM instruction in schools and inspire preservice teachers to engage their students in the STEM learning process. Findings from the model's implementation indicates a positive impact on the preservice teachers' understanding of science content and standards, on their pedagogical practices to design STEM lessons based on the revealed understandings of students' knowledge, and on the development of their professional identities.

No abstract