About the STEM TC

STEM TC is an interdisciplinary effort across the University to coordinate and enhance our capacity to strengthen the STEM pipeline, with the primary goal of increasing K-­12 teachers’ expertise in computing, engineering and technology and extending the impact of excellent STEM teachers to more students throughout the state. “We’re excited to establish the STEM TC so we can work collaboratively across UNH and with teachers across our state” says Ruth Varner, Director of the Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education.

As part of our commitment to the 100Kin10 network, we will provide more formal learning opportunities for practicing K-­‐12 teachers to deepen their knowledge in STEM education. Key activities include:

• Increasing graduate-level STEM opportunities for practicing teachers to deepen their knowledge in STEM education. This will be accomplished by creating additional courses in computing and technology integration and by adding graduate degree options in STEM and other areas of critical teacher shortage for the state of NH.
• Improving accessibility for more teachers across the state by developing on-­‐line graduate courses in technology integration and more accessible online master's degree options in STEM, including options to concentrate degree electives toward a STEM-focused graduate certificate (i.e., Computing Education, Technology Integration, and STEM Education-­‐Math or STEM Education-­‐Science). These certificates will include a research experience. We will also target a NH area of critical teacher shortage by supporting teachers seeking to extend certification for the Education Technology Integrator endorsement.
• Providing more STEM learning opportunities for both teachers and students, with a particular focus on technology integration, computational thinking, and engineering design will allow teachers to integrate these concepts and skills in their teaching. STEM professional development programs take place in a variety of hands-­‐on settings in the community, summer camps, the STEM Discovery Lab, and in research experiences at UNH with STEM faculty. We will take teachers out of their classrooms to experience applied learning to later bring back to their teaching. Many of these opportunities include K12 students where teachers can observe, try out new skills with the students, and be mentored by STEM experts. The result will be enhanced professional development curricula, real-­‐world research experiences for teachers, and professional support during classroom implementation, all of which will help us meet the goal of retention and enhanced capacity of excellent STEM teachers.
• Hosting an annual statewide forum for STEM teachers on professional development topics teachers identify as timely (e.g., innovative practices, student learning, NGSS, common core, etc.).
• Developing a single web portal for STEM teachers that will serve as an information gateway for research-­‐based, best-­‐practices in STEM teaching and learning.

For more information on the UNH STEM Teachers' Collaborative, email stem.teachers.collaborative@unh.edu