Teachers in Industry

Bruce Johnson, The University of Arizona

Program Description

Teachers in Industry is a partnership between the University of Arizona College of Education, Tucson Values Teachers, Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and more than 40 industry partners along with Arizona school districts, schools, and teachers. We offer teachers a combination of paid summer work experiences in Arizona businesses and industries and intensive coursework leading to either professional development credits or a master's degree focused on STEM education. The purposes of Teachers in Industry are to 1) increase teacher retention rates and 2) to equip teachers with experiences needed to prepare their students for the 21st century workforce.

Program Purpose

1) The high rate of attrition among STEM teachers.
2) The lack of student understanding of STEM careers.
3) The lack of the lack of teacher knowledge of how STEM is used in the workplace.

We have found that providing teachers well-paid summer work experiences combined with coursework or a full Master's program focused on identifying STEM practices in the workplace and bring them into the classroom leads to more relevant, project-based teaching in the teachers' classrooms and greatly improved teacher retention.

Program Goals

1) Retain STEM teachers at a much higher rate.
2) Positively change middle and high school students' awareness of STEM & STEM careers.
3) Increase the use of 21st century skills in middle and high school STEM classes.

Program Activities

Notes and Tips

Evidence of Success

1) Over 95% of participating teachers are still in the profession.
2) Teachers have increased the use of problem-solving, open-ended, group work and discovery learning in their classes.
3) The teachers' students have increased their understanding of and attitudes toward STEM careers.
4) Students' perceptions of their teachers' knowledge of STEM also increased.

Future Work

References and Accessory Materials

http://teachersinindustry.arizona.edu