Summer Education Internship Program

Abstract

Abstract K-12 school teachers in general lack formal instruction and classroom training to teach STEM courses. Research also, indicates that most K-12 teachers are normally required to complete only minimal coursework in science and mathematics, which constrains their knowledge, ability, and confidence for teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) content. Furthermore, K-12 teachers, like much of the general public, have inadequate comprehension about the relationship between STEM concepts and engineering fields and the kind of work and collective contributions made by engineers. Yet, K-12 school is a critical time in which students develop foundational understanding of STEM concepts, career options, and critical thinking learning skills. To address the aforementioned issues XXX State University and YYY Technical College in collaboration with NASA developed four week Summer Educational Internship Program for Math and Engineering Technology rising sophomore students to prepare them for two week teaching experience with students in grades 6-12. Fifteen (12 from XXX and 3 from YYY) students were selected to participate in the Summer Educational Internship Program (SEIP) and was offered a stipend of $1000. Several instructional models were explored for teaching mathematics and engineering at grades 6-12 levels. Summer educational internship program was divided into three different phases. In phase I students attended a week course offered by NASA which provided them with hands on activities that can be integrated in teaching of STEM from 6-12 grades, in phase II summer interns were given assistance on teaching methodologies and in phase III summer interns were involved in teaching students from 6-12 grades. This paper will describe all three phases of summer educational internship program to enhance the interest of summer interns in STEM disciplines.