Science teachers became science students recently at The University of Toledo.
Twenty master teaching fellows participated in a weeklong summer institute to hone their skills and discuss how to best apply them with their students across Ohio and Kentucky.
Emily Dodson Snowden, a master teaching fellow in a UToledo-led initiative supporting middle and high school science teachers in high-need districts in Ohio and Kentucky, uses the iNaturalist app to identify an insect during a weeklong summer institute at UToledo.
Each educator is participating in a broader five-year initiative designed to support sixth through 12th grade science teachers with research-based teacher and leadership professional development. By focusing on high-need urban and rural districts and exploring the unique challenges teachers experience in these environments, the initiative takes aim at a barrier to the recruitment and retention of high-quality science teachers.
The National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship Program funded the initiative with $2.3 million in 2024.
It’s led by Dr. Natasha Johnson, assistant professor of teacher education, with Dr. Jonathan Bossenbroek, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences; Dr. Kevin Czajkowski; Distinguished University Professor of geography; and Dr. Kim Zeidler-Watters, executive director of the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform based in Lexington, Kentucky.
While the master teaching fellows have been engaged in the initiative for about a year, the summer institute was the first opportunity for the full cohort to meet in person.
It ran from Monday, June 16, through Friday, June 20.
“Community is key to this initiative,” Johnson said. “This summer institute was a valuable opportunity for our master teaching fellows to share their experiences and learn from each other as well as from our mentors. We’re looking forward to continued collaboration as we enter the second year of this exciting initiative.”
