College Students as Science Mentors in K-5 Classrooms

This four-year program trains and mentors Dartmouth students in techniques of science inquiry instruction and provides them with opportunities for teaching grades 3-5 in a rural school district. The project intent is to introduce Dartmouth students to methodologies of science instruction, improve their capacity and interest in science teaching, and expand the resources available for quality science education in local schools. Eighteen undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral level students from Dartmouth were selected from a pool of approximately 80 applicants for the 2007 (first year) cadre. Evaluation reports of the Dartmouth student experience (details below) indicate the program dramatically increased their enthusiasm for teaching science and their deeper appreciation for the challenges of developing effective pedagogic strategies. Roger Sloboda Greg DeFrancis Project Principals: Scientific P.I.: Roger Sloboda Professor of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College. Roger.D.Sloboda@Dartmouth.EDU Outreach P.I.: Gregory DeFrancis Director of Education, Montshire Museum of Science greg.defrancis@montshire.org Project dates: 9/1/06 - 8/31/10 Program funding Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant Recipient: Dartmouth College Outreach budget: Sub-award to Montshire Museum of $200,000 over 4 year period Related materials: Assessment report on impact of program on Dartmouth students by Dr. Jane Korey - Korey-HHMI-report.pdf [104k] Year Three Evaluation Report by Dr. Jane Korey - Science-Camp-Report-2009_final.pdf [1.3mB] For project information, contact either project P.I.   These photos were taken at several schools in the Rivendell School District in 2007 during a six-week science camp developed by Montshire educators and taught by Dartmouth students.