First Year Odyssey seminar introduces STEM majors to the teaching profession
A new First Year Odyssey (FYO) seminar from the Mary Frances Early College of Education brings prospective science teachers straight to the source: science classrooms at Clarke Central High School.
Fourteen University of Georgia students meet once a week at Clarke Central to learn background information on teaching and observe STEM teachers in action, to create a pipeline of teacher candidates into the College of Education who will go on to teach science in the Clarke County School District and beyond.
The seminar is co-taught by Kevin Burke, a professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education, and Julie Luft, Athletic Association Professor of Science Education and Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education.
Across eight weeks, the UGA students—mostly non-education majors majoring in STEM disciplines—come to class having read an education-focused reading and ready to observe a STEM class offered at the high school level. Classes they observed so far include astronomy, biology, entomology, environmental science, and zoology.
“The teachers are really generous just to let us be in there, because we’re not necessarily like student teachers—we’re kind of floaters, and the students are only there for about eight weeks,” Burke said. “But it’s really to get them reading about what expectations for good STEM teaching are, then observing some really strong STEM teaching from what we’ve found, from what they’ve said, and then debriefing those conversations.”
Preparing to adapt
Katie Green, a science instructional coach at Clarke Central, coordinates classroom visits for the seminar. She said that the course’s hour-long classroom observation, compared to the short visits she typically makes, allows the UGA students to provide substantial feedback that she can share with teachers.
“For these kids to have sat in there for an hour, they’re getting some meaty feedback that I’m not being able to get as well by stopping in for 10 minutes,” Green said.
After observing a class, the UGA students meet with Luft and Burke to discuss their expectations, things they found interesting, and things they wondered about. In the second half of the course, students will begin meeting with Clarke County students and teachers to hear their perspectives.
Lizzy Rebber, a first-year psychology major, was drawn to the FYO course because of the impact prior STEM courses and teachers made in her education. After observing two zoology classes at Clarke Central, one lecture and one lab, she said that the experience highlighted the teacher’s passion for the subject and working with students.
“He was very passionate about his area of study, and you could tell that all the students really valued that course because of that, and he had a really good relationship with the students because of that interaction and passion,” Rebber said.
Rebber is interested in pursuing teaching further in her career and said that going into the FYO course, she knew that creating lesson plans required a lot of effort. However, observing classes at Clarke Central showed her how much preparation goes into teaching a science class and how adaptable teachers are.
“In their lesson plan, they might have one idea of how something might go, but each class may react differently to that lesson plan or that activity or that lab,” Rebber said. “They have to be able to cater to so many different kids’ learning styles so that they can truly understand the concepts being taught.”
Her experience aligns with one of Luft’s goals for the course: for students to gain an understanding of the complexity of teaching.
“Teachers just don’t do things ad hoc, right? They’re working toward some piece, and I think that’s been really good for them to see,” Luft said. “My simple goal is for them to have an appreciation for the brilliance of teachers.”