NURTURES differs dramatically from other teacher professional development programs because it creates a strong partnership among educators, parents, and communities. By educating parents/guardians how to support their child’s STEM learning, NURTURES provides a lasting mechanism to support STEM learning across a child’s lifetime.
NURTURES professional development (PD) simultaneously targets young children’s teachers and families/caregivers in an effort to build both parties’ capacity to promote student interest in STEM learning, with the goals of:
Designed to introduce or expand teacher experience with inquiry-based science in the PreK-3rd classroom, NURTURES teacher professional development aims to increase teacher knowledge and skills to design and implement engaging, child-relevant 3D science and engineering inquiry lessons and experiences with confidence.
Program Participants learn about:
Metacognition – Combining curated content with engaging discussion to promote deep thinking & reflective discussions about teaching & learning
Learning Architecture – Supporting collaborative planning experiences in which participants create units of instruction with peers
Inquiry – Engaging participants in 3D Inquiry through designed lesson experiences and purposeful reflection on teaching and learning
Institutes consist of +60 hours of content and facilitated interactions, historically held over two weeks in the summer or ten weeks in the fall.
* NURTURES Institute content is aligned with the concept of Three Dimensional Learning set forth in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
During the Institute, teachers begin collaboratively developing lessons & materials to support a unit of science & engineering instruction relevant to their classrooms. This work continues into the PLCs with lesson plan design and classroom implementation.
NURTURES PLCs utilize a plan-try-feedback progression that supports and enriches teacher’s use of 3D and Inquiry-based science practices in the classroom. Participants teach their collaboratively developed lessons, share classroom experiences, then give and receive peer and facilitator feedback during the PLC process.
NURTURES Family Engagement materials are designed with scaffolds to support and engage families through inquiry-based science practices. Parents and caregivers are provided with ways to use inquiry practices with children to promote deeper thinking and foster interest in science and engineering.
Each teacher is provided with materials for their classroom families and guidance on implementing Family Packs and Family Events. NURTURES teachers, through their use and facilitation of these elements, are able to educate parents/guardians on a host high-leverage practices that will engage student thinking and learning.