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Colorado STEM Teacher Preparation Symposium 2014

Xilinx Summit Retreat, Longmont, CO December 11, 2014

Support for this symposium was provided by Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, a program of the Gill Foundation; University of Northern Colorado, Xilinx, Inc;, Colorado Science Education Network (CSEN); and the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley School District.

This symposium was provided in partnership with the Colorado Science Education Network (CSEN). Over 100 participants attended this symposium.  Participants represented 1) STEM teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities; 2) school districts and BOCES involved with alternative licensure programs for STEM teachers; 3) state agencies involved with teacher preparation and licensure; 4) legislators concerned with education, teacher quality, and economic growth of Colorado; and, 5) non-profit organizations involved with addressing the concerns of STEM workforce demands in Colorado.

At the 2013 Colorado STEM Teacher Preparation Symposium we discussed working definitions of STEM and described what pre-service STEM teachers should know to support learning in K-12 classrooms.  To contextualize these definitions and descriptions, the 2014 Colorado STEM Teacher Preparation Symposium provided opportunities for K-12 schools and STEM teacher preparation program partners to describe their work.  Through panel discussions and poster presentations, partners addressed the following questions:   How is STEM defined by different stakeholders?, What does STEM teaching and learning look like  in the K-12 schools?, What are some of the successes and challenges?,  What experiences do STEM pre-service  teachers need to be successful in these K-12 STEM programs?.

Dr. Rodger Bybee provided the keynote presentation, NGSS and STEM: Limits and Possibilities. Andrea Salazar-Morgan and Stephanie Berry of Colorado School of Mines provided the second keynote presentation, Recruitment and Retention in STEM: Working with Under-represented Populations.

The organizers of this event are very thankful to the staff of Xlinix in Longmont, Colorado for donating their retreat for this symposium.

Report of the 2014 Colorado STEM Teacher Preparation Symposium

2014 Symposium Agenda

2014 Symposium Participants

2014 Bybee Presentation

2014 Colorado's STEM Teacher Preparation Programs, Abstracts

For additional information, please contact Lori Reinsvold, 970.351.1280, or lori.reinsvold@unco.edu