National Science Foundation 2007 Summer Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site
"Civil Infrastructure Renewal and Rehabilitation"

GOALS, EXPERIENCES PROVIDED, AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Goals of the RET Site are three fold:

• We expect to educate, cultivate, and facilitate 7th to 12th grade science and mathematics teachers by exploring the scientific method of inquiry and the critical research skills that engineers use to solve open-ended real-world problems.
• The teachers participating in the RET Site are expected to become role models by applying their research experiences in their classrooms and in working with colleagues.
• The teachers' new skills will enable 7th to 12th grade students to directly link their education to events and issues occurring within their community and encourage them to become effective citizens in a technology-driven society.

RET experience includes:

• Three teachers working as a team on one project for six summer weeks. A Faculty Mentor and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) will guide each research team on daily basis.
• Teachers taking four one-credit hour professional development seminars taught by education and engineering faculty members and practicing engineers.
• Teachers participating in four field trips.
• Teachers working with a team of five engineering NSF GK-12 Fellows on developing lesson plans before finishing the RET summer experience.
• Upon returning, the teachers will prepare at least one paper for presentation at a regional/national education conference, and implement their experience in at least one course taught by them during the next year.
• The RET results will be disseminated to other K-12 teachers through a dedicated Website.

Summer RET duties are outlined below. These activities are spread across the six summer weeks, working 40 hours per week (8:00 to 5:00 a.m.), 20 hours per week devoted to research (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon), and 20 hours per week (1:00 to 5:00 p.m.) devoted to professional development activities. More specifically:

• In each team, one teacher will act as team leader on a weekly rotating basis.
• Each teacher will be responsible for reflecting on daily activities in an e-log book using Blackboard®.
• Every morning at 8:00 a.m. the research Faculty Mentor and/or GRA will hold a meeting of their team in which the team leader will present the work planned for the day and any problems encountered.
• On the third day each team will present their goals and objectives, research tasks, and time schedule for their project.
• Second through fifth weeks will be devoted to research and related lesson plan development.
• Every alternate Friday afternoon will be devoted to bi-weekly presentations. Each team will submit a written report and give a Power Point presentation in which each teacher participates in some capacity. Report and presentation will include the progress made on the research project and development of Post-RET activities.
• The sixth week will be devoted to wrapping-up the project and preparing final presentations.
• Attend and complete the requirements for the 1) Learning by Inquiry, 2) Evaluating Authentic Learning and Assessment, and 3) Engineering Profession Seminar Series.
• On the last day each team will submit a typed Technical Research Report, a Lesson Plan from research pursued, and a Display Poster documenting Post-RET activities planned.
• On the last day a Symposium will be organized by teachers: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon teachers will display their posters; and from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. each RET team will give a 20-minute Power Point presentation with 10-minute Q&A session for 1) Research Project and 2) Lesson Plan. Feedback on the presentations will be provided by an external panel of judges.
• Teachers will participate in pre-RET and end-of-RET evaluations.

Post RET duties:

• Implement the Lesson Plan developed during the Summer RET Site and assess its impact on student learning as set by the RET Evaluation Team.
• Participate in post-RET focus group meetings for one year and complete teacher assessment surveys set by the RET Evaluation Team for 5 years.
• Oversee grant evaluation activities for their classroom, i.e., obtaining informed consents/assents from students and parents, and student instruments such as math and science attitude surveys and subject preference inventories.
• After summer, each RET team will write and present at least one paper at professional meetings and conferences. Reasonable travel funds from one team member to present the paper will be provided.
• Six RET participants will be given an opportunity to participate in a Post-RET "Teacher Leader" Program for which they can earn an additional 3 cr. hrs. At the end of the RET Site the teachers can apply for this opportunity. To participate they will be required to conduct a workshop for 15-20 teachers in their school district for 4 Saturdays, meeting 5 hours/day, to disseminate professional and research experiences gained during the RET Site. Results of the Workshop will need to be documented and submitted to the RET Project Team.