PhysTEC

Cornell University Project Report 2009

Induction & Mentoring

Successes

  • The TIR was the University Supervisor (US) of one physics/math student teacher this semester. He supervised the physics placement, and co-supervised the math placement.

Challenges

  • Too few physics education students in the pipeline when our project began.
  • We have 2 Noyce scholars and six UTAs enrolled in Education department courses.  Converting these students into CTE program graduates remains a significant challenge. There are no other physics teachers currently fully in the CTE pipeline, and the overall visibility of the CTE program with undergraduates remains low.  The fiscal crisis – and its impact on the state-funded Education Department – is further complicating our efforts.  But it is also making high school teaching careers more attractive to our undergraduates.

Lessons Learned 

  • The TIR provides a helpful voice of experience to pre-service teachers that is complementary to that of Education faculty.  

Activities

  • The TIR attended all lectures and actively participated in Cornell Teacher Education's TED 404 and 405 - Learning and Teaching I and II. 
  • The TIR assisted 5 Masters of Arts in Teaching candidates with projects in Physics/Physical Science.