The Teaching Experiences for Undergraduates (TEU) program
is a seven-week immersive summer experience in secondary science education at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, funded by the National Science Foundation. TEU participants earn a generous stipend, take a 60-hour course in science pedagogy, and apply what they’re learning to teaching urban high school students under the supervision of a master teacher-mentor.

If you are committed to a career in secondary education or seriously interested in exploring the possibility of such a career, apply now.

For info and to apply: TEU.vassar.edu
Application deadline: February 28, 2021
Acceptances announced: March 15, 2021
Program start date: May 31, 2021 (Subject to change of up to a week)

TEU participants receive:

A generous stipend
Travel expenses
Room and food allowance
Books and course materials
Option to earn credit for pedagogy course
Funding to attend national or regional conference on STEM education

TEU participants complete:

A science pedagogy course
A teaching practicum under the supervision of a mentor
A post-summer science education leadership project at home institution

TEU applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Pedagogy Course

The equivalent of at least a semester-long course, the science pedagogy course is taught by the TEU summer director of science. This course introduces basic principles and best classroom practices for effective classroom teaching of secondary science. Specific areas of focus include: unit and lesson planning; preparation of laboratory exercises and laboratory safety; active learning in science; formative assessment with a focus on individual students; implementation and integration of technology in science classrooms; Next Generation Science Standards for Practice; and the development of scientific habits of mind and literacy in students. Assignments for the course include daily readings, weekly reflections, an end-of-course self- assessment, and a closing conference.

Participants have the option of earning Trinity College credit for the pedagogy course.

Practicum

During weeks three through six, participants work in teams of three, to teach a science class of their own design. The high school students in these classes are from the Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA), a partnership between a public high school in Hartford and Trinity College. Trinity and HMTCA have an established and innovative early college program that includes a required two-week summer science enrichment class for rising sophomores.

All HMTCA students engage in an authentic research project. Each classroom group takes responsibility for small parts of a bigger research project, does the field work required for the project, and presents the results at the end of the summer session. Beyond this collaborative research project, the teams of TEU participants are free to plan additional experiments and other activities according to their interests and the students’ needs. A local master teacher closely supervises each teaching team. The mentor monitors each class, provides feedback, and contributes professional expertise in classroom management techniques and lesson design. Each team debriefs daily with their mentor.

The Trinity TEU may also include a few special speakers (a young professional forensic scientist who herself attended HMTCA has been a popular speaker each year) especially focused on careers in science.