How It Works
The program begins with an in-person workshop hosted at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where teachers will be exposed to the latest STEM education curriculum and teaching methodologies. Applications for the first summer program will open in early 2024. As a pilot program to start, the initial cohort will be invited based on engagement with several Houston area schools.
With a travel stipend and at no cost to the teacher, Aggie STELLAR Fellows will travel to the Texas A&M University campus to participate in a two-week, intensive summer institute. During the two weeks, they will learn content knowledge related to gaps in their STEM knowledge, STEM pedagogical content knowledge, problem-based learning, and scientific and engineering principles. In addition, fellows will be able to tour lab facilities, learn from Texas A&M experts and have opportunities to engage in research.
Following the two-week workshop, Aggie STELLAR Fellows will invited to participate in monthly meetings to help build and extend the knowledge gained from the summer institute. Guest speakers, curriculum implementation and other topics will be offered.
Aggie STELLAR Fellows will have the opportunity to attend several STEM-focused professional development conferences. The program will support all fellows to attend the STEM4Innovation Virtual Conference and Texas Computer Education Association’s (TCEA) Virtual AI Conference. In addition, funding for attendance to one of the following conferences will be provided to each fellow: Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST), Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching (CAMT) or the Texas Computer Science Education Association’s annual conference.
They will be provided online support using the Texas A&M Continuing Education and Professional Development’s Canvas Learning Management System. The “course” will be a place for teachers to collaborate and post issues or successes they had with lessons. It will also allow key personnel a location to provide updates, activities and information for the fellows.