Research Experiences for Teachers (RET)

This exciting fully online summer program gives K-12 and informal STEM educators from across the country the chance to learn how to incorporate culturally responsive teaching and anti-racist strategies into their STEM lesson plans while learning more about biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics research at the MagLab.

The MagLab is a National Science Foundation funded facility that houses interdisciplinary research with both in-house staff as well as users who are making breakthroughs in STEM. Because of COVID-19, our 2021 summer program will be completely online. This year’s program will help accepted applicants to learn how to incorporate culturally responsive teaching and anti-racism strategies into their STEM lessons and curriculum through weekly meetings with pedagogical experts and scientists and engineers at the MagLab who are experts in both STEM research and translating this research to diverse audiences. Educators should arrive with a lesson or curriculum in mind and be prepared to work with our pedagogical and STEM experts to infuse their choice with authentic STEM research that speaks to the culture of your students. The goal of the program is for educators to update their lesson plan/curriculum to utilize in their classrooms during the 2021-2022 school year.

The program will run for 8-weeks beginning on June 14^th and ending on August 6^th. Accepted applicants will meet regularly via Zoom two days a week: Tuesdays 4 pm – 6 pm and Thursdays 4 pm – 5:30 pm. Tuesdays will focus on culturally responsive teaching and anti-racism pedagogy as it relates to STEM teaching. Thursdays will include presentations and Q&A sessions with scientists and engineers at the MagLab from various disciplines including: physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, and materials science. Educators will work in small groups to provide feedback on each other’s lesson plans. There will also be weekly journal prompts and asynchronous activities that will supplement the zoom sessions. The program will culminate with each educator presenting their updated lesson plan/curriculum to the group.

Each teacher accepted by the program receives a $3,600 stipend paid at the conclusion of the program. We are looking for highly motivated teachers who plan to take the lessons that they learn in the RET program and translate that knowledge to their students so that we can build a more diverse STEM workforce.

Applications

The application for the 2021 program has closed. The 2022 application will open in January.

This is a competitive program and not all applicants can be accepted. Notifications of your acceptance into the program will be emailed during the week of May 3^rd. All participants must be able to participate in the live zoom sessions, so please plan your schedule accordingly in order to fully participate in the program.

For more information contact Roxanne Hughes, Ph.D.