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Information for Volunteers - Pathways

Become a part of this National Institutes of Health funded program and work with a San Francisco high school teacher and one other UCSF scientist to promote students’ access to and engagement in science learning - especially those students who are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences.

Why participate? Key outcomes

Pathways….

  • allows scientists to develop sustained relationships with high school students and serve as positive science role models
  • helps scientists inspire students’ interest in science by creating experiences that relate modern biology and its real life applications to students' lives
  • creates the opportunity for scientists to develop and practice their lesson planning and science teaching skills

Benefits

  • $1500 stipend for completion of the Pathways program
  • Year-long partnership provides the opportunity to work closely with a high school science teacher and another UCSF scientist and function as each other's mentors
  • Support in lesson plan design and teaching through feedback and coaching by SEP staff

Program details

  • Teacher-scientist teams meet at a full day program orientation in the fall, learn about the program structures and goals and start planning out their year.
  • Scientists will participate in the Teaching Workshops For Scientists, a 3x3 hour workshop series about science teaching pedagogy.
  • Teachers and scientists are jointly responsible for planning and conducting 6-10 lessons in the teacher's classroom for his/her participating biology/biotechnology/health/physiology course sections between October 2011 and May 2012. The number of Pathways lessons will depend on how many class sections the lessons will be implemented in, but should not exceed 30-40 hours of classroom time for the scientist volunteers.
  • Team members will conduct a planning meeting prior to each classroom lesson and each planning meeting will also include time to debrief prior classroom lessons. Pathways staff will attend some planning/debrief meetings and classroom lessons over the course of the school year and share teaching strategies.
  • At a mid-program check-in meeting in early spring, partnership teams spend a day together, sharing lessons they developed with each other and gain insights into successful student engagement strategies and science learning opportunities.
  • Teams will reflect on the program experience and outcomes at an end-of-program session at the end of the school year.

Interested?

Download application here.


Questions?

Contact Sabine Jeske: 415-476-3756, sabine.jeske@ucsf.edu or
Ben Koo: 415-502-6689, ben.koo@ucsf.edu

Applications are due by September 12th, 2011.