February 1, 2022 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
In this 90-minute webinar hosted by AAAS ARISE, we heard from two Noyce PIs about designing curriculum for teacher leaders and pre-service teachers.
First, Dr. Jeremy Zelkowski discussed curriculum design for a Noyce Track 3 Master Teacher Fellowship program. Planning a curricular design well in advance of a Noyce Track 3 submission requires careful attention to the sequencing, lengthy discussions with teachers and stakeholders, and most importantly, data collection and measures that will provide strong evidence of how the project will be meeting the goals and objectives of the project. This presentation discussed the steps our proposal took in the planning period as well as the early years of implementation. Tips and suggestions on developing a competitive Master Teacher Fellowship will be discussed.
Next, Dr. Paige Evans along with Jacqueline Ekeoba discussed the teachHOUSTON program at the University of Houston which is a secondary STEM teacher preparation program for STEM majors and degree holders. They highlighted how they transformed their coursework to become more culturally responsive and inquiry-based as a part of their NSF sponsored Noyce programs. They also discussed their culturally responsive and inquiry-based classroom management course.

Jeremy Zelkowski, Ph.D. -
Associate Professor of Secondary Mathematics Education, The University of Alabama
Dr. Jeremy Zelkowski is an Associate Professor of Secondary Mathematics Education at The University of Alabama. His research and teaching has focused on the development and measurement of preservice and in-service mathematics teaching practices, TPACK self-efficacy, and research on the effectiveness of program design. Since 2012, Dr. Zelkowski and his STEM education colleagues at The University of Alabama have secured external funding over $9M to support preservice and in-service teacher development projects. His early career research focused on policy related to the bridge from secondary mathematics to higher education.

Paige K. Evans, Ed.D. -
Co-Director, teachHOUSTON University of Houston
Dr. Paige K. Evans is a Co-Director and Clinical Professor for the teachHOUSTON program in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston (UH). Through this role, she teaches and oversees coursework in preservice STEM teacher education.
Dr. Evans has secured approximately 14 million in grant funding and serves as the PI/Co-PI on several federal grants with goals to broaden STEM participation and improve STEM literacy for all. She frequently publishes and presents on her research interests that include STEM teacher preparation, STEM education, and culturally responsive pedagogy. Dr. Evans is an American Physical Society Physics Teacher Education Coalition Fellow and recently served as the president of the UTeach STEM Educators Association. She received the UH Teaching Excellence Award, the UH Group Teaching Excellence Award, the UH Natural Sciences & Mathematics John. C. Butler Excellence in Teaching Award, the American Educational Research Association Narrative Inquiry Outstanding Publication Award, the American Physical Society for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education Award, and the Public Choice Award for the 2021 NSF STEM for all Video Showcase.
Prior to joining the UH faculty in 2008, she spent 18 years as a math/science educator and served in various leadership positions. She received her B.S. in Secondary Education/Biological Sciences from the Pennsylvania State University, her M.A. in Physics Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and her Ed.D. in Professional Leadership from the University of Houston.

Jacqueline Ekeoba, M.A. -
Master Teacher and Lecturer, teachHOUSTON University of Houston
Jacqueline Ekeoba is a lecturer at University of Houston, for the teachHOUSTON program, a STEM teacher preparation program for STEM majors and degree holders. She is an alumna of the University of Houston and was part of the inaugural cohort of the teachHOUSTON program during its inception in 2007. Her involvement with the teachHOUSTON Program led to the creation of the teachHOUSTON Student Society as the first president of the teachHOUSTON Alumni Association, and new teacher induction.
Jacqueline earned an M.A. in STEM Education and Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014 and is a STEM Education Ph.D. candidate with Texas Tech University. After several years teaching High School Science courses, Jacqueline served as a curriculum writer for various physical science courses and later as a Science Instructional Coach for the Katy Independent School District. In her current role with teachHOUSTON, she serves as an instructor for the ACP for STEM at UH program. She also serves as the teachHOUSTON Director of Certification and Testing and the Director of Instruction for the STEM RISE program. Jacqueline mentors youth with her church congregation and volunteers through local organizations in Houston in social action initiatives. She was awarded Outstanding Teacher Award in Katy ISD in 2015, the 40 Under 40 Influential Award in 2016 and was nominated as 2021 Who’s Who in Science Education.

Ramona Mateer, M.Ed. -
Master Teacher and Lecturer, teachHOUSTON University of Houston
Ramona Mateer is a STEM teacher education lecturer with the teachHOUSTON program at University of Houston which prepares STEM majors to teach in high-need secondary schools. She is dedicated to supporting science and math teachers developing the skills and passion for teaching that results in quality, best practice STEM education at the secondary level for all students. She was instrumental in developing the Accelerated Certification Pathway for STEM – University of Houston. Her interests focus on culturally responsive classroom management in the inquiry environment.
She is a proud University of Houston graduate and holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington. She was named 2007 Katy ISD District Teacher of the Year and awarded the 17th Annual Christa McAuliffe in Search of Excellence Award, West Houston Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining teachHOUSTON, she taught science in a local large suburban school district, where she also worked as a science instructional coach, participated in the 2006 Science TEKS rewrite and developed science curriculum grades K-8.