Collaboration: Working Together for a Better Science Curriculum

Lewis & Clark undergraduates with an interest in becoming STEM teachers will soon have a new opportunity to work alongside L&C faculty and Portland-area science educators. Together, they will develop teaching methods and materials based on conservation-centered data science for middle school and high school students. In support of the project, Lewis & Clark received a $105,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The project is built on a unique cross-school collaboration between Lewis & Clark’s College of Arts and Sciences and its Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Greta Binford, professor of biology in the undergraduate college, and Liza Finkel, associate professor of education in the graduate school, colead the professional development project. Activities will include two summer workshops and a classroom pilot.

Lewis & Clark undergraduates are eligible to pursue a 4+1 program with the graduate school called Teacher Pathways, which enables them to earn their bachelor of arts (BA) and master of arts in teaching (MAT)—plus professional licensure—in just five years.