Of the 10 GK-12 Fellows, two MEM Graduate students, Connie Gomez and Ed Steager, were awarded the prestigious GK-12 Fellowship.

The innovative GK-12 program forms Educational Teams of Drexel engineering graduate students (GK-12 Fellows) and teachers from the School District of Philadelphia (GK-12 Teachers) to collaborate to identify and design engineering/technology based supportive classroom materials. These materials will serve as contextual vehicles through which the presentation of fundamental scientific and mathematical concepts to middle school students will be enhanced.

During an intense 4-week summer program each GK-12 Team will work to develop curriculum modules that will be implemented throughout the academic year into the middle school classrooms. The Teachers will identify the concept areas of their science and math program in which they wish to develop the supporting contextual materials. Each Team will then research and develop appropriate technology based materials that can enhance the integration of curriculum-dictated concepts of math and science through an every day world around us context.

Fellows will assist the Teachers to implement the material developed over the summer into innovative classrooms lessons and experiments during the academic year. Fellows will spend 10 hours per week in the classroom alongside the teachers. The Fellows will be assisting in the Teachers in classroom while the Teachers serve as pedagogical mentors to the Fellows.
The ultimate goal is for the summer and academic year implementation to positively impact the interest and learning outcomes of the middle school students.

For more information on the GK-12 Program, please visit http://www.coe.drexel.edu/gk12/