Supporting Elementary STEM Teacher Education
Trinect will create and test a new model of elementary teacher preparation to enhance elementary teachers’ preparedness to teach STEM subjects.
NSF Trinect is funded by the National Science Foundation. An essential feature of the program is a collaborative triad approach to elementary teacher preparation.
Role of the
TEACHER

The ten participating cooperating teachers are 3rd-5th grade elementary teachers in the Des Moines Public Schools. The teacher’s role is to supervise the student teacher and work collaboratively with the engineering fellow to support the teaching and learning of science, mathematics, and engineering concepts.

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Role of the
ENGINEER

The participating engineers (fellows) are current graduate students at Iowa State University. Ten fellows will partner with ten pre-service and in-service teachers each fall and spring semester to create a collaborative triad. The fellows will spend one day a week in the teachers’ classroom throughout the semester to serve as both a resident engineering expert and a role model for the elementary students.

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Role of the
PRESERVICE TEACHER

The ten participating preservice teachers are current seniors in the elementary education degree program at Iowa State University. They are conducting their student teaching experience in an elementary classroom at a Des Moines public school. These teachers spend 16 weeks working under the supervision of their assigned cooperating teacher and together with an engineering fellow.

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Our Partners
Iowa State University School of Education The Center for Biorenewable Chemicals Des Moines Public Schools
Project Updates

Trinect received funding in October 2015 from the National Science Foundation.

Since receiving funding, the project team has been hard at work to implement a structure which supports the Triads of cooperating teachers, engineers and student teachers.

See what we've been up to with Trinect
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Mission Statement

Trinect will create and test a new model of elementary teacher preparation to enhance elementary teachers’ preparedness to teach STEM subjects.