Transportation Careers:

Innovative, flexible teachers are being sought from all subject matter areas to test at least one lesson with a group of students during 2011 fall semester.  Teachers participating in the testing process will be expected to teach the lesson and provide written feedback using the evaluation rubricprovided.   It may be necessary to also provide verbal feedback to the developers on the content and teach-ability of the materials.  Participating teachers will receive $25.00 for each lesson that is tested between now and December 2011.  In general a lesson is considered to be one instructional period.

The lessons, which focus on transportation careers and academic content are targeted for 6^th through 12^th grade students.  These lessons give students the opportunity to explore careers in transportation by using authentic industry problems.  They also enable students to master multiple levels of academic and transportation knowledge.

If requested, project staff will work with applicants to determine which lessons may be most appropriate for their classroom.  Teachers may choose from a list of lessons that are organized by transportation pathway, grade level and most appropriate academic subject.  Lesson plans are designed to be integrated into a variety of subject matter content areas including mathematics, science, fine arts, social studies, language arts, career technical education, special education and others.

To participate in the testing process, submit your application on this web site.

For more information about the testing process, please contact Frances Beauman at fbeauman@transportationcareers.org or Sandy Dunkel at sdunkel@transportationcareers.org.

How to Get Involved:

All teachers are invited to participate in the national field testing of these materials.  Please complete the application form available on the project web site at Transportationcareers.org.

Expectations:

Teachers approved to participate in this field test will be expected to provide expertise on the teach-ability of the materials. The primary responsibility of the teachers will be to provide written feedback which will be instrumental in revising and finalizing the materials for national dissemination. This will include providing the project staff with additional materials and ideas that could be incorporated into the lessons.

Benefits to Participating Teachers:

Beyond public recognition, teachers participating in this project will receive several key benefits. These include:

• A stipend for lesson plan(s) tested and evaluated
• The ability to influence the future of education by contributing to new curriculum material
• Helping students learn about careers in transportation
• The opportunity to link with government, business and industry partners
• Technical assistance and support from project staff

Factors to Consider:

As a field test teacher, you will have several options to consider when selecting the lesson(s) to teach.  You will be asked to specify the following options on the application form:

• Type of lesson/module – the draft lessons that have been developed by teachers in partner states consist of two types.  Career Development Modules are made up of a lesson or lessons that focus on making students aware of career opportunities that exist in the transportation industry.  These lessons typically take 1-3 class periods to teach.  The Problem Based Learning Modules developed focus on solving an authentic transportation industry problem and may take as long as 10 class periods to teach.   Stipends will be paid according to the number of lessons (class periods) that make up the module.

• Title and corresponding number of the lesson(s) or modules(s) to be tested – this information is available from the list provided on the transportationcareers.org website.  This list also includes a brief description of the lesson/module you can use in making your selections.  You will also be asked to indicate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices in the event that a particular lesson has already been assigned for testing.
• Most appropriate subject matter area and grade level where the lesson(s) can be taught.  Keep in mind that these lessons are designed to be integrated into a variety of subject matter content areas