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Faculty Research Talk & Lunch: ‘A Path from Learning to Serving for Sustainable Communities’

Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 12 p.m. | Edison Hall 201

Pizza Lunch Served

Michelle Schpakow (left) and Serbay Zambak

Join Monmouth University Provost Faculty Fellows Serbay Zambak, Ph.D., and Michelle Schpakow, Ed.D. on Nov. 26 for a lunchtime talk focused on a project that is helping aspiring educators become more confident and better-prepared for teaching STEM and sustainability topics. The talk, titled “Supporting Elementary Preservice Teachers’ and Students’ STEM Thinking and Identities through Model-Eliciting Problems: A Path from Learning to Serving for Sustainable Communities,” will be held in Edison Hall 201 from 12-1 p.m.

Professors Zambak and Schpakow will present their development of model-eliciting activities and an afterschool STEM program designed to support preservice elementary teachers’ and a group of elementary students’ STEM thinking and STEM identities. Through the support of the Urban Coast Institute (UCI), preservice teachers in the Monmouth University School of Education have the opportunity to work with 4th– and 5th-grade students from an underserved population through this program, building connections and improving STEM-thinking capacities. Preliminary findings and plans for the future will be shared. Free pizza lunch will be served.

In recognition of the Urban Coast Institute’s 20th anniversary (2005-25), the UCI is organizing a series of talks highlighting the innovative faculty and student research. Watch the UCI website for announcements on upcoming in-person and virtual talks and other activities related to the anniversary.