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UTeach Program Embraces Sustainability Principles

December 17, 2021

By Yen Pham, Eco Rep

 

Housed within the UT Dallas Department of Science and Mathematics Education, UTeach Dallas is a program at UTD which helps STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] majors take courses in their elective hours to become certified secondary science and math teachers in Texas. Students within the UTeach Program observe science and math classes at local schools, learn about science, math, and engineering instruction, and are responsible for designing and teaching lessons at schools.

As part of their capstone project, students are tasked with developing a project-based unit, or lesson set, for local 6-12th grade teachers to use. The units for capstone projects are typically grounded in real world issues and highlight the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. In fall 2021, UTeach Dallas partnered with the Office of Sustainability to help develop middle school and high school lessons targeted at math or science TEKS [Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills] that local teachers can use while advancing sustainability through the lens of the 17 UN SDGs [United Nations Sustainable Development Goals] .

Some projects presented by UTeach students include using bee boxes as a tool for learning geometry, helping students design monarch waystations to learn ecological principles, a lesson plan involving the start of a community garden at a school, and students crafting an outreach campaign to a local homeowner’s association to reduce water usage in a neighborhood. These contributions made by students will potentially be made available to secondary STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] teachers across Texas. UT Dallas is committed to graduating students who are inspired to learn and attend to their duty of building a sustainable environment. Through this student teaching experience, students have been able to apply their knowledge of campus sustainability to establish projects that solve complex issues, advance sustainability, and develop the next generation of science, mathematics, and computer science students.

 

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