Professional Development Option
Program Details
The Professional Development (PD) program features a paid summer fellowship coupled with one graduate-level course offered by the University of Arizona. Participants will typically work four days a week, leaving the 5th day open for class/professional development. The program runs for about 8 weeks during your summer break. Employment includes project-based work in a STEM company, with a salary of $6,000-$9,000.
Our program is accessible to teachers across Arizona! The class is held via computer connection between our on-location classrooms and distance locations. Teachers in rural areas access our courses in real-time and interactively via distance learning technologies. The class is designed to help you make connections between your industry experience and your classroom teaching.
Eligibility
To be considered for the Teachers in Industry PD Program, applicants are expected to:
- Possess at minimum a B.A. or B.S. degree
- Have a current Arizona teaching certificate
- Be teaching STEM content (preferred) or other content with the desire to strengthen STEM teaching expertise
- Agree to continue teaching for at least three years after completion of the program
- Be eligible to work in the U.S. (we are unable to accept teachers on work visas)
- Complete all application materials, including a business resume
Application and Selection Process:
- We begin by meeting with applicants to get a better sense of goals, skills and interests.
- If we identify a good fit, your business resume is sent to a hiring company.
- The hiring company schedules interviews with their top applicants.
- If an offer is made and accepted, we will contact you with final enrollment instructions.
Please note: Your selection is not finalized until you are offered and accept a summer work position.
Course Information
The following is a description of the course you will be required to take for the Professional Development Option within Teachers in Industry. Those in the PD program can return for up to three summers. The course credit from the PD Option can be applied toward the Master's Degree Option for those who wish to switch tracks.
- TLS 562 - Groupwork for Diverse Classrooms (3 units): Groupwork and collaborative learning are well-documented instructional strategies to promote equitable engagement with academically demanding curriculum. This course will explore theoretical and empirical research on groupwork, using Complex Instruction as a foundation. The focus is on frameworks for implementing successful groupwork experiences in classrooms.