Building Learning Communities for Mathematics and Science Literacy

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Partnerships

 

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Probationary Elementary Science Teacher Inservice - A series of sessions was conducted on effective teaching and classroom management strategies. The use of hands-on activities and implementation of the standards-based core curriculum guides was stressed.

Elementary Science Constellation Meeting - Science assessment strategies and curriculum materials were explored and professional development opportunities were announced.

The Learning Cycle - Elementary and middle school science teachers engaged in twenty (20) hours of professional development related to student centered learning strategies.

Summer Institutes - The seventh annual summer institute program consisted of several institute conducted over five weeks during July and August and included over 900 participants. Teachers and administrators engaged in activities organized around standards-based curriculum innovations involving hands-on, minds-on constructivist teaching and learning activities. Each institute consisted of a week long, all day program with local, state and nationally known consultants.

Improving School Quality through Natural History and Science: An Institute for Teachers - 64 Participants

Building Communities of Learners for Mathematics and Science Literacy: A Summer Institute to Promote Change - 360 Participants

TERC - 231 Participants

Center for Learning Technologies (LeTUS) - 59 Participants

Teachers Teaching with Technology (T3) - 195 Participants

Cambridge Physics - 13 Participants

Follow-up professional development opportunities are planned for each institute during the school year to provide support and additional information.

T3 Teacher Leadership Training - A cadre of forty-two (42) middle and high school mathematics and science teachers received leadership training to support the use of multiple technologies (graphing calculators, CBRs and CBLs) in the teaching of mathematics and science. Teachers earned three (3) hours of graduate credit from Wayne State University and received 35 hours of professional development provided by T3 instructors. Participation in a T3 institute was a prerequisite for the course. Professional development included advanced study of the technologies, classroom implementation, lesson presentation and the development of curriculum correlations. These teachers will facilitate and provide support to classroom teachers in their respective schools and within their constellations. Supervisors will monitor and support this process.

Embedding Technology in the Middle School Curriculum - Nine (9) hours of professional development was provided to eighty-eight (88) selected teachers to support the implementation of technology in the middle school mathematics curriculum using graphing calculators.

Technology Implementation - A ten-hour series was provided to familiarize teachers with the Calculator Based Laboratory (TI-CBL) and Calculator Based Ranger (CBR) in combination with the laptop computer. Investigations helped teachers understand the technology and strategies useful for mathematics and science instruction.

Middle and High School Mathematics Curriculum Briefing - Curriculum leaders were briefed on the new curriculum guide for Algebra 1 & 2. Middle school curriculum leaders were briefed on the new instructional materials adoption, Connected Mathematics, grades 6-8.

Academic Games - Twenty-four (24) hours of professional development was provided to one hundred fifteen (115) teachers representing sixty-five (65) schools on the use of various academic games to enhance instruction and improve student achievement.

Connected Mathematics Program - Six (6) hours of professional development has been provided for middle school teachers on each of the CMP units. Three hundred ninety-one (391) teachers of grades 6-8 participated in these sessions. An additional seventy (70) mathematics teachers participated in six (6) hours of utilizing the graphing calculator in CMP classes.

TERC Investigations Inservice - Grade level specific professional development was provided for two hundred eighty (280) elementary teachers on TERC replacement units in the mathematics curriculum.

New High School Science Teachers Workshop - A series of workshops totaling eighty (80) hours was provided for fourteen (14) new science teachers. Effective lessons were modeled; classroom management strategies were shared; and participants explored lesson planning tactics and motivational ideas.

Calculator Based Laboratory (CBL) Workshop - This seminar focused on integrating mathematics and science using TI-CBL. The 3-hour workshop for science and mathematics teachers provided opportunities for participants to conduct hands-on experiments using probes such as: pH balance, voltage, light and motion.

High School Science Curriculum Briefing - Teachers and administrators were briefed on the new curriculum guide for chemistry. The guide includes suggested activities that promote the use of technology, the Internet and selected problems that support MAT-7, MEAP and Essential Skills Attainment Tests.

University Graduate Coursework - University course work was provided to upgrade teachers' skills in mathematics and science content and methodology. Courses taught include:

Math 485 - This 3-hour graduate course in mathematics from The University of Michigan was taught on-site in Detroit by UM mathematics professor, Dr. Eugene Krause. Twenty-three (23) elementary teachers completed the course.

MAT and MAE 6150 - Middle and high school mathematics teachers and administrators attended these Wayne State University courses. Participants engaged in problem-based strategies intended to increase content knowledge and improve instructional strategies.

Teaching Algebra in CMP - A three (3) hour graduate course offered through The University of Michigan, Dearborn. This course engaged middle school teachers in the eight algebra units of the CMP program for grades 6-8.

SCE 7010 - Science for Primary Teachers (K-3) - A three (3) hour graduate course offered through Wayne State University. This course engaged elementary school teachers in hands-on instructional methods with an emphasis on concepts of nature.

Elementary Key Math Teacher - A key math teacher was selected from each of 180 schools. These teachers participated in a series of three 3-hour inservice sessions to develop leadership skills to support mathematics instruction in their respective schools.

Elementary Science Teachers Meetings - A lead teacher was selected from each elementary school. Two hundred ninety-nine (299) teachers participated in a series of eight 2-hour professional development sessions to develop leadership skills to support science instruction in their respective schools.

Citywide Science and Mathematics Curriculum Leaders Meetings - Ten monthly, two-hour sessions were conducted to inform middle and high school administrators about effective instructional techniques and appropriate materials. MEAP and MAT test scores were analyzed. Administrators explored various improvement strategies.

Southeast Educator's Alliance of Mathematics Linking Emerging Student Scholars (Project SEAMLESS): A Continuum of Mentoring - Preservice elementary teachers from Eastern Michigan University, Henry Ford Community College and Schoolcraft College participated in a mentoring program which included an advisory council of faculty and supervisors from the three post secondary institutions, and Livonia, Dearborn, Ypsilanti and the Detroit Public Schools. The 2000-2001 school year mentorship program consisted of dialogue dinners featuring Presidential Award Winner speakers, with mentor teacher follow-up discussions and activities, and an April conference highlighting Best Practices in Mathematics Education. Throughout the school year, preservice, inservice and master teachers engaged in mentoring activities that examine mathematical content, beliefs and pedagogy. The overall goal of Project SEAMLESS is to provide mentorship opportunities for future teachers that go beyond the student teaching experience - to influence the development of mathematics teaching and to improve the learning experiences for pupils in mathematics classrooms more widely. Project SEAMLESS broadens mentoring to include collaborative activities with the university and community college. In-service and pre-service teachers are able to observe the teaching practices of master teachers.

Class Size Reduction (CSR) - One hundred sixty-eight (168) teachers of grades 1-3 were provided inservice on the elementary mathematics curriculum and TERC Investigations units. They also received materials and professional development in the elementary science curriculum and FOSS kits.

Carnegie Cognitive Tutor Algebra Program - Twenty-seven hours of inservice was provided to teachers to support the implementation of this program which provides mentor tutoring for algebra students.

Balanced Assessment - Mathematics Assessment Resource Service (MARS) - Sixty (60) high school mathematics teachers examined student work to develop techniques to more effectively assess student understanding.

Ninth Grade Restructuring: Increasing Student Achievement in Algebra - High School mathematics teachers engaged in fifteen (15) hours of professional development related to the conceptual development of algebraic ideas (66 hours).

The Detroit Area Council of Teachers of Mathematics (DATCM) - DATCM held a Middle-Grades Mathematics Conference at Beaubien Middle School on Saturday, April 28, 2001. The nearly 100 teachers in attendance heard Juanita Clay Chamber, Ed.D. discuss the direction of mathematics education in Detroit Public Schools and Michigan. A variety of workshops were included as part of the conference.

Summer Learning Academy Preparation - As part of their preparation for teaching in the district's promotion policy summer learning academy, 1468 teachers of students in Grades 3,5 and 8 participated in one of seven, three-hour, afterschool workshops in May. Teachers were taught to analyze test data to inform instruction, to use specially prepared curriculum materials and to use individual and small group teaching strategies. Grade 3 students attended summer school for reading and mathematics, Grades 5 and 8 students attended for reading, mathematics, science and social studies. Content offices followed with curriculum-focused workshops.

***Click here for the 2000-2001 Professional Development Listing***

Teacher Preparation

Alternative Pathways to Teaching - Approximately forty (40) candidates are enrolled in the Alternative Pathways to Teaching (APT) program. The primary goal for the APT program at Wayne State University is to increase the pool of qualified mathematics and science teachers in grades K-12 in Detroit Public Schools. This program is designed to provide alternative routes to teacher certification for non-certified personnel including substitute teachers and education technicians. WSU and DPS are collaboratively developing a standard-based science and mathematics certification program. Participants in the program can complete the program tuition free.

GK-12 Program - This middle school science and mathematics program is offered in collaboration with Wayne State University and is composed of four components.

  1. Pre-Service Teachers - Teams of graduate and advanced undergraduates from mathematics and science education conduct science, engineering, mathematics and technology activities in cooperation with middle school teachers. Supplies for hands-on lessons are made available from the DPS Mathematics and Science Materials Resource Center. Twenty-four (24) middle schools are targeted.

  2. Integrated Masters of Science - WSU awards seventy-five (75) scholarships per year to secondary science educators. The scholarships pay for thirty-two (32) hours of course work and include a book allowance. Primary course work is science courses offered in the evenings, on weekends and during summers. Most courses have a laboratory component with hands-on training in basic concepts and the latest developments in the discipline, and aspects that make them relevant to students.

  3. Expansion of Laboratory Apparatus Bank - WSU will acquire two vans with staff to deliver equipment and assist teachers for up to half a day. WSU staff assist teachers in the selection of appropriate equipment and experiments to illustrate important concepts.

  4. Summer Institute - The ten-day summer institutes in the style of Howard Hughes Medical Institute supported program are continuing..

V.I.S.I.T. Program - The V.I.S.I.T. Program (Virtual Immersion in Science Inquiry for Teachers), conducted in partnership with Eastern Michigan University is an online collaboratory for secondary school science teachers to participate in ongoing scientific investigations of contemporary problems in their localities through applying spatial analysis technologies. V.I.S.I.T. is a three-year project supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement program.

Science in the City - This project targets improving achievement in science for middle school students. A website allows the Wayne County learning community to acquire and share knowledge as well as expand discussion about information tied to the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and weather. Lesson plans, designed by teacher participants representing Detroit Public, Ecorse, Hamtramck and Highland Park Public Schools have been infused into the curriculum of each.


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