Educator Services Teaching & Learning Curriculum Resources
2008 Professional Development Institutes

West Region

Science and Technology/Engineering

Assessing and Addressing Misconceptions in Physical Science

For Teachers in Grades 3-8
Prerequisite: NONE

This institute emphasizes the physical science content knowledge for teachers at the upper elementary through middle school grades. Teachers will immerse in practicing instructional strategies and activities to help students dispel misconceptions.

The course will focus on deepening and strengthening teacher content knowledge; raising awareness of the pervasiveness and strength of misconceptions; using and interpreting formative assessments for identifying science misconceptions; and probing students' understanding of content. Course work will be conducted mainly in small group, along with whole group instruction and debrief when appropriate. The instructors will work in flexible teams based on the grade band and/or content, instruction and assessment topics. There will be opportunities for both diverse pairing and school-based pairing of participants. The instruction will be inquiry-based with "just in time" content delivery when needed. The opportunity to examine formative assessments, analyze student work, and watch videos of student science discourse will provide the basis for analysis of student thinking and developing instructional strategies to move student thinking to a deeper level.

Science and Technology/Engineering

Improving Middle Grades Science Teaching and Learning Through The Effective Use of Formative Assessments

For: Middle School Science Teachers, Special Education Teachers who teach science, and ELL Teachers who support science instruction Prerequisite: Middle grades science content knowledge and some teaching experience

This institute will focus on (1) the development of foundational knowledge related to the effective use of formative assessments in the middle grades and special education science classrooms, (2) the provision of adult learning experiences with formative assessments in parallel with science content development, and (3) the appropriate instruction to enable teachers to design their own formative assessments in response to individual curriculum needs.

Teachers will be introduced to standard formative assessments as found in enhanced selected response and open response items in physical science, earth science, and life science. Content topics presented will address the most commonly misunderstood science concepts as identified in the science education research. Topics include: Force and Motion, Properties of Matter, Physical and Chemical Changes, Conservation of Matter, Flow of Energy through an Ecosystem, Energy Transformations, and Astronomical Phenomena including Interactions of the Earth-Moon System. The content delivered will be refined based upon the results of the pre-assessments.

Science content knowledge will be further enhanced through hands-on experiences utilizing easily obtainable materials and equipment. The hands-on experiences will be aligned to the content needs identified through the formative assessment work and will allow each teacher to confront their own science content misconceptions. All institute components will model effective instructional strategies.

Science and Technology/Engineering

Engineering, A New Approach to Science

For Teachers in Grades 6-10
Prerequisites: None

This course will provide teachers the content knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary to successfully engage students in learning the content of the seven Massachusetts Technology/Engineering strands for Grades 6-10. Teachers will learn methods to support specific standards-based classroom projects, using examples from Engineering the Future (EtF), a full-year high school course for all students.

Through individual and team experiences, participants orient and prepare to teach design-based curricula integrating science and mathematics through engineering, while promoting technological literacy. Participants will complete selected project-based student activities involving structural analysis, hydraulics and pneumatics, heat engines, and electrical circuitry. They will participate in group discussion and analysis during the institute. Participants receive access to online resources and a dynamic teacher discussion board as a post-institute component, providing continuing support throughout the school year, and including rich hyperlinks to extension resources. Participants will prepare plans for implementing EtF or other technology/engineering projects in their classrooms.

Science and Technology/Engineering

Sheltering Instruction in Middle School Science Classes

For Middle School Science Teachers
Prerequisites: None

This institute is developed for middle school science teachers and their ELL colleagues who work with students in need of scaffolding of science language and concepts. Teacher teams will be given priority. This course satisfies the requirements for Category 2 SEI Professional Development.

In this institute teachers will:

• Recognize existing strategies they already use which promote science learning and language acquisition for ELLs.
• Learn new strategies for broadening and deepening science learning and language acquisition, which they can incorporate into their teaching. This course will help middle school science teachers to understand the specific linguistic and conceptual challenges that English language learners may encounter in science classes.

Mathematics

Patterns, Polygons, Proportionality, and Probability: Middle School Math Foundations for Special Populations

For Teachers in Grades 6-8
Prerequisites: Foundational knowledge

This institute builds upon the foundational math content knowledge of teachers at the upper elementary, middle and high school level in the context of standards-based instruction. Priority will be given to teams of regular ed and ELL teachers.

This course focuses on content and effective teaching for mathematics students in grades 6-8. The course syllabus draws from the Annenberg Missing Link professional development curriculum and best practice in teaching English Language Learners. Math topics-patterns and functions, proportional reasoning, and sampling and probability-will be presented in a classroom context. Course instructors will guide participants in teaching standards-based concepts and skills, with particular attention to instructing English Language Learners.

Mathematics

Developing Algebraic Thinking

For Teachers in Grades 4-10
Prerequisites: Foundational knowledge of algebra

This institute builds upon the foundational math content knowledge of teachers at the upper elementary, middle and high school level in the context of standards-based instruction.

This course will address the patterns, relations, and algebra strand of the MA Mathematics Curriculum Framework, placing particular emphasis on variables, equations and non-linear functions. Participants will gain an understanding of how these important mathematics concepts are developed in standards-based programs across grades 4-10, as well as how the development of algebraic thinking habits of mind can contribute to student conceptual understanding and problem solving in this strand. Throughout the course participants will do and discuss mathematics; analyze classroom artifacts and discuss subsequent actions; develop questioning strategies that focus, assess and advance students' algebraic thinking; design an algebra pre-assessment; and develop high cognitive demand lessons that support students' prior knowledge and level of understanding relative to articulated standards-based objectives.

Mathematics

Understanding Rational Numbers: Fractions, Decimals, Percents and Proportionality

For Teachers in Grades 3-8
Prerequisites: None

This course is designed for regular education teachers with working content knowledge who teach either in a regular or an inclusion classroom.

The goals of the course are to enhance the foundational mathematics knowledge in the area of rational numbers, fractions, decimals and percents. The need to strengthen teacher and student understanding of this specific focus is a key finding of the National Math Panel. Elements and strategies of effective standards-based classroom instruction will be modeled and incorporated into the course.

Mathematics

Math Coaching and Beyond for Teacher Leaders and Coaches

For Educators in Grades K-8
Prerequisites: Master's degree or equivalent mathematical content knowledge and a minimum of three years teaching experience; Coaching experience helpful but not required.

This institute emphasizes math coaching strategies and models. It is suitable for those who haven't had coach training and is useful for practicing coaches as well.

This course is designed to address key aspects of coaching in the context of the standards-based math instruction. Participants will learn how to assist teachers in improving content knowledge and pedagogy as well as the use of assessment to understand what students know. Various aspects of coaching models will be examined: collaborative coaching and learning, reflective coaching, grade level planning, group data analysis, protocols for looking at student work, lesson planning, demonstrating and modeling lessons, professional development delivery, and direct coaching.

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