Communication Center  Conference  Projects Share  Reports from the Field Resources  Library  LSC Project Websites  NSF Program Notes
 How to Use this site    Contact us  LSC-Net: Local Systemic Change Network
Newsclippings and Press Releases

LSC Reference Materials

LSC Case Study Reports

Annual Report Overviews

Summer Workshop Plans

Summer Workshop Plans

  New!     

2000 Summer Workshop Overview

published: 09/28/2000
posted to site: 09/28/2000

2000 Summer Workshop Agendas


Thanks go to the following 14 projects that submitted their summer workshop agendas: DESERT Project, Elementary Science Education Partners (ESEP) Program, Valle Imperial-Project in Science, Asset Teacher Enhancement Program, Mesa Systemic Initiative, Mathematics: Applications and ‘Reasoning Skills (MARS), Reforming Secondary Science Through Teacher Enhancement, Missouri-Iowa Science Co-op Project, Teacher Enhancement for Student Success (TESS), Chicago Secondary Mathematics Improvement Project, Academic Success for Students and Educators Together (ASSET) Restructuring K-8 Science in Southwest Virginia, Partnership for Systemic Change: A School/Business Collaboration to Enhance Science, Mathematics and Technology Teaching and Learning, Teachers As Agents Of Systemic Change (TAASC), and Guiding Education in Math & Science Network(GEMS-NET).

Content & Curricula
Of the 14 projects that submitted agendas, 8 workshops focused on science alone, 4 on math only and 2 covered both math and science. Four of the ten workshops focusing on science used FOSS, STC and Insights materials. These were Valle Imperial Project in Science, Asset Teacher Enhancement Program, Missouri-Iowa Science Co-op Project, and Partnership for Systemic Change. Two projects used FOSS and STC: ESEP, and Partnership for Systemic Change and two used only FOSS: DESERT Project and TESS. Additional science materials included Science Plus, VIPS and BSCS. We provide this information so that you may contact other systems regarding similar curricula. Hence, it is interesting to note that all eight projects that focused on science used the FOSS curriculum.
If your project is thinking of using FOSS in your next workshop you might want to get in touch with the above projects and hear their reflections on how it went.

In contrast, to the science workshops that leaned heavily of FOSS, the math curricula was different for each system. Curricula used included Box it and Bag it, Investigations in Data, Number & Space, Mathland, IMP, Math in Context, Mathematics, Core-Plus, and Connected Mathematics. No two systems listed the same curricula.

Objectives and Approaches
The goals for all workshops were to advance content and pedagogical knowledge in the context of an inquiry based curriculum. While some projects addressed pedagogy separately, some approached it through specific curricular materials. More specifically, the goal for the ASSET Leadership Conference was to support elementary teachers in use of STC, FOSS and Insights, and to go beyond these "kits" by taking subtle steps towards using the inquiry process. The Chicago Secondary Math improvement Project aimed to encourage teachers to imagine other ways of thinking about math teaching and learning. The ASSET Summer Workshop’s goal was to develop competent practitioners in the use of hands-on, inquiry based science curriculum through deepening content and pedagogical skills. Other institutes integrated content across several subject domains. For example, the TESS summer institute, in addition to content, inquiry and assessment, also focused on literacy issues as related to the science and math curriculum.

Attendance and Attendees
Attendance for these workshops varied greatly. The number of students per institute ranged from 24 to 650. Attendees were teachers of all grade levels, trainers and administrators. Several systems separated new and returning teachers into different groups.

Location, Duration and Stipends
Workshops ranged in length from 3 days to 2 weeks and were held in a wide variety of locations, some were in schools, others at universities. Most were local day-long (8am-3pm) workshops, however, one project brought their teachers and administrators to an off site hotel where participants stayed overnight for a week. Several offered university credit and/or stipends..

If you have not yet sent your summer workshop schedule it is not too late. This summary was provided in order to give you a better picture of the work going on in other LSCs. To get more specific information on individual projects click on the table provided or you can view individual workshop agendas in the Reports from the Field Section of the LSC-Net site.



Institute

length

Attendance and Attendees

Objectives and Approaches

Content and Curricula

"DESERT Project Summer Institutes" - DESERT Project 4 different workshops, 3-4 days, 1-1 day 20 teams, science facilitators, elem & MS teachers, administrators. Workshops address assessment, leadership and inquiry. Focus is on pedagogy as related to assessment, inquiry through first hand experiences. SCIENCE: FOSS (K-5), Science Plus
"SKIL (Science Knowledge Inquiry Leadership) Institute" - Elementary Science Education Partners (ESEP) Program 2 weeks 75 total, 11 new, 45 veteran, 20 model leaders 3 institutes, Introductory focus is primarily on pedagogy, intermediate and advanced workshops focus more on content. SCIENCE: FOSS and STC
"Valle Imperial Project in Science Summer Workshops 2000" - Valle Imperial - Project in Science range from 1 - 10 days open to all K-6 teachers, room for 200 teachers Workshops are offered covering assessment, hands on, inquiry, content, and process skills. Materials developed by CAPSI and The Institute for Inquiry SCIENCE: FOSS - Delta, STC, Insights, VIPS, *University credit offered
" 2000 ASSET Leadership Conference" - ASSET Teacher enhancement Program 1 week 24 teachers Support elementary teachers in use of STC, FOSS and Insights, going beyond kits by taking subtle steps towards the inquiry process. SCIENCE: FOSS, STC and Insights
"Mesa Systemic Initiative Math/Science Technology Summer Institute" - Mesa Systemic Initiative 2 weeks total, vary in length Open to teachers K-12 A variety of workshops covering content teaching strategies and assessment SCIENCE, MATH - Box it and bag it and TECHNOLOGY *stipends and University credit offered.
"Mathematics: Applications and Reasoning Skills (MARS) Summer Workshops" - MARS 1 week 400 current and 200 new elementary teachers To advance mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge. Institutes by single grade level, presentations by consultants from publishing houses MATH - Investigations in Data Number and Space
"Reforming Secondary Science Through Teacher Enhancement: Science Education Planning Guide" 1 week Open to teachers K-12 Goal of program is for students to gain a fundamental level of science literacy SCIENCE-
"Science Co-op Project June 2000 Workshop" - Missouri-Iowa Science Co-op Project 1 week Teachers K-12 and administrators To develop science curriculum leaders, science content assistants, and to prepare to continue their roles after the project ends. SCIENCE - FOSS, STC and Insights
" Teacher Enhancement for Student Success (TESS) Summer Institutes" - TESS range from several days to 1 week Hundreds of teachers K-6 To address assessment, content in elementary mathematics, support of best practice, and embedded literacy MATH - mathland , SCIENCE - FOSS
"Chicago Secondary Mathematics Improvement Project Summer Institutes" 15 - 30 hours 120 secondary teachers To encourage teachers to imagine other ways of thinking about math, teaching and learning MATH - IMP
"ASSET Summer Workshop Schedule" - Academic Success for Students and Educators Together Restructuring K-8 Science in Southwest Virginia 13, 1 week workshops. 305 K-5 teachers To develop competence in the use of hands-on, inquiry based science curriculum through deepening content and pedagogical skills SCIENCE- primarily STC, also FOSS and Insight
"Partnership for Systemic Change Peer Teacher Workshops" - PSC A School/Business Collaboration to Enhance Science Mathematics and Technology Teaching and Learning 4 days in summer, 2 after school 650 preK-8th grade teachers in the partnership To increase content knowledge and increase comfort level with standards based science and/or mathematics teaching practices. SCIENCE-FOSS, STC, BSCS, MATH- Everyday math, Math in Context and MaThematics
"Teachers As Agents of Systemic Change (TAASC) Tentative Schedule" - TAASC 1 week 139 teachers To teach content, making use of a variety of teaching methods encouraging teachers to use them in their own classrooms. MATH - Core-Plus, Connected Math, SIMMS, Interactive Math and others
"GEMS - NET Summer Science Institutes" - Guiding Education in Math & Science (GEMS-NET) 4 days, 4+ hours per day 15-25 GEMS-NET K-6 teachers per session To extend and build deeper content from related kits across grades, and to make connections and integrations across the curriculum. Also to provide research experiences. SCIENCE *stipends and University credit offered.