June 10 , 2010
MMSA Co-Authors' Publication Receives Distinguished Achevement Award
Congratulations to MMSA's Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel, co-authors of Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol. 4! This NSTA Press publication has won a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers. The AEP awards are the highest achievements in educational publishing, and the Uncovering Student Ideas series has now been honored TWICE by AEP (for Volumes 2 and 4). Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Vol. 4 was also a finalist at the AEP Golden Lamp Awards.
June 10 , 2010
MMSA Announces Three New MSP Projects are Funded!
The MMSA is pleased to announce that three projects have been awarded funding through the Maine Department of Education by the US Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) Program.
Learn, Experience, Apply in a Regional Network (LEARN) Mathematics! is a phase II Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) project involving Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, University of Maine Farmington, United Technologies Center, Regional School Unit #34, Brewer School Department, and Bangor Christian Schools. Teacher and student activities in LEARN Mathematics! extend and improve upon the professional development model refined in the phase I CNECT-Math network of MSP projects.
The vision is a learning environment where students experience standards-aligned lessons that integrate application and theory, and educators collaborate to deepen content and pedagogical expertise in a student-centered curriculum.
The goals of LEARN Mathematics! are:
To improve teacher content knowledge, content specific pedagogical knowledge and skills, and instructional practices in the areas of measurement and approximation, data analysis and statistics, and probability.
To increase capacity for lateral collaboration in a regional Professional Learning Community (PLC).
To improve student achievement in the areas of measurement and approximation, data analysis and statistics, and probability.
Teacher leaders trained in CNECT-Math will now serve as mentors to new teacher participants. Within PLCs across schools, teachers collaboratively plan and co-teach multiday lessons that integrate mathematical concepts and theory with practical, hands-on applications. Self-reflection and feedback from colleagues helps teachers make sustained improvements to their practice. Phase II welcomes more Career and Technical Education teachers and one new private school to the regional Professional Learning Community. Students will also have the opportunity to carry out investigations, collect data, and/or perform research to demonstrate achievement as they complete individual or group projects.
The Science Curricula Integrating Technology and Engineering Connections (SCITEC) II Project is a continuation of engineering and technological design partnerships established among high school science and career and technical education (CTE) teachers in the Augusta area (Capital Area Technical Center, Cony High School, Gardiner High School, Hall-Dale High School, Maranacook High School, and Monmouth Academy); the MMSA; the National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®) at the Museum of Science, Boston™; and the University of Maine College of Engineering. Four new partners: SCITEC II includes UMaine's Foster Center for Student Innovation and AEWC Advance Structures and Composites Center, Kennebec Valley Community College, and the Maine Composites Alliance.
SCITEC is one of three sister projects across the state with the goal of helping high school students achieve Maine's Learning Results related to engineering and technological design. SCITEC Network projects build teacher knowledge of and pedagogical expertise in the targeted science and technology standards and increase their understanding about connections between science and engineering.
Partner schools work to integrate SCITEC’s targeted technology and engineering content into the science and CTE curricula, providing students with the opportunity to conduct engineering design projects and learn about educational and career opportunities in science, technology engineering and mathematics.The themes of several SCITEC Network projects include cutting edge technologies related to alternative energy and sustainability. For example, a Cony high school chemistry teacher and Capital Area Technical Center (CATC) teachers developed and implemented a biofuel project. The biotech students used different feedstocks to ferment ethanol, and the chemistry students distilled the products to determine which feedstock produced the highest percentage of ethanol. Their product was passed along to CATC small engine students who modified an engine to run on the fuel. Another project involved designing an energy efficient building with the most thermal gain, applying energy concepts learned. The culminating event included students’ presentations of their engineering at the CATC.
The Early Mathematical Thinking Enhancement Project (EMTEP) is a continuation of MMSA’s Early Mathematical Thinking (EMT). EMT consists of a set of diagnostic assessment tools intended as a formative assessment strategy to uncover students’ current level of thinking in mathematics and guide instruction. Funded by the Maine Department of Education, EMTEP will disseminate the use of these tools to partner sites across Maine: Somerville Elementary, Long Island and Chebeague Island, and Meroby Elementary Schools, all identified as Maine Elementary High Needs Schools. In addition, we will work with Dirigo Elementary, Rumford Elementary, and Holy Savior Catholic School, all located in Meroby’s RSU #10 district and with South Portland’s five elementary schools. A professional development model for staff will focus on understanding research-based formative assessment for students and enhancing pedagogical and mathematical content knowledge to meet the needs of identified struggling students. Staff in partner schools will work to implement the EMT screening tools to assess students’ current thinking in counting, place value, addition/subtraction, and multiplication/division. An additional component in measurement will be included as an assessment component. The EMT screening tools are derived from Australia’s Early Numeracy Research Project (ENRP). The University of Maine Augusta is also an EMTEP partner and Dr. Diana McAleer will provide content expertise for the project.
May 5 , 2010
Citizen Science in the Classroom Application Information
APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED
The MMSA Dear Science Teachers,
Citizen Science in the Classroom, aka "CSIC," is pleased to invite you to participate in a project for Maine's 7th and 8th grade students that involves collecting and examining compelling ecological and energy data, using new web-based tools, and communicating with others about findings and recommendations. The project, administered by the Department of Education and funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is led by the Augusta School Department in partnership with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
The project offers two strands, Vital Signs, Invasive Species (www.vitalsignsme.org) and PowerMeter, a project that is just beginning in conjunction with Google and Maine’s utility companies. Both strands provide unique tools that boost students' involvement in scientific research by collecting data that matters to them, as well as to scientists.
Vital Signs involves collecting, mapping, photographing, analyzing, and communicating about local invasive species to determine where they are and how they are spreading through Maine. Power Meter uses real-time energy monitors (provided by the project) at school and home to collect real-time data about electrical energy use and determine ways of reducing consumption and saving money.
We will launch the project with a two-day professional development institute in July. For the Vital Signs strand, the institute will be held in Portland on July 7-8th. For the Power Meter strand, the institute will be in Bangor on July 14-15th. The CSIC project will provide all of the required data-collecting tools, as well as ongoing on-line and in-person support through the fall of 2010 as you implement the project. There are stipends for professional development time and for participating in the project's evaluation.
We are seeking 40 teachers to participate for this exciting new project. All Maine teachers are welcome to apply for the Vital Signs invasive species strand. If your school is in the Bangor Hydro service area (check your utility bill!) where “smart meters” are already installed, you are welcome to apply for the PowerMeter strand. We will expand the PowerMeter project into CMP’s service area as the installation of "smart meters" progresses through 2012.
If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Farrin (lfarrin@mmsa.org) about the PowerMeter project or Sarah Kirn (sarah@gmri.org) about the Vital Signs project.
APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED
Sincerely,
The Citizen Science in the Classroom Team
April 14, 2010
MMSA Welcomes Lisa Marchi as New 9-12 Biology Educator
The MMSA would like to welcome Lisa Marchi as our new Grade 9-12 Biology Educator. Lisa will be working on the Geniverse Project (Geniverse Grant Information). Lisa, a National Board Certified Teacher, is currently a Biology and Earth Systems Science Teacher at Noble High School and is also in the current cohort of the Governor's Academy. Lisa has considerable experience designing curriculum aligned with the National and State Standards and assisting other teachers in such work. She has led her science department in curriculum development work and has also coached pre-service teachers and mentored new teachers through the University of New Hampshire Internship Program. MMSA is very excited to welcome Lisa.
January 29, 2010
STEM Summit Urges “Thinking Anew” about Educational Links with Maine’s Workforce
Former Governor Angus King’s concluding remarks at the January 29th Maine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Summit in Augusta riveted the audience with a call to “think anew” about the relationship between Maine’s economic and educational future. Governor King brought Abraham Lincoln’s message to the context of Maine’s energy needs and the need for energy literate workers: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. . . As our case is new, so must we think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country” (Lincoln, 1862).
Earlier in the day, Governor John Baldacci and a host of Maine scientists and economists urged educators, policy makers, and the business community to design new ways of helping Maine students understand STEM careers and how these will benefit Maine’s economy. Governor Baldacci addressed the gap between the needs of businesses that are “keyed up and ready to go” and number of students who are prepared to meet these needs. “If you give a Mainer a level playing field, these people can compete with anyone, anywhere,” according to Baldacci. But first Maine citizens need to know about these jobs and what they can do to prepare for them.
At the Summit, over 300 participants discussed ways of galvanizing students’ interest in STEM careers and developing educational pathways to prepare students for these rapidly emerging careers. Education officials from the University of Maine System and Maine’s Department of Education informed participants about initiatives that targeted the needs for STEM literacy.
The Summit was sponsored by the Maine STEM Collaborative, an organization whose aim is to increase the number of students who have strong preparation in STEM disciplines and who enter the STEM workplace. Over 20 organizations and individuals funded the event, and over 60 speakers contributed to the program. The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance is pleased to have served as the major Summit convener. Summaries from the conference sessions will be available on the MMSA website (www.mmsa.org) in March 2010.
December 14, 2009 MMSA’s CNECT-Math and CNECT-Math II Projects Bring Kendall Zoller to Maine
Called CNECT-ing to Zoller, this event was sponsored by the CNECT-Math and CNECT-Math II Math Science Partnership Title IIB projects. CNECT-Math teacher leaders from United Technologies, Old Town High School and Brewer High School helped to plan the day’s event. Administrators from school districts in the greater Bangor area who send students to United Technologies Center were invited to attend free of charge, as were administrators and project participants from Maine Vocational Region #8 in the greater Rockland area, where the CNECT-Math II project is based.
Twenty-Five teachers and administrators, including several from the Maine Department of Education, braved the aftermath of the season’s first snowstorm to attend the daylong session at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor. The Seven Essential Abilities of Effective Presenters were explored as well as the Seven Norms of Collaborative Work. Attendees walked away with a toolbox full of concrete yet innovative strategies for facilitating diverse collaborative groups, running productive meetings, and building and sustaining respectful work environments.
December 7 , 2009 MMSA's 2009-2010 Governor's Academy Fellows Named:
The MMSA announces the 2009-2010 Governor’s Academy Fellows: This group will meet for the first time on December 10-11, at we are looking forward to working together over the next two years.
Yarmouth 4th graders assisted the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance in launching the completed PowerSleuth Energy Education Curriculum materials by opening the doors of their classroom and showing Maine (and the PowerSleuth fox!) how energy is used to light our state. The event celebrated the completion of two out of the three PowerSleuth modules: Energy Lights Maine for students in grades 4-5, and Energy Heats Maine for students in grades 6-7. The final component, Energy for Maine, will be available to grade 7-8 classrooms this spring. Teachers interested in taking part in a no cost training workshop for the completed materials should visit our calendar of events for upcoming training dates and more information.
2009-2011 Governors Academy for Science and Mathematics Leadership: The MMSA is no longer accepting applications for the academy.
The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance is now accepting applications for the Governor's Academy for Science and Mathematics Leadership. This is a two year program for up to thirty classroom teacher leaders who will become ambassadors for mathematics and science teaching. This program is led by Page Keeley and her colleagues from the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance. It provides over 80 hours of in-depth professional development (including a summer institute), and builds teachers' skills in undertaking new leadership roles and carrying out significant changes in their schools, districts, or regions. The Academy is designed for K-12 teachers who are poised and committed to undertake an initiative to support educational reform in mathematics and science. The program, which is generously funded by Maine's Department of Education and the Maine EPSCoR program, also requires a district financial commitment and commitment to support implementation of a professional development plan in mathematics or science education.
Candidates should demonstrate an established role as a leader outside of their classroom, in addition to being an accomplished teacher. Applications are due on October 19; Fellows will be selected by early November, and the first meeting of the Governor's Academy Fellows will be held on December 10-11, 2009 in Augusta. Applications can be found following the links below. Questions about the program can be addressed to Victoria Abbott vabbott@mmsa.org.
Governor's Academy for Science and Mathematics Leadership Brochure
Governor's Academy for Science and Mathematics Leaderhip Application
September 9 , 2009 The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance would like to welcome its new staff members:
Harold McWilliams, Ph.D., will be joining us as the Science Project Director for the newly awarded project, Maine’s Energy Future, Maine’s Education Future (MEF2), funded by the National Science Foundation. Harold has extensive experience with grant oversight, and will split his time between the MEF2 project and his current work as a Principal Investigator and Project Director at TERC in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Arlene Jurewicz Leighton has been hired as a Science and Mathematics Specialist to work on the Youth as Citizen Scientists Project (YACS) project under a subaward with the Kids Consortium. Arlene worked previously with MMSA on the PRISMS project and will now put more of her expertise to use with middle school teachers. Arlene has extensive experience using media and collaborative learning environments through online education, and she was a middle school teacher for many years in Maine.
Dan Queior is coming on as a Technology and Engineering Specialist to assist existing project staff in a network of projects called SCITEC. Dan is a newly retired technology education teacher at Freeport Middle School, and his K-16 background is an ideal match for supporting the project participants. The MMSA staff are looking forward to having a new set of skills to enhance our already talented team.
Amy Yankee, a Mathematics Specialist, will be assisting us in providing teacher professional development at schools throughout the state. Amy has 15 years of teaching experience and will supplement her knowledge with a training event in the Investigation curriculum. Amy will be a great asset to MMSA’s mathematics staff and to Maine teachers.
Maggy Wyckoff, Ph.D., is a retired mathematics education professor from the University of Maine at Farmington who will work with project staff on the CNECT projects. During her tenure at UMF, Maggy was involved with CNECT participants as well prior MMSA grants, making her a perfect choice to help with the project. She will work closely with the teacher PLCs during the school year, offering her guidance and support.
September 8, 2009
Crossing Cultures, Finding Common Goals for Science Education
Page Keeley, 2009–2010 NSTA Retiring President “NSTA defines international science education as any activity or learning experience involving science teachers from different cultures or countries communicating with and learning from teachers and other educators to improve the quality of science teaching and learning and to support a worldwide view of the global implications of science and scientific phenomena. Formal collaborations are one way to realize the goals of international science education.”—NSTA International Science Education Position Statement, May 2009
Nearly two years of planning and discussions culminated in a recent weeklong exchange of ideas between Chinese and U.S. science education leaders. On August 18, NSTA President Pat Shane, Executive Director Francis Eberle, and I visited Beijing to begin a formal leadership exchange with the China Association for Children’s Science Instructors (CACSI), part of the government-led China Association of Science and Technology.
The invitation to visit China and explore ways to enhance international collaboration began with a meeting between a Chinese delegation and NSTA Presidents John Whitsett, Shane, and me, as well as then-NSTA Executive Director Gerry Wheeler, at the 2008 NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Boston. After that, a Chinese delegation attended NSTA’s 2009 National Conference in New Orleans. In return, Shane, Eberle, and I spent a week in China getting to know our counterparts and their culture. We exchanged information about the membership and governance of and opportunities provided by both organizations; discussed common issues, challenges, and successful strategies in supporting science education; and explored ways our two organizations could benefit from future collaborations and exchanges.
A joint Sino-American forum was held in Beijing for our NSTA leadership delegation and Chinese science teachers and university faculty. Assisted by a translator, Shane presented an overview of NSTA and professional development, Eberle shared information about science education policy and research in the United States, and I presented a session on formative assessment featuring the NSTA Press best-selling series Uncovering Student Ideas in Science. The Chinese panel presented sessions on outdoor environmental education, promoting understanding of China’s natural areas, and afterschool science programs. Chinese teachers were very interested in the underlying theme of sustainability.
After the forum, NSTA and CACSI formalized a collaboration between the two sister organizations. Each association appointed a liaison to communicate about common interests, provide information about conferences and activities, facilitate academic exchanges, and explore possible joint activities. Afterward, NSTA and CAST met with the Chinese media, who were interested in learning more about U.S. science education and potential joint activities.
On August 21, Eberle and I toured two science centers in eastern China, including an afterschool facility where students work on special projects such as building aeronautical devices and creating robots for the Lego Robotics Competition. While much of Chinese elementary science education has been conducted in afterschool programs and home settings, this is changing as China recognizes the critical importance of science education in all the grades leading up to specialization in high school. They are particularly interested in learning how the United States supports elementary science teaching.
When it comes to science education, we have as much to learn from our Chinese counterparts as they do from us. We hope this trip will serve as a bridge between our two organizations for exploring ways we can advance science education on a global scale. In the next few months, Shane and the NSTA leadership will make recommendations for strengthening our relationship with CACSI and sustaining our efforts to promote and support international science education.
August 14 , 2009 MMSA is awarded a new MSP Start Project: Maine’s Economic Future, Maine’s Educational Future (MEF)2
The MMSA is the lead organization on the MSP Start Project. Core partners include: Augusta School District, Lake Region School District (Maine SAD 61), Messalonskee School District (Maine SAD 47); Southern Maine Community College, University of Maine at Augusta, University of Maine at Farmington. Supporting partners include: Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Labor, the Maine STEM Collaborative, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute
The (MEF)2 project will: 1) Build a partnership of K-12 school systems, higher education institutions, and a K-12 STEM professional organization that will address teachers’ needs for a coherent approach to energy literacy that is connected within and across grade levels; 2) Conduct needs analyses, involving 100 teachers and their students, which will examine what students understand about energy principles and careers; and 3) Design a program of higher education courses and professional development that will create teacher leaders who have a deeper, cross-disciplinary understanding of energy. Independent evaluation will demonstrate the extent to which these goals have been met.
July 31 , 2009 MMSA to work with Kids Consortium on STEM Service Learning for Middle School Students
The Corporation for National and Community Service announced that Maine’s Kids Consortium, in conjunction with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, has been awarded a $600,000 “Learn and Serve America” project. Building on the existing Kids Consortium model of service learning, we will work with schools throughout New England to develop STEM-based service learning projects. These projects will involve middle school students in citizen science work in their own communities: Students will in formulate a question of concern to their community, collect data about this question, analyze and report on the data, and make and implement recommendations. We will develop a manual on service learning projects in citizen science that will be used by middle school teachers throughout the country.
June 28-July 2 , 2009
National Science Education Leadership Association Summer Leadership Institute
MMSA's Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel along with Susan Mundry and Ted Willard presented the brand new Curriculum Topic Study Leader's Guide at the NSELA Sumer Leadership Institute held in Porland, Maine at the beginning of this month. Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) is an NSF-funded project that has developed a set of tools and a professional development study process to help science educators deeply examine common curricular topics. During this institute CTS leaders will engage in the methodical CTS process to learn new ways to focus professional learning on the K-12 content, standards, and research on learning.
The publication date for the Curriculum Topic Study Leader's Guide is December 2009.
May 27, 2009
Northeast Regional CMP2 Summer Institute to Be Held in Westbrook
MMSA’s Meghan Southworth, along with Shawn Towle and Jenny Jorgensen, will facilitate a grades 6-8 CMP2 summer institute August 3-6 at Westbrook High School. Registration is $100 per day or $350 for all four days and includes course handouts, breakfast and lunch. Implementation strategies for getting started and management will be covered as well as instructional models of Launce, Explore and Summary. Participants can expect to deepen their understanding of each CMP2 unit presented and will look at assessment tools within CMP2. Teachers will leave the workshop with teaching strategies for the CMP2 classroom.
The registration deadline for this institute is July 10th. For more information and to register for this workshop please view the brochure or you can contact Diane Riley at 854-0800 (ext. 315).
May 20, 2009
Sustainability Fair Highlights SCITEC Design Projects
Over 100 students from Augusta area high schools took part in the first Going Green Sustainability Fair and Green Construction Career Day on Tuesday, May 5th at the Capital Area Technology Center (CATC). The educational fair showcased green construction careers and practices through a number of hands-on workshops, interactive displays, and demonstrations. The fair also highlighted classroom and extra-curricular engineering and extended design projects from SCITEC Network schools including the Energy-Efficient Building Design Challenge and Biofuels Extended-Design Project.
The extended design projects allowed students to work collaboratively between their sending school and the tech center. For example, students in Cindy Fylstra’s chemistry class worked with CATC’s biotechnology teacher Luci Levesque to generate ethanol. CATC’s automotive tech teacher Tim DeBlois worked with students to modify a gas-powered small engine to one that is fueled by the ethanol.
Students from four high school teams, Cony and CATC, Monmouth, Hall-Dale and Dexter, took part in the energy-efficient building contest. Student teams worked together to design and build a 4’ x 8’ structure that reduced heat loss and maximized solar gain. Buildings were placed at CATC and monitored by temperature probes for 24 hours. HallDale high school took top honors for the building with the most solar gain – reaching a temperature of 140.3 oC. Monmouth high school designed the building with the least amount of heat loss (loss of 17.3 oC).
Monmouth High School, Mr. Schultz’s Students
Hall-Dale High School, Mr. McFarland’s students
Tri-County Technical Center, Dexter, Mr. Guay’s students
CATC and Cony High School, Mr. Fylstra and Mr. Baker’s students
SCITEC Network is a three-year project of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance targeting engineering and technological design learning goals. SCITEC Network schools include Capital Area Technical Center, Cony High School, Gardiner Area High School, Hall-Dale High School, Maranacook Community School, Monmouth Academy, Sanford Regional Vocational Center, Marshwood High School, Massabesic High School, Noble High School, Sanford High School, Mid-Maine Technical Center, Lawrence High School, Messalonskee High School, Waterville High School, and Winslow High School. Additional information about the student extended-design projects can be found at here.
May 12, 2009
MMSA Executive Director Co-Authors Article in National Magazine
Before coming to MMSA, Jan Mokros directed a project "Math in Zoos and Aquariums," which involved visitors in using the mathematics of measurement and data as they learned about animal behavior and habitats. A description of this work appears in the latest edition of "Teaching Children Mathematics." Jan and her team found that students are eager to learn math when they see the applications, and nothing could be more exciting than using math to study and care for animals. Jan is eager to pursue mathematical collaborations with Maine's many marine-related intitutions.
April 17, 2009
MMSA's CNECT-Math Project Brings Students Together to Build Better Roads
Cynthia Blanchard and her freshman math students from Old Town High School traveled to United Technologies Center (UTC) for a shared lesson on this chilly morning in April. Applying both mathematics and science, they measured compaction levels of several different mixes of road building materials and water.
Cynthia and John Milligan, Construction Engineering Technology instructor at UTC, are participating teachers in the CNECT-Math project. Creating a Network of Educators to Communicate about Teaching Math (CNECT-Math) is a 3-year Math Science Partnership project that brings together teachers from UTC, Old Town School District, Brewer High School, and several schools in MSAD 22. Directed by the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance in partnership with faculty at the University of Maine in Farmington, the goal of the project is to create regional professional learning communities of teachers of mathematics.
These teachers have paired up to create and ultimately co-teach a lesson built around the concepts of data collection and analysis. It is essential that all of the lessons include experiential learning. The CTE centers and regions have a lot to teach our more traditional schools about practical applications of mathematics and science. Our traditional middle and high schools can offer assistance in best instructional practices for meeting Maine’s Learning Results standards in these areas.
Following April vacation, John Milligan and his students will travel to Old Town High School where the students will graph and analyze the data they collected.
April 13, 2009
Maine Teacher Awarded at NSTA
Telstar science teacher, Sarah Southam, was awarded the 2009 Vernier and the National Science Teachers Association Technology Award at the NSTA National Conference in New Orleans. Southam is the only teacher from Maine to receive this award and was one of seven in the country to be awarded. With the honor she was given a cash prize as well as money toward Vernier products. The award recognizes science teachers for their innovative integration of science in the classroom.
April 13, 2009
MMSA Science Program Director and NSTA President, Page Keeley, meets with Chinese Science Education Delegation
MMSA Senior Program Director in Science and 2008-09 NSTA President met with a delegation of science education leaders from China at the NSTA National Conference in New Orleans. The meeting served as an exchange between NSTA and the science education association in China. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss plans for the NSTA delegation to visit Beijing and attend the CACSI Conference in August 2009.
April 6, 2009
MMSA Science Specialist Among the Persenters at the Maine Environmental Education Association's 2009 Conference
On Friday, March 27th the Maine Environmental Education Association's 2009 Conference was held at the Chewonki Center for Environmental Education in Wiscasset, Maine. The theme of the conference this year was, Environmental Education in the Green Economy.
MMSA Science Specialist and Project Associate for the Maine Energy Education Curriculum project, Mary Dunn, presented a workshop entitled, Energy Education in Maine as part of the workshop strand: Environmental Literacy for a Sustainable 21st Century. Mary presented samplings from two units to a group of enthusiatic and energetic teachers. The units, Energy Lights Maine! is designed for grades 4-5 and Energy Heats Maine! is designed for grades 6-7. Mary led the group through the background information of the units as well as through a few hands-on lessons. Teachers explored how the units connect to the National Science Education Standards and Maine's Learning Results. A third unit, Energy Powers Maine!, is currently in development. For more information on this exciting new curriculum that will be available to teachers throughout Maine, CLICK HERE.
April 2, 2009
MMSA Science Program Director Introduces Secretary of Education at National Conference
Page Keeley, Senior Program Director at MMSA and President of NSTA, had the honor of introducing Arne Duncan at the 2009 National Science Teachers Association’s national conference in New Orleans. Secretary Duncan energized the hall and brought optimism that science education is going to be a high priority for this administration. Secretary Duncan took questions from science educators in the audience, starting with MMSA Science Specialist Joyce Tugel. Science educators at MMSA, like those around the country, are concerned about the fact that elementary science has been getting less attention under the policies of NCLB. Joyce asked Secretary Duncan a critical question on behalf of science educators everywhere: Will elementary science be restored to a constitute a core part of the school day? Duncan's responded that many subjects need to have a more prominent role in elementary schools, including science. He also suggested that the administration's proposal for a longer school day and school year will give schools more opportunities to bring science back to our students.
April 1, 2009
MMSA has Staff Presence at Conference for Middle School Girls.
Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) provides an opportunity for 7th and 8th grade girls from across the state of Maine to come together and explore the fields of science, math, technology, and engineering through hands-on workshops. They spend a full day at UMaine where they attend sessions, tour the campus, and participate in gender equity discussions. The conference provides a comfortable learning environment where middle school girls are given the chance to expand their thinking about the future, especially in terms of their career path. This year over 400 girls attended the conference on March 12th.
For the last two decades, professional women from the community, UMaine faculty and graduate students have volunteered their time to present stimulating hands-on workshops for middle school girls. This year, Victoria Abbott and Meghan Southworth of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance joined them and presented two 45-minute workshops.
Teams of 3 girls worked together with a cat-a-pult device. Using measurement and data collection, the teams determined which settings on the device would create the most reliable and consistent launch of a small foam cat. The whole group then came together to create a chain reaction of cats!
The girls began by making 3 launch distance measurements for each of 5 combinations of force and angle settings. The challenge was to figure out a system for accurately marking how far the cat traveled. Then, choosing a setting that gave the team a reliable measurement they could trust, they instructed the team next to them where to place their catapult so that when the cat was launched it would fall directly onto the next launch platform.
Two groups of approximately fifteen 7th and 8th grade girls, one from Peninsula CSD School in Winter Harbor and the other from SeDoMoCha Middle School in Dover Foxcroft, participated in the activity. Both groups were successful in engineering a chain reaction of 4 to 5 cats.
Film crews from WLBZ Channel 2 News were on hand for the EYH conference this year. To read more and to view a short video segment click here.
February 27, 2009
MMSA Staff Member Completes Workshop in San Francisco.
MMSA Science Specialist Lynn Farrin has completed the Fundamentals of Inquiry Workshop at the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Institute for Inquiry. This week-long intensive program explores the theory and practice of inquiry-based teaching and learning through a series of in depth experiences and reflective conversations. The Institute for Inquiry includes an examination of hands-on approaches and process skills related to inquiry learning; the role of questions in inquiry; strategies for designing and facilitating inquiry in the classroom; and the power of learning scientific content through inquiry. Lynn was one of thirty eight professional developers, classroom teachers, museum educators, and higher education faculty that became part of a network of educators from across the U.S. and abroad versed in inquiry teaching and learning. Watch for new professional development opportunities focusing on inquiry to be offered through MMSA in the future.
