Creating a Network of Educators to Comunicate About Teaching Mathematics (CNECT-Math)
Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) - A Systematic Approach to Utilizing National Standards and Research
Earth as a System is Essential: Seasons and the Seas (EaSiE)
Geniquest
Geniverse
The Governor's Academy for Science and Mathematics Leadership
Linking Science Inquiry and Language Literacy
Maine's Energy Education Curriculum Project (Powersleuth)
Maine's Energy Education Future
Science Content, Conceptual Change, and Collaboration Partnership (SC4)
Science Curricula Integrating Technology and Engineering Connections (SCITEC) Network
The Maine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Collaborative
Youth as Citizen Scientists
To view completed projects please click here: Archived MMSA Projects
Creating a Network of Educators to Comunicate About Teaching Mathematics (CNECT-Math)
Funded by the Maine Department of Education, Mathematics and Science Partnership Program
October 2007 – September 2011
Creating a Network of Educators to Communicate about Teaching Math (CNECT – Math) involves partnerships among the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), Maine Vocational Region schools, and several middle and high schools. One of the projects is based in MVR #4 (Bangor) and the other is based in MVR #8 (Rockland).
The purpose of the projects are: 1) To improve teachers’ knowledge and instructional skills in the areas of measurement, data, and statistics; 2) To build capacity for collaboration between vocational, middle and high school teachers in a Regional Professional Learning Community; and 3) To improve student achievement in the areas of measurement, data, and statistics.
UMF Mathematics faculty and MMSA project staff jointly facilitate content and technology professional development sessions on data collection, analysis, and representation. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meet on a monthly basis. The PLC sessions are used to make connections among content knowledge, standards, research, and classroom practice. Pairs or triads of teachers develop lessons that emphasize practical examples and real life applications from such fields as road and building construction, horticulture, landscape and interior design, welding, etc. For example, one pair of teachers developed a lesson incorporating measurement strategies and materials’ density. The challenge for the students was to determine the right proportion of stone, sand, loam and water to produce maximum compacted density of materials used in road construction. Teachers bring their students together in one location, most often the MVR school campus, to co-teach the lesson. Returning to their PLCs with samples of student work for others to review and discuss, the teachers then make revisions to the lesson.
Evaluation results show that participants find the experience of co-planning and co-teaching a lesson to be rewarding. One high school teacher’s comment captures the general consensus well; “Consulting with a colleague on lessons was beneficial … getting another’s perspective and input was insightful and only enriched my teaching which ultimately benefited my students.”
MMSA Program Contact:
Meghan Southworth msouthworth@mmsa.org
US Department of Education MSP Program Website
Link to WLBZ Channel 2 News story on one CNECT – Math Lesson
Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) - A Systematic Approach to Utilizing National Standards and Research
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)
2004-2010
Curriculum Topic Study (CTS) is an NSF-funded Teacher Professional Continuum (TPC) project that is developing a coordinated set of science and mathematics materials to help K-12 educators deepen their understanding of the important science and mathematics topics they teach. CTS builds a bridge between state and national standards, research on students' ideas in science, and opportunities for students to learn science and mathematics through improved teacher practice.
The project has produced three books (a fourth publication is pending), a web site, and offers national professional development to help teachers and professional developers utilize science and mathematics national standards and cognitive research to improve teacher practice and content-focused professional development. WestEd is the partnering organization.
CTS publications:
Science Curriculum Topic Study
Mathematics Curriculum Topic Study
A Leader’s Guide to Science Curriculum Topic Study
Coming soon: A Leader’s Guide to Mathematics Curriculum Topic Study
Order the CTS book here.
MMSA Program Contact:
Principal Investigator: Page Keeley pkeeley@mmsa.org
www.curriculumtopicstudy.org
Earth as a System is Essential: Seasons and the Seas (EaSiE)
Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
2007 - 2010
EaSiE is a three-year project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Literacy Program for K-12 Education. The overarching goal of EaSiE is to transform the traditional middle school study of seasons and weather into an exploration of the dynamic interactions between Earth’s land, oceans, atmosphere and living world.
Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire middle school teachers are working with NOAA scientists and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance to develop a relevant, unifying systems theme that bridges the gap between existing materials and concepts related to seasonal and climatic changes in the Gulf of Maine. Through workshops, field trips and online discussion, teachers are gaining further understanding of Earth as a system, learning instructional strategies that support student learning, and helping to develop lessons and podcasts that incorporate NOAA resources to support student thinking about Earth system science. The EaSiE units and podcasts will be available to educators on our project website.
EaSiE units will include lessons that integrate national and state science standards and NOAA’s Ocean Literacy Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts related to: Earth as a System; Weather and Climate; Data and Graphing; Seasons; and Climate Change.
Project partners include the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Maine Sea Grant, AIRMAP, Seacoast NH Science Center, and National Weather Service, Gray ME.
MMSA Program Contact:
Project Director Joyce Tugel jtugel@mmsa.org
EaSiE Website
Geniquest
Funded by the National Science Foundation
Dates: 2007-2010
The Geniquest project focuses on bringing new biology research—in the areas of genomics and computational biology-- to high school students. The platform for this work is software developed by Concord Consortium and by Jackson Labs (JAX), who are major collaborators on Geniquest. The project introduces students to genetics, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis, and the relationship between phenotypes and genotypes. It involves virtual breeding of dragons and drakes (small dragon-like creatures which serve as a model organism), allowing students to breed animals inside a virtual world to answer questions about genetics. Students learn to use genome browsers to explore target regions for potential genes of interest. Ultimately, students are guided through a search for the genetic cause of a disease. The goal of the project is to understand how new work in genomics can be incorporated into the high school biology curriculum.
Helping students understand genomics also entails developing material for teachers that enables them to incorporate new content into their Honors and AP Biology courses. MMSA leads the teacher development component of the project. We have developed a teacher guide and field-tested these materials in several Maine classrooms. Field-testing took place with six teachers and over 160 students, with a median of 7 hours of classroom time spent on Geniquest by students.
MMSA Program Contact:
Meghan Southworth msouthworth@mmsa.org
Geniverse
Funded by the NSF to Concord Consortium. MMSA is a major subcontractor
Dates: 2009-2014
The Geniverse project will determine the feasibility of engaging students in experimental bioinformatics and DNA science by developing and studying computer-based materials that could be used in high school biology courses and widely disseminated.
Project collaborators (Concord Consortium, MMSA, Jackson Labs, and BSCS) will develop cyberlearning modules and an integrated virtual laboratory environment for use in this research. The materials will explicitly support conceptual biology learning and foster open-ended, collaborative problem solving. Rich biological models will undergird all aspects of the environment, and the experimental methods of modern DNA science and bioinformatics will be applied to these models in an environment fostering student exploration. The Geniquest modules and laboratory will relate core concepts in pre-college genetics to important experimental methods in current use in biological research: activities and investigations will simulate these methods accurately and appropriately. Geniquest activities and investigations will provide motivation and context by using model genetics of various real and mythical organisms popularized for over a decade by the Concord Consortium’s genetics modeling software. The project will emphasize the importance of in-depth and ongoing professional development in the use of its curriculum elements, and will study its adoption and implementation within existing curricula. The project will investigate whether the proposed materials convey a deeper understanding of the experimental basis of modern genetics and what aspects of the materials influence the findings.
MMSA Program Contact:
Jan Mokros jmokros@mmsa.org
The Governor's Academy for Science and Mathematics Leadership
Funded by the Maine Department of Education, Maine EPSCoR, and It’s About Time Publishing
2009-2011
Increasingly, science and mathematics teachers are called upon to undertake new leadership roles in planning and carrying out significant changes in their schools, districts, regions, or statewide. The purpose of the Governor’s Academy is to build the leadership capacity of Maine schools in science and mathematics. The Academy offers a rigorous two year program of professional development to prepare exemplary teachers to step into roles that require new understandings and increased knowledge of research-based science and mathematics education, staff development, and policy issues. The Governor’s Academy is a replication model of the successful National Academy for Science and Mathematics Education Leadership, which has built national leadership for science and mathematics reform. The Academy began under the Governorship of Angus King and continues today with its third cohort of Governor’s Academy Fellows.
See archived MMSA Projects FMI
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The 2009-2011 cohort of the Governor’s Academy involves 28 Fellows from 13 of Maine’s 16 counties. Fellows will work together over a two year period to enhance their expertise in the classroom while preparing to be “ambassadors” for the mathematics and science teaching profession; mentors for the support of new teachers; skilled and knowledgeable facilitators of professional learning communities; partners and advisors to various district, regional, and statewide initiatives; and contributors to the professional knowledge base on teaching in Maine.
MMSA Academy Director:
Page Keeley PKeeley@mmsa.org
Academy Fellows Listed Here
View Brochure Here
Linking Science Inquiry and Language Literacy
Funded by the National Semiconductor
2005-2011
The Linking Science, Inquiry, and Language Literacy Project (L-SILL) projects seeks to improve student achievement in elementary science by supporting sustained professional development and the implementation of science-authentic classroom strategies that incorporate reading, writing, and speaking in the context of inquiry-based science.
The original L-SILL project involved 12 school sites across Maine. L-SILL 2 is a three-year continuation of the original L-SILL project and currently involves 8 school sites. L-SILL Enhancement (L-SILL E) is an extension of L-SILL, funded by the Maine Department of Education in partnership with MMSA, to support 10 school sites for the implementation of the science notebook strategy in the context of inquiry-based science during the 2008-2011 school years.
MMSA Program Contact:
Nancy Chesley nchesley@mmsa.org
Lynn Farrin lfarrin@mmsa.org
LSILL Website
Maine's Energy Education Curriculum Project (Powersleuth)
Funded by Efficiency Maine, a program of the Maine Public Utilities Commission
2007-2010
The Maine Energy Education Curriculum Project is a three-year project to develop and disseminate an energy education curriculum for students in grades 4-8; PowerSleuth. PowerSleuth units, consisting of 8-9 lessons that follow a conceptual storyline, use Maine's energy context, and follow an inquiry-based instructional model, have been developed for three grade spans: Energy Lights Maine Grades 4-5, Energy Heats Maine Grades 6-7, and Energy for Maine Grades 7-8. Lessons align with the Maine Learning Results and national standards, are developmentally appropriate, and address commonly held misconceptions students have around particular energy concepts. Materials are available to teachers at no cost. Materials and additional supporting resources can be accessed by visiting the PowerSleuth companion website www.powersleuth.org.
MMSA Program Contact:
Lynn Farrin (lfarrin@mmsa.org)
www.powersleuth.org
Maine's Energy Education Future
Funded by the National Science Foundation, Mathematics and Science Partnership Program
October 2009 – February 2011
The National Science Foundation has funded a “start-up” grant of $300,000 to design a plan to transform teaching about energy literacy and energy jobs. The partners in the new project include the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), Augusta School District, Lake Region School District, Messalonskee School District, University of Maine at Augusta, and University of Maine at Farmington. Advisors to the project include the Maine Department of Education, Maine Department of Labor, Kennebec Community College and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
The project will chart the energy literacy landscape in Maine: “What are teachers and professors doing to promote an integrated understanding of energy processes, energy resources, and energy jobs?” The partners see energy literacy as having two necessary ingredients: First, a deep understanding of energy processes that transcends the boundaries of traditional courses in earth science, chemistry, biology, and physics. Second, a concrete knowledge of how energy principles translate to energy jobs in Maine, where we have abundant sources of wind, wave, solar, and biomass energy.
The ripple effects of the 18-month project will be significant: Successful completion of this design project qualifies the partners to submit a multi-million dollar proposal to NSF, which if awarded, would impact all 6th through 9th grade science teachers and students in the state. The larger proposal will involve many additional collaborators, including schools, research institutes, nonprofit energy groups, legislators and policymakers, and workforce experts.
As a result of this project, STEM educators will better understand their students’ needs and Maine’s economic needs with respect to energy. The project will inform policy work that Governor Baldacci has targeted as essential to the state’s economy. As the nation’s Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has succinctly stated, “We have to educate ourselves to a better economy.”
MMSA Program Contact:
Project Director: Harold McWilliams hmcwilliams@mmsa.org
Read more here
The SCITEC Network is supported through the Maine Department of Education by U.S. Department of Education funds.
2007-2011
The SCITEC Network is a series of three-year projects across the state of Maine aimed at helping high school students meet Maine’s Learning Results related to engineering and technological design. SCITEC programs bring faculty and students from high schools, Career and Technical Education centers and University of Maine system together with staff from the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and the National Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science in Boston. Currently three regions are being served by the SCITEC Network: Capital Area, Sanford Area, and Mid-Maine Region.
The Maine STEM Initiative Coalition is an independent state-wide advocate for STEM education seeking the improvement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and fostering partnerships that support STEM learning.
2. To establish and oversee implementation of a Maine STEM Education Fund. The STEM Education Fund will develop and enhance researcher, industry, and educator partnerships.
This project brings together community service learning and STEM citizen science projects. We will work with five states (ME, MA, CT, VT and NY) on developing teams of teacher leaders who will implement in-depth, 6 week long environmental science projects with their students. These projects involve posing good scientific questions, gathering, organizing, and representing data, carefully analyzing these data, making recommendations, and acting on these recommendations. The mathematics of data will be integrated with scientific topics involving environmental issues that are of concern within students’ schools and communities. The project’s foundation is the community service model developed by Kids Consortium. MMSA is working with Kids Consortium to provide teacher professional development for New England middle school science teachers,and to help them link the citizen science projects with national and state standards, existing curricula, and assessments. The project will develop and disseminate a manual of STEM service-learning projects to middle-school teachers nationwide.
