[Kindly forward this note to high school science teachers in your
town. -- Jane Jackson]
ATTENTION SCIENCE TEACHERS!
50 Modeling Workshops in high school and middle school sciences will
be offered this summer, in many states. Most workshops are two or
three weeks long. CEUs or graduate credit; stipends at some sites.
Registration is open for all workshops, and they are filling up fast. Please
plan your summer professional development and think about taking a
Modeling Workshop. Ask your school administration to help pay.
MECHANICS workshops are offered in: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, New York City, Ohio, and Texas (Dallas).
CASTLE electricity: Ohio
CHEMISTRY I: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana,
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York City, Ohio
BIOLOGY: California (MUSE), Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio
PHYSICAL SCIENCE or chem/physics: California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio
MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE (grades 6 to 8): Arizona, Michigan, New York City
ONE-WEEK INTRO TO MODELING: Maine, Minnesota, South Carolina
The following Workshops require a prior Modeling Workshop.
CHEMISTRY II: ASU in Arizona (June 15-26)
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT in physics & chemistry: OSU in Ohio (June 8-26)
E&M: Ilinois (June 15-26) and New York (Buffalo: July 27-Aug. 14)
WAVES: ASU in Arizona (June 8-26), Cal Poly (June 15-26)
Bill Canham (Hong Kong) will lead a mechanics workshop in Bangkok.
ABOUT MODELING INSTRUCTION:
Modeling Instruction is designated as an Exemplary K-12 science
program and a Promising Educational Technology program by the U.S.
Department of Education.
Modeling Workshops thoroughly address most aspects of science
teaching, including integration of teaching methods with course
content. Workshops incorporate up-to-date results of physics and
science education research, best curriculum materials, use of
technology, and experience in collaborative learning and guidance.
Workshops are aligned with all 8 science practices of NGSS.
Participants are introduced to Modeling Instruction as a
systematic approach to design of curriculum and instruction. The name
Modeling Instruction expresses an emphasis on making and using
conceptual models of phenomena in science as central to learning
science. Mathematics instruction is integrated seamlessly in each
course by an emphasis on mathematical modeling.
In each workshop, content for an entire semester course is
reorganized around models to increase its structural coherence.
Participants are supplied with a complete set of course materials and
work through activities alternately in roles of student or teacher.
Teachers use computers as scientific tools to collect, organize,
analyze, visualize, and model real data.
TEACHERS SAY:
* I'm a better teacher after modeling, I like my job more, I feel the
kids walk away with real transferable skills.
* It moves students in the direction of being independent learners,
and it puts the responsibility for learning where it belongs - on the
students.
* The Modeling program is the only one I have found that is truly
grounded in how students learn and attacks head-on the misconceptions
students have.