[High school teachers tell me that they appreciate reminders, because
they get too busy to read their e-mails. Thus, will you please
forward this note to middle & high school science teachers in your
town? -- Jane Jackson, AMTA volunteer & Co-Director of ASU Modeling
Instruction Program]
ATTENTION SCIENCE TEACHERS!
update: April 7, 2015
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; optional graduate credit, stipends at
grant-funded sites. Modeling Instruction is research-informed.
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 (no prerequisites!)
CHEMISTRY I: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois,
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York City, Ohio, PENNSYLVANIA (new!)
BIOLOGY: California (MUSE), Illinois, 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
These Modeling 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 & SOUND: ASU in Arizona (June 8-26), Cal Poly (June 15-26)
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 are peer-led. Content is reorganized around
basic 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, as they
practice techniques of guided inquiry and cooperative learning.
Each MODELING WORKSHOP has these features:
* aligned with National Science Education Standards
* focuses on all 8 scientific practices of NRC Framework for K-12
Science Education.
* addresses multiple learning styles.
* addresses student naive conceptions.
* collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
* systems, models, modeling.
* coherent curriculum framework, but not a curriculum; thus flexible.
* compatible with Socratic methods, project-based instruction,
Cambridge curriculum, PBL, etc.
* science & math literacy.
* authentic assessments.
* high-tech and low-tech options for labs.
Models and theories are the purpose and the outcomes of scientific
practices. They are tools for engineering design and problem solving.
Thus, modeling guides all other practices.
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.