AssistingTeacher Leadership to Advance Schools

An Integrated System of Professinal Development for Middle School Science Teachers

 

In 2001, the Science Education Group, of which I am a founding member, established a partnership among the Division of Science, School of Education and the NYC School Regions 1, 9 and 10 -Manhattan and Bronx, to design, develop and implement a coherent professional development model for middle school science education, and simultaneously develop a degree-granting program with a curriculum that reflected the real needs of the teachers and the students we served.

We conceptualized the program as self-organizing complex system (Raia et al., under review). Rather than considering instruction and learning as a top-down linear sum of single agents' expertise and actions:

we focused on the arrangement of and the relations among the participants, which connect them into a whole. We recognized the paramount importance of reciprocal learning, and the necessity to share knowledge, practice and expertise transcending the boundaries of isolated science education sub-communities, and build on interdependent collaborations. This concept translated into having participants with different backgrounds and knowledge share a set of tasks more typically associated with individual roles

 

When asked what he valued in his own work, Samuel Backett replied:

"What I don't understand"

(Adam Higgins)

 

  

The Science Education Group comprises agents of different expertise: scientist, science educators, and experience teachers

Master's and Certification Program

The program has two overarching themes:

1) Comprehensive and meaningful teacher development and,

2) Complete integration with the public school classrooms.


To reach these goals, we develop and sustain the ability to implement and adapt educational curricula and resources that foster:

  • rich and in-depth understanding of fundamental scientific phenomena (content knowledge);
  • familiarity and fluency with innovative teaching methods;
  • understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge and what it means for students and teachers to think productively about science and;
  • meaningful connections with the Math, Science and Technology Standards.

For more information go to

Middle School Science Education Progam

 

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Last updated on: February 4, 2008