Professional Development Projects
ITTIP's long-term professional development projects are made available to K-12 educators of any our partnering school divisions. Other short-term professional development opportunities, such as the annual STEM Summit held at Longwood University, are widely publicized and opened to all educators.
CoMPD
ITTIP and the Mathematics Department have each received an Math Science Partnership (MSP) grant and partnered together to provide programs that improve content, pedagogy and technology knowledge for forty K-3 teachers and thirty-six grade 4-6 teachers. They have also partnered with the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) to provide a similar program for twenty-four grade 7-8 teachers. These grants will help teachers transform instructional practices that will improve mathematical learning and develop mathematical thinking in all students including students with special needs. In addition to the K-8 classes, ITTIP has an additional MSP grant that provides training for teachers of Algebra I and above. The graduate course will provide content, pedagogy and technical knowledge about the new Algebra, Functions and Data Analysis program.
MarineTech Academy:
In collaboration with Old Dominion University, thirty six teachers were trained in Hanover (central and northern Virginia school divisions) and in Norfolk (eastern Virginia school divisions) to integrate marine science concepts and build SeaPerch underwater robot. Teachers received online training and support throughout 2008-2009. In June 2009, teachers showcased their robots . Teacher professional development was funded by the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV). We worked with ODU in rewriting the proposal to include students and teachers in exploring marine science and marine engineering. As a result, MarineTech has now been funded by the National Science Foundation and ITTIP will continue to collaborate on this project till 2012.
Transformative Teaching in Elementary Science (TTES):
Transformative Teaching in Elementary Science (TTES) project is designed to improve content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge of forty K-5 teachers and enable them to transform instructional practices to develop science process skills of inquiry and language process skills and improve science learning in all students including students with special needs. This Southside Virginia Math Science Partnership includes Longwood University’s Cooke’s College of Arts and Sciences, Institute for Teaching through Technology and Innovative Practices (ITTIP), Concord Consortium, Science Museum of Virginia, and twelve Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC) school divisions. Through graduate courses, teachers will receive graduate credits and training on specified science SOL strands as per the needs analysis, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, inquiry-based learning (IBL), and Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) to meet the needs of all students. Sustained follow-up during the school year, in the form of on-line classes, after-school workshops and classroom observations, will be provided as teachers, working in small groups within their schools, develop and implement lessons using research-based UDL, IBL and SIOP strategies. Key technology personnel and lead teachers will also receive training to support the teachers beyond the grant period. The delivery-mode for TTES will include face-to-face, videoconferencing, and asynchronous learning to meets the needs of rural schools. Teachers will work in small collaborative groups to design and teach lesson, reflect on teaching practice, and improve lesson. Teacher-created resources will be available for all schools after the project. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium will evaluate the impact of TTES through pre- and post-tests, participant surveys, classroom observation record, and teacher portfolios. We expect to serve at least 40 elementary teacherss. (funded by Virginia Department of Education)
Algebra, Functions, and Data Analysis (AFDA)
Southside Virginia school divisions, Longwood University, and Longwood's ITTIP recognize that highly qualified mathematics teachers are essential to the preparation of rural students for college and the 21st century workplace. The Southside Virginia K-12 schools' declining enrollment in Algebra II is indicative of the need for improving algebraic understanding and confidence of students in order for them to progress to higher level math courses. The new AFDA standards created by VDOE will provide opportunities to develop these skills for improved understanding, but professional development activities are necessary to not only enhance the content knowledge of teachers for this new course but also to expand and refine pedagogical strategies of teachers and to improve technological knowledge and integration in instruction. School divisions in Southside Virginia, ITTIP, and Longwood University are committed to implementing sustained professional development activities and supporting a professional learning community of math teachers. Activities will include a video-conferenced graduate summer course for content and pedagogical and technological knowledge; asynchronous, synchronous, and face-to-face training and classroom support in use of technology tools, lesson development, classroom implementation, and assessment practices during the course of the year; an online community of AFDA teachers to mentor and support each other; and quarterly meetings to share practices, concerns and artifacts. The AFDA course for high schools will be developed by these teachers for implementation in 2010-11, and through this collaborative effort, resources and best practices will be shared. MERC will use formative and summative data to evaluate impact on teachers and students.
Third Annual STEM Summit
Please check back here for more information on our third annual STEM summit.
Past Projects
Expanding Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Career and Technical Education (ESTEMCaTE)
In 2008-09, twenty four middle and high school math, science, and CTE (career and technical education) teachers collaborated in creating instructional modules integrating real world applications in math and science and geospatial applications during two week institutes in the summer. They explored integration of archeology in fall 2008 with expert assistance from a museum scientist from Virginia Museum of Natural History. National Institute of Aerospace supported the teachers in spring 2009 when they developed 21st century skills through exploration of aerospace digital resources and creation of digital video. . Funded by the Math and Science Partnership grant, Department of Education