Educator Services Teaching & Learning Curriculum Resources
2008 Professional Development Institutes

Central Region

Science and Technology/Engineering

Teaching Laboratory-Based Engineering

For: Current or prospective teachers of technology/engineering or physics.

This institute will provide participants the knowledge and skills necessary to develop and deliver a technology/engineering course that meets the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework. Participants will engage with in-depth learning of several technology/engineering topics, where laboratory activities for teaching the technology/engineering standards will be demonstrated and examined. By the end of the institute, participants will have collaboratively designed a course syllabus and units, employing a student outcome-based approach to design.

Mathematics

First Steps in Mathematics: Number

For Teachers in Grades Pre-K to 9
Prerequisites: None

This course is designed for teachers of regular education, inclusion, and special education students. It addresses both mathematics content and pedagogical strategies. Teacher teams will be given priority.

This institute emphasizes setting a solid foundation for students in Number by providing teachers with a deeper knowledge of the mathematics behind the major outcomes of number sense and the steps that students work through as they develop understandings in Number. It is also designed to help teachers make judgments about students' existing understanding of mathematical concepts and the challenges needed to move students' thinking forward. Participants will learn to use a process for seamlessly integrating curriculum, instruction and assessment to reach the math needs of their students.

Significant emphasis will be placed on research and on a Diagnostic Map that describes characteristic phases in the development of students' thinking about major mathematical concepts. Participants will:

• investigate Key Understandings that underpin student outcomes,
• use Diagnostic Tasks that reveal students' misconceptions about mathematics,
• identify purposeful and practical learning activities that correct those misconceptions, and
• engage in collaborative planning processes that support their professional judgments about teaching pathways.

Mathematics

Math Coaching and Beyond for Teacher Leaders and Coaches

For Educators in Grades K-8
Prerequisites: Master's degree or equivalent mathematical content knowledge and a minimum of three years teaching experience; Coaching experience helpful but not required.

This institute emphasizes math coaching strategies and models. It is suitable for those who haven't had coach training and is useful for practicing coaches as well.

This course is designed to address key aspects of coaching in the context of the standards-based math instruction. Participants will learn how to assist teachers in improving content knowledge and pedagogy as well as the use of assessment to understand what students know. Various aspects of coaching models will be examined: collaborative coaching and learning, reflective coaching, grade level planning, group data analysis, protocols for looking at student work, lesson planning, demonstrating and modeling lessons, professional development delivery, and direct coaching.

Mathematics

Increasing Accessibility to Algebra and Geometry for Special Education Students

For Teachers of Grades 5-12
Prerequisites: None

This institute emphasizes foundational math content at the middle and high school level in the context of standards-based instruction for inclusion, regular education, and special education students. It addresses both mathematics content and pedagogical strategies. Teacher teams will be given priority.

The main goals are to strengthen teachers' understandings of the concepts from the algebra and geometry strands and the connections between them. The content includes slope, systems of equations, polygons, 3-dimensional figures, isometric views, area and accumulation. Participants will be provided with a toolbox of strategies to support all students in learning mathematics-concepts and skills. The course will model a variety of instructional formats, use math graphic organizers, informal and formal assessments, and technology as appropriate.

Visit:
http://www.umassmed.edu/ProfessionalDevelopment.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=49372

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