Time to Learn

Solicitation for participation from area teachers begins in the spring and an informational meeting is held for perspective participants, followed by a meeting for selected participants at which the layout of the model for the 3-week summer workshop is discussed further.

Teachers, either elementary or secondary teachers, come to the workshop with ideas in mind about what piece of their curriculum they want to work on. During the first three days of the workshop, workshop leaders discuss science content and pedagogical techniques that are of relevance to participants' interests. Teachers develop a work plan, either independently or in teams, by the end of the 3-day intro. The remaining 3-weeks of the workshop are devoted to completion of the participants' projects. On the last 2 days, teachers present their results to the whole group.

In order to fully support the diverse needs of participants workshops are led by faculty from multiple disciplines, including Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Physical Geography, Science Education, and English education. During the first week faculty provide extensive guidance for participants by discussing available resources, teaching activities and strategies, scientific techniques, field trip options, lab space, and instruction in content area of interest to participants. During the remainder of the workshop, a contact person among leaders is assigned to each teacher or group to provide content and technical support and to monitor progress.

Teachers develop their work plan by the end of the first 3 days and put in 60 hours over the next 3 weeks developing their project. They set their own goals, defining what they plan to achieve and developing their final product. Though they work independently, they are supported by a workshop leader. At the end of the workshop participants present their achievements. Teachers receive 2 continuing education credits for participation in the workshop.

After completing the workshop, teachers implement their projects in their classrooms in the fall and report back the following spring. Teachers build an assessment component into their projects and report data on whether students made learning gains following implementation of the new piece they added to their curriculum. Teachers receive a third credit for completing this component.

The effectiveness of the workshop is also evaluated by examining teacher and staff perceptions of learning gains using pre- and post-workshop surveys.

• An initial challenge to starting this type of program can include low enrollment as it often takes a year for word of mouth to get out about the quality of the program
• The individualized workshop format is challenging and a large staff with appropriate expertise is needed to support the diverse projects that teachers are undertaking
• It is important that participants are motivated to work independently, with support, and that they have ideas about what types of projects they would like to develop