Are you or do you know an outstanding mathematics or science teacher in seventh through twelfth grade? Please consider nominating him or her for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Anyone – principals, teachers, parents, students, or member of the general public – may nominate a teacher by completing the nomination form available on the PAEMST website at http://www.paemst.org.

MSTA will be accepting nominations until April 1, 2011. The online application is also available at www.paemst.org. There is still plenty of time to apply. Applications are due May 2, 2011.

What Are the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching?

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through 12th-grade mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1983, this program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards each year. The National Science Foundation administers PAEMST on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In addition to honoring individual achievement, the goal of the award program is to exemplify the highest standards of mathematics and science teaching. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.
The following are eligibility criteria for nominees. They must:

• Teach mathematics or science at the 7th-12th grade level in a public or private school.
• Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Be a full-time employee of the school or school district as determined by state and district policies, and teach K-12 students at least 50% of the time.
• Have at least 5 years of full-time, K-12 mathematics or science teaching experience prior to the 2010-2011 academic school year.
• Teach in one of the 50 states or the four U.S. jurisdictions. The jurisdictions are Washington, DC; Puerto Rico; Department of Defense Schools; and the U.S. territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
• Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
• Not have received the PAEMST award at the national level in any prior competition or category.

Why Apply?

Recipients of the award receive the following:

• A citation signed by the President of the United States.
• A paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
• A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

In addition to recognizing outstanding teaching in mathematics or science, the program provides teachers with an opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation. This growing network of award-winning teachers serves as a vital resource for improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and keeping America globally competitive.

Please recognize exemplary teachers by nominating them for this prestigious award. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Betty Crowder, the statewide coordinator for this effort.

NSTA Conference Presentations

March is conference month for educators.  And, it certainly is for MMSTLC.  The presentations continue at the National Science Teacher Association Annual Convention in Philadelphia, PA, from March 18-21. These sessions highlight two specific sets of resources and activities that came out of the MMSTLC Science Leadership development efforts.  The first, Investigate the State, is a combination professional development/inquiry-based curriculum program that utilizes online tools to encourage collaboration among educators and classrooms on large scale scientific investigations, such as water quality in a watershed, or regional air quality concerns.  You can learn more about this program at the presentation, or by wandering over to our “sister” site – investigatethestate.org.

The second session focuses on the writing strategies that were the focus of many discussions and activities focusing on assessment practices.  This session is one of the featured sessions at the conference.  We would love to have you attend, so please check out the NSTA site to register, and see the session times for our presentations below:

Say What You Mean! Strategies to Help Students Better Communicate Science
2:00 – 3:00 pm, Saturday, March 20
Philadelphia Marriott, Grand Salon G

Investigate the State: Collaborating to Study Science Issues in Michigan
9:30 – 10:30 am, Saturday, March 20
Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel, Room: Freedom H

MSTA Conference Presentations

MMSTLC Leaders will be presenting six sessions and a full day workshop at the upcoming Michigan Science Teacher Association conference. The MSTA Conference, which takes place March 4-6 in Lansing, is the premier annual science education conference for teachers in Michigan. These sessions or workshops, which utilize MMSTLC resources, include:

Science Specific Writing Skills to Enhance Student Understanding
Full day workshop (including lunch) from 9:00am to 2:30pm, Thursday, March 4
Registration fee is $45 and includes materials, lunch, and refreshments
Radisson Hotel, Room Capital 4

Say What You Mean! Strategies to Help Students Better Communicate Science
10:00 – 10:45am, Friday, March 5
Room 102, Lansing Center

The Problem with Models and How to Fix Them
11:00 – 11:45am, Friday, March 5
Room 201, Lansing Center

Creating a New Generation of Science Leaders
4:00 – 4:45pm, Friday, March 5
Room 203, Lansing Center

Web 2.0 in the Classroom: Collaborative Learning Tools for Science
10:00 – 10:45am, Saturday, March 6
Room 104, Lansing Center

Investigate the State: Collaborating to Study Science Issues in Michigan
11:00 – 11:45am, Saturday, March 6
Room 104, Lansing Center

Science Book Studies as Professional Learning Communities
1:00 – 1:45pm, Saturday, March 6
Room 202, Lansing Center

MMSTLC Presentation at AMTE Conference

Judy Flowers, one of the MMSTLC partners, and a faculty member at University of Michigan Dearborn is presenting a session at the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators conference in Irvine, California.  The session, titled “A Practice-Based Approach to Develop Mathematics Teacher Leaders’ Understanding of Misconceptions Related to Proportionality” will present resources and efforts from the past two years of working with new teacher leaders in Michigan.

Following the presentation, Dr. Flowers’ presentation will be posted here.

The MMSTLC presents a workshop for educators:

Science Specific Writing Skills to Enhance Student Understanding.

Presented by Stephen Best and Nancy Williams, University of Michigan

This workshop focuses on one of the more challenging issues that educators deal with in science – getting our students to better communicate their understanding of science through writing.  The workshop is one of the pre-conference offerings for the MSTA Conference in Lansing in March.  The workshop is a full day (9:00 am – 2:30 pm) session, held on March 4 at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing.

Check here for more information.

This flyer provides information about the workshop.

Here is the presentation made at NSTA Phoenix 2009 by Steve Best and Walt Rathkamp. Below it are links to some of the additional resources mentioned in the session. We will also be posting other resources related to leadership development for teachers in the coming months.

NSTA recently announced the new Tapestry Grant program for science teachers. A partnership between Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. , Inc. and the National Science Teachers Association, the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program offers grants to K–12 science teachers for innovative projects that enhance science education in the school and/or school district. 50 large grants and a minimum of 20 mini-grants, totaling $550,000 in all, will be awarded this year.

Grant applications are due January 18, 2010. Check here for more information.

MMSTLC leaders shared resources and strategies from the project at the NSTA Regional Conference in Phoenix. This conference’s theme of “Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” aligned very well with the mission and learning activities of the MMSTLC, and we were happy to share our ideas and experiences with the broader science education community at this event.
The following sessions featured MMSTLC presenters.

Developing a Network of Teacher Leaders in Science. Thursday, Dec. 3, 2:00 – 3:00pm.
“See how the Michigan Mathematics and Science Teacher Leadership Collaborative created a professional development program to address critical science instruction, inquiry learning, and leadership issues.”
Presented by Stephen Best and Walt Rathkamp. Click here for session resources.

Web 2.0 in the Classroom: Collaborative Learning Tools for Science. Friday, Dec. 4, 8:00 – 9:00am.
“See how Web 2.0 tools can support inquiry and problem solving in science. We’ll provide an overview, samples, and tutorials for dozens of these tools.”
Presented by Stephen Best. Click here for session resources.

Say What You Mean! Strategies to Help Students Better Communicate Science. Friday, Dec. 4, 12:30 – 1:30pm.
“Do your students know the difference between a definition, description, and explanation? We’ll explore strategies to help students effectively communicate their understanding of science.”
Presented by Stephen Best. Click here for resources.

The Problems With Models and How to Fix Them Friday, Dec. 4, 3:30 – 4:30pm.
“Are scientific models causing more problems than benefits? We’ll see why and what we can do to use models more effectively in science instruction.”
Presented by Stephen Best. Click here for resources.