MMSTLC NEWS & EVENTS

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.

MACUL (Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning) is accepting applications for the 2010 MI Champions program. MI Champions provides support for professional development around technology use and integration for teachers, based on the NETS standards. For the program, teams of 3-5 teachers from a school can apply, with up to 70 schools or 350 educators participating in the program. MI Champions awardees receive funding to support participation at the MACUL conference in 2010 and 2011, onsite coaching, professional development support (including stipends and sub-reimbursements), and the possibility of CEU or graduate credit for the experience.

For more information, visit the MI Champions website and check out the application form.

Applications are due December 16, 2009.

MSTA announced the competition for the Dan Wolz Clean Water Education Grant. This award is designed to help enable Michigan teachers to be aware of and promote careers in water environment, water quality, and wastewater management not only to their students, but also to the science community. The goal is to have students throughout the state who are much more aware of the contributions these industries make to society, and ideally, to become inspired enough in these fields to choose a career path that would make them a part of this broader effort of these fields.

More information about the program can be found here.

The Grant Application is available here, and should be postmarked by Dec. 18, 2009 and sent or faxed to the MSTA Office at the following address:
Sue Campbell
MSTA Office
3300 Washtenaw Ave., Suite 220
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone: 734-973-0433
FAX: 734-677-2407

The MMSTLC Partners received word recently that the project would not receive grant funding through the Mathematics and Science Partnership program from the Michigan Department of Education.  The MMSTLC Partners are sad to announce what we feel is a premature end to the ongoing professional development efforts of the project.  Our letter below to all of our participating educators expresses our feelings about this decision and the project in general:

Dear MMSTLC Participants,

We are writing to thank you for your ongoing participation and effort in the MMSTLC over the past couple years.  Through this program, you have invested considerable time and effort to enhance your own instruction and developed new skills, knowledge, and capacities to help support your colleagues in addressing mathematics and science instruction.  As a result of this and the new partnerships we have all formed through this effort, you and your colleagues in the project can better support teaching and learning at your schools and institutions.

We wanted to let you know that the MMSTLC will not receive additional grant funding to continue our formal networking and leadership development efforts or to financially support the ongoing implementation of program activities.  Despite this setback, you all have access to a considerable set of instructional and professional development resources provided by the project, as well as the networks and relationships you have developed with others in the project.  We anticipate that you will continue to use these resources and contacts to further support mathematics and science education in your school and region.  If there are any questions regarding the MMSTLC program or concerns regarding specific efforts for your project or team, please contact your mentor.

In the next several weeks, we will be posting and sending you some resources related to the project, including possible support considerations that we are exploring, and information about the project as well as a list of our accomplishments.  We’ll also update you on the resources we have been developing for the new project web site and upcoming webinars and other learning opportunities to find out about these new tools.   Beyond this, we want to suggest that you continue to maintain contact with your team partners and their organizations, that you use the resources from the project, and look for local sponsorship or grant funding opportunities.  We have attached a list of suggestions for next steps for everyone in the project.  As the professional educators you are, we hope you will continue to strive to support learning and teaching in mathematics and science through these and other approaches.

Obviously, we are disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to continue to work with all of you in these efforts.  This was a gratifying experience for each and every one of us, and we feel that we have all benefited through this collaborative work with you.  We want you to know that the project status does not reflect on the quality of the project or the work you all have been doing, but simply on the reality and situation of funding and priorities for the state.  In fact, our evaluator’s report suggests that we will continue to see the fruition of the project for years to come.  We are sure that you will be a part of that.

Thank you again for the opportunity to work with you all on improving mathematics and science education in our state.

Sincerely,

Walt, Judy, Karen, Mary Ann, and Steve

The MMSTLC Partners