University of
Maine Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research
Please note:
For updated information, please see http://www.umaine.edu/center/2008_Summer_Conference.
Stipends of $450, plus complimentary
on-campus room and board will be provided for the first 75 in-service
classroom teachers who register
and attend the Conference and the Summer Academy.
Be sure to complete the Summer Academy registration form.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: June 1, 2008
Workshops offered Wednesday afternoon to noon Friday
Classroom
Inquiry into Climate Using Computer Models and Linked Laptops
We will spend two days developing inquiry
exercises for students to investigate Earth’s climate system using the University of Maine ice sheet model, Net
Logo, and technology that allows laptops to be linked to visualize large
high-resolution images in the classroom. This academy is a continuation
of an ongoing series of workshops for middle school teachers, Inquiry Based
Dynamics of Earth Applications of Supercomputing (IDEAS), however, up to 11 additional
teachers are welcome to participate for these 2 days.
Limit: 22 teachers
Target audience: Grades 6 – 9 teachers
Instructors: Peter Koons, Professor
of Geological Sciences, Molly Schauffler, Assistant Professor (adjuct), Climate
Change Institute, Bruce Segee, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Yifeng Zhu, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, University of Maine
Location:
University of Maine, Orono
Understanding
Climate Change
Goals: Among the most frequent topics appearing
in the press during the past decade are “global warming” and “greenhouse
effect”. The ongoing research on our planet’s climate is of such
importance that whenever a new discovery is made, a new theory proposed, or a
new model developed, a story about it is carried in major newspapers.
What do we and don’t we understand? Can we catch the attention of our
students and help them make a difference in their own future?
Content: Participants
will hear first-hand from professors about their ongoing climate-related
research. Open discussions with these researchers will allow teachers to
expand and probe their own understandings of climate change and the earth
systems behind it. Each content presentation will be followed by
inquiry-based learning activities/resources designed to help make the transfer
of content back to the classroom. Some time will be spent discussing how
to answer student questions about recently released entertainment media on the
topic of climate. Teachers will work to create their own curriculum plan
relating the earth systems and climate change.
Limit: 10 teachers (preference given to middle school
and Maine teachers based on
funding source).
Target audience: Middle school teachers
Instructors:
Annette
Brickley, Professional Development Director, Challenger Learning Center of Maine
Deirdre Byrne, Research Assistant Professor,
School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine
Location: University of Maine, Orono
Aquaculture
Workshop: Domestication of Aquatic
Organisms
This workshop is designed to provide middle and high school
level educators with background information and a conceptual framework for
using aquaculture as a hands-on tool for teaching science. The workshop will include topics such as, 1)
working with small scale aquaculture systems (aquariums) for classroom based
demonstrations of basic aquariology, water chemistry, filtration (biological,
chemical, mechanical), the aquatic food web, and the biology of different types
of aquatic organisms, 2) gaining experience with the tools and techniques for
monitoring an aquaculture system, 3) learning about and developing links to
aquaculture research programs at the University of Maine and elsewhere in the
state. To boost production, the
aquaculture industry has turned to both traditional applied breeding programs
and the use of biotechnology. In recent
years, however, a tremendous amount of controversy has arisen over the
production and marketing of "genetically modified organisms"
(GMOs). Yet, what constitutes a
genetically modified organism is not always clear or easily defined. This institute will 1) introduce teachers to
basic genetic concepts that historically have formed the cornerstone of genetic
improvement programs and which are used in aquaculture research programs at the
University of Maine, 2) help educators gain experience in using computer
software for classroom demonstration of these principles, and 3) establish
links that will allow teachers and their students to work "in-silico"
with aquaculture and applied breeding programs research programs at the
University of Maine.
Limit: 10 teachers
Target audience: middle and high school level
educators
Instructors: Dr. Paul Rawson, Associate
Professor, School of Marine Sciences, and Neil Greenberg,
Aquaculture Research Complex, University of Maine.
Location:
Aquaculture
Research Complex with overnight field trip (with accommodations, meals and
travel covered by the program) at the Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine
Explorations in
Classical Geometry
This workshop examines a small selection of Euclidean
geometry topics. We will focus on axiomatic systems; geometric transformations
(including isometries and similarity transformations); polygons and circles;
constructions; and symmetry groups.
While the material may be sophisticated, the intent is for each
participant to bolster her or his grasp of a few large, underlying concepts
that have potential connections to high school geometry. These connections may be either explicit or implicit.
Dynamic geometry software such as Geometer’s Sketchpad will be used where
appropriate.
Limit:
15 teachers
Target Audience:
High school mathematics teachers (focus on geometry, but all welcome)
Instructor:
Eric Pandiscio, Associate Professor, Mathematics Education, University of Maine.
Location:
University of Maine, Orono
Workshop offered Wednesday afternoon to noon Saturday
Building Inquiry-based, Student-driven Research
into Science and Mathematics Programs
The natural systems and cultural resources of Acadia National Park are the focus of a wide
variety of research studies. Middle school and high school science and
math teachers can tie into these studies as they seek to encourage and model
use of inquiry for students. In this 3 day academy program (we will wrap
up at Saturday at noon), which will take place at the Schoodic Education and
Research Center in Acadia National Park, participants will work directly with
research scientists to explore problems and questions that students can
investigate in natural areas around their schools. The academy will build
around a field experience investigating intertidal systems surrounding the
Schoodic campus in the park. (Participants should bring boots or other
gear for working in intertidal zones.) Building on this field work, participants
will get practice in formulating hypotheses and proposing research
designs--skills that are important for teachers who want to engage students in
hands-on scientific investigations.
The program will cover food, lodging, and
transportation expenses for teachers participating in this academy. The
work builds on the experiences and lessons learned during the 2007-08 school
year as Acadia Partners for Science and Learning has worked with teachers in a
number of schools to develop research projects that engage students in
inquiry-based learning. Participants will gain insight into “lessons
learned” from this collaboration of scientists and teachers. This ongoing
project is seeking to expand to work with more teachers who want to improve inquiry-based
instruction skills; the academy will be an excellent place to become more
familiar with the project.
Limit: 15 teachers
Target
Audience:
teachers interested in field work, hands-on science, and engaging students with
data
Instructors: Bill Zoellick, Program Development Director,
Acadia Partners for Science and Learning, assisted by teachers and scientists
who have been part of the program.
Location:
Schoodic
Education and Research Center campus in Acadia National Park
Workshops offered Thursday morning and Friday morning
Web Based Resources to Assist in Calculus Instruction.
We will explore a number of
different online resources that are available for calculus instruction. These
include animations that illustrate important concepts, graphing- calculator
emulation programs, and other programs—from function graphers to computer
algebra systems for computing derivatives and integrals—that assist in
exploring calculus topics. The workshop will address a number of important
topics in calculus via a set of activities designed to employ the online
resources.
Limit: 16
teachers
Target audience: The
content is primarily at the calculus level, but middle school and high school
mathematics
teachers are welcome.
Instructor: Bob
Franzosa, Professor of Mathematics, University of Maine
Location: University of Maine, Orono
Mathematics with Technology
This workshop will provide the opportunity for teachers to
engage with mathematics technology resources that support teaching and
learning. Interactive web-based applets and GeoGebra, an open source,
multi-platform application will be explored. Each session includes
instructor-facilitated hands-on time. Guided collaborative activities will
model purposeful integration of the technology. Instructional strategies
will support concept development for all learners and meet teaching and
learning standards for mathematics and technology.
• Outcome: Participants will adapt technology
resources for classroom use in content-centered lessons.
Participants will need laptops capable of connecting to the
Internet.
Limit: 15 teachers
Target
Audience:
Mathematics teachers ~ Algebra I thru Calculus
Instructor: Judy Chandler, M.Ed Curriculum &
Instruction (Technology specialty), Technology Integration Specialist - Bangor
School Dept, Apple PD/MLTI HS Mathematics Trainer
Location: University of Maine, Orono
Workshops offered Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon
Using Sliders in Mathematics Instruction
A slider is a tool in graphing
programs that enables us to vary one or more parameter values in a family of
functions to observe how the changing value affects the shape of the graph of
the resulting function. In a set of activities, we will use sliders to explore
a variety of families of functions, uncovering properties of the functions and
employing the functions in applications.
Limit: 16
teachers
Target audience: The
content is primarily at the high school level, but middle school and high
school mathematics teachers are welcome.
Instructor: Bob Franzosa, Professor of Mathematics,
University of Maine
Location: University of Maine, Orono
