2008 SUMMER INSTITUTES
FOR PHILADELPHIA AREA K-12 TEACHERS
Sponsored by Bryn Mawr College
and the Bryn Mawr/Haverford K-16 Collaborations in Science and Mathematics Education
with support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Program Outline: Science is often thought of as a specialized set of interests, abilities and practices, rather than as a general process of question-asking, intuition-testing and story-revising that all of us engage in daily, and which all of us--whatever our content area--can pursue in our classrooms. Understood in this way, science is accessible to everyone, and perhaps best taught intersected with other parts of the curriculum, by teachers who are themselves excited by the sort of teaching and learning that involves exploring new realms and trying out new tasks.
During this two week workshop, the theory and practice of an interactive and interdisciplinary approach to science and inquiry education will be explored. College faculty will present a series of exploratory activities each morning. In the afternoon sessions, K-16 teachers will work together and with college faculty to tailor these activities for their students and classroom environment. Attention will be given to the web as a valuable tool for both curriculum development and dissemination of information.
The Institute Directors are Wilfred Franklin, Laboratory Instructor and Coordinator in Biology, and Dr. Peter Brodfuehrer Professor of Biology at Bryn Mawr. Wil teaches the major and non-major biology laboratories. He is collaborating with other faculty to develop a new inquiry-based curriculum for the Biology Department at Bryn Mawr. Peter teaches a variety of physiology courses and his research focuses on the neuronal control of behavior. The Institute directors will be assisted by Paul Grobstein, Professor of Biology and organizer of the Summer Institute program, and by colleagues in a number of other College science departments.
Institute Requirements and Follow-up: Fellows will be expected to play an active role in the Institute: to attend all of the sessions, participate daily in a public on-line discussion, prepare a curriculum for use in their own classrooms, and put together a written proposal for educational supplies and materials to put that curriculum into practice. Fellows will also be expected to provide evaluations of their Institute experience, participate in several follow up meetings during the year, and to prepare a report of the their year's activities to be published on the web so as to be available to other interested teachers. Participation in subsequent years is contingent on completing all Institute obligations.
Institute Schedules and Location: This Institute will take place at Bryn Mawr College from 21 July through 1 August. Sessions will be held from 9 am. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. Lunch will be provided.
Eligibility: High, middle, and elementary school teachers, as well as department heads and science supervisors, are eligible. Enrollment will be limited to eighteen.
Incentives: Participants will receive 60 hours of Act 48 credit, and a $500 stipend. An additional $200 per participant to purchase educational supplies and materials will be available to teachers submitting cogent curriculum proposals and agreeing to provide a written report on their experiences.
Principal's Commitment: Institute participation requires signature of principal.
Application procedures: Information and application forms are available on line at http://serendipstudio.org/local/suminst/iii08/application.html. See http://serendipstudio.org/local/suminst/ for information about the general program and other available Institutes.
For more information:Dr. Peter Brodfuehrer, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010, 610 526-5095, pbrodfue@brynmawr.edu or Wil Franklin, Department of Biology, Bryn Mawr college, Bryn Mawr PA 19010, 610 526-5090, wfrankli@brynmawr.edu.