MSP News: 10 New MSP Institute Papers

December 3, 2009

Special Note to MSPnet Members: You may recently have received an email asking you to log in to MSPnet for the "first time". For some of you this may seem confusing because you have visited the site in the past. As part of the launch of the newly enhanced MSPnet site two weeks ago, we are asking all members to log in to the new site to update their information. This is a one-time process and will only take a few minutes of your time. Many thanks to those of you who have already done so.

HIGHLIGHTS AT A GLANCE

1. TEN MSP PAPERS: Journal of Mathematics and Science

We call your attention to a Special Issue of the Journal of Mathematics and Science, which features ten MSP papers from Institute projects. Each of the papers are listed below, and you can also find a compendium of all ten papers on MSPnet: http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20021

A. "Understanding Elementary Teachers' Use of Science Teaching Time: Lessons from the Big Sky Science Partnership," R. Jones, E. Swanson, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"The Big Sky Science Partnership (BSSP) serves grades K-8 science teachers in schools on and near three American Indian reservations in Montana. The BSSP is led by Salish Kootenai College, in partnership with Montana State University, the University of Montana, and numerous, mostly rural, school districts. This article presents how we addressed the project's need to know how much time teachers in the Partnership had available to teach science, how that time was distributed and used, and key influences on teachers' decisions regarding science teaching time. During the first full year of professional development activities in our Partnership, 2007-2008, it became apparent that some teachers in the program allocated little time to science instruction and that their perception was that this was for reasons beyond their control. This first came to our attention in conversations with the teachers, and when an unexpected number of baseline observations scheduled well in advance by staff were of lessons that were either greatly abbreviated, sometimes lasting just fifteen minutes, or on non-science topics."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20011

B. "The Impact of the Lead Teacher Professional Learning Community Within the Rice University Mathematics Leadership Institute," J. Sack, N. Kamau, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"Now in its fourth year, Rice University's Mathematics Leadership Institute (MLI) has developed over sixty high school mathematics Lead Teachers. We focus on how membership in MLI has impacted participant teachers' professional lives. The Lead Teacher community that emerged during MLI's first Summer Leadership Institute embodies the characteristics of a sustaining and coherent knowledge community where teachers are able to share their secret "stories of practice in safe places... in order to make their personal practical knowledge explicit to themselves and to others" [1]. This article includes stories of individual teachers who refused to sacrifice hours of instructional time for mandated curriculum testing, who encouraged and supported a large group of MLI teachers to participate in a grueling advanced certification program, and who challenged the local administration's expectation to compromise personal professional standards. These stories may not have emerged in their particular ways had these teachers and their supporting co-manager not been members of this coherent and sustained knowledge community. This knowledge community has enabled the achievement of MLI goals with respect to teachers' increased mathematics content knowledge, leadership development, and student achievement. We also include focus group comments and quantitative data."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20010

C. "Virginia's Mathematics Specialist Institute Project: A Summary of Evaluation Findings," P. S. Smith, M. Wickwire, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) serves as the external evaluator for the NSF Institute's "Preparing Virginia's Mathematics Specialists" project, described in a previous article. Participants in this project do coursework at each of three Summer Institutes. These five-week residential experiences have been held on the campuses of Norfolk State, Virginia Commonwealth University, and George Mason University. During each Institute, participants complete two of the five required mathematics courses and the first half of an Educational Leadership course. Participants complete the second half of each Leadership course by February of the following year. At the third Institute, participants complete the final mathematics course, as well as a course entitled, Mathematics for Diverse Populations. These nine courses-six mathematics and three leadership courses-are the major components of the Mathematics Specialist preparation program."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20009

D. "K-5 Mathematics Specialists' Teaching and Learning About Fractions," J. W. Whitenack, A. J. Ellington, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"This paper describes the fraction-based mathematical activities of two teachers who are part of a Mathematics Specialist preparation program. Their work with fractions is traced from two perspectives: 1) their interactions with students as they struggle with fraction concepts; and, 2) their personal journeys to develop deeper understandings of fractions as participants in the Rational Numbers course that is part of their degree program. Through their stories, we gain a better understanding of the complex nature of their work with students and how their participation in the Mathematics Specialist program helps support their work in the school buildings."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20008

E. "The Impact of Early Positive Results on a Mathematics and Science Partnership: The Experience of the Institute for Chemistry Literacy Through Computational Science," K. S. Murray, M. A. Henry, M. C. Hogrebe, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"After one year of implementation, the Institute for Chemistry Literacy through Computational Science, an NSF Mathematics and Science Partnership Institute Project led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Chemistry, College of Medicine, and National Center for Supercomputing Applications, experienced statistically significant gains in chemistry content knowledge among students of the rural high school teachers participating in its intensive, year-round professional development course, compared to a control group. The project utilizes a two-cohort, delayed-treatment, random control trial, quasi-experimental research design with the second cohort entering treatment one year following the first. The three-year treatment includes intensive two-week summer institutes, occasional school year workshops and year-round, on-line collaborative lesson development, resource sharing, and expert support. The means of student pre-test scores for Cohort I (n=963) and Cohort II (n=862) teachers were not significantly different. The mean gain (difference between pre-test and post-test scores) after seven months in the classroom for Cohort I was 9.8 percentage points, compared to 6.7 percentage points for Cohort II. This statistically significant difference (p<.001) represented an effect size of .25 standard deviation units, and indicated unusually early confirmation of treatment effects. When post-tests were compared, Cohort I students scored significantly higher than Cohort II and supported the gain score differences. The impact of these results on treatment and research plans is discussed, concentrating on the effect of lessening rural teachers' isolation and increasing access to tools to facilitate learning."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20007

F. "Developing Leadership in a National Cohort of Secondary Biology Teachers: Uses of an On-line Course Structure to Develop a Geographically Distant Professional Learning Community," P. Balcerzak, V. May, B. Schaal, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"This report is a descriptive study of the role that on-line courses might have on the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) that support national leadership initiatives of participating high school biology teachers. The one hundred teachers involved in the Life Sciences for a Global Community (LSGC) Institute are expected not only to deepen their content knowledge, but also impact their district and state biology curricula. Additionally, the dispersion of Institute participants across the country presents a unique opportunity to develop, communicate, and implement a national coherent reform agenda. However, the geographic distance presents a barrier to collaborative design of leadership projects. Therefore, the LSGC Institute designed web-based, distance learning courses as a means for both the instruction and development of distant professional relationships."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20006

G. "Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute Project: Evaluation Results on Teacher Content Knowledge, Implementation Fidelity, and Student Achievement," D. Weaver, T. Dick, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"The Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute (OMLI) National Science Foundation Mathematics and Science Partnership project partners are Oregon State University, Portland State University, Teachers Development Group, and ten Oregon school districts. The primary activities of the project were a sequence of three intensive three-week residential institutes emphasizing mathematics content knowledge for teaching, collegial leadership, and the building of Professional Learning Communities. Teachers at all levels of grades K-12 participated together in the mathematics content courses. By the conclusion of the third Summer Institute, teachers had shown significant improvements in mathematical content knowledge for teaching. Analysis of student achievement data in participating schools was initially inconclusive. However, once implementation fidelity traits were taken into account, a positive relationship between project participation and student achievement emerged. The degree to which schools implement the practices promoted by the OMLI project is a significant positive predictor of student performance above and beyond what can be explained by the socioeconomic factor as indicated by the percentage of students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. This relationship is particularly acute at secondary levels, but additional factors appear to be at play at elementary grade levels."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20005

H. "The Penn Science Teacher Institute: A Proven Model," C. Blasie, J. Butler-Kahle, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"The University of Pennsylvania's Master of Chemistry Education (MCE) program graduated five cohorts of approximately twenty teachers between 2002 and 2006. One year after the teachers in the last cohort earned their degrees, the Penn Science Teacher Institute (Penn STI) initiated a follow-up study to ascertain if the goals of the MCE program had been sustained. For example, were the teachers incorporating updated content knowledge into their lessons and were their students learning more chemistry? A total of seventy-four of the eighty-two graduates participated in some aspect of this study. Because baseline data were not available for the MCE teachers and their students, baseline data from a comparable group of chemistry teachers enrolled in the first cohort of the Penn STI program and their students were used in some analyses. Among other findings, the data indicate that MCE met its goals: 1) to improve the chemistry content knowledge of its teacher participants; 2) to increase the use of research-based instruction in their classrooms; and, 3) to improve student achievement in chemistry (students of MCE graduates scored significantly higher than the comparison group)."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20004

I. "Understanding Teacher Leadership in Middle School Mathematics: A Collaborative Research Effort," J. E. Pustejovsky, J. P. Spillane, R. M. Heaton, W. J. Lewis, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

We report findings from a collaborative research effort designed to examine how teachers act as leaders in their schools. We find that teachers educated by the Math in the Middle Institute act as key sources of advice for colleagues within their schools while drawing support from a network consisting of other teachers in the program and university-level advisors. In addition to reporting on our findings, we reflect on our research process, noting some of the practical challenges involved, as well as some of the benefits of collaboration."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20003

J. "Building Middle-Level Mathematics Teachers' Capacities as Teachers and Leaders: The Math in the Middle Institute Partnership," R.M. Heaton, W.J. Lewis, W.M. Smith, The Journal of Mathematics and Science, 2009.

"This article describes professional development for middle-level mathematics teachers offered through the Math in the Middle Institute Partnership, a National Science Foundation-funded project to build teachers capacities to improve mathematics learning for all students. An overview of the project, including descriptions of its goals and curriculum are provided. Detailed descriptions of two mathematics courses and one pedagogy course are offered. The mathematics courses included here are the introductory course to the Math in the Middle Institute, as well as one of the final math courses of the Institute in which participants apply mathematical knowledge and processes to real-world problems. The pedagogy course features curriculum that enables teachers to acquire an understanding of the nature and purpose of action research, and launches teachers into planning and implementing systematic inquiry in their own mathematics classrooms around topics of their choosing. The varied abilities of teachers, as well as growth in teachers mathematical and pedagogical capacities, are represented by several samples of student work provided within the article. In addition, mathematical and pedagogical products of student work are also provided through the projects URL links."

MSPnet Location: LIBRARY>>MSP Papers
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/20002

2. MSP LEARNING NETWORK CONFERENCE 2010
January 24-26, 2010
Renaissance Washington Hotel
999 Ninth Street NW, Washington, D.C.

ABSTRACTS: submission deadline: Monday, December 7, by 5:00 pm local time
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/msp_conf_2010_call

POSTERS: Poster rules and guidelines now available on MSPnet
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/msp_conf_2010_resources

REGISTRATION: Thirty-seven projects have registered for the conference. If your project has not registered, please do so soon. Registration closes on January 8th.
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/msp_conf_2010_reg

MSPnet Location: CONFERENCES>>MSP Conferences
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/msp_conf_2010

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS

A. Call for papers in MSP and Chemical Education

Martin Brock, of the Appalachian MSP, has asked us to call your attention to the following symposium, which he is organizing, and which has a specific call for MSP papers.

"MSPs: How K-12/College Partnerships Have Improved Chemistry Instruction"
The 21st Biennial Conference on Chemical Education
University of North Texas from August 1-5, 2010

The establishment of Math and Science Partnership programs in the wake of NCLB has led to many shifts in post-secondary attitudes about K-12 teaching in areas related to chemistry. The purpose of this symposium is to share MSP experiences from college faculty and K-12 teachers and how they have informed: Use of inquiry pedagogy; Learning progressions; High school/college transition and the problems of readiness and retention; Structure of professional development programs; Pre-service science curricula; and other topics of related interest. Papers may be submitted until Feb 12, 2010 through the conference web page.

MSPnet Location: EVENTS>>Announcements
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/announce/id-131

B. Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest award a K–12 math or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the U.S. The President officially names up to 108 teachers annually. Awards alternate between elementary and secondary teachers—with elementary teachers eligible in 2010—and are given to teachers from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the outlying territories, and Department of Defense schools. The deadline for 2010 award nominations is May 1, 2010.

MSPnet Location: EVENTS>>Announcements
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/announce/id-130

C. Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship is a paid fellowship for K-12 math, science, and technology teachers. Einstein Fellows spend a school year in Washington, DC serving in a federal agency or on Capitol Hill. To be considered for an Einstein Fellowship for the 2010-2011 school year, apply and submit three letters of recommendation online by January 13, 2010.

MSPnet Location: EVENTS>>Announcements
http://hub.mspnet.org/entry.cfm/announce/show/id-127

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MSP News: 10 New MSP Institute Papers

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