Lessons from Successful GK-12 Programs Management Issues and Structure

Lessons from Successful GK-12 ProgramsManagement Issues and Structure

Management Issues

• Provide incoming Fellows and Lead Teachers with a clear understanding of the GK12 Program goals or objectives.

General Suggestions:

Management Issues

• GK12 Program goals or objectives con’t


Management Issues

Provide incoming Fellows and Lead Teachers with a clear understanding of what will be required of them (the amount of time it will take, number of hours in the classroom, what their weekly or monthly routine will be like, etc.)


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10 hours of Direct Interaction in the Schools• 8 hours interacting with Students• 1-2 hours planning with Lead Teachers• 0-1 hours involved in the DLC (really done outside the schools)

5 additional hours of Related Activities:• 1 hour for weekly, group meeting• 4 hours – activity lesson plans, demos, etc.

– completion of journals, activity logs, and schedules

– out-of-class planning with teachers

Weekly Responsibilities of Fellows (RS/RM)

Completion of online Journals

Completion of online Activity Logs

Weekly Responsibilities of RS/RM

Completion of online Schedules

Weekly Responsibilities of LT

Completion of online Journals

Mentoring of and coordinating with your RS (10 hours per week)

Planning with RS for future weeks activities.

Management Issues

• Have incoming Fellows shadow a current Fellow in a couple of different schools or classrooms.

• Have incoming Fellows make an Introductory Video that Lead Teachers will show prior to the entrance of the Grad Fellow into their class.


Graduate Fellow’s Introductory Videos

Management Issues

• During the school year, have a weekly meeting for Fellows to share their experiences (have the Fellows rotate in Chairing these Meetings).

• During weekly Fellow Meetings, have one Fellow demonstrate an activity they used in their school. Have the other Fellows participate in the activity.

• Likewise, have a monthly meeting for Lead Teachers to share their experiences.


Teachers’ Group Meetings

• Meet once per month • These meetings are valued at $107 each• Questions submitted in journals will direct the

discussions or agenda• This is the place to talk about successes &

frustrations, pose questions, and talk about future projects

• Teachers receive professional development credit from TAMU for attendance.

• Have a knowledgeable person (like a teacher) periodically observe Fellows in the classroom, and provide mentoring for the Fellows.

• Have an “All Hands” retreat where each Lead Teacher- Fellow pair does an activity with the rest of the group. Invite Academic Advisors to attend.

• Tie Lead Teacher Payments to specific Activities that they do.


Management Issues

Lead Teacher payment calculation

• Teacher’s meeting ($107 each)

• Base pay each month ($40 each month)

• Weekly journals ($80 each)

Fellow - Teacher TrainingHave Fellows and Lead Teachers spend a lot of time

together during the trainingEncourage both Teachers and Fellows to always be

candid with each other and willing and able to communicate and work out problems.

Program management does not want to hear of any Fellow – Teacher problems prior to the Fellow and Teacher attempting to work out or solve the problemsthemselves.

•Full-time graduate students in math, science, or engineering

•Taking 9-12 graduate credits, researching (or both)

•Working toward Masters or Ph.D. degrees

•Parents, spouses, siblings…

What Resident Scientists and Resident Mathematicians Are…

• Most Resident Scientists and Resident Mathematicians have no formal training in working with children, nor is it a goal of this program to make them teachers.

• RS/RM are not just an extra set of hands in the classroom.

• RS/RM are not supposed to ‘take over’ a class as a student teacher might; they must be partners with the teacher or teachers.

What Resident Scientists and Resident Mathematicians Are NOT…

What Does a RS/MS DO?

Varies by Schoolprovides content expertiseprovides demonstrations/presentationsprovides materials and resourcesprovides a walking example of scientific thinkingserves as a role model and representative of

someone who enjoys science, technology engineering, and mathematics

Lead Teachers Are…

•Facilitators•Organizers•Mentors•Communicators

Lead teachers help make the RS/RM a school-wide resources

Lead Teachers: Expectations….

Facilitate: how will the RS/RM best help meet your school’s needs?

Organize: what resources will be necessary and where can they be obtained?

Mentor: what is the culture in your school like? Communicate: what does project management

need to know about how things are going in YOUR school?

What is it Like to Be a Math or Science Teacher?

• Exceptional versatility required• Varied school responsibilities• Often working on advanced degree or

other professional development• Parents, spouses, siblings…

• Work week does not actually end up being 40 hours

– District meetings– Building meetings– Parent meetings

• Extra tasks– playground duty– lunch duty– bus duty…


• Must treat every student as an individual• Teachers never have enough time• Teachers are on tight schedules; therefore, they

rely on keeping to the plan• Many teachers teach other subjects as well• Science requires more planning, logistics, and

materials than other subjects.


Topics for one week formal training Psychology of the Adolescent – How do adolescents think and learn?Inquiry-based Learning – How to teach by inquiry-based approaches?Campus Culture – How do I fit into the campus environment?Classroom Culture – How do I enrich and enhance the existing

classroom?State Standards – What should students be learning in my specific

content area?Teaching and Learning Resources – What exists to enhance the learning

experience?

Between Now and August 16th

Teachers: give your RS/RM a tour of your school building Explain emergency procedures: fire,

tornado, other Explain how to sign in and out Explain any specific policies of your school Talk about the specific culture of your

school.

Between Now and August 16th

RS/RM: give your teacher a tour of your lab or office

Introduce your mentor if possible Explain what you study and why you are

interested in studying it. Give them an idea of what your typical

day is like.

Make Sure Teachers Know:

They will be unable to have any student teachers in addition to a Fellow in their classroom.

They will be required to provide NSF or Macro International with demographic and other information towards the end of the school year.

That the design of this GK12 Program IS NOT intended to turn science, technology, engineering, and math students into public school teachers.

Make Sure Teachers Know:GK12 Fellows:

– are NOT student teachers. – are NOT just an extra set of hands

in the classroom. – are NOT supposed to ‘take over’

a class.– are NOT certified by the state and

cannot be left with students unless there is a state-certified teacher present.

– ARE to be a content resource in the classroom.

– ARE to be given time to present and interact with students.

Make sure Graduate Fellows Know:Their Fellowship position is a real job!!

That they must maintain the status of a Full Time Graduate Student to remain in the program.

They are expected to be available to go into Schools when the Schools are in session (regardless of whether the University is in session or not).

They are required to inform their Teacher(s), well in advance, if they know they must be absent.

Make sure Graduate Fellows Know:They are guests in the schools.

They are to teach and give application to the standards the schools must teach.

They will be required to provide NSF or Macro International with demographic, classroom and other information towards the end of the school year.

They ARE to be PUCTUAL in arriving to their classrooms on time.

MOST COMMON PROBLEMS

1. Not establishing a solid communication base with your teacher.

2. Promising too much and delivering too little.

3. Talking down to teachers.

4. Not paying attention to common courtesies.

5. Not treating GK-12 as a job.

Problems with Graduate Fellows


6. Not submitting journals, activity logs, etc. on time.

7. Taking over the classroom.

8. Getting off on tangents.

9. Forgetting that you’re teaching for all.

Problems with Graduate Fellows con’t.


1. Not allowing the RS/RM enough opportunity to interact with students

2. Waiting until a problem gets unbearable before telling PEER GK-12 management about a problem

3. Relinquishing your classroom

Problems with Teachers


4. Not turning in journals, schedule, etc. on time

5. Letting the RS/RM essentially become a student teacher

6. Not sharing the RS/RM with other teachers.

7. Not planning.

Problems with Teachers con’t

Management Issues

Have a knowledgeable person (like a teacher) periodically observe Fellows in the classroom, and provide mentoring for the Fellows.


• High quality power point presentations with appealing and appropriate graphics

• Attention grabbing introduction to lesson/activity

Positive Classroom Practices(taken from observation notes)

• Review of previously taught skills needed for successful participation

• Showing a relationship of lesson/activity to real life situations

Positive Classroom Practices(taken from observation notes)

• Demonstrating a caring and personal interest in students and their lives outside the classroom,for example attending a sporting event students are participating in or helping with an after school activity such as science club or Math Counts

• Demonstrating fairness in calling on students for responses

• Planning hands-on lessons to actively involve students

Positive Classroom Practices

• Allowing students a glimpse into one’s own personal life (hobbies, wife/husband, children, research towards degree, special interests)

• Recognizing that certain days/weeks aren’t prime times for instruction/learning and gearing the lesson accordingly, for example days right before holidays and Friday afternoons

• Showing enthusiasm for the subject and the lesson


• Monitoring activities to ensure success for everyone• Providing clear and concise instructions• GK-12 Fellow makes certain that he/she has

practiced the activity before having classes do it


• Establishing a comfortable rapport and working relationship with theclassroom teacher; students arequick to pick up on any animosity between adults

• Having all materials ready before each class period


Closing the lesson rather than ending abruptly when bell rings


The End

When All Goes Wrong

My experiments do not work,

my submitted publications are rejected,

my grant applications are not funded,

and my teaching is not appreciated;

I reach down into my lower desk drawer and pull

out something I received from second graders.

Thank You Note

PEER NSF GK-12 Program in Action

PEER NSF GK-12 Program in Action

Documents

Lessons from Successful GK-12 Programs Management Issues and Structure