TRC In the News 2012
Submit TRC News Here: The Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching is an award-winning statewide network of sixty-five P-16 partnerships that provide sustained and high intensity professional development to P-12 teachers of science and mathematics across the state. This web page will be used to highlight national, state, and regional news that is published featuring the Texas Regional Collaboratives program as well as news that features our members. Submit items to be posted to webmaster@thetrc.org.
TRC Partners with IBM on Teachers TryScience
Texas teachers looking for engaging lessons centered on design-based learning have a new web resource from IBM called Teachers TryScience that just may fit the bill. TeachersTryScience.org was developed to support classroom teachers worldwide in implementing best practices in design-based learning through the context of environmental science. Design-based learning challenges students to engineer solutions to real world problems through their knowledge of science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Most important for Texas teachers, every online lesson has been correlated through a partnership with the Texas Regional Collaboratives to the latest science TEKS. Sandy Dochen, IBM’s Manager for Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, facilitated the partnership and has worked closely in support of TRC activities on behalf of IBM.
"IBM is very appreciative of TRC's partnership in helping us to develop the Teachers TryScience web site. This comprehensive tool, accessible to anyone, provides over 60 lesson plans — each integrated with instructional supports, to prepare STEM teachers to engage students in exciting engineering and environmental learning experiences. Not only did TRC staff and teachers provide useful advice to the IBM team who developed the site, but they also correlated lesson plans to the Texas science TEKS. TRC is a great connector of STEM teachers to enrichment and inspiration. IBM is proud to work with the TRC to help teachers be at the top of their game," noted Dochen.
In addition to lesson plans, IBM has incorporated social networking and collaborative tools into the site to allow teachers to rate lessons and form professional groups for further discussion about implementation.
Dr. Carol Fletcher, Associate Director for the TRC, is pleased that IBM, a worldwide organization, "understood the importance of supporting Texas teachers by correlating lessons to specific student expectations in the Texas state standards. IBM has put a lot of thought into making the Teachers TryScience website very user friendly for Texas teachers."
STEM teachers can benefit from the many resources within this useful tool by visiting www.teacherstryscience.org.
Physics Instrumentation PDA
The Physics Instrumentation PDA held February 13-14th, 2012 in Austin, Texas by the TRC--in partnership with the Texas Education Agency--took the TRC's PDA concept to a whole new level. Dubbed the "mini-Annual Meeting" after the TRC's annual mid-summer gathering, the Physics Instrumentation PDA packed over 25 sessions into two days of intensive professional development. Presenters ranging from highly qualified physics teachers, professors, and specialists to representatives from instrumentation vendors shared their knowledge of physics content and materials with an audience of TRC project directors, instructional team members, and science teacher mentors. Attendees were encouraged to take what they learned back to their schools and institutions in order to share their newly acquired knowledge and skills with their fellow physics educators.
Sessions ran the gamut from presentations and equipment demonstrations to hands-on workshops where attendees built fan-powered cars. Another session showed teachers how to use the latest smart phone and tablet computing technology to collect and analyze data from classroom experiments. Whatever the session's topic, the TRC encouraged presenters to align their presentations and materials to the TEA's Physics TEKS for Middle and High School. This alignment of professional development to TEKS ensures that attendees can easily put what they've learned to use in the classroom or pass the knowledge they've gained to other teachers and educators.
The TRC would like to thank all of the attendees, presenters, and partners who helped make the Physics Instrumentation PDA a resounding success.
The Physics Instrumentation PDA Agenda is now available for download for anyone who would like to learn more about this event.
