Improving Middle Grades Science Teaching and Learning Through the Effective Use of Formative Assessments
Download the course flyer
Dates and Location:
August 17 - August 21, 2009
and 1-2 additional days in Fall 2009, TBD
Holten-Richmond Middle School, Danvers, MA
Fee:
Offered free of charge to teachers in Massachusetts through the DESE Summer 2009 Professional Development Institutes program.
Audience:
Middle School Science Teachers, Special Education Teachers who teach science, and ELL Teachers who support science instruction.
Registration:
Download the registration form to register by fax
Course Description:
This middle grade science institute will focus on:
(1) the development of foundational knowledge related to the effective use of formative assessments in the middle grades and special education science classrooms
(2) provision of adult learning experiences with formative assessments in parallel with science content development, and
(3) the appropriate instruction to enable teachers to design their own formative assessments in response to individual curriculum needs.
Teachers will be introduced to standard formative assessments as found in enhanced selected response and open response items in physical science, earth science, and life science. Content topics presented will address the most commonly misunderstood science concepts as identified in the science education research. Science content misconceptions to be addressed include: Force and Motion, Properties of Matter, Physical and Chemical Changes, Conservation of Matter, Flow of Energy through an Ecosystem, Energy Transformations, and Astronomical Phenomena including Interactions of the Earth-Moon System. The content delivered will be refined based upon the results of the pre-assessments.
Science content knowledge will be further enhanced through hands-on experiences utilizing easily obtainable materials and equipment. The hands-on experiences will be aligned to the content needs identified through the formative assessment work and will allow each teacher to confront their own science content misconceptions. All institute components will model effective instructional strategies.
This course will be held in an air-conditioned facility. 67.5 PDPs will be awarded at course completion.
Download the registration form to register by fax.
For more information on the course, contact Diana Nunnaley at 617.873.9793.
For information on registration, contact Maya Lagu at 617.873.9873.
