LHS professional development programs give you the skills and the tools to meet today's most compelling needs in science and mathematics education. You'll learn directly from the people who are developing innovative science and mathematics curriculum and methods used throughout the country.
Ongoing Professional Development Projects at LHS:
ACCESS (Alliance for Collaborative Change in School Systems)
BAMP (Bay Area Mathematics Project)
BASP (Bay Area Science Project)
BEAM (Bridges to Excellence: Achievement in Mathematics)
CA COSEE (California Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence)
CAESL (Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning)
Communicating Science
ELDI-MC (English Language Development Initiatives in Mathematics Content)
EQUALS
ESTL (Elementary Science Teacher Leadership)
FAME
Families & Schools Project in Northern California
Family Health
Family Math
FOSS (Full Option Science System)
GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science)
GSS (Global Systems Science)
HOU (Hands-On Universe)
MARE (Marine Activities, Resources and Education)
Mathematics Professional Development Institutes
Mountain Region Science & Literacy Academy
PEACHES
Redding Regional GEMS Center
SEPUP (Science Education for Public Understanding Program)
SKILL
ACCESS
(Alliance for Collaborative Change in
School Systems)
ACCESS works in partnership with Northern California school districts to strengthen the capacity of schools to prepare students, particularly those from historically underrepresented groups, for college. The ACCESS staff offer regularly scheduled professional development in mathematics for teachers and administrative staff primarily at grades 6–12, assist in developing standards-based mathematics curricula, and support in implementing a high-quality mathematics instructional program. ACCESS works at school sites to provide a wide range of technical, curriculum, and staff development services to improve mathematics instruction and assessment practices. ACCESS staff provide in-class instructional support to students to develop the motivation, mathematical knowledge, and problem-solving skills they need in order to become academically competitive and successfully prepare for four-year colleges and careers.
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B A M P
(Bay Area Mathematics Project)
The Bay Area Mathematics Project, one of 23 California Mathematics Project sites, was reestablished in 2000 to provide a forum for professional growth for K–12 mathematics teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area. BAMP hosts a three-week Summer Institute for emerging teacher leaders in mathematics. Teachers attending the BAMP Institute deepen their understanding of mathematics and develop skills for mentoring and coaching colleagues. During the academic year, BAMP teacher leaders meet for three Saturday Institutes and four Seminars. BAMP serves to build and maintain a regional network of mathematics educators by cohosting four Saturday Seminars for all mathematics teachers in grades K–12, sponsoring two Symposiums for teachers to increase their understanding of mathematics and pedagogy, and maintaining a Web site. Through district partnerships, BAMP works to support teachers in effective implementation of adopted curriculum. more
B A S P
(Bay Area Science Project)
The Bay Area Science Project, one of 18 California Science Projects across the state, is a professional development network for K–8 science teacher leaders. BASP is committed to quality, standards-based science education that is equitable and accessible for all students. The goals of BASP are to deepen teacher science content knowledge, model effective teaching practices, provide teachers with instructional strategies for integrating academic language acquisition and science content learning for English language learners, and develop teacher leadership skills. The project is designed to meet the needs of low-performing districts by building partnerships with teachers, schools, and districts; and by strengthening the professional community of science educators in the San Francisco Bay Area. BASP hosts a three-week Life Science/ELD Academy in June, a two-week Institute in August focusing on different science content areas each year, and Saturday Seminars throughout the year. The overarching goal of this effort is to increase all students’ access, learning, and achievement in science.
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B E A M
(Bridges to Excellence:
Achievement in Mathematics)
BEAM is a three-year staff development project being implemented throughout California. BEAM is creating an exemplar staff development model to better prepare elementary school teachers to deliver high-quality mathematics education with equally high outcomes for English language learning students. The project combines effective staff development practice, research and theory on second-language acquisition, mathematics standards, and structures for discussing equity issues. Other components of BEAM include an innovative online assessment module and a family learning model, based on the highly successful
Family Math program.
CA COSEE
(The California Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence)
CA COSEE is dedicated to creating environments in which collaborations among ocean scientists and K-12 educators flourish. The Center, led by Lawrence Hall of Science, marshals the considerable resources of the LHS MARE program; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD; the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center at Monterey Peninsula College; and California Sea Grant. With the goal of enhancing the general public's understanding and appreciation of the ocean, these organizations have launched a strategic campaign to integrate ocean education and research. CA COSEE is focused on the following strategies: 1) launching a clearinghouse for linking ocean scientists and educators; 2) developing and disseminating a model college course, Communicating Ocean Science for undergraduates and graduate students; 3) creating a groundbreaking interactive Ocean Science and Technical Careers web site; and 4) developing model K-12 Ocean Education Sites for infusing ocean science research into pre-college classrooms. CA COSEE is part of a network of regional centers funded by the National Science Foundation.
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C A E S L
(Center for Assessment and Evaluation
of Student Learning)
The Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning (CAESL) is a national center funded by the National Science Foundation in partnership with WestEd, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, UCLA, Stanford University, and the Concord Consortium. The objectives of this national center are: development of graduate programs for assessment and evaluation professionals, professional development and preservice programs in assessment for science teachers, applied research, and public understanding.
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Communicating Science
Lawrence Hall of Science and UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry have developed a semester-long college science course entitled Communicating Science. Targeted at UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, this course introduces chemistry, physics, and astronomy majors to the skill and excitement of introducing their subject areas to elementary school children. The college students are introduced to a series of effective K–6 science instructional materials developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science; and learn about important educational topics such as how students learn best, questioning strategies, assessment, student misconceptions about science, and equity issues in the classroom. By sending college students into classrooms, Communicating Science provides a focus on the importance of teaching science, as well as a powerful method of reaching young children with quality science education programs.
E L D I - M C
(English Language Development Initiatives in Mathematics Content)
ELDI-MC presents institutes focusing on three areas: increasing participants’ knowledge and proficiency in application of the English Language Development (ELD) standards, providing access to high-quality mathematics for English language learning (ELL) students, and deepening participants’ understanding of mathematics content knowledge in the area of algebra and algebraic thinking. The ELD standards will form the foundation for the institutes. Algebra content aligned with the California Mathematics Content Standards will be embedded in lessons employing ELD strategies, forming a cohesive and coherent program addressing both ELD standards and access to deeper understanding of mathematics content.
E Q U A L S
EQUALS offers programs for teachers, counselors, administrators, and parents. It works to increase access and equity in mathematics and science for students and adults, especially for traditionally underrepresented students in math-based fields of study. EQUALS increases students’ and teachers’ awareness of the role mathematics has in their lives, builds self-confidence in their mathematical abilities, gives them competence in a wide range of problem-solving techniques, and encourages them to persevere when they have difficulty with a concept. Since 1977, hundreds of thousands of educators have participated in EQUALS workshops throughout the country.
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E S T L
(Elementary Science Teacher Leadership)
ESTL is supported by the ExxonMobil Education Foundation and conducted by the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP).
The purpose of this project is to enhance the understanding of science and approaches to teaching for inservice and preservice elementary teachers by building ongoing relationships between teacher-training institutions and the schools they serve. The project is developing, field testing, and publishing a series of ten ESTL Guides for elementary science teacher education. The project is collaborating with university professors, school system leaders, and others responsible for designing and implementing elementary teacher development programs at the local level to develop models for including the ESTL Guides in organized preservice and inservice programs.
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F A M E
(Family Advocacy in Mathematics Education)
FAME, supported by Lucent Technologies Foundation, will work with parents at the middle school level, preparing them to become stronger advocates for their children. The FAME Parent Advocacy Guide: Helping My Child Succeed in Middle School will contain mathematics activities for parents to help their children understand number, algebra, and geometry concepts. Focusing on families with language minority backgrounds from inner city schools and lower socioeconomic levels, FAME will provide strategies to raise parents’ awareness of the middle school structure, school resources, and future course-work implications. FAME services and materials will be useful for community-based organizations, outreach programs, middle schools, and science centers in their work with parents.
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Families & Schools Project in Northern California
This project is a partnership between LHS, the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education, and Eureka City Unified Schools. The project will develop a model for using month-long, whole-school immersion experiences to transform science instruction in rural schools. Key to the success of the effort is the development of a web-based consultation and curriculum support system for use by teachers in remote areas. Eight elementary schools in Humboldt County will participate in intensive activities that bring together teachers, students, administrators, parents, and community organizations to focus on reform strategies for improving science teaching and learning. The project will build on successful elements of MARE, GEMS, ScienceVIEW, and Student and Family Programs.
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Family Health
Family Health, a collaboration of LHS and UC Berkeley’s Center for Community Wellness, develops exciting health science activities for families and schools. The activities are related to nutrition, respiratory health, healthy behaviors, and disease prevention. The program is designed to develop a cadre of parent health promoters at participating schools, and to build partnerships between volunteer health professionals and teachers. Program components include: family workshops; a Medical Mystery Festival; Youth Theatre with teens presenting skits about health issues to students and families; and Leadership Training Workshops for teachers, parents, volunteer health professionals, youth, and community educators.
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Family Math
Family Math and Matemática para la Familia, the Spanish-language component of Family Math, assist parents in becoming more effective partners in helping their children succeed in mathematics. Family Math shows program participants that math is understandable and relevant to their lives. It achieves this through hands-on, problem-solving activities that emphasize math concepts. Every activity is designed so that an adult and child can work on it together at home. The program provides workshops and curriculum materials that enable parents, teachers, and other community members to establish Family Math classes in their schools and communities.
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FOSS
(Full Option Science System)
FOSS is a K–8 science program developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science with support from the National Science Foundation. The FOSS developers are dedicated to the proposition that all students learn science best by doing science. FOSS investigations provide in-depth exposure to subject matter while guaranteeing that the cognitive demands placed on students are appropriate to their cognitive abilities. The FOSS program includes 36 modules and/or courses organized under four strands: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, and Scientific Reasoning and Technology. Program components include an extensive teacher guide, equipment kits, teacher preparation videos, reading resources, and multimedia access. FOSS is published and distributed by Delta Education.
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G E M S
(Great Explorations in Math and Science)
GEMS is a growing resource for inquiry-based science and mathematics. Over 75 GEMS teacher’s guides and handbooks offer a wide spectrum of stimulating learning opportunities from preschool and kindergarten through eighth grade. GEMS supplementary units can be used to enhance your existing curriculum or flexibly combined to create longer curriculum sequences. Educators can participate in specialized professional development opportunities at LHS or at GEMS Sites and Centers across the country and abroad.
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Mathematics Professional Development Institutes
This collaboration among the Lawrence Hall of Science; the UC Berkeley and UC Davis Mathematics Departments; Mills College; the Alameda County Office of Education; and the Oakland, Berkeley, and West Contra Costa School Districts sponsors three of the Governor’s Professional Development Institutes for Teachers of Mathematics and two academies. These institutes are devoted exclusively to improving the mathematical and pedagogical knowledge of teachers of grades 4–12. The academies are linked to districts’ summer school programs. LHS is the lead institution for this collaboration.
The Mountain Region Science and Reading Academy
The Mountain Region Science and Reading Academy, a partnership between LHS and the UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education, provides K–6 teachers in the rural Tahoe Truckee Unified School District with both the conceptual framework and effective instruction techniques to integrate inquiry-science and literacy instruction. This dual emphasis on science and reading helps students gain both literacy skills and a greater understanding of the science concepts. In this program, teachers work together in a summer academy model as they implement inquiry science and literacy instruction with a class of students in the morning and participate in professional development activities in the afternoon. Follow-up sessions, mentoring, parent outreach, and the use of video technology to capture and disseminate model lessons, as well as opportunities for teachers to take on mentoring and other leadership roles in their district are additional components of the project.
P E A C H E S
PEACHES is a curriculum development and teacher training project for parents and teachers of young children four to six years old. As part of the GEMS program, PEACHES offers educator workshops, courses, conferences, and institutes based on the project curriculum. PEACHES has designed developmentally appropriate mathematics and science activities that incorporate language, drama, movement and play in relevant and motivating ways for young learners. PEACHES teacher’s guides are available as part of the GEMS series of publications.
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Redding Regional GEMS Center
The Redding Regional GEMS Center, funded in large part by The McConnell Foundation, will serve K–8 teachers in four northeastern California counties: Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, and Modoc. The center will be located at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding. Turtle Bay and LHS GEMS will partner with the County Offices of Education; the California State University, Chico Professional Studies in Education Department; and the California Science Project of Inland Northern California. All Associates trained at the center will participate in a moderated, online network designed to overcome the region’s great distances and geographical isolation. GEMS Associates will also receive other strong support in their work to support regional teachers in improving science instruction.
S E P U P
(Science Education for
Public Understanding Program)
SEPUP designs—for elementary and secondary schools and the community—instructional materials that focus on science and technology and their interaction with people and the environment. These learner-centered materials promote the use of scientific principles, processes, and evidence in public decision making; and are appropriate for students of all ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The SEPUP approach also enhances the role of teachers as facilitators of student learning and as educational leaders within their communities by having them share in the development, implementation, and assessment of issue-oriented science materials and programs.
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S K I L L
(Science Knowledge through
Inquiry and Language Literacy)
SKILL helps schools develop a leadership team that can initiate and sustain their districts’ science reform efforts. The program works with a core group of K–5 teacher leaders as they initiate inquiry science in their classrooms, support the teaching of science throughout their school site, and further science reform with their colleagues. The program’s further focus on connecting the science curriculum to language literacy work provides mutual reinforcement in both areas.