July 26-28, 2007
In July, the five science and three mathematics cohorts of KSTF Teaching Fellows met in Chicago, Illinois. As in years past, the primary focus of this meeting was lesson study. During the previous academic year, all of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Fellows taught the lesson study sequences that they had planned at prior Summer Fellows' Meetings. They used the lesson study time at this meeting to review videotape of themselves teaching the lessons and examples of student work. By doing this they were able to engage in in-depth discussions of and reflection on their teaching. Opportunities to study their teaching with other fellows is central to the iterative process of lesson study and leads to a reworked instructional sequence that the fellows commit to teach again in the coming academic year. The 2006 cohorts continued to plan the lessons that they will teach in the upcoming school year. The 2007 Science and Mathematics Teaching Fellows began the process of lesson study at this meeting by investigating what it means to understand a scientific or mathematical concept and by studying the planning of instructional sequences.
As a capstone to their work over the past four years, one of the 2003 lesson study groups presented their instructional sequence on gas laws. The presentation highlighted what they have learned about student understanding, how their lesson study has changed over the past few years, as well as the value of lesson study to their teaching. We were also pleased to have 12 expert teachers at the summer meeting who worked with the fellows throughout the weekend on lesson study and other issues related to content and pedagogy. Their guidance was invaluable as a way of pushing the fellows to think more critically about their teaching.
In addition to lesson study, each fellow had the opportunity to attend panel sessions on early career teaching issues and KSTF supported opportunities. These panels were led by fellows and facilitated by KSTF staff. Sessions were also scheduled for fellows to participate in roundtable discussions about different teaching issues and to reflect with fellows from different cohorts on the events of the meeting.
George "Pinky" Nelson, a former NASA astronaut and the director of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at Western Washington University, delivered a keynote address on the importance of teaching science to students of all abilities. KSTF Young Scholars Mark Olson (2005), Laurie Rubel (2006), April Luehmann (2007), Ravit Duncan (2007) and Erin Furtak (2007) attended the meeting and presented workshops for the teaching fellows on topics including scientific modeling, formative assessment and culturally relevant teaching. Finally, we were pleased to recognize our first set of KSTF Alumni, the former 2002 Science Teaching Fellows.
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