Gregg Festa

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Project Link
Unique Compelling Internet Content
Professional Development for Middle School
Science Educators
Program Overview
Gregg Festa Project Manager Teaching
Matters 11.02.01
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Summary
Project Link uses a proven one year turnkey
training model that couples intensive
face-to-face workshops with one-to-one mentoring
to train middle school Science educators to use
unique and compelling online Science content to
enhance the teaching of New York City Science
Standards.
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Funding Partners

• Project Link is offered through a collaboration
  between Teaching Matters and The Center for
  Improved Engineering Science Education at
  Stevens Institute of Technology
• The project is sponsored in part by grants
  received from The Chase Manhattan Foundation and
  the Greenwall Foundation.

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Objectives

• Train middle school Science educators on how to
  use and integrate unique compelling online
  Science content
• Enhance the teaching of New York City Science
  Standards in the middle school Science classroom
  
• Encourage sharing of learned skills and
  strategies with district colleagues through the
  development and implementation of a customized
  turnkey training kit

Using technology to provide Science learning
experiences that only technology can provide.
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Unique Compelling Online Content
We focus on classroom activities that utilize
real-time data available from the Internet, and
collaborative projects that utilize the
Internet's potential to reach peers and experts
around the world. In order to insure initial
success, we ask each participant to implement a
CIESE unique and compelling online science
project with at least one actual class during the
project.

• CIESE Online Classroom Projects
• Easy-To-Use for Both Teacher Student
• NYC Science Standards Correlated
• Provide Opportunities to Do Science
• Real World Application of Technology
• Collaboration with International Students

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Training Components
The ten once a month face-to-face workshops are
sequential beginning with the fundamentals

• Overview of the Internet and how it works
• Successful searching strategies
• Proper use of e-mail

Participants are then introduced to web-based
real-time data resources and online collaborative
tools and view model lessons and classroom
management strategies of how to use them with
their students.
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Training Components
After successfully implementing a real-time data
or online collaborative project with a middle
school science class, participants begin to
create a custom turnkey training tool kit during
the final four workshops of the project
culminating in a presentation to district
supervisors.

• Turnkey Training Tool Kit Includes
• Online Guide To Science Resources
• Sample Lesson Plans Activities
• Classroom Management Strategies
• Training/Mentoring Implementation Plan

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Mentoring
Each participant is assigned a mentor who works
with him/her throughout the year helping them
back in their schools/districts to implement what
they learned during the workshops.

• Typical Mentoring Sessions May Include
• Reviewing skills taught during workshops
• Co-teaching lessons with actual students
• Co-presenting workshops for colleagues

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Ongoing Support
In order for any professional development program
to have long term success, it is critical that
participants have regular access to a support
structure.

• Participants Can Access
• Online Training Materials
• E-mail Workshop Presenters Mentors
• Project ListServ
• NEW! Monthly Live Online Support
  Groups via Teaching Matters _at_School Anytime
  Distance Learning

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2001/02 Participants
One Cohort of 12 Participants Representing

• District 15
• District 18
• District 19

Roles Responsibilities of Participants Include

• Science Staff Developers
• Lead Science Teachers
• Instructional Technology Trainers

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Past Success

• Proven training curriculum implemented in four
  cities with more than 10,000 participating
  Science educators
• CIESE Unique Compelling Online Science Projects
  highlighted by several prestigious educational
  journals as well as the 2001 National Education
  Summit
• Project is now its fourth successful year offered
  by Teaching Matters and CIESE for New York City
  Public Schools

This is exactly what weve been looking for!
Middle School Science Lead Teacher District 19
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Tuition Enrollment Information
To learn more about Project Link tuition and
enrollment for one or more of your staff members
or to run a program in your school or district
please contact
Jane Condliffe
Director of External Affairs212.870.3505jcondlif
fe_at_tminet.org
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