Tuesday, November 29, 2016

For Immediate Release

Springfield Public School Teachers Talk Standards with the Museum Institute for Teaching Science

On Tuesday, November 8th, as many schools across Massachusetts closed to allow for voting in their gymnasiums and cafeterias, many teachers dedicated the day to learning and growing professionally. The Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) led a workshop for elementary educators as part of the Springfield Public Schools’ professional development day. The workshop was the first in a 3-session series that will focus on implementing the Revised 2016 Massachusetts Science, Technology and Engineering Standards.

Teachers experienced the differences in the revised standards for themselves, first through participating in a content-based activity that exemplified the differences between the 2006 and 2016 standards, then through studying the progression of different science and engineering practices over the grades. Participants specifically investigated the practices of Planning and Carrying out Investigations and Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Eve Manz of Boston University shared with the teachers her research about what these practices could look like in the classroom. Teachers participated in a round-robin of life science activities, again experiencing and applying the practices for themselves.

For more information about MITS Customized School Services programs, click here.

###

The Museum Institute for Teaching Science specializes in providing hands-on, minds-on, inquiry-based STEM professional development for formal and informal educators.  For more information, visit www.mits.org or call 617-328-1515.