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| New Mexico Math and Science Teachers get a Knowledge Boost |
March 01, 2002 |
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Federal Dollars for Teaching Academy Add Up
Albuquerque, NM - A group of New Mexico’s public elementary school teachers are getting a math and science booster this week from the UNM College of Education’s “Mathematics and Science Teachers Academy.” Congresswoman Heather Wilson was recognized today with the College’s Excellence in Education award for her commitment to public education in New Mexico and her leadership in securing close to two million dollars in federal funds for the academy over the last two years.
Wilson, who says professional development opportunities add up to great teachers and great schools, has consistently pushed for funding for the Academy. The Math and Science booster class provides high quality professional development for existing New Mexico teachers in the math and science field. In 2000 Wilson secured $1.1 million for the Academy and recently Wilson announced that she secured another $850,000 so that the Academy could continue its work with educators.
“Great teachers in the classroom translate into great schools and a better education for our kids,” says Wilson. “New Mexico has incredible people who are dedicated to education. This Academy will give them additional tools and knowledge to continue their job of sparking kids’ imaginations, especially in math and science.”
“Renewed funding for the College of Education’s MSTA program is great news for public education across New Mexico,” said COE Dean Viola E. Florez. “In addition to approximately 160 teachers who will benefit directly from the four academies, the initiative’s ‘training of trainers’ emphasis will maximize statewide impact by allowing for subsequent professional development workshops with additional educators in each of the original Academy-trained teacher’s local school districts.”
“I believe that we received renewed funding for two reasons,” continued Florez. “The outstanding results of last year’s Academy, coupled with the continuing support of Congresswoman Wilson-she has been a strong and consistent advocate for quality teaching in New Mexico.”
The U.S. Department of Education funding will support teacher development in mathematics, science content and educational technology support. This summer, teachers from across New Mexico will also learn how to provide similar professional development for colleagues during the 2002-03 academic year.
The teachers receive stipends, materials and supplies, and are provided with substitute teachers for the 29 days during the school year when they work with and train other teachers. The funding also supports project documentation, research and information dissemination.
UNM College of Education faculty, as well as scientists and engineers from laboratories and the private sector, serve as instructors and mentors in the program.
Whether exploring water quality in the Mora fisheries or discovering new and creative ways of using graphing calculators with educators of students bound for artisan-based industries in Gallup, the MSTA fosters improved science and math teaching grounded in life experiences and relevant to the local environment. One of the academy’s central premises is that New Mexico serves as the perfect outdoor classroom. Teachers learn first hand about the degradation and overuse of water, alarming losses of topsoil and habitat destruction with a subsequent loss of biological diversity.
The selected teachers, about 40 in each of four summer academies scheduled, are at the helm of their learning experience. Each of these groups is subdivided into smaller “site groups” which, aside from the intensive summer sessions, continue to gather for monthly meetings in their respective communities across the state.
“The project is designed to provide high quality professional development for teachers in underrepresented groups who also work with children underrepresented in science and mathematics careers,” said UNM Associate Professor Anne Madsen, director of COE’s Department of Educational Specialties. She noted that teachers currently in the Academy come from all over New Mexico, including Albuquerque, Gallup, Santa Fe, Taos, Los Lunas, and Belen.
At the conclusion of each Academy, all site groups present a plan for the coming year, including topics they will discuss in class, as well as content they want included. For example, a fifth grade teacher from Jemez Day School decided to develop a science curricula using the clay, pottery and geology native to her local community.
The teachers attend academies for two consecutive summers and also participate in diverse activities during the following two years. The academy is statewide and features three training locations in the western, northern and central/southern parts of the state.
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