Professional Development Opportunities

2009-2010

June 28th through
July 23rd, 2010

                             Rutgers Astrophysics Institute 2010 - 2011

Each summer outstanding students and their physics teachers from New Jersey high schools are invited to Rutgers University to learn first hand how to do research in X-ray astrophysics.  The Astrophysics Summer Institute at Rutgers University strives to improve the level of science education by involving teachers and their students in conducting authentic basic research.  Moreover, the program challenges the teachers to learn interactive teaching methods that can be applied in their high school physics and astronomy classes.
                                               http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/asi/
 

Kids in Need Foundation Grants

July 15
through
Sept 30

The Kids In Need Foundation Teacher Grants

        The The Kids In Need Foundation Teacher Grants program provides K-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students. All certified K-12 teachers in the U.S. are eligible to apply. 

        Applications are judged according to criteria that emphasize innovativeness and merit, clarity of objectives, replication feasibility, suitability of evaluation methods, and cost effectiveness. The foundation seeks to fund exceptional ideas, such as projects in which curriculum is presented in a unique setting or in which unconventional methods are used to reveal the content. A project may qualify for funding if it makes creative use of common teaching aids, approaches the curriculum from an imaginative angle, or ties non-traditional concepts together for the purpose of illustrating commonalities. 

        Grants will range from $100 to $500 each and are to be used to finance creative classroom projects. The program is designed to be the sole funding agent for the proposed project. Typically, two hundred to three hundred grants are awarded each year. 

       Applicants must be a K-12 certified teacher working at a public, private, or parochial school in the subject of the project. Kids In Need does not fund preschool projects. 

       Applications will be available online at the Kids In Need Web site from July 15 through September 30, 2009.     

http://www.kidsinneed.net/grants 
 

Fall
2009

Physics Standards Clarification       

       The New Jersey Department of Education has established a schedule for the development of course clarification documents for high school science courses. The documents are being produced in response to requests from districts and teachers who want to better understand the spirit and intent of the revised core curriculum content standards. We have written similar documents in the past for Biology and are recruiting teachers to assist us this spring and summer in developing the Environmental Science and Chemistry Core Course Clarifications.  

       Beginning in late summer or fall, we would like to bring in a small group of talented, experienced, and forward thinking physics teachers to develop the equivalent for Physics. I am reaching out to NJAAPT to see if  you have someone that you think would be an asset to the project, please ask them to send me their resume ASAP.

       If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to give me a call.

July 6-23
2009

Modeling Methods of Instruction in Physics
workshop hosted by Montgomery HS. 
The workshop will run M-Th beginning July 6th and ending July 23rd.

Click HERE for a full description and registration materials.

October 8 2008

A LIVE INTERACTIVE NASA WEBCAST FOR STUDENTS  *******************************************************************************************

Producers of the new PBS documentary The Journey to Palomar and the NASA Ames Research Center

present

A LIVE INTERACTIVE NASA WEBCAST FOR STUDENTS

“George Ellery Hale’s Legacy and the Future of Giant American Telescopes”

When: Wednesday, October 8, 2008 - 11:00 AM (PACIFIC TIME) (2:00 pm Eastern; 8:00 am Hawaii)

Where: On the Internet www.journeytopalomar.org (Click on NASA Webcast) or www.quest.nasa.gov/lunar/palomar     

STUDENTS will meet producers Todd and Robin Mason of the award- winning new primetime PBS documentary The Journey to Palomar and learn about the super-human efforts of American astronomer George Ellery Hale and his colleagues to build the biggest telescopes of the

20th century, predecessors of the new mega telescopes being built today for the 21st century.

THEN, students will have an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the universe, LIVE with America’s top astronomers who are building this next generation of giant American Telescopes. They’ll

also have a look at NASA's LCROSS mission to search for water on the Moon, live from NASA's launch of the final Hubble repair mission at the Kennedy Space Center. Students from Maine to Hawaii can submit questions directly to the experts via the internet.

SPECIAL GUESTS include Nobel Laureate Dr. John Mather, Science Director for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope; Carnegie Observatories Director, Dr. Wendy Freedman on the Giant Magellan Telescope; and Caltech Optical Observatories Director Emeritus, Dr. Richard Ellis on the Thirty-Meter Telescope. Moderator is Dr. Derrick Pitts, television personality and Chief Astronomer at the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.

TO PARTICIPATE, go to: www.journeytopalomar.org 

THE JOURNEY TO PALOMAR is the story of American astronomer George Ellery Hale’s dramatic public and private struggle to build the four largest telescopes in the world, which set the stage for astronomy and space exploration throughout the 20th century, revealing the greatest discoveries since Galileo and Copernicus. The documentary premieres on nationwide on PBS November 10th. (Check your local listings for the schedule in your area.) A comprehensive Teacher Guide (free download) accompanies the documentary at pbs.org in November.

"Boot Camp"

July 14-18, 2008

Particle Physics "Boot Camp"  at Fermilab, Batavia , Illinois  *******************************************************************************************

We are accepting applications for the 2008 Summer Boot Camp. QuarkNet teachers will spend a week at Fermilab, tour the facilities, and work in small groups to analyze selected, accessible physics data. The end result will yield reconstructed particle decays and a deeper personal comprehension of what happens in collider detectors.

The goals for the week include: Connecting entry level physics to particle physics Experiencing guided inquiry from the "other side of the desk"

This opportunity is the same project done during Lead Teacher Institutes from 2001-2004. Successful participants will posses an understanding of: Vector addition Conservation of Momentum Conservation of Energy Data Analysis in Microsoft Excel

We will accept one teacher from each of 12 QuarkNet Centers to attend. We will give priority to teachers that have not visited the lab before. Participants will receive a stipend for the week as well as support for their travel to Fermilab.
Application deadline: 30 April, 2008

Application URL: http://quarknet.fnal.gov/forms/BootCamp.shtml
 

July 14 - 31
2008

EAST COAST MODELING INSTITUTE

"Bringing modeling instruction in science education to our region"

The MSPGP is excited to offer the East Coast Modeling Physics and Chemistry Institute in the Philadelphia area in summer 2008.  Modeling Instruction in physics and chemistry is a research-based reform effort initiated at Arizona State University. The modeling physics curriculum was the only high school science program recognized as exemplary by the U.S. Department of Education 2001.  It has been implemented in classrooms throughout the country and has been shown to produce dramatic improvements in student learning. We have the good fortune of having Larry Dukerich, the co-author of the Modeling Chemistry curriculum materials, as a Chemistry Workshop leader. He has led Modeling Instruction workshops in high school physics, physical science and chemistry since 1995. He has also been involved with editing and disseminating the curriculum materials for the Modeling Instruction Project. This summer institute is sponsored and partially subsidized by the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia, an NSF-funded organization with member high schools and universities in the region. 

It is designed to help teachers of grades 9-12:

• improve both content and pedagogical knowledge in physics or chemistry by incorporating the modeling cycle, inquiry methods, critical and creative thinking, cooperative learning, and effective use of classroom technology in instruction.

• enhance student learning and get them more excited and articulate about science.

• establish a local community of support for teachers who use the modeling approach.

• use research instruments to guide their teaching practice .

To learn more about modeling instruction programs visit: http://modeling.asu.edu/

More details about the workshop:

• July 14 - 31, 2008 at Ridley High School, Delaware County Hours:
  8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

• Two follow-up evening sessions to help with classroom implementation during 2008-2009

• Cost: Before April 1, 2008: $750.00 ($500 for MSPGP partners).

• After April 1 - $850.00 ($600 for MSPGP partners)

• Three (3) Graduate credits available from La Salle University at a reduced tuition rate of $295 per credit with a $50 General University fee.

• Physics Workshop leaders: 

  • Dr. Doug Vallette - dvallet@ucfsd.org

  • Mr. Jess Dykes - Jess_dykes@ridleysd.k12.pa.us

• Chemistry Workshop leaders:

  • Mr. Larry Dukerich ldukerich@mac.com

  • Mr. Ray Howanski Raymond_Howanski@ridleysd.k12.pa.us

To register, please contact Nancy Burns at MSPGP

 burns@mspgp.org  or call 610-825-5644 x226

ACTIVITY BASED PHYSICS FACULTY INSTITUTES

Are you interested in increasing your students’ understanding of the physical world? 2-year college, 4-year college and university faculty are invited to attend one of the two NSF-sponsored Activity Based Physics Faculty Institutes to be held at Dickinson College during June 2008. These one week institutes will encourage faculty to use active learning strategies and computer-based tools and curricula--based on physics education research--in their introductory physics courses by

• Giving them hands-on experience with the materials in the Activity Based Physics Suite

• Assisting them with modifying those materials for use in their own courses

• Providing continued follow-up support for the remaining year of this project.

The institutes will be taught by Priscilla Laws (Dickinson College) and Patrick Cooney (Millersville University). Faculty from doctoral/research universities and from institutions that serve under-prepared and under-represented populations are especially encouraged to apply. Expenses on campus will be paid, and travel grants are available for those who demonstrate need. For more information and an application, please visit our web site:
 

 http://www.uoregon.edu/~sokoloff/abpi.htm

Click HERE for program flyer!

SUMMER STUDY TOURS OF JAPAN

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program (JFMF), sponsored by the Government of Japan, provides U.S. educators with fully-funded study tours of Japan.  The program is designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States by inviting U.S. elementary and secondary educators to visit Japan and share their experiences with fellow Americans upon their return.  JFMF participants travel to Japan with other outstanding educators, learn about Japanese culture and education, and return home to implement a self-designed plan to share their knowledge and experience with their students, colleagues, and community.

Now in its 12th year, JFMF will send up to 400 educators to Japan in 2008 to take part in this educationally and culturally enriching program.  Organizations such as the News Jersey Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers play an integral part in getting the word out to local educators about this opportunity. 

The deadline for the 2008 JFMF competition is December 10, 2007.  Those interested may apply via the online application at www.iie.org/jfmf. To request more information, additional materials, or if you have any questions, please contact 1-888-527-2636 or jfmf@iie.org.  Thank you for your continued support and assistance in alerting your colleagues to the opportunities the JFMF Teacher Program provides.

                          Sincerely,      Robin Cloninger

                                               Senior Program Associate

                                               Institute of International Education

For more information click HERE!