Transformation Teaching in Elementary Science (TTES) I & II
Project Period: June 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010 (award one) and May 1, 2010 – September 30, 2010 (award two)
Target Audience: K-5 Science Teachers
Funding Source: Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) Grant (From VDOE)
Funding Amount: $125,356 (award one), $90,504 (award two)
Transformation Teaching in Elementary Science (TTES) project was designed to improve content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge of forty K-5 teachers and enable them to transform instructional practices to develop Science process skills of inquiry and language process skills and improve Science learning in all students, including students with special needs. This Southside Virginia Mathematics and Science Partnership included Longwood University’s Cooke’s College of Arts and Sciences, Institute for Teaching through Technology and Innovative Practices (ITTIP), Concord Consortium, Science Museum of Virginia, and twelve Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC) school divisions. Through graduate courses, teachers received graduate credits and training on specified Science SOL strands as per the needs analysis, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, inquiry-based learning (IBL), and Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) to meet the needs of all students. Sustained follow-up during the school year, in the form of on-line classes, after-school workshops and classroom observations, was provided as teachers, working in small groups within their schools, develop and implement lessons using research-based UDL, IBL and SIOP strategies. Key technology personnel and lead teachers received training to support the teachers beyond the grant period. The delivery-mode for TTES included face-to-face, videoconferencing, and asynchronous learning to meets the needs of rural schools. Teachers will work in small collaborative groups to design and teach lesson, reflect on teaching practice, and improve lesson. Teacher-created resources will be made available to all schools after the project. Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium evaluated the impact of TTES through pre- and post-tests, participant surveys, classroom observation record, and teacher portfolios.
