Introduction To Modeling Workshop

July 11 - 15, 2015

Leaders: Mark Schober and Craig Buszka

During this one-week introduction to the principles of Modeling Instruction we’ll introduce you to several aspects of modeling such as facilitating student discourse, the modeling cycle, multiple representations in problem solving, and model-based curriculum design. We will explore these ideas by exploring content from several cross-cutting-concepts such as examining the role of energy, electricity, and light in biological and physical science contexts at middle and high school levels. You'll be able to experiment with these teaching tools right away, but you'll also have a sense of what you could gain by taking a full three-week workshop.

The workshop will engage you in selected "student-mode" activities embodying Modeling Instruction(TM). This will include one or two trips through the "modeling cycle" (paradigm experiment, development of model through whiteboarding and discussion, and model deployment). You will also participate in "teacher-mode" discussions of the pedagogy involved and of how you might try out elements of Modeling Instruction(TM) in your classroom. Examples will be chosen from physics, chemistry, and/or middle school science, depending upon the experience, background and interest of participants. 

This one-week workshop provides a basic overview and a limited amount of experience with the elements of Modeling Instruction(TM); however, it is not a full Modeling Instruction(TM) Workshop satisfying the criteria for such workshops established by the American Modeling Teachers Association. 

Schedule and Location: The workshop will run for 1 full week (Mon., July 11, 2016 to Fri., July 15, 2016) in Manhattan, at Teachers College, Columbia University (Zankel Hall, 525 West 120 St., New York, NY 10027). The workshop sessions will be from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on Monday through Thursday, and Friday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, followed by an optional social hour from 3:30 to 4:30.

Cost: $299  for teachers who receive financial support to attend this workshop.  Just choose this ticket option when you are ready to purchase your ticket.  If you wish to reserve a seat now while you request support, you can choose to pay the $100 reservation fee (with balance of $199 due as soon as possible), and then click the link below to download an invoice and a ready-to-use letter for requesting support:

<https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByHKkWsAOwETR1dIX2J0bXp1eVU&usp=sharing>

Your school or district can email a purchase order for $299 to the STEMteachersNYC Treasurer (Treasurer@stemteachersnyc.org) or send it via US mail to STEMteachersNYC, 245 West 107 Street, Suite 10B, New York, NY 10025.

$199 for teachers who are paying for the workshop themselves and are not receiving financial support from their districts or other funding organizations.   Simply choose the "scholarship discount ticket" option to purchase your ticket and indicate in the order form that you are paying for the workshop for yourself and wont be getting reimbursed from your school, district or other funding organization.

Lodging: 

• We have negotiated group rates (mention "STEMteachersNYC") at the Marrakech Hotel (2688 Broadway, at West 103 St., NY, NY 10025; 212.222.2954, 866.546.8353; http://www.marrakechhotelnyc.com): $139 (one double bed) and $149 (two double beds). The Marrakech is located 17 blocks (less than 1 mile) south of Teachers College, at the W 103 St stop of the #1 subway. There is a flight of stairs from the street to the lobby, stairs to the rooms (no elevator) however there is a porter always on the spot to carry luggage.

• Morningside Inn (small rooms, basic condition, 235 West 107th St., NY, NY 10025; 212.316.0055; http://www.morningsideinn-ny.com/; 13 blocks from Teachers College).

• You can also stay quite economically at the Youth Hostel (dorm style with bunk beds; 891 Amsterdam Ave., NY, NY 10025; 212.932.2300; http://hinewyork.org/1 block east of the Marrakech)   The Youth Hostel IS clean, well maintained, and well run, and it offers group rates for 4 or more individuals occupying an entire room, which may be of interest to you.  We have set up a ">Google Form (We'll share names and contact info among everyone who fills out the form to help you find others who wish to be part of a group for lodging) and a Facebook Group so those interested can provide their contact information, get in touch with other similarly interested teachers planning to attend a Modeling Workshop in NY City and make a reservation together at the Youth Hostel for a shared room at group rates.

Photographs and Video Recordings: We take photographs and record video of our workshops in order to publicize a positive image of science teaching, and of STEMteachersNYC - a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. If you register, you are agreeing to be photographed and to have your voice and image video-recorded. You are also agreeing to relinquish all your rights to the photographs and video recordings. 

If you do not wish to be photographed or video-recorded - you must inform us at check-in. We will take one photograph of your face so that we can erase your image if we happen to catch it by chance during the workshop, and we will do our best to avoid you. We would also appreciate your cooperation in positioning yourself at the edge of the group so as to help us avoid you. 

Note: Workshop leaders subject to change. 

Please read the FAQs section below carefully before registering. 

FAQs 

Is this workshop free?

No it costs $299 for teachers who receive financial support to attend this workshop.  Or $199 for teachers who are paying for the workshop themselves and are not receiving financial support from their districts or other funding organizations. 

If you wish to reserve a seat now while you request support, pay the $100 reservation fee (with balance of $199 due as soon as possible), and then click the link below to download an invoice and a ready-to-use letter for requesting support:

<https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByHKkWsAOwETR1dIX2J0bXp1eVU&usp=sharing>

Your school or district can email a purchase order for $299 to the STEMteachersNYC Treasurer (Treasurer@stemteachersnyc.org) or send it via US mail to STEMteachersNYC, 245 West 107 Street, Suite 10B, New York, NY 10025.

What is the workshop schedule?

Monday to Thursday: 9:00AM to 4:30PM with one hour lunch
Fridays: 9:00AM to 3:00PM with one hour lunch, with optional informal social hour nearby from 3:30-4:30.

Are there pre-requisites for taking these workshops?

This Workshop is an introductory worshop so there are no pre-requisites - just an interest in best practices. 

 How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Questions about registration for this event should be addressed to the STEMteachersNYC Registrar (Registration@STEMteachersNYC.org).

Questions about the workshop itself should be addressed to (info@STEMteachersNYC.org).

Questions about billing and payment should be addressed to the Treasurer (Treasurer@STEMteachchersNYC.org).

I am interested in taking more than one workshop. Can I register for multiple workshops?

It depends: Many workshops overlap so look closely at the start and end dates.  Be sure to choose workshops that do not overlap, as reservations are not refundable.  If you need help deciding which workshop fits your needs best, please email the STEMteachersNYC Registrar (registration@STEMteachersNYC.org).

Is the reservation fee refundable?

If you choose not to attend the workshop, the reservation fee is not refundable. Please be sure you are able to attend the workshop prior to reserving a seat. If you mistakenly reserve seats for 2 workshops that take place at the same time, we will not be able to refund the reservation fees.

Is the full workshop fee or the balance of the workshop fee (full fee minus the reservation fee) refundable? 

Refunds for the balance of the full workshop fee (that is, the full fee minus the reservation fee) must be requested within one (1) week of payment and at least four (4) weeks before the start of the workshop. All such requests must be accompanied by an acceptable, documented explanation. Judgments about acceptability of explanations and documentation, and about whether or not a refund will be issued are at the sole discretion of STEMteachersNYC and are final. Refunds will not include fees charged on the initial payment by Eventbrite, Paypal, credit cards, and/or banks.

Is my reservation/ticket transferrable?

Not without authorization, please contact the STEMteachersNYC Registrar (Registration@STEMteachersNYC.org) if you need to transfer your reservation to a different person/name, or if you wish to transfer your reservation to a different workshop.

Can I update my reservation information?

Yes, you can update your reservation information.

The name on the reservation/ticket doesn't match the attendee. Is that okay?

No, please contact the STEMteachersNYC Registrar (Registration@STEMteachersNYC.org) to address this.

Can I receive college level credits?

Yes - 1 graduate level credit. See information below.

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SUNY EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE LEARNING CONTRACT – Mentor: Fernand Brunschwig

TOPIC OF STUDY: Curriculum Development –1 credit, graduate level, not liberal arts and science.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

Students will be expected to be either in-service science teachers or involved in a teacher preparation program. Students will attend 5 full-day sessions of Introduction to Modeling Instruction (over 31 contact hours, plus additional time for assignments and preparation). The workshop is organized by STEMteachersNYC, affiliated with the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA).

The workshop immerses teachers in Modeling Instruction so that participants begin to develop the skills necessary to implement this student-centered, research-informed, standards-based curricular philosophy with their students. The instructors teach by example, guiding participants through labs, activities, discussions, worksheets, and assessments as they would with high school students. In teacher mode, the pedagogical rationale for all aspects of the example instruction are explored as well as accommodating various student populations, class schedules, testing requirements, and laboratory resources. Through readings and discussion, the workshop also delves into cognitive research, pedagogical content knowledge, and the theoretical underpinnings of Models and Modeling that are essential to understanding Modeling Instruction as both a teaching practice and a teaching philosophy. References describing Modeling Instruction and documenting its effectiveness are available at <http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Research.html> and at <http://modelinginstruction.org/researchers/publications/modeling-instruction-an-effective-model-for-science-education/>.

Attendance: You are expected to attend all 5 days of this course. If you miss 1 class (6.5 contact hours), your maximum grade will be a B; if 2, you can earn no higher than a C. Please be on time and ready to go! Report any expected absences to the instructor as soon as possible. 

Elements of evaluation:

1. (25%) Keep a course notebook. Teachers have found this notebook to be a valuable resource as they use the curricular materials in their own classes. Consequently, you are expected to record notes pertaining to everything that we do. When you return home and do the labs and activities you are not going to remember many of the details that came out in discussions and activities. Thus placing them in your notebook as you work is important. When we perform labs you are to record notes from the pre-lab discussion, record and evaluate data (include any graphs you make) and summarize the findings of the “class” in your lab notebook. (Summarize means express the relationships verbally and, if applicable, graphically and algebraically). You are expected to write down notes that will help you when you doing the lab with your students. Some teachers benefit by writing down good questions asked during whiteboarding, but that is up to you. You should also work out all problems and questions on the worksheets and insert them into your 3-ring binder.

2. (25%) Participate actively and thoughtfully in lab whiteboarding sessions, discussion of readings, activities, and problem-solving whiteboarding. You should focus on developing your capacity to plan ahead and to enact successful responses in real-time to typical classroom situations.

3. (25%) Write and submit short (1-2 pp.) “unit reflections” on each of the nine units. These reflections are expected to articulate an evolving understanding of Modeling Instruction.

4. (25%) Write and submit a final paper (at least 5 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font) demonstrating further evolution in your capacity to implement and enact modeling instruction methods in your classroom. You should focus on specific, content-related practices that have direct applicability in the classroom, and avoid empty generalities. The use and inclusion of “multiple representations” (as explained, demonstrated and promoted in the workshop) is encouraged wherever appropriate. You may wish to focus on one or more of the following questions:

a.     How can Modeling Instruction be implemented in your classroom? In particular, how could one or more of the teaching units in this workshop be used in your specific teaching situation? For example, to utilize a specific type of equipment available at your school, to focus on a particular reasoning skill, or to improve one or more of your own existing, successful classroom activities by incorporating some aspect(s) of Modeling Instruction.

b.     Contrast the classroom procedures used in the modeling pedagogy with those typically used in a conventional teaching approach.

c.     In what ways and to what extent is the non-modeling reformed pedagogy inquiry-based? How does it compare to modeling in this regard – is it more inquiry based than modeling? Less inquiry based? This should be supported with examples, quotes from the materials, or other evidence.

The workshop leaders will use the following criteria to evaluate the final paper: 

1. Depth and extent of understanding of Modeling Instruction, as reflected in capacity to articulate specific, classroom-ready techniques and procedures 

2. Level to which issues regarding implementation are thoughtfully addressed.

3. Adherence to graduate-level scholarly writing standards, including APA format, and general clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness of exposition.

Students pursuing college credit are expected to enroll in Empire State College and pay tuition before the beginning of the workshop. Possible letter grades are A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D and no credit, with the understanding that B- is the accepted standard for maintaining satisfactory academic progress at the graduate level. 

For more information about STEMteachersNYC (formerly PhysicsTeachersNYC), please visit our website: http://STEMTeachersNYC.org

To join STEMteachersNYC fill out our survey: http://tinyurl.com/modelingsurvey

Members find out about workshops first and can sign up before others.