Governor’s STEM academy meets for second time

This week the Maine DOE, in collaboration with the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, convened the second meeting of the Maine Governor’s Academy for STEM Education Leadership.

The Governor’s Academy has been supported by state leadership at the Governor’s Office since 1999 and is supported by federal Title II funds and participating districts. Twenty-five teacher leaders from across the state are participating in the academy. The cohort also benefits from the participation of 10 mentors who are graduates of prior Maine Governor’s Academies for Science and Math Education Leadership. Michele Mailhot (Maine DOE Math Specialist), Joyce Tugel (MMSA Science Specialist) and Anita Bernhardt (Maine DOE Science and Technology Specialist) are coordinating the leadership academy.

The Maine Governor’s Academy for STEM Education Leadership is a two-year program consisting of eight strands:

  1. Focus on standards-based teaching and learning (state and national)
  2. STEM models and practices
  3. Technology
  4. Leadership
  5. Effective STEM professional development
  6. Developing and facilitating collaborative STEM groups
  7. Building STEM partnerships
  8. STEM policy, engagement and advocacy

The April session focused on two strands (developing and facilitating collaborative STEM groups and leadership). Kendall Zoller, a national author and consultant in collaborative facilitation, assisted fellows in developing knowledge and skills that will support them in their leadership roles in STEM education across Maine. Academy fellows learned strategies from Choreography of Presenting (Zoller and Landry, 2007). Throughout the two days the participants were challenged to build and refine their facilitation skills. Academy fellows will read STEM Lesson Essentials (Vazquez, Schneider, & Comer, 2013) in preparation for the June 2013 Governor’s Academy session.

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