Category: Professional Development

Maine educators form partnership for rural science education

Teachers Kathy Dixon-Wallace and Katie Danielson are looking at a diabase dike on rocks at Schoodic Point
Teachers Kathy Dixon-Wallace and Katie Danielson are looking at a diabase dike at Schoodic Point during the MainePSP conference.

Many of Maine’s most distinguished sixth- through ninth-grade science teachers in rural areas recently united with the University of Maine science and science education faculty for professional development on the shores of the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park. Representing a unique collaboration between 18 rural Maine school districts, the Maine Center for Research in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education (RiSE Center) at UMaine, several non-profit organizations and the Maine DOE, the participating teachers were there as part of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (MainePSP), which supports teaching and learning of the physical sciences in grades six through nine.

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We’re serious about our support

Congratulations on completing another successful school year.

I was honored to spend much of the past week connecting with many of Maine’s education leaders at the 102nd Annual Superintendent’s Conference in Northport. For those who attended, I hope the transformational leadership development combined with the transitional support to help your schools move to a proficiency-based diploma energized you as much as it did me. Just as our potential to graduate every student prepared is great, so are the stakes – as was made quite evident by the CEOs who spoke during Sunday’s session about the core competencies the opportunities of Maine’s future will demand.

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Free professional development to expand STEM teaching skills

The course schedule for the Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ 2013 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Educators’ Camp is now available. This camp is for educators looking to expand their repertoire of STEM teaching skills, delve deeper into STEM course content, develop ways to engage kids in STEM, get kids motivated in independent STEM research or start an after-school STEM club. A group of educators will present 26 different STEM course options this year.

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Opportunity to attend evidence-based autism training

Maine DOE will provide evidence-based autism team training during the 2013-14 academic year for 15 school-based teams that represent educators working with children with autism. Members of the teams should include general and special educators, related services staff and general and special education administrators.

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Expand Maine’s Chinese language and culture programs

UPDATE: The application deadline has been extended to Aug. 23.

K–12 and higher education administrators, school leaders and other education decision-makers actively seeking to develop new and expanded Chinese programs are invited to attend the 2013 Chinese Bridge Delegation — a one-week trip to China hosted by Hanban. The trip, scheduled for Nov. 6-14, will focus on school visits, cultural activities and educational workshops with the aim of helping attendees start and expand their at-home Chinese language and culture programs.

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Register for Agriculture in the Classroom Institute

Participants from the 2012 Summer Teacher's Institute pose with a pony.
Participants from the 2012 Summer Teacher’s Institute.

UPDATE: Openings are still available for the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom’s “Summer Teacher’s Institute,” held July 29–Aug. 2.

PreK through grade 12 teachers interested in topics related to agriculture are invited to attend Maine Agriculture in the Classroom’s (MAITC’s) “Summer Teacher’s Institute” from July 29–Aug. 2 in Presque Isle.

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Data Warehouse proving valuable new resource

We continue to get positive feedback on the Data Warehouse we unveiled last month in conjunction with the Maine School Performance Grading System. Educators and administrators like having multiple years of their key data – including individual student growth models – in one place, and that they can export it to use and share. The also appreciate the ability to run comparisons of like schools and districts to determine best practices and opportunities for collaboration.

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