Maryland Virtual High School
Overview
The Maryland Virtual High School (MVHS), the University of Maryland,
College Park (UMCP), Montgomery College (MC) and Mount Saint Mary's College
(MSM) have formed a team to develop, field-test, and evaluate instructional
materials for math and science pre-service teachers using scientific
modeling and visualization. This team brings together the practical,
classroom-based experience of MVHS, content-based faculty with modeling
and/or visualization expertise representing both two- and four-year
institutions of higher learning, and the teacher preparation faculty at
UMCP. In addition, UMCP and MVHS have ongoing relationships with the
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), which is on the leading edge
of standards-based learning and technology expectations for high school
graduates.
Partners
Maryland Virtual
High School
University of Maryland, College
Park
Montgomery College
Mount Saint Mary's
College
Description
The MVHS EdGrid Collaborative Team intends to influence the secondary
mathematics and science teacher preparation programs in the state of
Maryland and beyond by demonstrating that computational modeling and
scientific visualization can be incorporated successfully into existing
mathematics, science, and teacher preparation courses at community
colleges, independent colleges and state universities. Team members, which
include college faculty, science and math teachers, and pre-service
teachers, are developing and field-testing instructional materials which
use modeling and visualization. In-service teachers provide real-world
feedback for the materials being developed for pre-service teachers. These
modules will take advantage of existing computational tools and materials
and will incorporate constructivist instructional strategies.
The project has four main objectives. They are to:
-
create two-week modules that include modeling and visualization
tools as essential components of the module, complete with teacher
support materials, student activity materials, and performance
assessments, and that encourage higher thinking skill development.
-
hold design institutes whose product will be at least one, two-week
module each year that will be used in appropriate college courses and
K-12 classrooms.
-
participate in regional and national workshops to share expertise,
ideas and materials.
-
foster broad scale dissemination of materials into teacher
preparation programs in the state of Maryland and nationally.
The project team is comprised of faculty from The Maryland Virtual High
School (MVHS), the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), Montgomery
College (MC) and Mount Saint Mary's College (MSM), as well as K-12
teachers, teacher educators, and undergraduate students.
Timeline
The goal is to affect systemic change in 3 years:
Year 1- September 1999 to October 2000
-
Team members attended two design institutes at UMCP, one January
18-20, 2000 and the other July 17-28, 2000. Each group produced a
two-week module, complete with teacher support materials, student
activity materials, and performance assessments that incorporates
modeling, simulation and/or visualization tools. The materials are
being disseminated via the web at http://mvhs1.mbhs.edu/ncsa/edgrid.html.
- Year 2- September 2000 to October
2001
-
During Year 2, the modules completed in the summer of 2000 will be
tested in appropriate college classes at UMCP, MC and MSM, and used by
in-service teachers in their high school classes. Data will be
collected to measure pre-service teacher attitudes toward using these
same technology-rich activities in their future teaching. Modules will
be demonstrated at EdGrid workshops, UMCP Design Institutes and college
faculty meetings. Additional faculty will be recruited to attend the
second year of design institutes to create additional modules.
Year 3- September 2001 to October 2002-
While modules continue to go through another round of classroom
testing and evaluation, broad scale dissemination of the activities
will take place. UMCP's partnership with MSDE in a PT3 Catalyst Grant
will facilitate the adoption of these modules in teacher preparation
programs across the state. Since Maryland's high school graduation
expectations include the use of technology for communication,
information access and use, data analysis, understanding of complex
ideas through modeling and simulations, and real-world problem solving
(Maryland Skills for Success and High School Core Learning Goals), MSDE
will support the wide-spread use of curriculum that will ensure that
pre-service teachers possess the skills that their students are
expected to master.
Contacts
Susan Ragan, Co-Principal Investigator
Maryland Virtual High School
51 East University Blvd.
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Voice: (301)649-2880
Fax: (301) 649-8245
Dr. David Hammer,
Team Leader,UMCP,
Dr. Harold Williams,
MC
Dr. John August
,MSM,
Modules may be accessed at this location |
