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The
next Institute for Inquiry application
deadline is March 1, 2004. If you are
interested in receiving the next program
brochure and application, please contact
Pat Koblenz at 415-528-4331, or by e-mail
at pkoblenz@exploratorium.edu.
Beginning in December 2003, the brochure
(PDF format) and application may also
be found online (in Word
or PDF format).
For help with the PDF format,
click here.
Costs
Participants' districts or projects are
responsible for 100 percent of all travel
costs for Institute workshops and seminars,
including lodging and meals. A materials
fee of $175 per person is required one
month before the start of the workshop.
Checks should be made out to The Exploratorium
and sent to the attention of Pat Koblenz.
The
Application Process
The application process is composed of
two rounds.
Round
I, The Written Application: Commitment
to Science Reform.
This round involves a
written application designed to assess
a district’s or project’s commitment
to science education reform, and requires
the superintendent’s or project director’s
support and signature. To advance to Round
II, applicants must have a cohesive internal
structure for professional development
that supports reform and offers professional
development opportunities. Applicants
selected for Round II will be contacted
by Institute for Inquiry staff.
Round II, Phone Conversation: Final Team
Composition consists of a phone conversation
between Institute for Inquiry staff and
the district or project contact to discuss
whether the Institute’s workshops
match their needs, and if so, to determine
the most strategic composition of team
members.
Round I: Written Application
Commitment to Science Reform
Round I of the application process is
intended as a general review of the district’s
or project’s professional development
structure and offerings.
Applicants will:
- Provide
a diagram representing the district’s
or project’s professional
development infrastructure, including
who decides on, designs, or implements
workshops
- Provide
a brief description of the current science
professional development offerings of
the district or project, listing the
topic and duration of representative
activities
- For
Associate Districts (those that have
previously participated in Institute
for Inquiry programs), indicate how
past materials were used and how the
district or project plans to use materials
from the current workshop
- Provide
a tentative team composition. List the
proposed positions or roles or specific
individuals, recognizing that final
selection of specific individuals on
the team occurs in Round II
Round
II: Phone Conversation
Applicants who qualify in Round I proceed
to Round II, which consists of an exploratory
phone conversation between Institute for
Inquiry staff and the project contact.
Through this dialogue, Institute staff
determine whether the project’s or
district’s professional development
goals are strategically matched with Institute
programs. Applicants will be asked to
make a case for their district’s
or project’s ability to carry out
the lessons learned at the Institute in
their home districts. Applicants should
demonstrate that they have the resources
and professional development structure
that allow for this transfer. IFI staff
will then work with the district or project
contact to determine the most strategic
composition of team members, as well as
team size.
Team Composition
A team may be composed of two to five
educators who play lead roles in a district’s
or project’s professional development
offerings. Team members may include science
specialists, curriculum coordinators,
teachers on special assignment, and administrators,
as well as museum educators, university
faculty, and scientists who spend a majority
of their time as professional developers.
Team members should be proposed based
on their:
-
level of responsibility in professional
development
- ability
to impact the science education-reform
agenda
- willingness
to work collaboratively with fellow
team members to implement what they
have learned at the Institute
Applicants
must guarantee that the district or project
supports the participants’ efforts—both
financially and structurally—to provide
professional
development.
Acceptance Letters and District Contacts
A district or project accepted into an Institute
for Inquiry workshop will receive a letter
identifying its team members. This letter
is mailed to the district or project contact,
who is responsible for communicating all
relevant information to every team member.
After the acceptance of a particular team,
any changes or substitutions to team composition
must be approved by the Institute for Inquiry.
New and Associate Districts
The application process for New Districts
(those that have never participated in Institute
programs) varies only slightly from the
process for Associate Districts (those that
have previously participated in Institute
for Inquiry programs) in that the two are
asked different sets of questions in Rounds
I and II. To be considered for Institute
for Inquiry participation, both New and
Associate Districts must fully complete
both rounds of the application process.
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