Inquiry Workshop

16-28 June 1997

Participant Biographies

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Sally Dworsky rdworsky@customcpu.com Kindergarten teacher with two half day sessions at Sand Lake School. (Our afternoon class will begin to learn Japanese this year as we are a K-6 immersion school.) Worked on developing assessment tools (1996-97). Trainer for new to grade level kindergarten teachers. Pilot for new science kits (1993-94). Participated in developing a framework for science education. Participated in discussions with original ³core team² on changing our science education in elementary schools in Anchorage.

Cheryl Hilmes hilmes_cheryl@msmail.asd.k12.ak.us My current assignment is as a third and fourth grade multi-age classroom teacher in the newly opened K-12 school in Anchorage, Alaska. Our schoolıs philosophy is modeled after the Open Optional style of teaching and learning. Because of this philosophical focus there are daily opportunities to conduct inquiry as a means to learn new information. Due to the unique age range of our school I have had an opportunity to teach a number of science based courses to a wide age range of students. I am a member of the Core Team for the ASD Earth Systems grant project. I have field tested new science kits for the 4th and 5th grades. I have been a science support teacher for my school for the past two years and have met monthly with the other district science support teachers from my grade level. I have also helped to develop the assessment tools for the following 4th grade science kits: Bones and Skeletons and Dynamic Earth.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

California Science Project
California Science Advocacy Network

Suzi Owen suziowen@juno.com I am currently teaching 8th grade at Westside Charter School in Rio Linda. Last year I taught the Language Arts/Social Studies block but this year I will change and teach Social Studies/Science. I helped set up the entire science program and ordered all the materials to integrate all subjects. I am here today with a team representing the California Science Project which I attended two years ago as a preservice teacher. I would like to enhance my methods of teaching and improve the science program while catching the interest of my fellow teachers so that I can share my knowledge from the inquiry experience.

Michael Shea sheamj@csus.edu Michael Shea, Ph.D., Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Sacramento. Mike is a professor of physics and chair-elect in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Sacramento. His work this past year involved teaching a variety of undergraduate physics courses, including a course for future K-6 teachers, advising single subject science credential students, chairing the Program Review Team for the Department of Teacher Education, working on a special project for the Dean on the reform of undergraduate science teaching, serving as faculty advisor to the SCATS Center (Schools and Colleges for Advancing the Teaching of Science) which involves a significant amount of time working with K-12 teachers, and coaching high school girls basketball. For the past ten years the focus of his professional work outside the classroom has been in the area of teaching and learning of science at all levels of instruction. During this period he has been PI and Co-PI on over a million dollars in professional development projects for K-12 teachers. Currently he is Co-PI on California Science Project-Sacramento, PI on SIM-NET, a state funded Eisenhower project for middle school teachers, and a cadre member and long time leader in California on the CSIN-CAMS systemic initiative project. Mike was a member of the first Peace Corps group in 1961 and taught in Ghana, Africa for two years. He obtained his Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from Bryn Mawr College in 1969 and joined the faculty at California State University, Sacramento in that same year. He has served as Department Chair for four three-year terms and is again returning to that position. His research work over the years has been in the area of optical properties of matter, solar energy, and most recently the thermal performance of buildings.

Lynn Tashiro tashirol@csus.edu Lynn is an associate professor of physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). For the past four years her professional work outside the classroom has been focused on research on the teaching and learning of science. Her recent responsibilities have included the creation and implementation of an inquiry-based laboratory course for undergraduate life science majors. Her next project will be to redesign the physics course for future preservice elementary school teachers. After participation in state systemic K-12 science reform programs such as the California Science Implementation Network and the California Science Project she would like to redesign the physics course to meet the needs of future teachers that have been articulated in national publications such as the National Standards for Science Education and Project 2061. Lynn received her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1984 and her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Applied Physics in 1989. Her research interests have been in the areas of nonlinear optics and chemical physics. Prior to joining the faculty at CSUS she was employed as a sales and marketing manager at a Silicon Valley laser company.

Grace Yates The end of this school year has completed my first year as a teacher. I team-taught with two third grade teachers at a Bilingual Center/Title 1 elementary school. Skycrest Elementary has over 700 students and is located in the San Juan Unified School District in Citrus Heights, California. During the 1997-98 school year, I will be teaching fifth grade. I became involved with the California Science Project of Sacramento during the summer of 1996. I have developed a network of teachers across the grade levels which has helped me teach science through creating environments where students explore, question and wonder.

CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Teacher Enhancement, NSF
Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Laurie Ferhani Currently, I teach science to Portuguese ESL, Spanish bilingual and special needs students in the middle school level in two different schools in Cambridge. I have attended a regional National Research Council's National Science Education Standards Seminar and am active in piloting inquiry-based curricula for my district. I am part of a 5-year seminar, financed by the National Science Foundation, which is involved in a nation-wide study and work project on teaching science to language minority students. I also represent my district by participating in MassPEP (Massachusetts Pre-Engineering Program), a program that funds science clubs and activities for minority students.

Steve Schuler steveshu12@aol.com I currently teach 8th grade science to 80 students. I am a part of a team of four teachers‹math, language arts, social studies and science. I also have a homeroom. Within our team we are striving to do interdisciplinary units and I am a part of the planning for them. Within the science department (15 middle school teachers) I am one of three team or cluster leaders and work closely with four other teachers. Within our cluster we do much of our staff development around units we are using to teach our frameworks. Together with the science coordinator, the other cluster leaders and consultants from EDC (Education Development Center) we will be planning next yearıs (97-98) staff development offerings for the department. This planning, along with frameworks revisions, ordering, etc., will be done in July. One area we must stress in staff development is inquiry, which is an important part of the standards.

Karen Spaulding spauldin@whale.simmons.edu I am currently a Middle Grade Science Teacher in the Cambridge Public School System. As such, I teach students in grades 6, 7, and 8 and am directly involved in the development of the Cambridge Science Frameworks. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I am a Middle Grade Science Liaison Teacher. As a liaison teacher, I am responsible for supporting the four other Middle Grade Science Teachers in my cluster. During cluster meetings we share and reflect on experiences with implementing curriculum units, facilitating inquiry and supporting students as they discover the world around them. In my role, I chair cluster meetings, take notes and disperse those notes to members of the cluster, as well as other members of the Middle Grade Management Team. The Middle Grade Management Team consists of three Liaison Teachers, the Science Coordinator, and Cluster Facilitators. During Team meetings, I report on cluster discussions and communicate any needs or issues that were raised. The Team discusses progress and plans professional development opportunities for release days and summer workshops. As a bridge between the Middle Grade Science Teachers and the Science Coordinator, it is also my responsibility to provide information to teachers regarding science education, curriculum development and professional development opportunities and to seek resources and support from other members of the Science Department as needed.

EWING TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

PLAINSBORO, NEW JERSEY

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Mary Lou Byer mlbyer@aol.com Born and raised at the Jersey shore, and a veteran teacher of 25+ years. I currently reside and teach in Ewing Township, New Jersey, a community just outside of the capital city of Trenton. My husband, Rick (who teaches middle school science), and I have been married for almost 26 years, and have two children --- David, 12 and Michelle, 19. For the past ten years I have served as a teacher and director of our district's FAMILY SCIENCE program. During this time I have also served as an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University training teachers throughout the state to become FAMILY SCIENCE teachers. For the past five ears I have been a lead teacher in the QUEST program at Princeton University, working with University professors to help other elementary teachers strengthen their science backgrounds, while developing interdisciplinary activities. I am currently involved in our district's collaborative NSF grant with two other districts. A member of the Advisory Council and Management Council for the grant, I am a part of the planning and implementation of teacher-training for the three districts. I also serve as a building coordinator for my school and will intern as a lead teacher in our Summer Science Institute. During this past year I have also worked with the district's Science Curriculum Revision Committee. I hope to continue my work and share my enthusiasm with my colleagues in an effort to have our district take a leading role in the science reform movement.

Janice Fay jan@onit.com My current assignment in the Ewing Township School System is that of a second grade teacher and science mentor. Being a mentor, I function as a peer-coach, collaborator, motivator and supporter for my colleagues. The direction of our district in science is inquiry-based learning through science kits (example---FOSS, STC). My responsibility is to be a resource for my teaching associates. During the 96-97 school year, I served on the committee to rewrite our science curriculum guide.

Mary Miller I am a first grade teacher at Wicoff School in Plainsboro, New Jersey. For the past two years I have worked on our K-6 Science Curriculum Committee using Benchmarks for Science Literacy and New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Science to rewrite our science curriculum. The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District along with two other school districts, has been awarded a NSF grant to provide each teacher with science training over the next four years. Under that grant, I am the Building Coordinator for Wicoff, as well as a Mentor/Coach. My duties are to coordinate training and implementation of support activities, serve as documentor for internal record-keeping, and assist colleagues in developing expertise in inquiry-centered science. I am also an Intern/Presenter at our K-6 Summer Science Institute for staff development in inquiry-centered science.

Sona Polakowski lobbyme@aol.com Hi, my name is Sona Polakowski. I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education, K-8th grade. Most teachers have a Bachelor of Arts degree. My second claim to science is that I got married on the day they landed on the moon in July, 1969. I have always had an interest in science. I don't know how my first principal knew that in '69, but on the first day of my teaching career I was given the opportunity to coordinate the science fair for the school which had 1800 students and I had one month to do this. I taught a self contained 7th grade class at this time. My second teaching job I owe to the Russians and my husband. My husband got a new job and the Russians launched Sputnik. I was able to teach science to 4th and 5th graders. I left for a short time to have a family. I returned to education to teach 3 year olds and to become director of a nursery school. This is where I learned about hands-on and using all the senses to learn. I stayed at the King Nursery School for 10 years and left to take a job teaching first grade at Ben Franklin. I have been there for 11 years. I have always had a love for science. Science can be used to discover, investigate and to teach math, language arts and skills for life. Below is a list of responsibilities: 1st Grade Teacher at Ben Franklin School, Lawrenceville, New Jersey Trainer and staff developer for math and science for the school district Lead Teacher/Trainer for the E=MC2 grant for Lawrence, West Windsor and Ewing Building Coordinator for Ben Franklin K-3. I also bring in scientists from the science community (i.e. Bristol Myers Squibb, American Cyadamid, Johnson and Johnson, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab and Princeton University) not only for background information for teachers but also for first hand resource information for students. I also tie in consumer and employment relevancy. Science Curriculum Counsel for the district. Management Council for E=MC2 grant.

FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
FAYETTE COUNTY, KENTUCKY

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Scot Cunningham Currently I am the building (school) science representative/coordinator and science lab teacher at Veterans Park Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky. Veterans Park is a brand new science/math/technology "magnet" school in our district and is committed to providing the highest quality education for kids K-5 in our district, especially in the area of science and technology. The school and my teaching emphasize cutting edge science and technology practices which support our state's education reform goals. I look forward to gathering more interesting and unique ideas at the Exploratorium to further the learning in our school.

Catherine Hesseldenz chesseld@fayette.k12.us I currently teach science all day to students at Cassidy Elementary School. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade come to me in the science lab for one hour of science a week. The regular classroom teachers are responsible for a large portion of the science curriculum which they teach in their own classrooms. At my school, we used the State Content Guidelines (which were based directly on the National Science Standards) to design our own science curriculum. We decided which areas the classroom teachers and the science lab teacher would be responsible for teaching. Previously, for 9 years, I held the position of Science Resource Teacher for the county. In that role I worked with 33 elementary and 11 middle schools. I helped to develop the county science curriculum based on the National Science Standards and Benchmarks. I have conducted numerous workshops on aligning the curriculum and performance assessments.

Diana Sizemore I am currently a Science Specialist on the Elementary level. I teach grades 3rd-5th only and see each of my classes for two 55 minute blocks of time. My position is to provide the hands-on experimental part of our science curriculum and prepare our 4th grade students for the KIRIS assessment. I have worked with other teachers in the county helping them align curriculum as well as training them in the use of FOSS modules. Another aspect of my background has been in the use of technology (microbes) in the classroom and sharing that knowledge with other teachers, locally and state-wide.

HANDS ON ACTIVITIES SCIENCE PROGRAM (HASP)

ALABAMA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Debbie Easley jdeasl@msn.com I have a Bachelors degree in elementary education from Athens State College, Athens Alabama and hold a Masters degree in elementary education from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama. For the last ten years I have taught in Alabama public schools in a self-contained fifth grade elementary classroom. I was asked to serve as a LSF (Lead School Facilitator) with the HASP program in which my district became involved. As a LSF I attended leadership conferences with HASP and in this capacity I served as a liaison between my school and the HASP project. On occasion I was called upon to conduct training sessions for colleagues new to the HASP project. In the 95-96 school year I served as LSF and added Pilot Assessor to my responsibilities. The summer of 96 I entered my role as TIR (Teacher in Residence) with the HASP project. This position has opened up a wealth of experiences. I attended the NSF convention in St. Louis gathering valuable information as well as making wonderful contacts with other educators in the scientific community. I also was privileged to attend a conference in Washington DC where we were able to meet with educators from other areas of the country to discuss LSIs that were in place and the progress, successes and concerns that they had encountered. By the close of the summer I was leading professional development sessions and making plans for the school year. As a TIR, I have trained modules on kindergarten through third, fifth and sixth grade. I have led assessment sessions in which I offered information about assessment as well as led teachers through activities creating embedded performance assessments. My co-project director has called upon me to assist with the planning and facilitating of District Council meetings. Yet another role as a TIR has been to serve as an intern with my home district, Morgan County, as well as Scottsboro City, another one of the five districts involved in the HASP program. My professional growth has been enhanced through the involvement of sessions with Dr. Mary Ellen Harmon and Dr. Karen Worth. I am a member of a team identified by the HASP project that is currently working to establish a series of professional development experiences for the teachers in five districts (HASP serves) for the summer, as well as the 97-98 school year.

Belinda Lowery Currently, I am a kindergarten teacher at Leon Sheffield Elementary School in Decatur, Alabama. I have been an educator for more then 20 years. I am a School Facilitator for HASP (Hands-on Activities Science Program). As a HASP Facilitator I attend various training sessions that assist me with standards based science instruction in my classroom. I also share information with co-workers through faculty in-service and grade level meetings. I have participated in module training and worked with a team to help conduct a workshop about integrating science with other subjects to other HASP Facilitators.

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF
Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Gil Archuleta gilchop@aol.com For the past four years I have been principal of Monroe Elementary School in San Francisco, California. Monroe Elementary School is a neighborhood school in the Excelsior District of the city that is predominantly Spanish speaking, Chinese, and Filipino, and whose student population is predominantly limited English speaking. During the 1996-97 school year the staff and I have been participants in a national and local project focused on science instruction that prepares staff to employ inquiry based teaching and learning. The Science Focus Program is a collaborative effort among three local elementary schools. Support is provided by various agencies: the school district, the Exploratorium and scientists from the University of California, San Francisco campus. As principal of the school it is my responsibility to work as part of the Science Focus Program Leadership Team for the school and provide support in all efforts toward science education reform. Concurrent with developing a process and product that will demonstrate the use of science journals as one assessment tool.

Jane Bresnick jbresni@sfusd.k12.ca.us I am an ELD Kindergarten teacher at Monroe Elementary School. I teach science in addition to all other subject areas. Plus, I maintain a science area in the classroom for independent exploration. As a Science Focus School our staff attends science workshops. We also have arranged time to get together by grade level once a month. This time is used for team planning, discussion of assessment strategies and any other needs as relates to our science education.

Michele Cogley mcogley@muse.sfusd.k12.ca.us I am a 4/5 teacher in John Muir School. We are a teacher training school and I am the science and geography mentor for the school. I teach students while helping college interns learn how to teach through real-life hands-on experience. I am a member of the Science Systemic Leadership team and conduct inservice workshops for new teachers in the district. I served as a member of the City Science team for the four years prior. I am an integrated-thematic planner and teacher and that is my focus in education.

Andrew Estrin aestrin@muse.sfusd.k12.ca.us I am currently designated as a TSA, Teacher on Special Assignment. In this job my responsibilities include coordinating three Science Focus Schools funded by our NSF Local Systemic Change Initiative. In addition, I provide support for five schools working on math improvement. My role at the Science Focus Schools, in addition to providing direct support for one school, includes supporting new teachers with improved content and pedagogy delivery, designing and implementing professional development for the Network of Science Focus Schools and fostering site-based team leadership in science.

Tina Huie txh@sirius.com I am currently a 1st/2nd grade Chinese bilingual teacher. I have attended a City Science Summer Institute a couple of summers ago. For the past two years I've focused my energies being a Mathland/math leadership presenter, but I would like to develop my science teaching and assist others.

Janet Lopez I work at Spring Valley Elementary, one of three SFUSD schools involved in a program to incorporate science as a regular component in the core curriculum. I am a pull out who works with 1st/2nd graders. In addition to language arts teaching, I lead a 2nd grade science class. We have focused on the SFUSD science core curriculum. In 1997-98, our school focused on science journals. One attempt has been to teach thinking process skills.

Lisa Monti lmonti@sfusd.k12.ca.us I am the third grade Spanish Bilingual teacher at Spring Valley Elementary School. I have been a member of City Science, involved with presenting the FOSS curriculum to the rest of the District after extensive workshop training (I have presented different science units at district workshops). Currently I have been accepted as a part of the Systemic Science Leadership Team, creating standards for the district in the area of assessment specifically.

Carolyn Nyeh I am a 2nd grade Chinese Bilingual Teacher at Garfield Elementary School. I was one of the three Science Systemic Leaders during the past year. I was fortunate to have attended the science workshop last summer and have tried to incorporate math and language with science last year. I have completed three of the science kits for the second grade curriculum.

Steve Roth sroth@muse.sfusd.k12.ca.us I am currently a 4th grade teacher at Spring Valley Elementary in San Francisco. The 96/97 school year was my first year as a teacher. I previously worked as a paraprofessional for two years. I entered the teaching profession after working as a marine biologist for five years. Having experience in the science field, I chose Spring Valley to begin my teaching career, being that it is a science focus school. As a science focus school, we are required to hold science workshops throughout the year and parent-science nights. After attending the Inquiry Workshop, I will be responsible for relating information at an all staff workshop.

Madeline Taube I am a first grade teacher who is going into my second year as a Science Systemic Leader in the math component. Also, I am continuing my work with Math Leadership. I have presented the new Mathland units to the parents during our Family Math Night. Attending the Lawrence Hall of Science workshops and the Exploratorium workshops I have brought many valuable ideas to my students in the classroom and to my grade level teachers in our meetings. One of my responsibilities as a Science Systemic Leader is to attend all Science Focus meetings and bring to our faculty the information shared. Also, I have attended the concept development meetings with Rueben and I have worked with Steven in presenting the ideas of the kits to my students. We have been busy at our school developing a Science Journal for each child. We have met in our grade level to develop standards for our journals. Recently, I have been working preparing a culminating activity or project for the kit that would measure what our students learned.

SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Michel Guidry As a lead teacher for the Hands-On Inquiry Based Science program in Seattle School District #1, I have trained elementary teachers in current pedagogy and methodology. Previously, I have served as a trainer for hands-on science in Miami, Florida. In addition, I worked for Dade County Public Schools as the Coordinator for a magnet School which emphasized an aerospace theme and an affiliation with NASA. My degrees/credentials are in special education. I have trained teachers who work with special education populations in successful strategies and curricula adaptations to enhance the children's science experiences. My specialty is children with neurological and behavioral impairments. I presently run a program with my own researched curricula for children with dyspraxia. I utilize sign language and cutting edge forms of communication programming. I serve as the Chairperson of our school's Governance Team and train staff on site-based decision making and collaborative teaming. My responsibilities related to district science reform are: providing direct training/program development immediately in Seattle Public School's Summer Institutes/Workshops, staff skill enhancement events, and foremost, with the children and families I serve. I also write for various teacher ed. publications and would apply the myriad techniques and strategies I have learned to assist others in updating their science ed. skills and applications. Since systemic change in our district is occurring as we speak, I would like to offer my services to my fellow teachers, administrators and support staff to encourage hands-on Inquiry based science education across all barriers of race, sex and disability.

Joseph Thompson josepht@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us I am a veteran teacher of 26 years with experiences teaching K-6, high school students and adults. This last year, I was a science specialist in a K-5 school and a pilot teacher in the National Science Foundation grant supporting Systemic change in our school district science education. Next year, I will be a lead teacher, volunteering to help with staff development of classroom teachers in our school district. I have also applied for a position of Science Resource Teacher supported by this same grant. In this position, I would be responsible for teaming with other Resource Teachers to provide staff development for Cohort I school staffs (19) and Cohort II school staffs. If I don't get the position, I will be a 5th grade classroom teacher.