INQUIRY WORKSHOP

15-27 JUNE 1998

Participant Biographies

ALLEGHENY SCHOOLS SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY, INC.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Sandra Matrascia I am a fourth grade teacher who, as an advocate of science reform, co-authored the inquiry-based elementary science curriculum for the Carlynton School District. As District SOS (Support on Site), I serve as a liaison between Carlynton and ASSET (Allegheny Schools Science Education and Technology, Inc.), an organization that provides the district with hands-on materials, teacher training, assessments, and community support. Currently, my primary leadership role as Lead Teacher is to design, align, and present professional development training that meets the needs of elementary educators in an inquiry-based science program. As coordinator for Title II, Eisenhower Professional Development Federal Program, I obtain funding to assure the sustainability of Carlynton's inquiry-based curriculum.

Barbara Williams robertw@cobweb.net I am currently a 4th grade teacher and the SOS (Support on Site) for the Upper St. Clair School District science curriculum, K-6. Our science reform initiative began three years ago when we partnered with ASSET (Allegheny Schools Science Education and Technology Inc.) to educate children in inquiry-based learning. Our teacher enhancement and support is created through hands-on science materials provided from a centralized site. Additionally, professional development is supported by district endorsement through inservice training and release time for science module content exploration. With leadership and fiscal support from Bayer Corporation, collaborative teams of teachers, administrators, professional scientists and other partners coordinate district implementation. My primary responsibility is to provide the link between our teachers and administrators, and the leadership and resources for ASSET, Inc. My greatest challenge is to develop the scientist in the 60 fourth grade students that I teach.

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BEAUMONT INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

BEAUMONT, TX

Lisa Bolton I am currently serving as Curriculum Coordinator and will be one of two people responsible for training campus contact persons in the area of science education reform. I deal a lot with state standards and staff development.

D'Ann Douglas ddougla@beaumont.k12.tx.us I am a fourth grade teacher, technology liaison and lead science teacher for my campus. I am also an NSTA Point of Contact. As a lead science teacher for the district, I will be responsible for the training of the Points of Contact in my district in the use of inquiry-based science.

CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Teacher Enhancement Grant, NSF

Susan Cyr smcyr@aol.com I am currently a Science Staff Development Teacher for grades K-6 for three of the fifteen elementary schools in the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. I provide training and support for the implementation of the Science Frameworks for the District. I work with approximately 52 teachers within the three schools. I provide modeling of lessons, co-teaching of lessons and consultation and planning with teachers to help them implement the Science Curriculum. My responsibilities also include: 1) Site Coordinator for the CHEM (Chemistry, Health, the Environment and Me), a three year NSF funded teacher enhancement grant administered by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. 2) Leading and planning science curriculum workshops in system-wide curriculum during the academic year as well as during the summer. 3) Development and collaboration on curriculum revisions. 4) School-based team member for Science/Technology integration. 5) Coordination, planning and teaching of inquiry science for the paraprofessional teachers within the district. 6) Participation in a team of staff developers who oversee planning and implementation of systemic science education reforms in the district. Additionally, I have been teaching for 12 years and have teaching experience at grades K, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 10. I have been a classroom teacher, both in regular education and special education.

CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Karen Callahan micorb@earthlink.net I am currently teaching grade 4 at John S. Park Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada. As co-chair of the Science Committee, I have been involved in developing a Materials Management System for our science kits, organizing on-site staff development, and developing a vision for the future of science education at our school. I have also acted as a liaison between our school and MASE II, the district's science reform project. Additionally, I am involved in the MASE II teacher leader training program.

Debora Holder urdahl@aol.com As a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA), I am primarily responsible for planning, designing, and implementing professional development in the areas of science and mathematics. I am currently a Fellow in the National Academy of Science Leadership focusing on assessment in science.

Bradley Iverson bradley_iverson@aspen.interact.k12.nv.us My name is Bradley Iverson and I am a teacher in the primary grades for the Clark County School District. I bring into the classroom a background in socio/cultural anthropology and a love for my students and the learning that we do together. I believe in change and improvement. Most of my efforts at science education reform occur in my classroom. I do, however, have responsibilities as a Teacher Leader in the Mathematics and Science Enhancement Project (MASE II). These responsibilities extend my participation and connect me with teachers of similar, or at least compatible, visions of learning.

Jennifer Tarno meggima@aol.com My name is Jennifer Tarno and I am a third grade teacher at Howard Wasden Elementary School in the Clark County School District. I have taught for three years, and in this last year have become involved more closely with the MASE program as a science teacher leader. The MASE program in our district utilizes teachers who have journeyed through the inquiry process to help plan and facilitate workshops. I have been involved in several of these sessions. As the Science Leader at my school site, I have had the opportunity to assist teachers in Staff Development. This year we initiated the use of science notebooks. I have been involved in two areas of leadership: leading a workshop helping teachers begin to look more closely at their questioning for our area Staff Development Day as well as other workshops looking into the inquiry process.

DIXIE SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAN RAFAEL, CALIFORNIA

Georgiana Anderson I have taught 11 years in Dixie District and nine more years in grades K-5 for a total of 20 years. I am currently heading up our PQR team with Ingrid Tuchband, who is also taking this Inquiry Workshop. Our topic for investigation has been in the science area. We are currently trying to reconstruct our science program at our schoolæmoving towards a more inquiry-based program. We are hoping to come up with an effective plan for this fall: how to most effectively use our science specialists as we implement an inquiry-based program, how to incorporate the use of the district-bought FOSS science kits into our new inquiry-based program, how to provide staff development on inquiry-based science.

Ingrid Tuchband I am a third grade teacher at Dixie Elementary School. I am a member of our school's Program Quality Review Committee, and this year our focus is science. In addition, I have attended the Marin Science Cadre workshops for both the fall and spring semesters this year. I am interested in moving our school's science program toward an inquiry-based approach.

JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI

CPMSA, NSF

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Jane Flowers bob.flowers@juno.com I am a second grade classroom teacher at Walton Elementary School for the Jackson Public School District in Jackson, Mississippi. My school began participating in Project SEED this school year. I have worked with two FOSS modules. After a visit to my classroom by CUSER representatives and personnel from our district, I was asked to attend a CUSER visit to the Clark County School District in Las Vegas. I also represented our district at the National Science Convention and attended the Strand developed by CUSER. My role will be to assist with professional development for my district, continue to provide rich inquiry experiences for my students and encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Elana Tate I am a fifth grade teacher at Brown Elementary School with formal training in secondary education/science. I have been a part of the Project SEED program since its inception two years ago. My responsibilities as a teacher leader include receiving and providing professional development for teachers and staff in my school as it relates to kit-based science.

KEYSTONE PROJECT

BOZEMAN, MONTANA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Patti Hill I am a resource teacher at West Elementary in Butte. My assignment includes all subjects for K-6 students and committee work for curriculum adoptions. For Keystone, my major contributions are workshop attendance, and being a member of my school's focus group which works on the strategic science and technology plan.

Barb Sherrill I am currently a third grade teacher at West Elementary in Butte where I am active on curriculum committees and staff development. Last year I became a mentor leader for Keystone. As a mentor, I am expected to help organize and present summer institutes, be a liaison, guide our mini-grant focus group and coach other teachers as requested.

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR RURAL SCHOOLS

SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Susan Malphrus I am a bilingual teacher, teaching 4th grade. I have been involved with LASERS, a science/language program through UC Santa Cruz and Life Lab, for three years. During this time I have served as a resource teacher and peer coach. I was also a CSIN teacher for one year. My responsibilities have mostly been to pass on the training I have received and act as a facilitator and resource for our LASERS core team. Our focus has been on making science accessible to all students and promoting student inquiry.

Jennifer Nichols jnskippy@aol.com I currently teach a bilingual second grade and serve as a science and language resource teacher for our LSC grant from NSFæLASERS. I have begun to present, along with LASERS staff, to program participants outside my school and district, as well as lead Action Research Teams and Peer Coaching efforts in science at my site. I am hoping to serve as a Teacher on Special Assignment to get more teachers teaching science and to lay groundwork for our changes to continue "post grant."

MILL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

Elena Garton & Karen O'Toole egarton@marin.k12.ca.us & kotoole@marin.k12.ca.us We are both fourth grade teachers at Tam Valley School in Mill Valley where we teach in self-contained classrooms and collaborate closely in developing our curriculum. Presently we are co-coordinators for Project Based Learning at our school site. We enjoy working together in supporting our staff. We are hoping that we will be able to take our knowledge from the Exploratorium workshop and apply it to our classrooms as well as sharing this approach with our school staff, ensuring that students get a rich, inquiry-based experience.

Rod Septka rseptka@marin.k12.ca.us I am new to the Mill Valley school district, and as a fourth-fifth grade teacher in a self-contained classroom, am responsible for teaching science according to district standards. A scope and sequence matrix was developed in 1993 to adhere to the California Science Framework. This matrix is constructed around the seven major themes in science. Instruction focuses on strategies that enable students to construct scientific understanding through hands-on activities and inquiry approaches. I have been affiliated with the Bay Area Science Project for the past three years and have worked to help that organization define its mission and goals for science reform in the Bay Area. I have participated in inquiry focus groups, collaborated with other teachers in designing inquiry based science units, and have participated in case study discussion groups at West Ed Laboratories. I have used these varied experiences as opportunities to reflect on and inform my science teaching practice.

NOVATO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOVATO, CALIFORNIA

Aimée DeCelles Currently I teach 2nd grade. I have a great interest in environmental education. This year my class witnessed guest lectures from the Sonoma County Water Agency and spent a month focusing on environmental awareness. As a river rafting guide, water conservation is of great importance to me. I hope to become more actively involved in the school district and Novato community.

Susan Hunter shunter@doxy.nusd.marin.k12.ca.us I am currently teaching 1st grade. Next year I will be teaching kindergarten and will have the students for two years (through 1st grade). My goals in taking this workshop are to make science in the classroom an "experience" versus a lecture and to facilitate, along with my colleagues who have participated in the Institute for Inquiry, more science explorations both in the classroom as well as school-wide events, and to encourage families to see science all around them and wonder.

PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Opal Hampton In my role as a Science Resource Teacher, I provide in-classroom support to new teachers in the area of science. I facilitate and lead new teacher initial kit training for the district science program. I am an instructor for a content module on Animals that has been developed through CAPSI for K-6 elementary teachers.

Rosie Ingber As a Bilingual & Curriculum Resource Teacher, I facilitate the SEED program at our site. I arrange for teachers to attend the district science academies. I also maintain and arrange for distribution and collection of science materials to assist classroom teachers in implementing the hands-on science program.

ROSS VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA

Ellen Lerner elerner@marin.k12.ca.us I teach 1st grade at Manor School in Fairfax. I am in charge of 1st grade science performance tasks for our district of three schools.

Mo Noyer mnoyer@marin.k12.ca.us I am currently a fourth grade teacher at Wade Thomas School in San Anselmo, California. I serve on the fourth grade writing assessment committee for the Educational Task Force (ETF). I also am a member of the ETF math pilot committee. This year, the committee piloted three math assessments within the fourth grade curriculum. The goal is to refine these assessments and distribute them in the Fall 1998. My responsibility as a fourth grade teacher in my district, the Ross Valley School District, is to continue teaching the science units that have been coordinated throughout our district by grade levels. The district teachers have developed (and continue to refine) support materials so that grade level teachers have consistency in their teaching materials for these units. We concentrate on performance tasks each year. This year the fourth grade studied forest eco-systems, photosynthesis and interdependence. Students were assessed by completing a written response as well as designing a pictorial related to the forest eco-system. Fourth grade teachers scored these according to a rubric. Next year, the fourth grade performance task will be on light and energy.

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Ellen Champlin Ellen Champlin is a fourth grade teacher at Lakeshore School, San Francisco. She works with newer teachers under the Local Systemic Change Initiative. She is also on the leadership team for an Adopt-A-Watershed project focusing on Lake Merced.

Jeanne Gillette Jeanne Gillette is an elementary teacher in San Francisco. She has been involved in "City Science" for several years, both as a participant and as a facilitator. She is currently a member of the science leadership team at Claire Lilienthal School, a transitional science focus school.

Patricia Harmon pharmon@sfusd.k12.ca.us As the Science Assessment Coordinator my responsibilities are coordinating of the assessment work of the National Science Foundation grant, City Science. The City Science grant is a Local Systemic Change program that seeks to provide high quality professional development for all K-5 teachers and access to standards-based science education for all K-5 students. As the Science Assessment Coordinator I work with City Science staff, teachers and partners to develop content specific standards-based assessment tasks in science for grades K-5, coordinate the district wide science testing at the 5th and 8th grades, and assist the project evaluator in the evaluation of the program. As the Science Assessment Coordinator my primary responsibilities are the coordination of the design, implementation and evaluation of all phases of the assessment program in City Science. Major responsibilities are (a) coordination of the 5th grade science assessments being developed with the RAND Corporation, (b) assist the California Science Initiatives Assessment Collaborative in the implementation of the district wide science assessment at the 5th and 8th grades, (c) draft, develop, and implement district wide science content and performance standards for grades pre-Kæ5.

Carol Kimball First grade teacher. I am also the Science Systemic Leader for my school, New Traditions Elementary.

Richard Mattson I am a native Californian and have lived off and on in the Bay Area for the past twenty-four years. I am a graduate of the Clinical Schools Project at San Francisco State University where I am presently completing my Master's degree through the Interdisciplinary Studies in Education Department with a focus on urban/multicultural issues in education. I am relatively new to teaching. Over the past year and a half, I have taught Kindergarten at Investigations, an inquiry-based summer science program, and a third grade science enrichment class at Claire Lilienthal Alternative K-8 School in San Francisco. Next year I will be working with fifth graders at Claire Lilienthal. In addition to my classroom responsibilities, I will be a Science Systemic Leader and a member of the school's science team as we transition into being a Science Focus School.

Michael McDonald-Drayne mdonald@slip.net I am a fifth grade teacher at Claire Lilienthal Elementary here in San Francisco. As a Science Systemic Leader in SFUSD, I worked with a group of teachers to develop and integrate science lessons and units. In addition, I have helped align our curriculum to the science standards.

Diane Pulsifer kaisehomme@aol.com I am a second grade teacher and science leader at Treasure Island School in San Francisco. I am a member of our Science Leadership Team. We've been mentoring new teachers, planning with the team, organizing a parent science night, and working with staff on science curriculum.

Beth Slater I have been teaching at Yick Wo Alternative Elementary School for six years. Presently I am teaching 3rd grade. I have been involved with City Science for four years, with a two year break in the middle of those four years to do Mathematics Implementation. Participation in City Science has enabled me to collaborate with fellow teachers and scientists to deepen my knowledge of science and improve my science teaching.

Carlene Tom carlenetom@aol.com Bay Area local currently teaching 2nd grade at Claire Lilienthal Alternative School in San Francisco. I'm a science systemic leader and helping Claire Lilienthal develop its science focus school goals and objectives to deliver science to our San Francisco children.

SPRING BRANCH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

SPRING BRANCH, TEXAS

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Angela McNeil I currently am a third grade teacher and the instructional technologist at Buffalo Creek Elementary School in Spring Branch. My responsibilities for our district science education reform efforts are to train the district on the inquiry approach to science as well as help them to integrate all the disciplines. I also will be helping to link technology and science together.

Gina Taylor taylorg@spring-branch.isd.tenet.edu I am a fifth grade teacher at Frostwood Elementary. I will serve as a key member in staff development in science. Our campus is one of a few in our district that is initiating inquiry science as a part of our curriculum. I plan to help re-write district science curriculum to be more inquiry-based.

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