Institute for Inquiry

Professional Development Design Workshop

May 3-8, 1999

Participant Biographies

ARSI (Appalachian RSI)

Dr. Al Hazari ahazari@utk.edu Director of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Undergraduate Chemistry Labs and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Science Education (teach Elementary Science Methods); Design and deliver professional development in K-12 science at local, regional and national meetings; Director of the UTK K-12 Science/Engineering Outreach Program; Steering Committee member: NSTA's Building a Presence in Tennessee; Advisory Board member: Appalachian Rural Systemic Initiative; Affiliate: Institute for Chemical Education ( University of Wisconsin, Madison).

Kathy Lyon lyon@korrnet.org The National Science Teachers Association's Building a Presence for Science (BAP) program will establish a nation-wide network of teachers who are trained in the nationally recognized, best teaching practices of the National Science Education Standards. Through this network, teachers will receive information regarding Standards-based professional development opportunities and resources. As BAP State Co-coordinator, I conduct Standards training and assist in the organization and promotion of the program in Tennessee.

Vicki Metzgar vicki.h.metzgar@vanderbilt.edu Vicki Metzgar has taught in the Metro-Nashville Public Middle and High Schools for the past 24 years. She is currently spending a year on the Vanderbilt University campus in Nashville, Tennessee as a Teacher In Residence at Peabody School of Education. Her residence year is being spent developing Science Education Outreach programs for the Metro Nashville Schools from the Medical School at Vanderbilt. She has worked on many projects, like developing a Saturday Computer Camp with faculty and student volunteers from the Vanderbilt community who work with students from Nashville's inner-city schools. She has begun a project to hold a Summer Science Camp for Middle School Girls which will have its initial summer beginning in June at Vanderbilt Medical School. Vicki has formed partnerships between the Nashville schools, the Medical center, the local chapter of the Girl Scouts, and the Women's center at Vanderbilt to sponsor the camp. She has also spent a great deal of time this year working with a cadre of Biology and Life Science teachers from across the State of Tennessee to develop performance indicators for Biology I courses that can be used to develop the first-ever statewide test for credit in Biology given in the State of Tennessee. She will work with these same teachers this summer to train Biology teachers from across the state to use-based instructional methods in Biology classes.

Beaumont Independent School District

D'Ann Douglas ddougla@beaumont.k12.tx.us I am a fourth grade teacher, technology liaison and lead science teacher for my campus, Sallie Curtis Elementary School. I am also an NSTA Point of Contact. As one of the lead teachers for "Enterprise 2002", a NSF funded project to implement inquiry science throughout the district at all grade levels, I will assist with professional development for teachers.

Davetta Merrick dmerrick@beaumont.k12.tx.us I am currently employed as a third grade teacher at Martin Elementary in the Beaumont Independent School District. I am one of two lead science teachers on our campus. Our district's goal is to educate every child in inquiry-based learning. My responsibility will be to train staff through hands-on workshops. This will enable staff members to incorporate inquiry-based science activities into their curriculum. By using inquiry-based learning every child will have an opportunity to enhance their critical thinking skills and be ready to enter into our fast paced society.

Beckman@Science

Jackie Howland jacquelynhow@earthlink.net Jackie Howland, professional development coordinator at the Beckman Science Materials Center, is a 6th grade teacher in the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District on loan to the Discovery Science Center. She has been an elementary teacher for the past 12 years and has taught all grade elementary grade levels, as well as serving as an elementary science specialist. In addition to her teaching assignments, Jackie has experience as a mentor teacher and master teacher. She ahs presented many workshops for teachers and is in the Beckman Science Teacher program.

Heidi Shinaberger enhydra@hotmail.com Heidi Shinaberger, 1998-1999 Beckman Science Education Fellow, is a fourth grade teacher on special assignment to Beckman@Science. She is a Beckman Science Teacher Leader, and is the main contact for a cadre of 23 additional Science Teacher Leaders. She is responsible for conducting workshops on selected kits, and organizing ongoing professional development and online support for the members of the cadre. Additionally, she assist school districts in the implementation of hands-on science, especially in planning teacher workshops and identifying and selecting curricular materials.

Julia C. Wan jwan@fullerton.edu Dr. Julia C. Wan is director of Beckman@Science and the Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education at California State University, Fullerton. Beckman@Science is a $14.4 million initiative developed to reform elementary science education in Orange County, California. This initiative has several components: NSRC/LASER site programs, a science materials center, teacher training workshops, district incentive grants, teacher leader program, and developing community support. Dr. Wan has overall responsibility for the implementation and quality of the program, including subcontracts to partnering institutions such as Discovery Science Center and Caltech/CAPSI. Dr. Wan has an extensive background in science and science education, including the implementation of hands-on science programs in three different school districts. Her professional experience includes biochemistry research, teaching high school physics and chemistry, district K-12 science director and assistant superintendent. She has also served as program director of NSF's statewide systemic initiative.

CSUS and CSP-Sac

Hugo A. Chacón chacon@csus.edu Assistant professor in the Bilingual/Multicultural Education Department at California State University, Sacramento. Work in preparing future (Spanish/English) teachers. Teach science and math methods courses in Spanish. Involved with CSUS Blended Program initiative. Interests include reforming science education for Bilingual, ELL, and multicultural environments. Currently developing science and math methods courses that incorporate the integration of technology and telecommunications into the content of the courses.

Melanie Loo mwloo@csus.edu I have been a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at CSU Sacramento since 1977. Having received a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Washington and a B.A./B.S. in Biology/Genetics from UC Davis, I teach genetics for majors, genetics for non-majors, introductory biology, and an upper division course for preservice majors (Investigations in Biology). Since 1990 I have also been an advisor in the Liberal Studies Program--the larger of 2 preservice majors on campus. I have always been interested in the process of teaching and learning and have experimented with new approaches. This semester I am on sabbatical and teaching an experimental course in which 4 Liberal Studies Students and I have been discussing approaches to teaching science and then leading science activities in an after-school program with 5th graders. I am also part of a team working on a collaborative grant (NSF-CETP) to support changes in our science education of preservice students.

Patricia MacEgan pmacegan@cwia.com I am currently a Teacher-in-Residence at CSUS, in the Physics Dept., working with Lynn Tashiro to redesign Physics 100, an upper division course for pre-service Liberal Studies majors who intend to be teachers. I have taught grade school, middle school, and junior high science for ten years. I am a fellow with the California Science Project, and a workshop presenter. I have two children in college and one granddaughter. I love teaching!

D.E.S.E.R.T. Project (Tucson Unified)

Marie Abbs mabbs@setmms.tusd.k12.az.us Marie Abbs is a full time change agent for the DESERT Project, the LSC initiative in Tucson, AZ. She has been a model teacher in ur district for the past ten years, Her experience with inquiry has been in implementing an inquiry based literacy program in her classroom, the FOSS program and as a science site facilitator. Marie's responsibility is working for the next five years with schools is Tucson Unified School District improving science education. At K-5 sites, Marie is collaborating with teachers in implementing FOSS, the districts CORE program. She will be model teaching, sharing ways to move from teacher-led inquiry into student-directed inquiries and assist the schools with study groups and planning family science nights. At the district level she will be teaching basic FOSS workshops and 15-hour extension workshops that will include and inquiry component. Marie works closely with the rest of the team in designing and implementing the D.E.S.E.R.T. Project's goals.

Javier Gutierrez jgutierr@instmail.tusd.k12.az.us I am a collaborative teacher. I provide professional development to elementary teachers by assisting them in their implementation of the F.O.S.S. Kits. Also I provide insight (enrichment) workshops related to these kits. Some of my responsibilities include teaching and modeling lessons, providing D.E.S.E.R.T. project overviews at sites, surveying sites, and suggesting resources.

Megan Schragg-Toso mschrag@instmail.tusd.k12.az.us I left nineteen years in the classrooms scanning locations from Eugene, Oregon to Quito, Ecuador in South America to accept, last summer, a position of Collaborative Teacher with the D.E.S.E.R.T. Project of the Science Resource Center in Tucson Unified School District. Working with the D.E.S.E.R.T. project has been less like a job and more like a journey. For the most part it has been a journey through a lush and exotic land, filled with rich and stimulating adventures, yet never knowing exactly what is around the corner! I love a steep learning curve. And with this position, steep is almost an understatement! It has been an incredible opportunity for personal immersion both in improving ones abilities and skills in effective professional development, as well as deepening and reinforcing the understanding of science content. As I have attempted to learn and integrate these skills personally, I simultaneously am involved in sharing and supporting a similar process with the teachers. My experience with teachers has taken various forms. I have modeled lessons in classrooms, co-taught lessons with teachers, arranged for the observations of teachers and their students by colleagues in the classrooms, facilitated collaborative conversations with small groups of teachers, met with teachers before and after school, trained groups of teachers in the basic use of the FOSS kits at their grade level, and taught enrichment classes supporting the concepts in the FOSS kits through Professional Development. Because this is a teacher support grant, and in my heart I so deeply support teachers, it is a wonderful opportunity for me. I look forward to and embrace whatever new insights and understandings I will be exposed to at the Exploratorium and can take back and share with the teachers in our district.

Front Avenue Station (St. Paul)

Celeste Carty celeste.carty@spps.org Saint Paul Public Schools system recognized the need for a dramatic reform in the area of science instruction in the wake of new national science standards, business and industry demands for more and better educated high school graduates, and the implementation of the Minnesota Profile of Learning with high level competencies across all subjects and disciplines. The District has set a thoughtful plan of action in motion. Grounded in long-range strategies, teacher-centered collaboration and a comprehensive Urban Learner Framework, teachers, administrators and staff development specialists have met to set a shared vision. The second phase is to develop a model elementary school site that incorporates inquiry-based instruction into the core of its curriculum and instructional practices. My role is that of the building principal of this site, Front Avenue School. As the building principal I am responsible for coordination of the: Curriculum and instruction Hiring of staff Staff development Purchasing of materials, furniture, and equipment Evaluation of the project. In addition, I will work with a district team to develop a plan for dissemination of the information we have learned and replication of the project at other sites within the district.

Bill Lindquist lindquis@stolaf.edu Currently under construction, Front Avenue School seeks to create a model elementary school site within the St. Paul Public School system that incorporates inquiry-based instruction into the core of its curriculum and instructional practices. A Science Inquiry Zone anchors the center of the school. As Science Curriculum Coordinator at the new Front Avenue School, I will be responsible for: Coordinating the placement of state and national standards in the curriculum Creating a curriculum framework incorporating inquiry-based instruction Assisting teachers to create and deliver effective learning environments in which students might best achieve the standards Coordinate use of the science inquiry lab Working with the building principal to evaluate and disseminate the outcomes of the schools efforts.

Lee Schmitt schmitt@smm.org As Manager of Teacher Programs (soon to be Director of Teacher Education) at the Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, my responsibilities are to develop, coordinate, and present grant-funded and fee-based professional development programs for educators. This includes conferences, workshops, institutes, field trips, previews, and extended staff development projects. I have worked extensively with the St. Paul School District towards the infusion of inquiry methods in science curriculum and practice, including such programs as Vision Fission, Life Through the Ages, and Physical Science Inquiry (PSI). I will be providing key professional development for the new Front Avenue school in St. Paul which will use inquiry as its central pedagogy.

Jackson Public School District

Phyllis G. Barranco phyllis_barranco@yahoo.com I am a kindergarten teacher. I have 29 years of experience and have taught K-6. I am a Teacher Leader in the Jackson Public Schools and lead teacher for the kindergarten classes at my school. I provide support for teacher workshops on the science modules provided by CUSER.

Portia Powell peepow@bellsouth.net Science Education Facilitator at P.W. Peeples Middle School, grades 6, 7, and 8. Responsibilities include empowering students in their quest for knowledge. A member of the teacher leader team sponsored by "Project Seed," a Jackson Public Schools education reform incentive. As a team member I am responsible for the planning and facilitation of professional development sponsored by Project Seed.

Tenette Smith tsmith@jackson.k12.ms.us My current job title is Elementary Staff Developer. As the Elementary Staff Developer for science I assist in the implementation and training associated with the inquiry-based science program in the elementary grades. I work along with the science specialist to develop and conduct training programs for Project SEED teachers and Teacher Leaders. I also, manage material distribution, ordering and stocking of refurbishable material associated with the modular science kits. I work with local museums to coordinate and align their offerings with our curriculum.

Keystone Project

Bob Heard [no bio available]

Kathy Lovell klovell@monana.com I am a second grade teacher at the Margaret Leary Elementary School in Butte, Montana. I have taught for 29 years. The last ten years I have been in my present position. During the past five years, I have been a participant in two National Science Grants. The first is entitled S.T.E.P. This stands for Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation. The focus of this grant was to challenge the teacher preparation in the areas of science and mathematics. As a member of this, I have many opportunities to affect change in these areas. I am currently a staff member of a Professional Development School located at the school where I teach. This enables me to be actively involved in educational changes. The second grant is entitled Keystone. The focus of this grant is the inclusion of inquiry and hands-on science in elementary education. As the Keystone Mentor Teacher Leader, I have the responsibility of planning, scheduling and presenting science workshops at my school, for the school district and at the state level. These workshops have included the use of inquiry and kit based instruction in science education. I have also served on the Butte School District #1 Science Curriculum Committee. This committee helped determine the adoption of a Science Textbook presently in use by all of the elementary schools. It is both a privilege and a pleasure for me to be attending the Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry.

Lois A. Sharp loiss@bps.k12kmt.us I am a second grade elementary teacher and have been teaching for sixteen years at the Vina Chattin Elementary School of School District #9 in Browning, Montana. Our school district is located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation land 99 percent of the students are Blackfeet Indians. This is my fourth year representing my school as a mentor for the Keystone Science Project. A five year grant for a rural regional staff development program that provides support to the teacher in the reform efforts for excellence in science and technology. The Keystone Project is centralized in Bozeman, Montana. In my first year, our staff identified these four staff development needs. Training in technology and computers. Thematic integration &endash; integrating science, math and technology into the curriculum. Science assessment. Training in grant writing. We developed these needs into a strategic plan with goals to achieve and almost all of them were achieved except the grant writing. Some of the goals are on going such as the training in technology. Later we added a couple more goals which were more parent involvement in math and science, and building more support from the administration and school board by making them aware of our strategic plan. We now have Family Math and Science Nights. As a mentor I have tried through collaboration and consistency to achieve some of the following ideas and strategies in my teaching as well in other teachers. Constructivism-hands on science as well as minds on science. Implementing the strategies, inquiry, problem solving, model building, effective questioning, integration, assessment and the design process. More integrated technology education.

Lincoln Public Schools Partnership

 

Kathy French kfrench2@unl.edu I am the Education Facilitator at the University of Nebraska State Museum. My responsibilities include: presenting museum based programs for the Lincoln Public School second and fifth grade students, presenting workshops to teacher's training for inquiry based Wonderwise Kits (classroom based curriculum projects based on women scientists' research) and presenting workshops at the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science (NATS) annual conference.

Marian Langan mlangan1@unl.edu I am the Education Coordinator for the University of Nebraska State Museum. One aspect of my responsibilities is to conduct teacher workshops regarding our resources, which include a kit program, a NASA Resource Center, an extensive program with the Lincoln Public School System, and district-wide trainings for the inquiry-based Wonderwise Project (a science curriculum based on the research of women scientists).

OCM BOCES

Mike Flood mflood@cnyric.org OCM BOCES is an umbrella organization that provides a variety of services for 23+ school districts in Central New York State. The MST Center provides: Science Kits for teachers in grades K-8 (over 50 Titles, 800 teachers in program Training on how to use those kits in the Classroo Portable Planetarium programs for students of any ag Environmental Education classroom specialist on a per diem basis Health Kits and Training for grades K-6 Summer Field Study programs for teenagers Summer math training for teachers In addition, OCM BOCES MST is participating in a NSF Grant "MSTelementoring" wherein teachers attend a week of training on Inquiry Science and Math followed up with a year-long process of weekly on-line contact between mentors and mentees. This project is K-12 and is a research project to investigate the use of the Internet for teacher enhancement and science reform. The training model for the science kit program is one half-day of training for each kit. Teachers typically get four kits per year for a total of two days of training. It is through this training the districts involved in the kit program will institute science reform.

Barbara Nissen bnissen@cnyric.org OCM BOCES MST is coordinating a teacher enhancement grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant focuses on creating a cohesive group of educators who continue to sustain themselves as a learning community during the school year. MSTelementoring is an inquiry based on-line project. The grant provides software that enables teachers to work collaboratively via the Internet to restructure lessons to fit MST standards. Goals of the project include broadening teachers' knowledge of inquiry-based math and science student learning. It also helps teachers recognize and analyze evidence of the qualities of "good student work" in MST and to understand how students learn math and science concepts. Members of the project hope to build collaborative teams of math, science and technology teachers who can use telecommunications applications to develop a sustainable professional development model. The model helps teachers become experts and see themselves as professionals. My involvement with program as coordinator requires me to focus on teacher needs, organize workshops, recruit new teachers, and work with administrators to provide support for participating teachers. Teachers grow from learners of inquiry to teachers of inquiry. Needs change quickly, I am in constant communication with teachers keeping them informed of new developments and adjustments to the program. The project began with 29 teachers and will pyramid over the next two years. At the end of the three year period the project should include 150 &endash; 200 teachers. Teachers enter the project through a summer training institute in July. Two face to face meetings take place during the school year. Teachers need support and encouragement throughout the school year. Administrators provide support for participating teachers in various ways. Support ranges from inservice credit for participation to release time during the school day to devote to the project.

San Luis Obispo Science Project

Maria Dolores Berber-Jimenez lberberj@calpoly.edu Dr. Berber is a Lecturer in Chemistry in the California Polytechnic State University at San Lois Obispo. She also directs the regional Science Project. The San Luis Obispo Science Project is one of 13 sites in the State of California. The California Science Project is a statewide initiative that supports and transforms the reaching and learning of science for increased scientific knowledge in California Schools an Universities. Through ongoing teacher leadership development and support, the California Science Project expands and raised the quality of science education for all California students, with special attention to the needs of an increasingly diverse population and low performing schools. Our reform efforts in science education focuses on the following: provide professional development for elementary through postsecondary teachers of science; provide services to schools and districts seeking to strengthen their science programs consistent with the California Science Standards; provide a statewide network of teacher leaders working toward the common goal of improving science education for all students in California. We are currently working with the teachers in the Guadalupe School District.

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Jeffery Foote jfoote@sbceo.k12.ca.us I taught science for 7 years in jr. high and have a variety of district and interschool science education reform responsibilities: 5 years as a regional team facilitator for NSF/UC Santa Barbara "Science Partnership for School Innovation" (SPSI)- 3 leads as project Technology Mentor. 2 years as resource developer/trainer for SCORE (Schools of California Online Resources for Education)- also on state leadership group for SCORE science-standards based online lessons This year our Cal Poly San Luis Obispo partnership has led to my invitation to the Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry. Great! As an administrative intern and science teacher, I'm excited about meeting new collaborators on science reform, and applications of these ideas andsystems to our whole district program

Schools for Thought in St. Louis 

Jean Corse jcorse@slsc.org Jean Corse is the St. Louis Science Center's ILC* Program Liaison. Her time is fully dedicated to working with teachers and students who are implementing the Schools for Thought curriculum model. Together with teachers, she seeks out and facilitates opportunities for students to interact with people, things and experiences in ways that stimulate questioning and foster probing and analysis of information and concepts. Use of the Science Center's resources is a focus for this process. *The St. Louis Public School District has designated those schools whose focus is Science and Mathematics as Investigative Learning Centers &endash; ILC. Locally, I am a member of our Distance Learning Team with the goal to develop and implement curriculum for teachers to use in our new Distance Learning Lab.

Diane S. Dymond mdymond477@aol.com I am the Instructional Coordinator at Mullanphy Botanical Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri. Mullanphy is a magnet school with Math and Science focus. Of my varied responsibilities, those relating to science education reform would include teacher training, teacher support, and classroom observations with feedback. I also meet wit the educational coordinator of our Botanical Garden and help organize our school's curriculum with their program. Our school district is currently involved in systemic reform for the math and science areas and provides district level training for all of our teachers.

Betty J. Purnell My educational career encompasses classroom teacher, instructional coordinator, assistant principal, and principal for the past nine years. This is my first year as administrator of the Mullanphy Investigative Learning Center in St. Louis, MO. This is a magnet school with math and science as the areas of concentration. These are offered at all grade levels (Preschool &endash; 5th grade). Currently the enrollment is 550 students and composed of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Mullanphy ILC has a formal partnership with the Missouri Botanical garden, which is located near the school. This serves to provide a variety of field and laboratory experiences to provide "hands-on" active involvement of students in the learning process. The extensive use of other community resources such as the St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Zoological Park and the National Expansion Museum significantly expand the ability of students to discover, investigate and learn new ideas. The focus of the school addresses the district's science education reform efforts. We are committed to staying abreast of current trends and strategies in science by providing ongoing professional development activities which are shared with staff. Commitment, encouragement, high expectations and strong leadership are my goals.

Science in the SEAMLESS DAY

Barbara Berg bergbm@aol.com In my capacity as district science coordinator, I am responsible for the science reform effort for 20,000 students in grades K-8. I supervise two staff developers and play a leading role in designing and implementing all professional development workshops. I am the liaison to the New York City Urban Systemic Initiative and a member of the design team for the New Standards Project Performance Standards in Science. Additionally, I am an adjunct lecturer in Science Education at Brooklyn College of the City of New York where I work with undergraduate students. I was the Co-Principal Investigator of the NSF Teacher Enhancement Program entitled Science in the SEAMLESS Day from 1992-1998 and provided opportunities for over 500 elementary school teachers to learn to use hands-on, NSF validated materials in an inquiry based constructivist classroom. The program is now institutionalized throughout the district. During the 1997-1998 school year, I was the Principal Investigator of a NSF parent planning grant called SMART Parents . The purpose of this program is to help parents and caregivers become advocates for science, math and technology education for their children.

Linda Rattiner rattiner3@aol.com As a Science Staff Developer for District 18, it is my responsibility to foster science education reform in our elementary schools. I am presently responsible for planning and implementing staff development workshops for our district's elementary school teaching staff. I provide on-site support to the teachers, utilizing a co-teaching model. I also provide technical support in terms of distribution of materials from a centralized replenishment center. I have helped to organize a leadership cadre, which meets each month. There are two representatives from each of the twelve elementary schools in the district. The leadership cadre in each school works further with their teachers, also assisting in the implementation and support of the Science in the SEAMLESS DAY program.

Lisa Solitario lisas63@aol.com As a Science Staff Developer in Community School District 18 my major responsibilities include: Developing and implementing professional development workshops in science for all teachers in District 18 (Pre K &endash; 8); Providing technical assistance to teaching personnel; Co-teaching with classroom teachers; and Working with leadership teams in each elementary school who provide professional development on-site for additional teachers.

University of Central Florida

Renee Akbar rakbar@serve.org Currently I am the Senior Program Specialist for the Eisenhower Consortium @ SERVE. My primary responsibilities are administrative, but also include staff development work with teachers, administrators and district coordinators/supervisors. When involved with staff development work, I help to develop and design workshops that address the issue of standards-based curriculum and classroom instruction. Because I am a former elementary teacher and administrator, I offer the elementary perspective when planning professional development activities. Since joining the Consortium, I have brokered resources and materials to teachers and administrators, the science standards and other related information pertinent to meaningful science education for all students.

Betty Hoyer hoyer@osc.org Betty Hoyer is a certified teacher with 12 years of museum education experience and eight years in Elementary and Early Childhood education, four as director of preschool programs. In the past she has taught elementary school, started and directed and Early Childhood center, and taught science workshops at the Orlando Science Center (OSC). As Director of Education Programs for OSC she is directly responsible for the development and implementation of all education programs for teachers, students, and general public. Ms. Hoyer serves as chair of the evaluation committee for the OSC/UCF Holmes Partnership. This committee is responsible for ongoing reflection and analysis of practice, evaluation, research, assessment, documentation and contributions to the professional knowledge base relating to teacher professional development. The Orlando Science Center's Teacher Leadership Center (TLC) provides prospective and practicing teachers with the tools, experience, methodologies, research, and expertise to become strong leaders. Working collaboratively with local school systems, institutions of higher learning, and business partners, the Teacher Leadership Center at OSC addresses the science education reform efforts of our district on several levels. First, working with the University of Central Florida in Holmes Partnership, the TLC provides internship opportunities for pre-service teachers in math and science. Secondly, development opportunities to increase the science/math expertise of practicing teachers. In addition, OSC models best practices for teachers in Discovery Labs offered at the science center for students on a school visit to OSC.

Cheryl Wood cwood@osc.org Currently I am an Orange County Public School Teacher-In-Residence at the Orlando Science Center. My responsibilities related to my school district's science education reform focus on four main areas. The formalized partnership agreement between University of Central Florida and the Orlando Science Center (the UCF/OSC Holmes Partnership), provide for preservice middle /high school science and mathematics teachers to complete half of their junior internship requirement in the informal learning environment. As part of the design team for this unique program, we developed a pedagogically sound program that links informal to formal education through a variety of experiences. Another area of focus as a Teacher-In-Residence, is the development of professional workshops. These opportunities are designed in alignment with local, state, and national science education reform. In addition to offering educator workshops, I am also responsible for designing and implementing secondary student Discovery Lab programs that engage the students through the use of the constructivist model. In addition to Discovery Labs, activity-based materials are designed to complement and enhance a school group visit while visiting the Orlando Science Center.

Diana Yoder dyoder@osc.com Currently I am an Orange County Public School Teacher-In-Residence at the Orlando Science Center. My responsibilities related to my school district's science education reform focus on four main areas. The formalized partnership agreement between University of Central Florida and the Orlando Science Center (the UCF/OSC Holmes Partnership), provide for preservice middle /high school science and mathematics teachers to complete half of their junior internship requirement in the informal learning environment. As part of the design team for this unique program, we developed a pedagogically sound program that links informal to formal education through a variety of experiences. Another area of focus as a Teacher-In-Residence, is the development of professional workshops. These opportunities are designed in alignment with local, state, and national science education reform. In addition to offering educator workshops, I am also responsible for designing and implementing secondary student Discovery Lab programs that engage the students through the use of the constructivist model. In addition to Discovery Labs, activity-based materials are designed to complement and enhance a school group visit while visiting the Orlando Science Center.

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