October 2011 Newsletter
Welcome!
Welcome to the first FCR-STEM newsletter. We are excited to share with you information about projects and resources related to STEM education that have the potential to benefit all educators and students in Florida. You are probably receiving this newsletter because you were involved with an FCR-STEM project. If you don’t wish to receive future newsletters, you may unsubscribe. If you’d like to share FCR-STEM news with a friend or colleague, please invite them to subscribe to the newsletter. I hope you find this information useful in your work and beneficial for your professional growth. – Robert Schoen, Associate Director, FCR-STEM
What’s Happening: NSF grant funds electronic performance support system for educators
With a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, FCR-STEM is building an electronic performance support system that will save teachers considerable time, money and duplication of effort. Dubbed iCPALMS, it will feature a powerful portal linking teachers across the nation to online tools for planning and implementing instruction. These tools will connect educators with thousands of free, high-quality resources (including lesson ideas, services, professional development and research) for teaching math and science, all aligned with current state curriculum standards and Common Core State Standards. Florida educators are playing in important role in developing and testing this new national STEM digital library. Read more.
Educator Resource: Mathematics Formative Assessment System now online
Florida K-3 teachers now have access to a powerful new resource for assessing their students’ math abilities and adapting instruction to their learning needs. Earlier this year, the Florida Department of Education launched the Mathematics Formative Assessment System (MFAS), a collection of tools, resources and professional development for teachers of kindergarten through third grade. FCR-STEM designed, built and tested the system with help from elementary teachers, Florida State University experts, and a $1 million grant from the Florida Department of Education. At the core of the system are 229 sets of math tasks carefully designed to elicit student thinking during instruction in the classroom. Based on student responses, teachers can determine students’ levels of understanding and differentiate instruction by grouping students based on specific misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge and skills. To support teacher and principal knowledge and skill in using the formative assessment tasks, the system includes professional development modules available online, free of charge, 24 hours a day. Read more about the MFAS resources, read about the latest phase of the project, or go directly to www.floridastandards.org to begin exploring this valuable resource.
Getting Involved: Register for December FCR-STEM Conference
The FCR-STEM Conference, specially designed for Florida K-12 educators, will take place Dec. 2-4, 2011, in Destin, Florida. The focus is professional development for K-12 educators who teach STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The conference will feature dozens of speakers, including higher education faculty and researchers, practicing educators, working scientists and lesson study experts. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Joseph Travis of Florida State University’s Department of Biological Science; Dr. Stephen Petrill of the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University; and Dr. Margaret Heritage from the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to these keynote sessions, conference participants will choose from more than 75 workshop sessions focusing on STEM content and lesson study. Register early (by Nov. 15) and save $100 off the $450 registration fee. Read more.
Thanks for reading our newsletter!
FCR-STEM, or The Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is a multidisciplinary research center created by the Florida Legislature in 2007. Our mission is to help the State of Florida improve teaching and learning in K-12 science, technology, engineering and math and prepare students for higher education and STEM careers in the 21st century. Located at The Florida State University, FCR-STEM is jointly administered by the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Education and the Learning Systems Institute.