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Left, ninth-grade teachers Marsha Tyson, Amy Campbell and
Steve McMullin conduct an experiment during MU's Physics
First summer academy. Teachers in this photo came from Missouri
school districts in Salisbury, Poplar Bluff, Mehlville,
Hazelwood and Columbia. Photo courtesy of Physics Department
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‘Physics
First’ Summer Program Puts Teachers in the Classroom
By Jennifer Faddis
Teachers across Missouri gathered on the University
of Missouri-Columbia campus to learn all they could about force,
motion and energy. It was a summer academy for teachers taking
part in Physics First. The new program, funded by a $3 million
grant, equipped teachers with the tools they need to give 9th
graders a head start in science.
“The project's long-term goals are to
increase the proficiency of students in science as evidenced by
MAP scores, increase the number of highly qualified physics and
physical science teachers, and to increase students' interest
and success in science and engineering degrees,” said Meera
Chandrasekhar, MU professor of physics.
The summer academy lasted three weeks and
will be held again in 2007 and 2008 on different physics-related
topics. Academy participants will be supported during the school
year with four Saturday follow-up sessions, monthly site visits
from coach-mentors and meetings of professional learning teams.
MU hosted 60 science teachers, 15 math teachers
and 15 administrators from 20 school districts across Missouri.
The teachers were busy from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with hands-on projects
in the physics labs. They also participated in professional learning
teams, which will provide support during the school year. In addition,
teachers received graduate credit and kits of materials for use
in the classroom.
Pam Didur from Columbia
School District and Eric Paulsen from Hazelwood School District
participated in the program to enable them to teach a yearlong
ninth-grade course in physics. Photo courtesy of Physics
Department
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“The goal of the academy is to provide
professional development for science and math teachers so they
can teach a full-year course in physics for ninth-graders called
Physics First,” Chandrasekhar said.
Physics First is funded by the Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education through a
math-science partnership grant. The program is led by the University
of Missouri-Columbia and Columbia Public Schools. Sara Torres
is the principal investigator from the Columbia Public Schools.
Faculty involved in the program include Chandrasekhar, lead investigator
from MU; Dorina Kosztin, assistant professor of physics; Mark
Volkmann, associate professor of science
education; James Tarr, assistant professor in math
education; and Kandiah Manivannan, associate professor of
physics, Missouri State University.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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