Local Science Alliances Project

Step 1: How to Start a local Science Alliance for teachers of VSD

Step 2: Are you interested in meeting on a regular basis?

Step 3: Do you know another teacher? Discuss how to expand and lay groundwork.

Step 4: Do you have a list of teachers in your area? Do you have sufficient material for an attractive agenda and are you aware of what similar alliance group meetings are like?

Step 5: Do you have access to an appropriate meeting location, duplication facilities and mailing costs?

What Is A Science Alliance?

An alliance is a group of elementary and secondary instructors who meet every month or two to share their science knowledge and the challenges of teaching science. Together we decide the agenda and then seek the science knowledge, program development, public support needed to accomplish our goals. A local science alliance keeps together teachers current with science and with research, methodology, pedagogy and educational technology, so their students are better prepared for work and further study. By sharing our goals we are able to work together to gain greater understanding and community support for high quality science education.

 

Teacher - School Science Collaboration

PlanningProgram

Alliance Steps 1-5Teacher Institutes or classes

Workshop Development

In-Service Training

Enrichment Activities

Local Interactions

 

What Happens At Meetings?

 

At each meeting, the alliance can help build a community of those who teach the discipline. Here are some ideas:

1. Journal Review: colleagues helping each other keep up-to-date in their discipline by discussion of current literature in the field.

2. Panel Discussions: a selection of one or two areas of major concern to those in the field as a focus for the following meetings. Each meeting can include one special topic on one of those concerns.

3. Demonstration Classes and Curriculum Exchanges: in these meetings colleagues can help each other improve their teaching discipline, improve articulation, share teaching resource materials, upgrade curriculum, equipment concerns and sharing, increase student interest in the subject area.

 

Benefits To Participating Teachers, Institutions And Schools

 

The elementary, secondary and community institutions represented can benefit From:

1. The cost effective staff development offered by the collaborative professional group

2. The shared financial and curriculum resources

3. The professional contact and cooperation of faculty from all academic levels

4. Better articulation of curricula among the various academic levels

5. Designation as a center for ongoing professional development with colleagues

6. Opportunities to recruit and retain students in science at all levels

7. Opportunities for community outreach programs resulting from the group's activities

 

Mutually Shared Agenda

Observations:

Initiator

People Ready To Act

80 - 20 Rule: 80% work in 20% of time