Big Bend teachers to get latest technology, training to help them meet Florida's new science standards

Science teachers at a number of schools in Florida’s Big Bend region will receive iPads, SMART Boards and other technology to help them meet the state’s new educational standards for science — and The Florida State University will play a key role in training those teachers in methods for developing students’ critical thinking skills.

“SySTEMic Change to Implement 21st Century Instructional Design and Delivery” (STEM21id2) is the name of a $750,000 Enhancing Education Through Technology grant awarded to Florida State University Schools and the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium by the Florida Department of Education. The grant will provide technological resources such as SMART Boards, projectors, probeware, iPads, iPods and computers, as well as ongoing professional development, for high-school science teachers in high-need rural areas of the Big Bend.

Access to the latest technology is considered critical in helping Florida’s teachers navigate science standards established by the State Board of Education in its Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. However, for many high-need schools in Florida, access to these tools is scarce. And, according to one Florida State professor, even when new equipment is available, teachers are not always trained to use the technology effectively in the classroom.

“Having the latest piece of technology doesn’t do any good if you don’t know how to use it to promote and support student learning,” said Victor Sampson, an assistant professor in Florida State’s College of Education and a collaborator on the new project, which seeks to fill this void.

“It’s not your grandparents’ science classroom anymore, and that’s a good thing for Florida’s future,” said Anthony Cooley, project manager with the Panhandle Area Educational Consortium. According to Cooley, by enhancing the integration of technology into curricula, STEM21id2 will promote more authentic, relevant and student-centered learning that will improve students’ college and career readiness.

Teacher training will occur in two phases: 1) a two-week summer institute held at Florida State University Schools in Tallahassee, where teachers will learn to use the new equipment and develop lesson plans that they can take back to the classroom; and 2) 120 hours of continued training and collaboration throughout the school year in which they can share lesson plans with other teachers involved in the project, evaluate their effectiveness, and modify them to fit the needs of their classrooms.

The summer institute, which began Aug. 2 and runs through Aug. 12, will emphasize a new educational model known as argument-driven inquiry (ADI). The model is in sync with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards’ emphasis on developing critical thinking skills and training students in scientific inquiry.

“The ADI model encourages students to ask, ‘How do you know?’ and then come up with their own answer through gathering data, crafting an argument and presenting their finding to peers for evaluation,” said Sampson, who helped to develop the model and is running the summer institute.

Sampson added that during the institute, teachers will develop ADI-centered lessons that incorporate the new technology provided by the grant.

“The exciting thing,” said Sampson, “is that these teacher-developed lessons will be uploaded to Florida’s Curriculum Planning and Learning Management System (CPALMS) so that other teachers in the state can use them to help their students reach the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in the area of science.”

During the second phase of training, teachers — divided into teams consisting of colleagues from their districts and Florida State University Schools instructors who are experienced with ADI — will offer each other support and collaboration through the sharing, implementation and evaluation of the lessons developed during the summer institute.

“Our teachers at Florida High have had great success incorporating these new resources into their classrooms,” said Lynn Wicker, director of Florida State University Schools. “We are honored to take part in this project and look forward to establishing mutually beneficial relationships with our fellow teachers across the Big Bend.”