ALGEBRA
Dr. Long Le, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Dr. James Fetterly, Assistant Professor of Mathematics who specializes in education, conducted professional development workshops for twenty middle and secondary school teachers in central Arkansas between July 11-15, and July 25 – 29, 2016. The workshops were primarily focused on concept and skill development lessons for several topics within Algebra. Among the topics covered were proportionality, quadratic and exponential expressions. In particular, by developing a thorough understanding of the scaffolding involved in each topic, teachers will be able to recognize and assess student’s current level of understanding and provide remediation skills, when necessary. The workshops were part of a $60,699 No Child Left Behind Grant grant project Algebra- Connecting Concepts funded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
Dr. Umadevi Garimella, Director of the UCA STEM Institute is the PI and Dr. Ramesh Garimella, Chair of Math Department, is the co-PI. The main objective of the project is to provide long-term, sustained, and high-quality professional learning opportunities to strengthen teacher content knowledge in algebra.
ESSENTIALS OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
The UCA STEM Institute in cooperation with the Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science offered professional development workshops titled Essentials of Computer Programming: Teacher Training and Support this summer. Attending were six middle and high school teachers planning to teach essential of computer science this upcoming academic year. The workshops were conducted by Dr. R.B. Lenin, Associate Professor of Mathematics, and supported by Mrs. Karen Thessing, Lecturer in Computer Science. This year-long PD is designed to provide teacher training to meet the requirements of Act 187. Training included a week long workshop from July 25 -29, 2016 held in the UCA Department of Mathematics the Computer Lab and ongoing teacher & classroom support via Google Classroom and Google Hangout/Skype. The workshops were focused on Java using Eclipse with an option to continue training during the upcoming academic year in advanced Java concepts. Dr. Uma Garimella, Director of the UCA STEM Institute, organized the event.
CONNECTING CORE INSTRUCTIONS
Dr. Nesrin Sahin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, conducted Connecting Core Instructions (CCI) PD workshops for 25 elementary and middle school teachers in Arkansas on the UCA campus May 14, June 20-22 & July 19-21, 2016. The mathematics part of the PD lasted two hour each day. The topics covered were – understanding and interpreting graphs (qualitative and quantitative interpretation of graphs), types of graphs, linear and exponential growth, linear regression, dependent and independent variables, and probability. Teachers explored these concepts through hands-on activities, and group discussions. This was part of a $146,866 grant titled Connecting Core Instructions for Mathematicians and Scientists, funded by the U.S. Department of Education thorough the state MSP Program. Dr. Umadevi Garimella, Director of the UCA STEM Institute is the PI for the project.
EXCELLENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE
Dr. James Fetterly, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, conducted PD workshops on June 20-23 and July 21, 2016 for 20 elementary teachers in Arkansas to enhance their content knowledge and teaching skills through development of a vertical team to integrate science, mathematics, literacy, technology, and embrace project-based learning. The workshops were part of a $146,866 grant titled, Excellence in Elementary School Science (ESSS), funded by the U.S. Department of Education thorough Arkansas State MSP Program. Dr. Umadevi Garimella, Director of the UCA STEM Institute is the PI and and Dr. Haihong Hu, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies is the co-PI for the project. The EESS project ‘s goal is to provide long-term sustained high quality professional development, which includes four one-day sessions during the 2015-2016 academic year, two one-week summer institutes, and two classroom visits to observe and/or mentor teachers for a minimum of 100 contact hours. Teachers will develop lesson plans and share via Google Drive.