| The Seminars and Curriculum Units |
From its inception, a tenet of the Institute's approach has been to determine its offerings annually in response to the needs for further preparation and curriculum development that the teachers themselves identify. In 2006 this process, as described later in the report, resulted in the presentation of six seminars, three in the humanities and three in the sciences and mathematics. Teachers' participation in these seminars was greatly assisted by the annual contribution from the New Haven Public Schools.
With support from endowment income the Institute offered three seminars in the humanities:
"Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970,"
led by Alexander Nemerov, Professor of the History of Art and of American Studies
"Latino Cultures and Communities,"
led by Stephen J. Pitti, Professor of History and of American Studies
"Postwar America, 1945-1960,"
led by Cynthia E. Russett, Larned Professor of History
With support from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation and from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant to Yale, the Institute offered three seminars in the sciences and mathematics:
"Math in the Beauty and Realization of Architecture,"
led by Martin D. Gehner, Professor Emeritus of Architectural Engineering
"Engineering in Modern Medicine,"
led by W. Mark Saltzman, Goizueta Foundation Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
"Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand,"
led by William B. Stewart, Associate Professor of Anatomy (Surgery)
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A tenet of the
Institute's approach has been to determine its offerings annually in response to the needs teachers themselves identify.
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| The following overview of the work in the seminars is based on the descriptions circulated in advance by the seminar leaders, the introductions they wrote to the volume of curriculum units produced in their seminar, and the curriculum units themselves. | |
| Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970 |
| This seminar focused on how to use photographs actively in the classroom. The participants sought to go beyond using photographs as simple illustrations, and instead analyze the meaning and interpretation of photographs. The seminar looked at individual photographs, studying them for prolonged periods, having conversations about them, trying to determine how and why the photographer chose this particular subject; how the photographer "designs" that subject, through cropping, tonality, point of view, orchestrated luck, type of camera, and many other aspects of photography as a truly creative practice. Participants aimed to understand how photography does not so much copy the world but invents it, through the imagination and situation of the photographer. | |
| Discussions sought to open up photography as a powerful medium for classroom instruction. Fellows agreed on ways to use it to teach the specifics of American history, political and cultural. Beyond that, they explored ways to use it to teach students, and themselves, how to speak and write about the world -- how to summon the right language, how to become engaged thoughtfully with what they see. | |
| The curriculum units embrace the teaching of reading, writing, history, and critical thinking. James Brochin, a high school teacher of history, focuses on war photography; his goal is to transform students' viewing of photographs, and perhaps even their viewing of the world, from observers to engaged witnesses. Stephen Broker, who teaches high school biology and Advanced Placement environmental science, wrote a unit relying on close analysis of nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs to examine America's changing perspectives on our natural heritage and how we choose to use natural resources. Jennifer Flood, a kindergarten teacher, addresses New Haven history through photographs. An English teacher of high school students who are at particular risk of dropping out, Sandra Friday invokes Gordon Parks' photography to sharpen students' visual skills, understanding, and communication skills as they interact with images from World War II through the Civil Rights Movement. Deborah Hare, who teaches high school English and journalism, also uses the work of Gordon Parks -- along with that of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Margaret Bourke-White -- to teach "photojournalism for social change." | |
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The seminar on "Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970." (Left to right: Fellows Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton, Malini Prabakar, and Sandra K. Friday.)
The curriculum units embrace the teaching of reading, writing, history, and critical thinking. James Brochin, a high school teacher of history, focuses on war photography; his goal is to transform students' viewing of photographs, and perhaps even their viewing of the world, from observers to engaged witnesses. Stephen Broker, who teaches high school biology and Advanced Placement environmental science, wrote a unit relying on close analysis of nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs to examine America's changing perspectives on our natural heritage and how we choose to use natural resources. Jennifer Flood, a kindergarten teacher, addresses New Haven history through photographs. An English teacher of high school students who are at particular risk of dropping out, Sandra Friday invokes Gordon Parks' photography to sharpen students' visual skills, understanding, and communication skills as they interact with images from World War II through the Civil Rights Movement. Deborah Hare, who teaches high school English and journalism, also uses the work of Gordon Parks -- along with that of Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, and Margaret Bourke-White -- to teach "photojournalism for social change." |
Discussions sought to open up photography as a powerful medium for classroom instruction.
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| A teacher of third grade, Roberta Mazzucco aims to further writing instruction; her unit assumes that examining photos is one way to increase students' awareness of details and how point of view, whether of the writer or photographer, influences what an audience sees and feels. Michele Murzak's unit uses photographs of September 11, 2001 to teach fourth-grade students social studies as well as reading and writing. Working with middle-school students in special education, Jacqueline Porter-Clinton uses photographs to teach African American history. Writing instruction is the focus of Malini Prabakar, a sixth-grade teacher; her students will analyze various photographs and interpret them from different points of view, then communicate their thoughts and feelings in writing. Finally Kathleen Rende, who teaches a second-grade class of English language learners, will use photographs from the nineteenth century to the modern era to help her students develop critical thinking and evaluation skills as well as their social studies knowledge.
The seminar leader concluded that Fellows "explored the special power of talking about photographs (instead of merely showing them) to make the past come alive."
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Fellows "explored the special power of talking about photographs (instead of merely showing them) to make the past come alive."
-- Seminar Leader
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| Latino Cultures and Communities |
| This seminar examined the history and culture of Latinos in the United States since the mid-nineteenth century. Readings and discussions explored patterns of conquest, immigration, settlement, and political activism, as well as the rapid "Latinization" of the United States over the last thirty years. Much of the material addressed the cultural expressions of ethnic Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans, although participants also explored other groups of Latinos and examined the ways that their histories have intersected with broader cultural and political currents in the hemisphere. Topics included the place of Latinos in U.S. schools and in Connecticut specifically, the relationships between Latinos and U.S.-Latin American relations, and changing representations of Latinos in U.S. literature, film, music, education, and social movements. | |
| Fellows' curriculum units emerged in a time of national and international debate about Latinos, undocumented immigration, and the enforcement of national borders, as the spring 2006 seminar coincided both with Congressional efforts to reform immigration and with political demonstrations throughout the U.S. about immigrant rights. In this context, the Fellows worked to understand Latino history over the past century, they debated contemporary topics such as bilingual education and labor unionism, and they read the work of influential scholars, poets, and fiction writers who have attempted to represent Latino experiences. Participants grappled with the changes underway in the present day as well as the longstanding presence of Latinos in the United States. By crafting a diverse set of units related to U.S. communities of Latin American origin, and by taking on subjects ranging from music to food, muralism to civil rights, Fellows authored a collective response to conditions in the urban Northeast. |
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The seminar on "Latino Cultures and Communities." (Left to right: Fellows Janet Priestley, John J. Donahue, Rosemary Little, Diane M. Huot, and María Cardalliguet Gómez-Málaga; seminar leader Stephen J. Pitti; and Fellows Tina Pedrolini Caplan, Shannon E. Oneto, and Cortney R. Costa.)
María Cardalliaguet Gómez-Málaga, a high-school teacher of Spanish, uses the Mexican and Chicano mural movements to foster students' language study as well as their knowledge of history and culture. A high-school teacher of English and literature, John Donahue probes Latino and American identity through fiction. Tina Pedrolini Caplan, who teaches middle-school social studies, employs oral history to teach students about immigration patterns in her school's neighborhood. Judith Goodrich, a middle-school teacher of history, focuses on civil rights struggles in the Latino community. A middle-school Spanish teacher, Diane Nichols uses cuisine as an angle for study of culture and language. Another teacher of middle-school Spanish, Alexandra Reyes applies music in a similar fashion. Diane Huot, teaching third grade, uses Latino literature as a "cultural springboard" for reading instruction. Waltrina Kirkland-Mullins, teaching language arts and social studies to second and third graders, provides students with a look at the intersections of West African, Puerto Rican, and Cuban cultures by way of the rhythm of the drum. Shannon Oneto, a first-grade teacher, uses holidays as a vehicle for language arts and culture instruction. And Cortney Costa, who likewise works in a dual-language setting, applies a particular work of Latino fiction to teach fourth-grade students literature, reading, and writing.
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Readings and discussions explored patterns of conquest, immigration, settlement, and political activism, as well as the rapid
-- "Latinization" of the United States.
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| Noting Fellows' "engagement with important issues," the seminar leader said, "if their work suggests only a fraction of the countless topics that might have developed under the rubric of 'Latino cultures and communities' . . . theirs is an impressive fraction, an exciting set of units which respond to the growing number of Latino students in local classrooms." He concluded of the units, "Each offers a stimulating guide for thinking about the place of Latin Americans in this country, and each in its own way represents a response to the changing nature of twenty-first century Connecticut." |
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| Postwar America, 1945-1960 |
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| Historians until recently often overlooked the period in American history just after World War II as they focused on the more obviously tumultuous decade of the 1960s. Yet, as this seminar underscored, in retrospect many of the social developments that peaked in the 1960s actually had their roots in the 1950s. After the war suburbs proliferated, and returning veterans and their wives, with help from the federal government through easy financing, flocked to them to begin their new lives as suburban dwellers. The economy soared, in part through the purchase of consumer durables to fill these new homes. Babies were born in record numbers, a further stimulus to the economy.
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The seminar on "Postwar America: 1945-1960." (Left to right: seminar leader Cynthia E. Russett and Fellows Mary Lou Narowski, David Reynolds, and Kevin Inge.)
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This seminar recognized that beneath the surface harmony and good times were strong social currents.
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| This seminar recognized that beneath the surface harmony and good times were strong social currents. Racial injustice was brought to light in the landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of TopekaBrown v. Board of Education of Topeka. African Americans had by no means been complacent about their place in the social fabric, but now their organized protests and the civil rights movement more fully emerged.
Other groups, too, began to chafe against social constraints. Young people listened to Beat writers like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac and decided that their own lives as the children of the middle class were boring and lackluster. The Beat movement proclaimed that material goods could be set aside in the search for authenticity and what Kerouac referred to as "IT," thus laying the groundwork for the counterculture that emerged to the consternation of parents in the 1960s. And women in their suburban homes began to feel the discontent that Betty Friedan was to document.
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During the 1950s the Cold War's repercussions were felt in a fear of subversion that led to McCarthyism. We now know that Soviet spies were indeed at work in this country, but McCarthy went far beyond any evidence to charge hundreds of people, almost all entirely innocent, with subversion.
Fellows' curriculum units addressed this among many other topics. Joseph Corsetti considers "McCarthy v. Murrow," challenging his high-school history students to think about different political systems and their consequences, and to evaluate, through a mock trial, the evidence McCarthy presented to support his charges. Ascertaining truth also absorbed two other units. David Reynolds, a high-school teacher of English, examines the work of the so-called "New Journalists" of the 1960s. At the middle school level, Crecia Swaim looks at the work of the documentary photographer Dorothea Lange and alternative records of reality. Targeting fourth graders developing literacy skills while studying history, Christine Elmore focuses on three individuals of the period whom she sees as agents of change -- Elvis Presley, Malcolm X, and Rachel Carson.
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| Sean Griffin, recognizing the attraction of fast-paced and active reading to win his students over to poetry, introduces his middle-school English students to some of the protest poetry of the 1950s and 1960s and then asks them to participate in a poetry slam as a final project. A high-school teacher of English, Kristen Grandfield looks to ancient Greek rhetoric for inspiration to coach her students in persuasive writing, using as models famous speeches of the 1950s and 1960s. A teacher of English at the middle-school level, Mary Lou Narowski calls on each of her students to choose one year from the decade of the 1950s and develop for that year a complete newspaper with as many of the features of a regular newspaper as possible.
Fellows in this seminar found their richest source in the civil rights movement. Lucia Rafala, a library media specialist in an elementary school, begins her unit in the time of slavery and moves forward to the 1960s on what she called "The Road to Equality." Teaching English and social studies in the middle grades, Kevin Inge uses the work of Dr. Martin Luther King to emphasize the ways in which his life and work can teach students important lessons in leadership. Joanne Pompano, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired, examines the early beginnings of the disability rights movement, which drew energy from veterans with disabling war wounds from World War II.
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These units bring to life a period in American history still alive in the memories of students' grandparents, but almost completely unknown to today's students.
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| The seminar leader observed, "Taken together, these units bring to life a period in American history still alive in the memories of students' grandparents, but almost completely unknown to today's elementary and high school students." |
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| Math in the Beauty and Realization of Architecture |
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| This seminar focused on architecture to foster the teaching of mathematics. The premise was that architecture is a profession where the arts and sciences fuse to create environments for human habitation. The inclusion of a project to design and construct a model provided each Fellow an opportunity to experience how making things encourages learning. As the seminar leader envisioned the seminar, natural resources form the basis for people to create environments. The processes for designing and constructing objects, buildings, or environments demand applied knowledge, including of mathematics. Beauty rises from the embrace of the visual delight, the perfection of function, and the efficiency of operation for the intended purpose. Architects may experiment with design, with material, and with construction methods to bring beauty to the design process.
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The seminar on "Math in the Beauty and Realization of Architecture." (Left to right: Fellow Pedro Mendia-Landa and seminar leader Martin D. Gehner.)
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This seminar focused on architecture to foster the teaching of mathematics.
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| The seminar explored how the natural environment not only provides the materials for projects, it also provides the sources for variations of structural geometries, light, thermal, olfactory, audio, tactile, air flow, and material durability. Physical and mechanical properties of each material are important. How material pieces are formed, cut, molded and connected provides the designer with critical information. The size, strength, stability, and durability of each architectonic piece depend on the translation of basic data into realistic form and performance requirements. Movement, rhythm, repetition, vibration all emerge from the material, the relationships, and the connectivity of abstract ideas to real objects. Even music, the seminar leader posited, is composed with beauty firmly anchored in human understanding of composition and applied mathematics. Historical precedents exist as illustrations of thoughtful achievements to learn about successes and failures in our built environment. Historical, and cultural, examples inform design processes in the search for new forms, materials and applications. | |
| This seminar's resulting curriculum units addressed such topics as Roman aqueducts, bridges, cultures, music, geometric forms, and housing, each with a wide range of mathematical applications suitable for the kindergartner as well as for the advanced twelfth-grade level. Jennifer Esty, who teaches science in a transitional program to prevent young pregnant women from dropping out, will have students combine math, technology and art in the creation of gingerbread houses. Sunny Jonas aims to teach her kindergarten students to engage their senses to promote writing, reading, mathematics, composition, and conversation. An instructional coach who has taught in the elementary grades in a bilingual setting, Pedro Mendia-Landa seeks to integrate architectural mathematical concepts into daily life by helping students observe the environment around them by paying attention to details that can then be quantified, tabulated, measured, graphed, and analyzed, and by allowing students to see the relationships between design and application of measurement, arithmetic, and geometry in the completion of a structure. Ralph Russo, teaching world history at the high-school level, seeks to raise awareness of basic, yet historic, principles of architecture as they apply to the provision of water to an urban center; the architecture of a Roman aqueduct is the focus of his study, which encourages proficiency in quantitative skills, language arts, and organizational skills. Kenneth Spinka connects math to geodesic domes; he and his high school students will design and construct a dome. Donna Wade employs bridges as a vehicle for math instruction in her high-school classroom. |
This seminar's resulting curriculum units addressed a wide range of mathematical applications suitable for the kindergartner as well as for the advanced twelfth-grade level.
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According to the seminar leader,
With opportunities for students to observe, analyze, design and construct projects the inclusive activities for these units offer learning opportunities beyond the classroom. The curriculum units created for this seminar recognize the importance of the talents and interests of individual students as they learn about principles of life through the focus on applied mathematics in architecture.
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Engineering in Modern Medicine |
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| This seminar emphasized how dramatically the practice of medicine has changed in recent decades. For example, couples can test for pregnancy in their homes, a new vaccine is available for chicken pox, ultrasound imaging is available to follow the progress of pregnancy, and small reliable pumps can administer insulin continuously for diabetics. Over a century, the progress has been profound. Life expectancy increased from 50 in 1900 to almost 80 by 2000. People are living longer because they are not dying in situations that were previously fatal, such as childbirth and bacterial infections. The growth of biomedical engineering is a major factor in this extension of life and improvement of health. Biomedical engineers have contributed to every field of medicine -- from radiology to obstetrics to cancer treatment to emergency medicine. | |
| The seminar investigated some of the biomedical engineering innovations that have improved patient care. Participants looked at the science underlying these innovations, the design of medical devices, and (in some cases) the mathematics that governs the principles of their operations. The first part of the seminar focused on technologies that have enabled biomedical engineering to enter the modern era: recombinant DNA technology, cell culture technology, and antibody technology. These topics led to a discussion on vaccine development. The group devoted two weeks to drug delivery systems, starting with the conventional forms of drug delivery, such as injections and pills, before expanding to consider new systems, such as stents and transdermal patches. With this information on drug delivery as background, participants discussed the role of engineering in cancer treatment including imaging, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The final weeks of the seminar covered dialysis and other blood treatments, artificial organs, and biomedical imaging. The discussions were supplemented with drafts of chapters from a book in progress, Biomedical Engineering: Bridging Medicine and Technology, by the seminar leader and Veronique Tran. (The textbook is scheduled for publication in 2007.)
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The seminar on "Engineering in Modern Medicine." (Clockwise from left: Fellows Matthew D. Cacopardo and Raymond W. Brooks; seminar leader W. Mark Saltzman; and Fellows Chrissy A. Bieler, Karen A. Beitler, Judith D. Dixon, Carolyn N. Kinder, Chris J. Willems, and Hermine E. Smikle.)
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The seminar investigated the biomedical engineering innovations that have improved patient care, the science underlying these innovations, and the mathematics that governs their operations.
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| Fellows prepared curriculum units that covered the breadth of biomedical engineering, although the collection focused primarily on the chemical and medicinal aspects of biomedical engineering. Karen Beitler prepared a unit on "Launch Biotechnology in Your Classroom" for high-school science students, focusing primarily on diffusion and its consequences in drug delivery. Chrissy Bieler's unit is on "Dietary Supplements and the Chemistry of Life" for high-school chemistry students; she provides background information on the major components of the human diet and an introduction to metabolism. Targeting students in grades six through eight interested in science-fair projects, Raymond Brooks addresses quality-of-life improvements and offers ways for students to test their own hypotheses about the role of technology on disease progression. Matthew Cacopardo uses the auditory system to blend material from the physical and biological sciences, including hands-on activities to provide tangible experience upon which to build a conceptual understanding of far-reaching concepts in physics. Judith Dixon's unit is for fifth-grade students on human physiology, highlighting the respiratory and cardiovascular systems and the problems that occur in children with asthma. |
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| For fifth-to-eighth-grade science students, Carolyn Kinder offers background on diabetes, focusing on the physiology of the disease, its effect on people who suffer from diabetes, and treatment tools. Marcela Oliveira-Antunovich explores "Interdisciplinary Applications of Chemistry through Engineering: CSI New Haven" for high-school chemistry students, a unit that builds upon the interest of students in forensic science to introduce chemical and engineering techniques important in that area. A high-school teacher of mathematics, Hermine Smikle recognizes math's central role in engineering and introduces techniques to understand biomedical engineering, with examples drawn from diverse areas including cancer cell growth and drug delivery. "The Challenge to Deliver Insulin" is Chris Willems' unit for high-school biology and chemistry students; he concentrates on the chemistry of insulin, the methods of its production by the body, and the techniques that have been used to produce it for use as a drug. | |
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The Fellows' Application and Admissions Process |
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| Having worked with teachers in their respective schools during the preceding months, the Institute Representatives met on January 3 to receive for distribution in all schools copies of the Institute application form, brochure, and descriptions of the seminars to be offered. At this meeting a general presentation of the subjects of the seminars ensured that all Representatives could explain to their colleagues the purpose of each seminar. On January 10 the Institute held an open house for prospective applicants where any teacher might learn more about the planned seminars from the Representatives and from the seminar leaders, who made brief presentations about the seminars they would lead and conducted discussions in small groups with teachers who might apply. One typical Fellow found the event "helpful in giving people an idea of what to expect" and how to "find a unit topic to write for their grade level." On January 17 and 24 the Representatives met to discuss their progress in working with prospective applicants and to hand in their own completed applications. The final deadline for teachers applying to the Institute was January 31. This date was selected so that teachers would apply in advance of the February school vacation. The office would then have the vacation period to process application materials, and the review of applications could be completed during February to provide the earliest possible notification to teachers who were accepted. | |
There are four principal criteria for teachers to be eligible for consideration as Fellows:
- The applicant must be a current New Haven school teacher who will be teaching in New Haven also during the school year following Institute participation.
- The applicant must agree to participate fully in the program by attending and coming prepared to all scheduled meetings and by completing research and meeting due dates in the preparation of a curriculum unit.
- The teacher must demonstrate in the application that his or her specific interests are directly related to the seminar as it has been described by the seminar leader.
- The applicant must also show that the seminar and the curriculum unit that he or she proposes to write are directly related to school courses that he or she will teach in the coming school year.
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| For many years it has been the policy of the Institute to allow no more than twelve teachers to enroll in any seminar. The small size of the seminars is necessary both for the collegiality of the Institute experience and for the individual attention that each teacher's work in progress receives from the seminar leader and from other teachers in the seminar. The Institute has aimed each year to gauge the amount of teacher interest in order to offer enough seminars to accommodate almost all teachers who wish to participate. During the planning process 114 teachers expressed definite interest in participating in one of the seminars to be offered. Of those teachers, 54 were from high schools, 18 from middle schools, 17 from elementary schools, and 25 from K-8 schools. By the application deadline, the Institute Representatives, assisted by the school Contacts, had obtained applications from 77 of these elementary, middle, K-8, and high school teachers in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. |
The small size of the seminars is necessary both for collegiality and for the individual attention that each teacher's work in progress receives.
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The Fellows application form calls for the interested teachers to specify the subjects and grade levels they teach, the course or courses in which they plan to introduce the material they study in the Institute, and their willingness to meet each of the Institute's requirements for full participation. The applicants also write a brief essay describing why they wish to participate in the seminar to which they are applying, and how the curriculum unit they plan to write will assist them in their own teaching. Writing this essay is, in effect, their first step in formulating a curriculum unit through which they will bring the material they study from the seminar into their own teaching.
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| A team application form requires interested teachers to demonstrate how the team envisions working together in inter-grade and/or interdisciplinary ways and to outline plans for a culminating activity in the school. Teams may receive preference during the admissions process, and are required to submit a final report on their work together during the following school year. If a team is not admitted as such, however, the members of the team may be admitted to the program as individual Fellows. Also, the Institute encourages all Fellows to work as informal teams in their schools. |
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| To continue to support the school district's efforts to attract and retain qualified teachers, the Institute placed considerable emphasis again in 2006 on identifying appropriate ways to assist individuals in their first or second year of teaching in New Haven. Connecticut's Beginning Educator Support and Training (BEST) program requires that new teachers prepare a portfolio -- including lesson plans, student work, videotaped class sessions, and reflection -- in their second year in order to be fully certified. The Institute's work with beginning teachers in 2006 followed a successful three-year pilot (from 2002 through 2004) which showed that the collegial support of the Institute and the development of a curriculum unit could assist new teachers in entering the New Haven Public Schools and, in certain cases, in completing the required portfolio. |
The Institute supports the school district's efforts to attract and retain qualified teachers.
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All applications were reviewed by three groups: seminar leaders, school principals, and seminar Coordinators. The seminar leaders examined the applications for their relationship to the seminar subject. This afforded each seminar leader the opportunity, as well, to tailor or enlarge the bibliography for the seminar so that it would address the specific interests of the teachers who would be accepted. At the same time, the applications were reviewed in the applicant's own school; the Institute's Representative for each school provided the school principal a copy of each teacher's application to examine. The intention is to increase awareness within each school of the projects that teachers wish to pursue in Institute seminars, to afford an opportunity for the principal and other educational leaders to examine the relationship between teachers' applications and school plans, and to increase the likelihood that the teachers will have a course assignment in which they can use their curriculum unit. In this review, principals answered the following questions:
- Is the applicant's proposal consistent with, and significant for, the curricula and academic plans for your school?
- List the courses and/or the grade levels where the proposed unit will be used; if there are none, state "none."
- Will the applicant be assigned next year one or more of these courses in which to teach the unit?
- Please indicate any special merits or problems you find with the applications.
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| When this procedure was introduced in 1998, Reginald Mayo, Superintendent of the New Haven Public Schools, had written to all principals: "We believe this is a highly promising way for ensuring that the assistance that the Institute provides to individual teachers and to teams of teachers has the best prospect for advancing each school's academic plans." This process informs the consideration of each application, provides each applicant pertinent guidance, and provides an opportunity for Institute Representatives to talk with their principals about the Institute. |
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The following examples of principals' comments on the Fellows' applications illustrate how they appreciate the significance and usefulness of the curriculum units that teachers in their school will be designing.
[This applicant] will work with the entire science department to continue to develop a range of upper-level science courses.
This appears to be a creative unit that will engage students in learning about concepts in the environmental sciences. Highly recommended.
[This applicant] will continue to teach eleventh-grade humanities and Advanced Placement U.S. history, and will develop senior history electives. [He] is an outstanding teacher whose participation will benefit the seminar.
Her proposed curriculum unit relates very well to the fourth-grade curriculum. Her unit sounds very interesting and will serve to motivate students to read about this important era in America's history.
The proposed unit is both timely and meaningful for the students. It is directly connected to the curriculum.
The planned unit of study . . . improves achievement in reading, is aligned with New Haven Public Schools social studies standards and incorporates components of the NHPS social development curriculum.
The unit deals with narrative writing, which is covered in the third-grade curriculum and on the Connecticut Mastery Test.
The proposal is . . . appropriate to the curriculum for our seventh- and eighth-grade social studies classes. I am positive she will also utilize her lesson in her language arts classes . . . . It is wonderful that she truly understands the importance of planning for good instruction. Her ideas are realistic and "fun" for students.
This proposal is directly linked to the curriculum she teaches. With our increasing Hispanic population, the background she will obtain through her involvement with the Teachers Institute will prove valuable to both her students and the school community.
The application fulfills the Connecticut science standards for chemistry.
The proposal directly connects multiple topics in geometry and offers real-world applications of math.
Students will be able to learn how to do research in a specific area of study, biology.
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Principals appreciate the significance and usefulness of the curriculum units that teachers in their school will be designing.
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| As in the past, the Institute formed a group of teachers who served as Coordinators to assist with the organization and smooth operation of the seminars. The Director, with the advice of teacher leaders, selects these Coordinators from the group of Representatives who become Fellows and who had earlier helped to select seminar subjects and identify interested teachers. | |
There is one Coordinator in each seminar. They act as liaisons between the seminars and a Coordinators committee to facilitate the exchange of information and to provide teacher leadership without diminishing the collegial rapport within each seminar. A seminar Coordinator must be, and must intend to continue as, a full-time teacher in one of New Haven's public schools. A Coordinator accepts the following responsibilities:
- To work with school Representatives at the conclusion of the application process, to serve on an admissions committee to consider proposals for curriculum development submitted by teachers applying to become Fellows, and to make recommendations to the Director about whom to accept as Fellows.
- To monitor the progress of a seminar through observation and conversation with participants, and to give progress reports at weekly seminar Coordinators committee meetings.
- To report to the seminar members any organizational information which should be circulated, such as the schedule of any visitors and notice of Institute-wide activities.
- To act as a resource for members of the seminar, providing information about unit-writing deadlines, guidelines for writing curriculum units, computer assistance available to Fellows, copyright procedures, and University facilities Fellows may use.
- To be available to the seminar leader to provide information on Fellows' perceptions of the seminar and on Institute policies generally, and to offer assistance as may be needed.
- To assist with the smooth operation of the seminar by keeping track of Fellows' promptness and attendance and the timeliness of their written submissions, and by encouraging Fellows to make and keep appointments for individual meetings with the seminar leader.
- To attend and come prepared to weekly committee meetings with the Director or Associate Director and to take professional days as needed for the above purposes.
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Coordinators provide teacher leadership without diminishing the collegial rapport within each seminar.
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The Coordinators work together as an admissions committee for the Institute. They met after school on February 1 to conduct a first reading and discussion of the applications to their respective seminars. They then contacted all teachers whose applications needed to be clarified or amplified. On February 8 the Coordinators met for a full day, by taking professional leave, for their final consideration of most applications. They met again on February 14 to resolve issues remaining in a few applications.
During their review, the Coordinators considered the findings of the school administrators and seminar leaders and made recommendations to the Director about which teachers the Institute should accept. By these means, the Institute seeks to ensure that all Fellows participate in seminars that are consistent with their teaching assignments and applicable in the courses they teach. The Institute accepted as Fellows 65 New Haven teachers, 36 in the humanities and 29 in the sciences and mathematics. A joint meeting of seminar leaders and Coordinators was held February 28 to discuss the admissions process just completed, and to review the seminar and unit writing process and the policies and procedures of the Institute. In this way, the Coordinators began to provide the seminar leaders with information about the teachers who had been accepted and to discuss their role in assisting with the conduct of the seminars.
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The Institute seeks to ensure that all Fellows participate in seminars that are consistent with their teaching assignments and applicable in the courses they teach.
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The Fellows Who Were Accepted |
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| Fellows came from 23 of the district's 45 schools, including eight of the twelve New Haven high schools, all three of the middle schools, seven of the fourteen K-8 schools, one of the three transitional schools, and four of the 13 elementary schools. The Institute first admitted elementary school teachers in 1990; this year nine (14 percent) of all Fellows were elementary school teachers -- a lower percentage than in recent years because of the trend in the district toward establishing more K-8 schools. Twenty four (37 percent) were middle or K-8 school teachers (including several in the elementary grades), and 32 (49 percent) were high school teachers. Overall, 15 Fellows taught grades kindergarten to five, 18 taught grades six to eight, and 32 taught grades 9 to 12. Seven schools had four or more Fellows, and eleven schools had three or more. | |
| Consistent with the Institute's aim to serve the largest possible proportion of all New Haven teachers, 23 (or 35 percent) of the teachers accepted in 2006 were participating in the Institute for the first time. Of these first-time Fellows, 10 were in the humanities and 13 were in the sciences. Seventeen percent of all the Fellows accepted (eleven of 65) were Black, three quarters (48 of 65, or 74 percent) were non-Hispanic White, six percent were Hispanic, and three percent were of Asian descent. | |
| The participants included teachers from all stages of their careers. Seven first-year and two second-year teachers applied and were accepted to participate. Overall, one third of Fellows were age 30 or younger and almost half (47 percent) were 40 or younger (compared with 30 percent as recently as 2001). Twenty percent of Fellows were 41-50 years old; and 33 percent were older than 50. | |
| As Chart 2 shows, one third of the Fellows (34 percent), had four or fewer years of experience in teaching. More than half (54 percent) had four or fewer years of experience teaching in New Haven. This is greater than the proportion of Fellows with so little experience during 1998 through 2001, when the average was 20 percent. In 2006 one quarter (27 percent) of the Fellows had twenty or more years of total experience in teaching; one fifth (20 percent) had twenty or more years teaching experience in New Haven.
(Chart 2 available in print form)
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Indicative of the need for the professional development that the Institute provides, nearly seven in ten Fellows had been in their present teaching position four or fewer years.
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| Indicative of the need for the professional development that the Institute provides, nearly seven in ten Fellows (69 percent) had been in their present teaching position four or fewer years. This helps to explain why many teachers say they need to deepen their knowledge in subjects they have been recently reassigned to teach, or curricular materials for students of a different age or background from those they have taught before. | |
| As in past years, many of the 2006 Fellows did not major in college or graduate school in the subjects they currently teach. As Chart 3 shows, in no field other than special education did all Fellows teaching a subject have a graduate or undergraduate degree in that subject. In two fields -- earth science and physics -- no Fellows had a graduate or undergraduate degree. Only one of nine teachers of general science had a graduate or undergraduate degree in that area; the same was true in mathematics. Only two in ten teachers of social studies had a degree in that field. Four of thirteen teachers of English lacked a degree in the subject.
(Chart 3 available in print form)
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Many of the Fellows did not major in college or graduate school in the subjects they currently teach.
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| Chart 4 shows the subjects Fellows taught in the 2005-2006 year of their Institute participation. Overall, almost half (46 percent) of Fellows in the humanities and three quarters (72 percent) of Fellows in the sciences had not majored either in college or in graduate school in one or more of the subjects they taught in that year.
(Chart 4 available in print form)
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| Understandably, then, when the 2006 Fellows were asked about the incentives that attracted them to participate in the Institute, they responded (as Chart 5 shows, reading left to right from the most to the least important) that the most important incentives were the opportunities to develop materials to motivate their students (96 percent), to increase their mastery of the subjects they teach (92 percent), to exercise intellectual independence (92 percent), to work with university faculty members (92 percent), to develop curricula to fit their needs (83 percent), and to work with teachers from other schools (81 percent). Incentives one might imagine to be important for teachers with access to Yale University -- opportunity for credit in a degree program and access to Yale athletic facilities -- were much less important for Fellows in the Teachers Institute.
(Chart 5 available in print form)
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The most important incentives were the opportunities to develop materials to motivate their students and to increase their mastery of the subjects they teach.
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| As past Institute studies have shown, Fellows are in most respects highly representative of all New Haven teachers. So, for example, this year's Fellows continue to reflect the gender and ethnicity of all New Haven teachers, though as in other cities there are great disparities overall between the ethnicity of New Haven teachers and of their students. (See Table 1.) Similarly, the Yale faculty members who have led Institute seminars generally reflect the wider faculty at Yale.
Table 1
Ethnicity and Gender of Participants
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White
non-Hispanic
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Black
non-Hispanic
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Hispanic
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Other
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| All
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Male
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Female
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All
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Male
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Female
|
All
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Male
|
Female
|
All
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Male
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Female
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| Institute Fellows, 2006 |
75%
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21%
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54%
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13%
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4%
|
9%
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8%
|
2%
|
6%
|
4%
|
0%
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4%
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| Institute Fellows, 1978-2006 |
70%
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21%
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50%
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24%
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5%
|
19%
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5%
|
1%
|
4%
|
1%
|
0%
|
1%
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| New Haven Public School Teachers, 2006 |
74%
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20%
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54%
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17%
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4%
|
13%
|
7%
|
2%
|
6%
|
2%
|
0%
|
2%
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| New Haven Public School Students, 2006 |
11%
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6%
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6%
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52%
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27%
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25%
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35%
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17%
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18%
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2%
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1%
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1%
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| Institute Coordinators, 2006 |
67%
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50%
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17%
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17%
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0%
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17%
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17%
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0%
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17%
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0%
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0%
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0%
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| Representatives and Contacts, 2006 |
63%
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20%
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43%
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24%
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4%
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20%
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11%
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5%
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6%
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2%
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0%
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2%
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| Institute Seminar Leaders, 2006 |
83%
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67%
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17%
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0%
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0%
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0%
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17%
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17%
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0%
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0%
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0%
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0%
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| Institute Seminar Leaders, 1978-2006 |
86%
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72%
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14%
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8%
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5%
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2%
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5%
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3%
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2%
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1%
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0%
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1%
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Yale Faculty, 2006
(includes tenured and term ladder faculty)
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82%
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58%
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24%
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3%
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1%
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2%
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2%
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2%
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0%
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13%
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8%
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5%
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Totals may not add to 100% due to rounding.
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Fellows are in most respects highly representative of all New Haven teachers.
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Activities for Fellows |
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At the first organizational meeting of each seminar, held on March 7, the seminar leader distributed an annotated bibliography on the seminar subject and presented the syllabus of readings that he or she proposed the seminar would consider. The Fellows described the individual curriculum units that they planned to develop. This afforded the members of each seminar an overview of the work they were undertaking together and the projects they would pursue individually. The bibliographies both introduced the seminar subject and guided Fellows as they began research on their curriculum units. Several Fellows remarked on the value of their seminars' reading lists. One said, "Readings were appropriate, and adjusted as needed." Another remarked that the seminar leader "offered many supplemental materials in addition to the reading list." Another Fellow said readings "will help in the classroom by helping show students the critical details of history rather than the obvious trite ones." One seminar leader said that despite the varied topics of Fellows' own curriculum units, the seminar "itself, with the syllabus readings," did lay "a groundwork" for those units. According to another,
The seminar was more interactive than a typical class of mine at Yale. Because our syllabus and mission was broad, I allowed the Fellows to shape the direction that each meeting took.
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Annotated bibliographies both introduced the seminar subject and guided Fellows as they began research.
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| One seminar leader "organized the first individual meetings, specifying that they come to my office for the appointments." That way, "I could easily access my own shelf of books and make recommendations. This proved very useful." Another seminar leader suggested Fellows meet with him at a bookstore "because I thought it might set a more relaxed tone for our discussions. That seemed to work. . . . All of them seemed quite respectful, eager, and open." A third leader mentioned providing Fellows in these meetings with "reading resource lists tailored to their projects." Another said, | |
My meetings with individual Fellows were direct and to the point. I tried to steer them as quickly as possible toward topics I thought would work, and away from topics that seemed unwieldy or infeasible.
During the period that preceded the regular weekly meetings, Fellows continued their reading, both preparing for the upcoming seminar discussions and working toward a brief prospectus of what their final units would contain. At the second seminar meeting, on April 11, Fellows submitted the prospectus, presented their revised unit topics, and began to discuss common readings. The regular weekly seminar meetings began on May 9; thereafter Fellows continued to develop their units in stages, with a first draft submitted May 30. The weekly meetings of the seminars continued through July 18, with Fellows submitting the second draft of their units July 5 and completed units by July 31.
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"My meetings with individual Fellows were direct and to the point. I tried to steer them as quickly as possible toward topics I thought would work."
--Seminar Leader
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| Fellows submit the prospectus, together with a revised unit topic and a list of appropriate readings, at the time of the second seminar meeting. This allows them six weeks to write a first draft. The due date for the second draft is late enough to allow Fellows ample time to address the comments they received on the first draft from other Fellows and from the seminar leader. Most Fellows have been satisfied with this schedule and its well-worked-out series of deadlines during the spring and into the summer. Overall, 79 percent of the Fellows (compared with 75 percent in 2005 and 78 percent in 2004) thought the unit writing deadlines occurred at the right time in relation to the school calendar. In contrast to a few who thought the program should conclude either earlier in the spring or later in the summer than it does, in a typical remark one Fellow said, "The Institute is very well-organized and I have always appreciated the timeline and deadlines that keep me 'on track' in meeting obligations." Another "thought the way the due dates worked out was very effective," while another called "careful planning" one of the program's virtues. |
"The Institute is very well-organized and I have always appreciated the timeline and deadlines that keep me 'on track'."
--Institute Fellow
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Fellows spoke of the benefits of an extended period for research, writing, and reflection. One said, "During the writing process teachers spend time researching a subject area they would never have been challenged to research. . . . This provides a sense of ownership." Another said, "Having the opportunity to plan, review, revise, and amend certainly produces a unit that is exciting for me as well as my students." Another said,
Given the amount of time I spent pondering what activities should be used and when I feel there will be a greater understanding and excitement. . . . My teaching will be much smoother because of how prepared I am for the subject matter.
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| The Institute attaches great importance to the process through which Fellows develop their curriculum units. Many Fellows commented on the value of following this process -- including not only guidance from the seminar leader but also suggestions from other Fellows. One called the seminar leader "very positive and motivating. I'm sure I worked much harder on my unit simply because I felt guided and encouraged." Another Fellow said, "During the writing process, our leader gave feedback and offered advice on how to improve our units. He was always available to meet with us." Another appreciated how her seminar leader "had great suggestions, extreme patience and was not overbearing; this made me quite comfortable. Overall, my knowledge . . . has increased greatly."
(image available in print form)
The seminar on "Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand." (Left to right: Fellows Sara E. Thomas, Marisa A. Ferrarese, and Heidi Everett.)
Discussion in seminar of Fellows' work-in-progress contributes both to unit development and to the seminar experience. One said it was "beneficial having the input and support of other teachers. I really enjoyed hearing how other teachers put their units together." A Fellow in a different seminar said it "contained the perfect balance of sharing lessons plans with providing pertinent information." According to another, "Toward the later seminar meetings we shared and tried out our lesson plans. This was extremely helpful in refining classroom activities for my curriculum." Others said:
Writing my unit, I was initially intimidated and unsure of how to even begin. However, I found more than enough support, especially through my seminar Coordinator and Fellows who had previously written a unit, as the seminar went on.
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The Institute attaches great importance to the process through which Fellows develop their curriculum units.
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I enjoyed working with teachers from other schools. We shared our work and discussed common reading. Much of the discussion and reading period helped us to broaden our scope. . . . All contributed greatly in developing my curriculum unit.
The seminar participants were a vital part to the success of this year's experience. Each Fellow had the opportunity to teach a lesson from their unit. . . . This experience provided me with the opportunity to understand more about both the content areas and grade levels that Fellows were teaching, learn the material from a different perspective, and consider additional ways to present the information.
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"I found more than enough support, especially through my seminar Coordinator and Fellows who had previously written a unit."
--Institute Fellow
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At the conclusion of the seminars, most Fellows indicated that the program schedule (88 percent) and the guidelines for writing a unit (88 percent) had been useful to them to a great or moderate extent. This year half (48 percent) of the Fellows said they tried out the subject matter and three quarters (73 percent) said they tried out the strategies of their units in their classroom. Of those who did, almost all Fellows (85 percent) said the students' reactions influenced what they included in the final units. For example, one middle school teacher of history wrote,
My seminar did a great deal to address [a] gap in my education. Almost immediately, I had new information to share with my students. . . . When I was able to incorporate this information into my teaching, I saw how excited my students became. . . . One of the topics was the Spanish-American War. . . . Because I knew more about the long-term implications of the war for Puerto Rico, my students were much more enthusiastic about learning about it.
During the first two months of the program, which serve as a reading period, all Fellows also met together on Tuesday afternoons for a series of talks by current or prospective seminar leaders. These talks are designed either to acquaint Fellows with the work of seminars other than their own, or with subjects of possible future seminars.
Current seminar leaders gave three of the talks: Alexander Nemerov on "Reading and the Imagination: N.C. Wyeth and Robert Louis Stevenson," Mark Saltzman on "Engineering in Modern Medicine," and Stephen Pitti spoke on "Latino Cultures and Communities." Two prospective seminar leaders also gave talks: David Bercovici on climate change, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and the geophysics of "Natural Hazards," and David Katz on "The Care and Feeding of Homo sapiens: Are We Truly Clueless?"
The talks were popular. One Fellow said the talks were "excellent and well received." According to another, they "were always interesting and full of information I was eager to share with my students and other teachers." Another called the talks "a great way of learning about the other seminars and topics in the forefront of research and education." Another characterized the "diversity and quality of the lectures" as "exceptional." Scattered criticisms concerned whether precious time might be used differently. More typical was this comment:
The talks were a great strength in the program. Through these talks, I became very interested in some of the topics that the other seminars were discussing, and because of this will be sure to look into the units from those Fellows.
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(image available in print form)
David Bercovici speaking on "Natural Hazards."
Most Fellows saw in the talks the purposes for which they were organized. Virtually all (98 percent) Fellows said that to a great or moderate extent the talks provided intellectual stimulation, while most (92 percent) said they provided a sense of collegiality and common purpose among Fellows. More than three quarters (83 percent) said the talks were successful to a great or moderate extent in providing an overview of Fellows' work in the seminars. A similarly high proportion (86 percent) said the Institute scheduled the right number of talks. Many Fellows reported that the talks prompted them, to a great or moderate extent, to read about the talk topics (57 percent), discuss the topics with their students (63 percent), and discuss the talks with other teachers (83 percent). These figures were comparable to, or even slightly higher than, those of prior years.
As in other recent years, the Institute scheduled an early workshop on curriculum unit writing. As part of their admissions folder, all Fellows had received Institute guidelines and mechanical specifications for preparing curriculum units, which outline the Institute writing process and the steps for Fellows' formulating, reformulating, and expanding their individual units. On March 21, the teachers serving as seminar Coordinators comprised a panel in leading the discussion on curriculum unit development.
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"The talks were always interesting and full of information I was eager to share with my students and other teachers."
--Institute Fellow
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(image available in print form)
Session on Curriculum Unit Development. (Left to right: Seminar Coordinators Justin M. Boucher, María Cardalliguet Gómez-Málaga, Jacqueline E. Porter-Clinton, Chris J. Willems, and Crecia C. Swaim.)
The Coordinators spoke from their own experiences as Institute Fellows in researching and writing curriculum units. They selected for emphasis the topics they thought it was especially important for all Fellows to understand: "Narrowing Your Topic and Considering Your Audience"; "Following the Institute Process for Unit Development"; "Aligning Your Unit with School Plans and District Goals"; "Using Technologies for Research and Writing"; "Using the Institute's Reference Tools"; and "Collegiality and Professional Development: The BEST Portfolio and Beyond." After questions, the Fellows went into seminar groups, where each Coordinator led a discussion of purposes and practices in writing Institute curriculum units. This offered an opportunity for the first-time Fellows to learn about the guidelines and other aspects of curriculum unit writing from experienced Fellows. It encouraged veteran Fellows to share their experience and allowed all to discuss how the completed volume of units might display a range of teaching strategies and contain a standard form of annotation. By leading these discussions, the Coordinators also identified themselves as being knowledgeable about the process of writing curriculum units, so that other Fellows might seek their advice.
On May 31 the seminar Coordinators organized a discussion to recognize and encourage the beginning teachers who were participating as Fellows. This was an opportunity for the experienced Fellows to congratulate their new colleagues for participating in the Institute during their first or second year of teaching, to invite them to seek support from Fellows who had faced similar challenges, and to reflect with them on teaching in New Haven.
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Coordinators spoke from their own experiences as Institute Fellows in researching and writing curriculum units.
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(image available in print form)
Seminar Coordinators Chris J. Willems and María Cardalliaguet Gómez-Málaga.
At weekly meetings with the Director and Associate Director, held the day after seminar meetings, Coordinators discussed the progress of each seminar and gained an overview of the program. Both seminar leaders and Fellows acknowledged in their evaluations the essential role of the Coordinators. All Fellows agreed (70 percent "strongly") that the Coordinators provided teacher leadership without diminishing the collegial relationship within the seminar. Fellows found the Coordinators to be helpful either a lot (90 percent) or a little (8 percent) in providing information about unit writing deadlines; helpful either a lot (77 percent) or a little (21 percent) in providing information about guidelines for unit writing; helpful either a lot (75 percent) or a little (23 percent) in monitoring the process of the seminar through observation and conversations with seminar members; helpful either a lot (73 percent) or a little (25 percent) in providing information about the use of University facilities; and helpful either a lot (73 percent) or a little (23 percent) in facilitating discussion of Fellows' work in progress. Few Fellows found the Coordinators unhelpful in any respect. Overall they received considerable praise not only from Fellows, but also from seminar leaders. According to one Fellow, "The Coordinator did an excellent job of reminding people of their obligations without being rude" and "offered help to other Fellows." A Fellow in a different seminar said: "Our Coordinator was always actively involved in class discussions and was very helpful." A participant in a third seminar wrote that the Coordinator was "always available, enthusiastic, and helpful." Another called that Coordinator "extremely effective." From another seminar:
My Coordinator . . . was of great assistance to me throughout the seminar. He kept a strong line of communication between the leader, himself, and all of the Fellows. This allowed for us to operate as a team . . . comfortably.
To maintain current information on the program and to address any problems that arose, the Institute Director and Associate Director met monthly with the seminar leaders as a group. This also gave the seminar leaders, four of whom were conducting an Institute seminar for the first time, an opportunity to talk with one another about their approaches and experiences.
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Both seminar leaders and Fellows acknowledged the essential role of the Coordinators.
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Rewards for Fellows |
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| The seminars are the core collaborative experience of the Institute. In 2006, as in past years, most Fellows' responses to the seminar experience have been strongly positive, at times enthusiastic. One Fellow had "nothing but positive things to say about my seminar leader, colleagues, and the rich conversations we had"; the seminar leader's "style of teaching is exceptional. He helped me see things . . . I would have dismissed prior to participating." Another said, "Interesting content, a small collegial group of Fellows, and a dedicated, conscientious seminar leader made this year's Institute a rewarding experience." Another described it as "challenging, yet rewarding. We covered a lot of materials/topics for the time allotted. The professor . . . was willing to help in any way she could." Another said simply, "It was one of the best learning experiences I have ever had." Others wrote: |
The seminars are the core collaborative experience of the Institute.
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The seminar experience was very rewarding. The seminar leader provided excellent leadership and readily encouraged Fellows to participate in discussions. . . . he succeeded in facilitating follow-up comments, clarifications, and amplifications of ideas from each of us.
It proved to be a very interesting and enjoyable experience. The group of teachers represented all levels of teaching from elementary through middle and high school. We got along very well and were able to discuss the [material] in a meaningful and uninhibited manner. This was due greatly to the leadership. . . . The atmosphere was very congenial throughout and I for one was sorry to see the end of the seminar. Everyone. . . was very helpful and a joy to be with.
My seminar experience was wonderful. . . . My seminar leader was excellent and I enjoyed the time spent with my colleagues. My seminar leader was not only very knowledgeable about the field but he was also very helpful.
My experience this year has been extremely positive. . . . The readings and the seminars were carefully planned. . . . Everyone in the seminar had a positive attitude, and the seminar leader always facilitated discussion and participation. Presenting the units to other Fellows helped everyone to understand what others were doing. I had very high expectations for the seminar that I have fulfilled.
The professor was knowledgeable, personable, and easily adapted the [seminar] to the Fellows as it progressed. We saw a wide range of sources and points of view and lots of good primary sources.
My seminar leader was always well prepared and provided the seminar with interesting readings on engaging subjects. The members of the seminar were always professional during seminar discussions. I feel that I learned a great deal about my seminar topic, which will be very helpful to me as a teacher.
(image available in print form)
The seminar on "Anatomy and Art: How We See and Understand." (Left to right: Fellow Barbara C. Natale; seminar leader William B. Stewart; and Fellows Wendy Decter, Justin M. Boucher, Sara E. Thomas, Marisa A. Ferrarese, and Heidi A. Everett.)
This year's seminar offered a variety of opportunities to read materials I had never read before. . . . As an English teacher I had never. . . learn[ed] about the civil rights movement. This . . . is something I will definitely use in my classroom.
I don't believe anyone would have felt uncomfortable and inadequate in this dialectical setting. . . . [The seminar leader] was fantastic, thought-provoking, and understanding. . . . She was interested in our units and . . . [kept] us moving.
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My experience . . . was excellent. . . . [The seminar leader] . . . showed us how medicine, medical devices and techniques have changed and the possibilities that exist for the future. He also shared his colleagues, his students and his laboratory with us. The seminar group was also very knowledgeable.
My seminar leader engaged us weekly with Internet sites, presentations on relevant topics and open discussion. . . . We were able to perform hands-on activities. . . . This seminar was so incredible and awesome, one that I will never forget and will incorporate in my teaching for many years.
I had a wonderful experience. The first three or four meetings were comprised of [the seminar leader's] disseminating important information for our units. . . . After these initial meetings we briefly discussed our units. Our professor then tailored the remaining sessions to our needs. As we continued these meetings. . . we brainstormed ideas about how to adapt the lessons. . . . He did a fantastic job. . . [and] allowed ample time for us to present questions.
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"I don't believe anyone would have felt uncomfortable and inadequate in this dialectical setting. . . . [The seminar leader] was fantastic, thought-provoking, and understanding."
--Institute Fellow
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| Illustrating the Institute's demanding process of unit development and the interchange among seminar leaders and Fellows in this process, one Fellow wrote: | |
The seminar gave me the opportunity to work with a great collaborator, content specialist, and humanist seminar leader. . . . [He] shared his knowledge and research with us and we shared our teaching experiences, research and best practices. . . . In addition, each of us met with him at least two times in person. We also communicated with him by way of telephone and e-mail. On all of these occasions, he made himself available to us and was flexible in allocation of his time. He helped us to stay focused on our work, which made the process easy. During the seminar, Fellows presented their units in progress several times . . . . It was so exciting and motivating. What a job well done!
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The Yale faculty members who led seminars commented on the benefits they derived. Two examples follow:
I benefited tremendously from my participation in the Institute. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm of teachers who are helping students prior to their entry to college, and I am sure that this will help me in my teaching of freshmen, in particular. I profited from thinking through some of my seminar topics, and pushing myself to make the topics more engaging and accessible, without losing rigor. I am sure that this will benefit my Yale students, as well.
Each time I lead one of these seminars I find my own background expanding. . . . This year I designed my seminar on a new topic for me, although I am generally familiar with [it], and I designed it specifically to "test drive" the course so that I could teach it in one of the new Yale freshman seminars this fall. So for me the seminar was particularly useful.
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"I profited from thinking through some of my seminar topics, and pushing myself to make the topics more engaging and accessible, without losing rigor. I am sure that this will benefit my Yale students."
--Seminar Leader
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Fellows cherished the opportunity to cross the artificial boundaries that often separate schools, disciplines, and grade levels. One Fellow said, "We had a good group of Fellows, representing different grade levels taught, years of experience in teaching, and topics. . . . Fellows were respectful and supportive." Another said, "It is the only opportunity that I know where I can get input from teachers all over the district." A high school teacher who appreciated "the opportunity to work and share teaching experiences with a wide cross-section of teachers" found it "encouraging to hear the elementary and middle school teachers." This Fellow continued,
It was also rewarding to share my experiences with other high school teachers of different subject areas. This provided me with information that was valuable to my approach to developing the unit and my approach to teaching in general. [This] also ignited a valuable exchange from the other teachers. They could see the connections that needed to be made between subject areas.
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(image available in print form)
The seminar on "Photographing America: A Cultural History, 1840-1970." (Seminar leader Alexander Nemerov.)
Other Fellows wrote:
If I knew a lot about the subject I wouldn't have taken the seminar; the collegial atmosphere was open-minded and welcoming. It was easy to ask questions and think out loud. I really benefited a great deal.
The other Fellows in my seminar also helped to make this experience enjoyable. They offered lesson plan ideas, Web sites they knew on the topics, books and journals that might be helpful, etc. We had established a strong bond throughout the seminar and it made the experience less stressful and much more exciting!
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The Institute's participants and staff have been asked over the years whether the co-professionalism among Yale faculty members and New Haven school teachers, for which the program is widely known, is authentic. The mutual respect between Fellows and seminar leaders characteristic of the seminars attests to the collegiality on which the Institute is founded. One seminar leader mentioned "the high level of ambition of most of the Fellows and their eagerness to complete their units." Another leader believed the units the Fellows produced "were uniformly competent, and quite a few were excellent. I was truly impressed with the creativity." Another leader commented,
The . . . Fellows were dedicated, very interested and active participants in the seminar. The group developed an esprit de corps which created a great bond between very different personalities. Everyone, including myself, seemed to enjoy a strong sense of learning and sharing.
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The mutual respect between Fellows and seminar leaders attests to the collegiality on which the Institute is founded.
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| Fellows, too, expressed admiration for their Yale colleagues and for this joint enterprise of teaching and learning. In typical comments Fellows said that their seminar leaders were "extremely knowledgeable, supportive, and inspiring"; "very knowledgeable and congenial"; and "fantastic, thought-provoking and understanding." Another "would definitely take" a future seminar with the leader. A different leader "was particularly helpful in the writing of my curriculum unit." Another "was supportive and made the seminar very interactive." Other Fellows said: | |
[The seminar leader] is an excellent teacher. . . . He took his time and let ideas develop and let people take their time and think. I want to incorporate this into my own teaching style. The other thing that made the [seminar] outstanding was his knowledge. . . . He led interesting discussions, and helped create a feeling of camaraderie among us all. I enjoyed every week.
[My seminar leader] was available for consultation even when we were not meeting specifically to discuss my unit or my topic. He is a very skillful teacher and modeled several questioning techniques to elicit conversation. These techniques I included in my unit and used in my classroom as well as my summer teaching program.
[The seminar leader] both puts his Fellows at ease and challenges us so that our discussions are lively and there are many moments of revelations. . . . Everyone participated in our discussions very regularly and we developed camaraderie. His style of teaching encourages participation. He never forgets that we are teachers who will go into our classrooms with the skills and strategies we have learned from him and from each other.
(image available in print form)
The seminar on "Engineering in Modern Medicine." (Left to right: Fellows Judith D. Dixon and Karen Beitler; seminar leader W. Mark Saltzman; and Fellow Chris J. Willems.)
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"His style of teaching encourages participation. He never forgets that we are teachers who will go into our classrooms with the skills and strategies we have learned from him and from each other."
--Institute Fellow
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[The seminar leader] was passionate and knowledgeable about the content. . . . He used our units to guide his instruction and presented complex information thoroughly and understandably. He compiled activities, presentations, and readings to help us understand. . . . [His] regard for our units, interests, and well being was impressive. He was sincerely interested in our group as a whole and was willing to make himself continually available for our needs.
[The seminar leader] conducted the seminar with a high degree of professionalism. He was a good listener, accommodative to our ideas and concerns. He was willing to learn from us as we were willing to learn from him. He cultivated an atmosphere of collegiality, where one could experience reciprocity and respect. He acknowledged that each member of the seminar brought their strength and weakness and he was able to meet each one at his/her own level. He not only provided timely feedback during the writing process, but took a keen interest in the individual units.
My seminar leader was a pleasure to work with. He was very knowledgeable on the content area and he presented it with enthusiasm. He was open to altering his planned discussions to allow for any other topics the Fellows would like the opportunity to learn about. He was critical in assisting me to write my unit, not only with his expertise on the subject but with advice on my focus and how I wanted the unit to unfold. He was always available, easy to talk to, and very encouraging.
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Relating Seminar Topics to Curriculum Units |
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| Each Institute seminar must balance the complementary and inseparable but sometimes competing demands for studying the seminar topic and developing applications of that knowledge for school classrooms. The Fellows, from elementary, middle, and high schools, are obligated to develop curriculum units that have some demonstrable relation to the seminar topic. Yet they are free to devise curricula that enter territory not covered in detail by the seminar. The curriculum units, therefore, have a diversity of subject and method that one would not expect in a regular university course. As a result, discussions in the seminar, while doing justice to the common reading, can also range widely over substantive and pedagogical issues relating to the curriculum units. Some comments by seminar leaders and Fellows quoted earlier have indicated that each seminar approaches these demands differently as seminar leaders strive for an appropriate balance. | |
The Institute encourages Fellows to incorporate in their curriculum units both subject matter and skills that are called for by the local curriculum framework -- including a strong emphasis upon literacy -- and assessed by the statewide Connecticut Mastery (CMT) and Academic Performance (CAPT) Tests, administered during 2006 in grades three through eight, and ten, respectively. Some Fellows commented on the ways Institute-developed curriculum units help implement aspects of the district curriculum framework and create engaging material for students. One Fellow said of a unit whose "emphasis is on writing" that, "since the unit covers many of the standards and expectations, it will enrich the teaching of writing and social studies." Another's unit provides "a practical way to integrate . . . architecture into math strands/standards." A teacher of science wrote,
My teaching will be enhanced, more up-to-date and more detailed after this seminar. My students will benefit in the exposure to new and current medical techniques and . . . new career choices. Overall the units produced in this seminar are all relevant and within standards adopted by the city and state . . . . We will all benefit from this seminar as we update our curriculum and introduce our students to the new standards in education.
Other Fellows said:
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Fellows commented on the ways Institute-developed curriculum units help implement aspects of the district curriculum framework and create engaging material for students.
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This unit delivers a variety of standards neatly packaged in a well thought-out unit. I am excited to have so many topics in one unit which directly relate to the students. I use the Institute to generate unique and exciting curricula for my students . . . stylizing lessons that interconnect standards rather than teaching them separately.
As far as the school curriculum goes, I hope this unit will help to get students more interested and excited. It is another way of helping students to increase the amount and quality of their writing.
While I was a participant in the seminar, I also had the privilege of working to rewrite the district's social studies curriculum. . . . I made sure that the experiences and history of Latinos was included in a much more significant way.
My unit will add excitement to my teaching the classical civilizations component of the world history curriculum. It will also add a "hands on" research project . . . [giving] students a meaningful task that reinforces curriculum standards.
The unit I wrote was written with two of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. . . . Students should be presented with real-world problem-solving. . . [and] see the relationship between mathematics and other subject areas.
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I was able to develop a comprehensive plan that aligns with both my school's mission and Connecticut state standards. I was also able to use the knowledge of a Yale professor to ensure the accuracy of the information, determine most relevant content, and that it is all current. My students will reap the benefits of the curriculum by using less of their assigned student textbook and more discussion, inquiry-based learning, active participation, creative interpretation, and discovery.
The content of my seminar directly correlates with district standards . . . . I am now more knowledgeable concerning the advances the have been made in medical imaging and this will assist me in teaching my students concerning advances in sciences and technology. The students will also benefit from my increased knowledge of the software and programs available that aid in teaching anatomy.
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"I was able to develop a comprehensive plan that aligns with both my school's mission and Connecticut state standards."
--Institute Fellow
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The effect . . . my curriculum unit and Institute participation will have on my teaching, students and school curricula is profound. . . . District standards in science state that we need to use the inquiry approach. . . . Biomedical engineering is a good way to help students think about their lives and the effect of diseases.
In the end, most Fellows (90 percent) said there had been a successful balance between general study of the seminar subject and Fellows' units in progress. As one said, "there was a good balance between talk about our units and . . . the readings." According to another,
Collaboration . . . provided refreshing interaction with colleagues with similar interests and goals. The seminar was directed with astute care by our seminar leader . . . working to meet each individual's needs.
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| After the units were completed in July, they were compiled in a volume for each seminar. In October the volumes were deposited in the libraries of all elementary, middle, K-8 and high schools, so that all New Haven teachers might use them in their teaching. As in the past, the Institute prepared a Guide to the new units, based on authors' synopses and recommendations of the grade levels and school courses to which their units apply. | |
| The Institute updated the Index of all 1588 units contained in the 176 volumes published since the program's inception in 1978. The Index and Guide were deposited in school libraries and distributed to the teachers serving as Institute Representatives for the schools. The new curricular resources were provided to district administrators responsible for curricula system-wide. And the Institute continued to replace volumes missing from school library sets, based on its annual survey of Institute resources located in all schools. As described below, the Institute has also published electronic versions of the units, Guide, and Index to make its curricular resources even more widely available. | |
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Results for the Participants |
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| Fellows in 2006, as in past years, spoke of the results of their Institute participation especially in terms of intellectual growth and renewal. Just as the opportunity to increase mastery of the subject one teaches was an important incentive for most Fellows (92 percent) at the outset, everyone said they had gained knowledge of their subject and confidence to teach it by participating in their seminar. All Fellows agreed with the statement that the seminar helped with intellectual and professional growth; three quarters (83 percent) strongly agreed. As one put it, "The seminar provided rigorous professional development that kept me cognitively engaged." |
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| Many Fellows described the Institute experience -- including the research for and writing of curriculum units -- as having increased their professional confidence, subject mastery and morale, while nourishing their own as well as their students' curiosity. One who "wanted to expand my knowledge in an area of literature that I found myself having to teach often" left the seminar "much more confident in my own understanding." Another said, "My hope was to challenge myself intellectually which I certainly did"; the seminar leader "was an excellent teacher from whom I learned so much." Another expects her unit to have "a wonderful effect," having "learned a lot about how our body . . . functions." Moreover, she learned "ways to explain these functions. . . on a level that students easily understand." Another said the Institute "keeps my teaching . . . fresh." Others said:
(image available in print form)
Fellow Ekaterina Barkhatova teaching her Institute unit to students at Dwight Elementary School.
The seminar has broadened my understanding of architecture and structural engineering. The experience has left me with far more confidence in those areas than I had previously. I expect that my teaching of these topics will improve with this increased knowledge and confidence.
I feel confident in teaching my unit because of the time and support that was put into it. My unit may be taught in the language arts, social studies or social development classroom. I'm excited about teaching my unit!
My experience in the Institute this year was very positive. . . . My initial feelings were overwhelming. . . because of my lack of knowledge on the subject. In this seminar not only did I learn a great deal . . . but also it allowed me to build confidence in my ability to adapt what I learned to teach my students.
Preparation of a unit of this kind with the intensive background information covered certainly is the way in which to properly design and instruct in the classroom. This unit was specifically designed with my students in mind. It is like having a tailor-made suit designed specifically for you. It fits to a tee. The middle school language arts curriculum in New Haven is integrated with social studies curriculum so my unit will definitely be used.
Institute participation always makes me a better teacher, by increasing the depth and breadth of my knowledge and by providing me with more contacts within the New Haven school district. The sense of community developed through participation in the Institute is valuable to me.
I am broadening my knowledge base and certainly making myself a better teacher, better equipped to help my students. My curriculum will also be enhanced . . . because I have discovered new ways to teach poetry and engage students.
Aside from the benefits the students will get from the actual unit, I believe that I am now better prepared to handle some of the questions and confusion that my students may have about their heritage and background.
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Fellows described the Institute experience as having increased their professional confidence, subject mastery and morale.
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The Institute validated my love of teaching, the excitement of research and writing curriculum. I learned so much and cannot wait to share it with others. My passion will motivate the students.
I believe my teaching will benefit from witnessing [the seminar leader's] style. . . . I also learned numerous tricks and workable lesson ideas from the other teachers in the Institute. My curriculum will directly affect my classroom. My unit will infuse my teaching with a greater depth of scientific content than I have had in the past. I will be much better prepared this year to approach this content. My students will benefit. . . . I have made connections and done interdisciplinary work that will make this material more accessible and interesting.
Fellows spoke, too, of their access to Yale facilities. From the Institute's inception, all Fellows have been full members of the University community, listed in the directory of faculty and staff, and granted use of facilities and services similar to that of their Yale faculty colleagues. They receive a University identification card, computer account, and borrowing privileges at University libraries. For most Fellows (81 percent) access to Yale's academic facilities such as the library was an incentive to participate; 84 percent reported that membership in the Yale community had been greatly or moderately useful to them. |
"The Institute validated my love of teaching, the excitement of research and writing curriculum. My passion will motivate the students."
--Institute Fellow
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| To acquaint Fellows with the facilities available to them the Institute offered special tours and orientations to the Cross Campus Library, Sterling Memorial Library, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, and Center for British Art, Yale Art Gallery. These were in addition to the program talks and seminars themselves and were conducted by professional staff of each facility.
One Fellow wrote, "The Yale atmosphere and benefits added to this teacher's morale." Other Fellows "liked having access to Yale facilities" and "value using the Yale libraries . . . throughout the year." Another said a "highlight of the seminar was the laboratory tour." A participant in a different seminar said, "We took a trip to the anatomy lab -- what an amazing resource!" Another Fellow in that seminar elaborated,
We visited the Yale medical laboratory where we observed cadavers, explored the many wonderful systems of the human body and had a hands-on demonstration of how to perform a medical autopsy. We were also able to have a hands-on experience dissecting the human brain. We also attended the Yale Art Gallery to observe the human body depicted in art over the ages and in various genres. We attended the Yale medical library to examine ancient medical books and pictures.
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Fellows see the results of the Institute as extending beyond their own classrooms, and beyond the teachers who have themselves personally participated in the seminars. Almost all Fellows said that they plan to encourage or assist other teachers in using the unit they prepared. More than half planned to do so with three or more other teachers. In all, Fellows planned to encourage or assist a total of 243 other teachers. One plans "to share my unit with the teachers in my grade level, as we are all required to teach some aspects of the topics." This, the Fellow said, "will be a good way to expand upon what we are mandated to teach and make the learning more in tune with students." Another said,
I am better prepared to assist and guide my fellow teachers in creating units for their classrooms. Because of the many resources that my professor has given me, and that I have discovered, I can not only help these teachers informally, but I can guide them to resources that will help them to better understand their students.
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Almost all Fellows said that they plan to encourage or assist other teachers in using the unit they prepared.
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Fellows discussed the more extended influence the Institute has had, and will have, for them and their schools. One said, "I plan to share not only the unit with fellow teachers, but also strategies I have learned." Another "look[s] forward to a better working relationship with my Latino students and their families due to the knowledge I gained." A Spanish teacher intends "to do a unit along with our history teacher this year since we both participated in the seminar. This should give my subject area a whole new burst in [the] school system." A science teacher's unit treats "such environmental topics as land preservation, species endangerment, energy use, resource use, air and water pollution, and solid waste disposal." He continued,
My students will benefit from the lesson plans that I have developed, and I anticipate that they will develop a greater enthusiasm for course materials that I use. In addition, the curriculum units that I have written for use in AP environmental science continue to enrich the district curriculum. . . . A primary goal that I have set for the course is to raise student achievement in the national AP examination. The 2006 curriculum unit I have written is another step forward.
Others wrote:
I will make a significant change in my curricula this year when I integrate some of the material from the seminar into the course. I will be able to integrate some of the material into the district curricula as well. . . in history and language arts. The seminar was "eye-opening" and hopefully will have the same effect on our students.
I believe the current curriculum will strongly benefit from my unit. It can be used in any high school chemistry, biology, health, or nutrition class. . . . I expect that other teachers will realize the positive impact this unit can have.
My school's curriculum will benefit greatly. We are a multimedia technology, art, and multicultural inter-district magnet school. This unit incorporates all avenues of our school mission statement.
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| Every year we review separately the responses of first-time and of veteran participants because we want a high proportion of New Haven teachers to become Fellows and for the Institute to become a regular part of Fellows' professional lives. Both groups cite their own rewards. One first-time participant would "certainly participate in the Institute again" and "encourage other teachers . . . to do so." Another, who described "exuberance in learning," called the program "a great opportunity to share in the Yale experience, to learn about an interesting subject and write usable curriculum." Others said: |
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I really enjoyed and learned a lot in my seminar. . . [which] increased my content knowledge about the topic but was also a springboard for personal learning and professional growth. . . . Having a concrete program through which I can practice being a lifelong learner with other teachers, and being able to apply it to my teaching in a very practical way, was wonderful.
I found everyone . . . friendly and accommodating. My seminar leader, in particular, treated all of us with respect and was very helpful in the completion of my curriculum unit. While teachers are regularly trained in how to teach, we rarely get to discuss what we teach. The Institute clearly addresses that need. It made me excited to be a student again [and provided] insight into the teaching of my students in ways that . . . professional development workshops rarely do.
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"The Institute made me excited to be a student again [and provided] insight into the teaching of my students in ways that . . . professional development workshops rarely do."
--Institute Fellow
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| Experiences of First- and Second-Year Teachers |
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We also continue to pay particular attention to the results of the Institute for beginning teachers. Several of the 2006 Fellows who were first- or second-year teachers were among the most enthusiastic participants in the Institute. One "benefited from carefully planning my unit . . . . Clearly justifying all of my curriculum choices helped me plan better." A number of these new teachers spoke of what they gained from seminar colleagues, including informal mentoring. A first-year chemistry teacher called her seminar "very intellectually stimulating" and said,
Since I do not have much background in biology, I was very nervous about participating in this seminar. However, the material was very interesting and was presented in a way that I could easily grasp. I was very fortunate to work with such a great team this year in the Institute.
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Another science teacher said,
As a first-year teacher, some said I was crazy to do the Institute with everything else that I had on my plate. . . . My thought was that I needed all the support possible and all the interactions with veteran teachers as possible. I feel I found that here in the Institute. The Institute provided an atmosphere for intellectual growth as well as interactions with colleagues of other disciplines, which I feel I may not have gotten elsewhere. . . . This experience has provided insight to what I wish to do in the classroom as well as a way to utilize my curriculum unit for the BEST portfolio. As I head into a time in my career that I have to focus on the BEST portfolio, the resources provided from the Institute will assist me.
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"As a first-year teacher I needed all the support possible and all the interactions with veteran teachers as possible. I found that here in the Institute."
--Institute Fellow
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Following are characteristic comments from other Fellows in their first year of teaching:
I believe that the success of my Institute seminar is largely due to our seminar leader, whose knowledge and resources appeared limitless. . . . My fellow Fellows also contributed to the quality of the experience. . . . All were as focused on my success as they were on their own. These are very compelling characteristics; true teamwork in a scholarly setting. Finally, I attribute the quality of this experience to the resources of Yale University. . . . The seminars encouraged original thinking and reflecting on significant, contemporary subjects. I am proud to be part of this process.
My participation in the Institute provided many opportunities to strengthen my teaching. My experience with the seminar has increased my awareness of how I can integrate more hands-on activities for the science classroom and how to design the activities so they are more inquiry-based. The seminar also provided me key networking opportunities throughout the district and with Yale. I am more aware of and comfortable with using Yale's facilities to enhance my teaching and the experiences of my students.
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| The Institute's teacher leaders -- both school Representatives and seminar Coordinators -- have been attentive to, and have begun to include, beginning teachers. In fall 2006 more than one third of the Representatives (seven of 19) were individuals who initially had participated in the Institute during their first or second year of teaching in New Haven. Five of the Representatives volunteered to mentor new teachers in the New Haven Public Schools. In this role, they support other teachers both in the classroom and in the creation of their portfolios. In these ways the Institute has assisted with the induction and retention of new teachers and, in doing so, has strengthened and renewed its own leadership. |
The Institute has assisted with the induction and retention of new teachers and, in doing so, has strengthened and renewed its own leadership.
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For returning Fellows, the rewards of participation do not diminish over time. The experience becomes cumulative, rather than repetitive or redundant. Many teachers report that the benefits increase as one gains experience as a Fellow. One returning participant who thought this "the best Institute in which I have ever participated" cited "many things that made it good." Another spoke of "quality seminar leadership." Others said:
This year's seminar experience was most rewarding. [We had a ] knowledgeable seminar leader, bringing in resources that proved useful across grade levels. . . . Non-fictional and fictional selections, audio materials, and engaging discussion helped us to better understand the diversity, complexity, and challenges past and present. . . . Each engaging seminar session helped participants.
My seminar . . . was a wonderful experience. Every time I drove home from a seminar meeting, I felt as though my eyes had suddenly been opened to new observations. . . . [The seminar leader] is an amazing teacher.
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I have used every curriculum unit that I wrote for the Institute. There is no doubt that they enhanced my knowledge and gave me the confidence to try new things in the classroom. . . . One unit I use every year is a curriculum designed to get students who are not college bound interested in going to college. It is also designed for students who think they might want to go to college but have no idea what college is like. . . . Because of the Institute I have a curriculum ready. . . as well as writing assignments. It has even made some |