Building Better Backgrounds

Building a Better Science and Technology/Engineering Background

Partners: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester Public Schools, and Winchendon Public Schools

The Building a Better Background is a three-year project, which combines core physics concepts with technology/engineering. The first year focused on Motion & Forces and related engineering designs. Year Two focused on Work and Energy Transfer, including kinetic and potential energy along with heat transfer concepts and related engineering. The final year’s course will take place in the summer of 2009 and cover Electricity & Magnetism with a related green engineering theme.

The content is provided during a seven-day summer workshop that runs on the WPI campus.The total contact hours for each course are the same and include 45 hours of class time and 20 hours of follow-up time. The goals of the program are to: increase content area knowledge for grade 5-9 science and technology teachers, to increase student performance in the sciences, and to develop of a set of courses at WPI that can be used by in-service or pre-service teachers towards licensure.

Dates for the first workshop were July 5 - 13th, 2007 and for the second course July 9 -17, 2008. Both sessions were lead with the instruction being provided by physics and engineering faculty members. Dates for the third year will be June 24-July 2, 2009.

What other teachers are saying about their workshop experience:

"The classroom dynamics made learning fun and productive." - Year One Teacher

"It was great to bounce around ideas of what could be done in the classroom to demonstrate a particular idea so that students could grasp the concept." - Year One Teacher

"The workshop provided excellent, cost-effective, hands-on activities easily translated into the classroom." -Year Two Teacher

"-Very knowledgeable instructors who took the time and were able to explain things so I understand"- Year Two Teacher

"Hit the standards head on."- Year One Teacher

For more information, contact the program coordinator, Martha Cyr, Director K-12 Outreach, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Sponsored by a grant from: The Massachusetts Math and Science Partnership

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: March 25, 2009 11:47:10