Present: Creigton Tong, Dan Fleming, Eileen Engel, Caleb Cheung, Angela Grimes, Natalie Mann, Paul Barron, Anthony Cody, Malia Dinell, Merle Boxill, Stan Fukanaga, Carol Balfe, Dale Koistinen, Lynden Richmond, Bob from Lowell, Chabot's Astronomy teacher

Agenda:
Discussion of Goals
Team status reports
Team meetings

Notes
Question:
When you walk in to an OUSD middle school science classroom in the year 2006, what do you hope to see?
What will students be doing?
How will teachers be working together??

Small groups discussed this question, then shared their thoughts.

Visions for 2006

1. Classrooms online
2. Classroom environment like a lab: A real science room
3. Teachers following District curriculum guidelines: why? Inter-district transfers.
4. Technology: wide screen monitor
Curriculum online in PDF format
5. Each school site has a professional library of curriculum resources.
6. Math is fully integrated
7. Science journals for every student
8. Students will be doing real science: contextual, meaningful, asking questions and designing experiments
9. Teachers collaborating
10. Students on task
11. Meaningful assessment
12. Teacher mentoring and team teaching
13. Child-centered learning
14. Real-life problem-solving
15. Students taking intellectual risks ­ learning by doing.
16. Math/writing connections
17. Kids publishing their work
18. Science fair a place to share student research

Processes to Realize Our Vision

1. A product that is user-friendly ­ useful to new teachers.
2. A collection of materials that provide options and a platform for sharing and collaboration among teachers..
3. Teacher training, to actually try lessons out; Saturdays, after school
4. Lesson Study: Teams of teachers develop research lessons. Others come and actually observe the lesson being taught to students. Reflection and discussion follows, then lessons are refined and taught again.

Fears and Concerns

1. Another binder collecting dust.
2. Intimidating to new teachers; they need support.
3. After the training, how do we keep the momentum going?
4. Break the cycle of how staff development is done; temporary enthusiasm with little follow-through.

Response: Further Visions

1. Collaborative model
Supported by
a. Credentialling programs
b. Professional development
c. Mentoring

2. School sites develop a collaborative process, through eg Lesson Study,then share District-wide.
3. Get District to support or accept grassroots teacher programs such as ours for professional development and curriculum standards work.

Heads up!
Lots of new teachers coming next fall. How can we prepare to support them?

Next Steps

Goal1: At buy-back days in August, we will present middle school science teachers with our first units, one per grade level, with materials available for immediate implementation.

Goal 2: We will prepare a second unit and hold an after-school follow-up to share it the first week of October. Again, materials will be available.

Goal 3: Subsequent units will be shared approximately every 6 weeks through the year.

Goal 4: Materials will be posted on the project web site so as to be available.

Goal 5: Teams and school sites will explore forms of collaboration, such as Lesson Study, and share them in the coming year.

July 9 ­ 11 Work Plans

· Bring all units in progress.
· We will try to finish at least one per grade level, maybe the first two.
· We will figure out materials lists for the first units, so we can get them ordered.
· We will plan the buy-back day workshops and the October workshop.