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This special event will feature a variety of workshops, led by Oakland teachers and instructors from UC Berkeley and elsewhere. Curriculum and hands on materials for both science and math will be distributed to all participants. This is the second of a series -- every six weeks there will be another. 2:00 to 5:30 pm Chabot Space & Science Center On-site registration Sponsored by Right From the Start; Chabot Space and Science Center, Peer Assistance Review, Oakland Unified School District.
Mini- conferences Hits! On Dec. 4, 2002, teachers gathered for the second Math and Science mini-conference. Teachers came to Simmons Middle School, where they attended teacher-led workshops, and were addressed by Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Assistant Superintendent Louise Waters also discussed the District's budget crisis with the group. On Oct. 16, two hundred math and
science teachers joined together at Chabot Space & Science
Center to learn from one another and from others about effective
techniques for our students. Teachers who attended workshops
received math manipulatives and hands-on science materials for
their classrooms. |
| Right
From the Start is a project of the Chabot
Space and Science Center, supported by grants from NSF,
the Pacific Bell Foundation Teacher Development Program and The San Francisco Foundation. |
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Last year's
Teachers
were excited to have a choice of seven different workshops in
the afternoon sessions. Experienced teacher Early Evans said,
"This is a new beginning for us." New teacher Jody
Savage said, " I use the CIF curriculum all the time. It
has been a lifesaver for me." Anthony Cody spoke to the
gathered teachers and looked forward, saying "Curriculum
is incredibly important, but curriculum doesn't teach students;
teachers teach students. Teachers teach students through a process
of creativity and spontaneous decision-making that is informed
by our experience and our opportunities to collaborate with one
another, to challenge one another, to question one another. My
vision is that as we have a shared curriculum, that gives the
basis upon which to dig deeper into our practice, to look beyond
the activities and into the practices and real troublesome questions
that we have, that can't be answered with a science kit, the
things that can only be solved by a dialogue between each other,
by active investigation.This mini-conference space is one we
can begin to use for that purpose as well. I am hoping that some
of you who are doing teacher research, some of you who may be
interested in exploring some of these issues, take advantage
of the opportunity to present, or even pull together a group
of people who might have similar questions." If you are
interested in leading such a session, email me at