Summer school is in for math and science teachers
By Rome Newswire Staff Reports on Jun 21, 2012 with Comments 0
Summer is here and school is out for students. However, summer is not all fun and vacation time for classroom teachers. During June and July, 174 Floyd County teachers will participate in training to improve math and science instruction in the classroom. The extra teacher training is made possible through the second year of the school system’s Math Science Partnership (MSP) Grant.
The teachers will participate in three weeks of intense training that will provide them with the opportunity to learn new teaching strategies and deepen their content knowledge in math and science. The teacher-training sessions will be held at Berry College and at Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy. The teachers will complete their first week of training on Friday, and the second week will be held next Monday through Friday, June 25-29. Teachers will take a short break and participate in the final week of training July 9-13. The program has grown from last summer when 155 teachers participated.
A critical component in securing the competitive grant is the requirement for strong community partnerships between the school system and area post-secondary Institutions. Floyd County Schools partnered with Berry College and Shorter University to apply for the grant and received a $674,747 to provide professional learning workshops this summer and during the 2012-13 school year.
This is in addition to the $598,810 grant that was awarded for the 2011-12 school year. The school system’s partnerships with Berry College and Shorter University have expanded as a result of the educational institutions’ cooperation in the program. During this past school year, Shorter University’s Dr. Sandra Leslie, Dr. Diana Swanagan, Dr. Gary Ross, Dr. Wayne Sanders, Dr. Barbara Knox, and Dr. Jean Rhoades led professional learning communities made up of local school teachers who met throughout the year.
This summer, Dr. Eric McDowell, Dr. Jill Cochran, Dr. Ron Taylor, Dr. Mike Morgan, Dr. Chris Hall and Dr. Todd Timberlake from Berry College and Shorter University’s Diane Swanagan will work with teachers to provide hands-on learning experiences in math and science. Danny Lowrance, from Gordon County Schools, and Mrs. Irina Keith, from Calhoun City Schools, will be presenters throughout the 3 weeks of training.
Local educators who will be sharing their knowledge this summer to help improve math and science instruction include: Allison Burkhalter, instructor at the Teacher Academy at Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy; Suzette Davis, teacher at Glenwood Primary; Robbie Vincent, instructional coach at Cave Spring Elementary; Teri Pendley, teacher at Garden Lakes Elementary; Michelle Clay, teacher at McHenry Primary; Aimee Hays, assistant principal at Pepperell Primary; Dr. Suzie Henderson, assistant principal at Pepperell Elementary; Lynne Andrews, assistant principal at Coosa Middle School; Jennifer Greer, a math teacher at Model High School; and Renee Mixon from Northwest Georgia RESA.
