Current Programs

The CATALyST Center has several programs in P-20 STEMM Education. Specifically, CATALyST engages in K-20 teacher and faculty professional development, K-12 instructional enrichment programs for students, recruitment of K-12 students into the teaching field, and whole-school reform efforts in science and mathematics education.


STEMM Explorers – beginning August 2008
The STEMM Explorers program in a highly interactive elementary and middle school science enrichment program delivered through distance learning technology (videoconferencing) to students across Ohio and other locations in the United States. The STEMM Explorers program was inspired by Bill Nye the Science Guy, yet designed to be fully interactive – as the Explorers guide students through discovery and investigation during each session. Look for the full listing of programming and scheduling here in late June, 2008.

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Involving Neighborhood Stakeholders in Partnerships to Reach Excellence (INSPiRE)
The INSPiRE program is currently being implemented at in Toledo Public Schools with Samuel M. Jones Middle School through funding from Owens Corning Foundation and the Toledo Community Foundation. This three-year program (2007-2010) is a sustained, collaborative, professional development program for science teachers to enable them to improve their science teaching effectiveness while developing a professional learning community and improving classroom and school climate.

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Toledo Urban Mathematics and Science Alliance Program (TUMSA)
The TUMSA program was funded (2007-08) through the Ohio Board of Regents, a Regents Summer Academy Program. TUMSA engaged fifty high school juniors and seniors from Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools in the Summer and Fall of 2007 in a science and mathematics teacher recruitment program which included dual-credit coursework in math and science, attending the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Detroit, live teleconferences with NASA, and a teaching methods course experience.

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Utah’s Improving Teacher Quality Program (UTQ)
The UTQ program is funded through an Institute of Education Sciences Teacher Quality Research in Mathematics and Science program grant. The UTQ research program involves the implementation of the Transformative Professional Development Model (Johnson & Marx, 2006) within middle schools in one urban district with over 50% Latino student and 70% disadvantaged student population.

Model of Transformative Professional Development (TPD) (Johnson & Marx, 2006)

Model of Transformative Professional Development (TPD) (Johnson & Marx, 2006)

The TPD model has the goal in the center “Transforming Urban Science Teaching and Learning”. The three main components of TPD are: whole school professional development on effective science teaching, positive classroom environments, and student and teacher relationships. Anticipated foci of each of the three components are listed as inputs to each component in the small circles. Unanticipated foci which emerged from teacher needs revealed in professional development sessions are shown in rectangles as inputs to each component. The three main anticipated outcomes from TPD are found in the three boxes which enclose the model on the outside perimeter.

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UT3 Teaching Fellows Program
This program is for faculty at the University of Toledo in scientific fields (including A&S science coursework, engineering, health science courses, pharmacy, etc.) who would like to learn more about student-centered instructional strategies through a professional learning community setting. The Teaching Fellows program is designed to improve teaching and learning in content courses that education majors take toward their teaching license (however applications from other departments/colleges will be considered). Participants attended the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Boston in April, 2008. Teaching Fellows will modify the syllabus for one course they will teach in Fall, 2008 to include new strategies learned in the experience which may include case studies, student responders, cooperative learning, or other engaging strategies for large lecture and laboratory classes.

The 2008 University of Toledo UT3 Teaching Fellows include:

Isabel Escobar, Chemical Engineering

Edith Kippenhan, Chemistry

Elyce Ervin, Kinesiology

Alice McAfee, Kinesiology

Sally Harmich, Biology

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UT3 Principal Leadership Seminar in Science and Mathematics
The purpose of this seminar is to provide school level administrators with an opportunity to enhance their instructional leadership skills in the areas of science and mathematics in urban schools while participating in collaborative professional learning communities. Relevant issues and research in leadership in science and mathematics will be investigated and teacher retention strategies will be emphasized. Participants will have hands-on experiences in inquiry learning in order to develop content-oriented coaching skills; an understanding of the standards in science and mathematics; and an idea of how the standards should be played out in actual classroom practice and how to enable teacher success. This seminar is supported through the UT3 grant, funded by the United States Department of Education). The principal leadership seminar is meant to provide strategies for working with building level mentors (current science and mathematics teachers) working with student teachers from UT in their building. It is also meant to provide strategies for recruiting and retaining science and mathematics teachers.

Goals:

1. Through participation in the seminar, participants will enhance and reinforce their leadership skills, including content specific strategies for use with science and mathematics teachers in urban schools.
2. Through participation in the seminar, participants will gain an understanding of the pedagogy of inquiry based science and mathematics and will be able to support this practice in their schools.
3. Through participation in the seminar, participants will gain strategies for improving the science and mathematics programs in their schools, including retention strategies for teachers.
4. Through participation in the seminar, participants will learn the value of collaborative work and will be better prepared to facilitate collaboration among teachers in their schools.