This free two-day workshop is to assist community college faculty in preparing future teachers in science education. NASA Earth and space scientists and educators share authentic inquiry activities, data, and resources related to key topics from the national science standards. The NACCTEP pre-conference institute in 2010 will include a focus on NASA Earth science data and the theme of climate change. Participants receive a $300 stipend.

• Explore standards-based concepts using authentic inquiry.

• Discuss current science research with NASA scientists.

• Identify ways to address Earth and space science misconceptions.

• Explore collaboration plans with colleagues.

For additional information please click here.

Dear NACCTEP Members:

Welcome to the new academic year and all the challenges and rewards ahead. To our new members, welcome to the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs, which will be facing those challenges and enjoying those rewards with you.

Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible. A generation without enough teachers means a following generation without enough engineers, artists, doctors, dancers, technicians… and teachers.

Dear NACCTEP Members,

Welcome back to another exciting and productive year. I would like thank each of you for your commitment to NACCTEP.  The current economic recession has impacted our colleges in many different ways. Some colleges have had budgets and resources drastically reduced. Others are seeing skyrocketing enrollments and are struggling to meet student demands.

Ladies and Gentleman-start your engines! If you are preparing for a dynamic 2009-2010 academic year and you want to bring innovation to your classes with new teaching techniques, especially for your future teachers, Sharon L. Bowman, a very well received 2009 NACCTEP national conference keynote in Reno, Nevada offers plenty of TREMENDOUS ideas on her website, www.bowperson.com. The following are examples of the many outstanding techniques that are sure to start your year with a memorable beginning!

In March 1998, supported by the National Science Foundation, a group of faculty, administrators, and students from two-year and four-year colleges convened in the nation’s capitol to discuss the role of two-year colleges in the preparation of teachers. Their goal was to develop a set of recommendations that would guide all those directly and indirectly involved with this critical activity. The report which resulted from their work, Investing in Tomorrow’s Teachers: The Integral Role of Two-Year Colleges in the Science and Mathematics Preparation of Teachers, helped improve the education of teachers for the next decade.

Dr. Carole Berotte Joseph, President of Massachusetts Bay Community College and current President of the NACCTEP, has selected MassBay sophomore Rachel Bradley to serve as this year’s NACCTEP Student Board Member.

Rachel Bradley’s favorite work of children’s literature is The Little engine That Could. The same “I think I can” spirit inherent in this classic book can be seen in the aspiring child educator’s career at MassBay. In addition to carrying an ambitious course load, Bradley has served as co-president of the MassBay Education Club for two years and been an active participant in such early education-oriented events as this year’s conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Washington D.C.

Among Bradley’s goals during her year as a NACCTEP student board member: developing a survey that will examine teacher education programs in NACCTEP schools around the nation and participating in two important board meetings. The first will occur in the fall in Washington, D.C. and the second prior to the national, multi-day annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland.  Bradley’s position will also allow her to attend the meetings of the MassBay Board of Trustees, where she will have an insider’s view of the operations of the school and its policy-making body. Bradley is also hoping that her year as a NACCTEP board member will help develop her public speaking skills.

As is the case with so many students at MassBay, Bradley’s community college experience has inspired her to continue her education after she graduates. She plans to earn a BA in childhood education from Wheelock College, and envisions herself five years from now pursuing a master’s degree while “working with children in a job that I love.”
For those interested in a career in her field, Rachel Bradley has the following advice:  “First and foremost, you need to be respectful of children, and really enjoy being with them -- not just watching over them.”  That’s the credo she will be spreading in her year as the NACCTEP Student Board Member.

The Education Department at South Texas College (STC) experienced a 65 percent growth rate in the 2008-2009 school year and is forecasted to see another 30 percent in 2009-2010. The department has three Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degrees, EC-6 Generalist, Middle School 4-8 Generalist, and Grades 8-12; and an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree, Instructional Teaching Assistant. Currently, the Education Department has over 1,100 majors working toward an AAT degree and seven full-time faculty to serve students. The graduating class of May 2009 included over 400 Education Majors applying for their AAT degree. Transfer institutions of higher education are the University of Texas-Pan American, University of Texas at Brownsville, Texas A&M University -Kingsville, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and Texas A&M University-Laredo.

MyMoon is a dynamic website created for the Net Generation, by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI). MyMoon puts students and young professionals in the driver’s seat; through this portal visitors can share their artistic and scientific creations and insights about the Moon. The website itself is presented in a format appealing to this often-overlooked demographic; the homepage resembles a building that might be seen on any street corner in any urban setting, with links to lunar science exhibits, missions, galleries, data, and information disguised as posters and flyers. Along with these permanent components, MyMoon shares opportunities for users to be more directly involved in NASA’s return to the Moon. MyMoon utilizes social media venues such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr to host art and music contests, discussion forums, and webcasts with scientists, engineers, and artists. Faculty can use MyMoon in a variety of ways. Encourage your students to learn about the Moon in a format appealing to their age group. Hone their photographic, artistic, and writing skills through participation in MyMoon contests, such as the recent challenge to photograph an image of the Moon capturing some aspect of the character of their neighborhood. Visit the growing, changing MyMoon website at www.lpi.usra.edu/mymoon. 

The Maricopa County Community College District and Educational Impact are proud to present Teaching Strategies to Supercharge Your College Classroom. This online faculty development program provides faculty members with an understanding of the teaching strategies needed to be a successful college instructor.

Many college instructors are experts in their field, but lack an understanding of the teaching strategies and techniques needed to be successful in a college classroom. This program provides faculty members with a laundry list of researched-based teaching strategies that engage students and improve learning outcomes. Learn how to develop a syllabus, set up a cohesive lesson plan, and choose the right type of assessment. Hear how active learning strategies can increase student engagement – then watch real college instructors in action as they use these strategies in actual college classrooms. This program will give college faculty the confidence they need to engage students (both face to face and online) and supercharge their college classroom!

Program Highlights:

• Hear from real college instructors.
• Gain a basic understanding of adult teaching and learning theory.
• Watch instructors implement techniques in actual college classrooms.
• Obtain helpful hand-outs and web links.
• Motivate students to engage in your subject and relate to the content on a personal level.

Program Content:

• Module 1, Creating Effective Learning Environments, provides an introduction of teaching from the heart and engaging students in the learning process.
• Module 2, Designing an Effective Learning Process, covers the logistics of classroom management based on the biology of memory and learning. Topics include developing a syllabus, lesson planning, learning outcomes and objectives, chunking content, and encouraging higher learning based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.
• Module 3, Building Community Through Active Learning, discusses the value of active learning in a college classroom, the changing role of faculty, and specific active learning strategies.
• Module 4, Assessment, reviews the use of rubrics, and formative, authentic and summative assessment methods.

NACCTEP is a supporting partner of this project.

Pricing: $50.00 per user with a purchase of a 20 license minimum. Discounts are available on volume purchasing.

For more information, see the attached flyer and visit www.educationalimpact.com.