An overview of the Teacher Leader development efforts of the MMSTLC, presented at the MSTA 2010 Annual Conference

1. Creating a New Generation
of Science Leaders
Presented at:
MSTA Annual Conference
March 2010
Presented by:
Mary Ann Sheline, Grand Valley State University
Walt Rathkamp, Saginaw Valley State University
Steve Best, University of Michigan
David LeClerc and Shannah Dutka, Southfield Schools

2. Overview of the Session
• Provide a background on and examples
from the development of the Michigan
Mathematics and Science Teacher
Leadership Collaborative
• Provide considerations for the development
and implementation of a teacher leader
program
• Examine considerations for developing a
professional learning network for science
educators

3. Background of the Project
• Statewide need for a new
generation of instructional leaders
• Statewide infrastructure to support
the project
• Statewide MSP Grant
• Experiences and resources of
partners

4. Goals of the MMSTLC
• Develop a cadre of teacher leaders with the
knowledge and skills to improve teaching and
learning in targeted high-needs schools
• Establish collaborative working relationships
among teacher leaders and other local and
statewide partners
• Improve mathematics and science learning of
students in schools
• Increase capacities of the Math/Science Centers
and Higher Education to sustain support for
teacher leadership around research and standards

5. Participants
• High needs schools
• Teacher Leaders
• Administrators
• Other teachers (later in the process)
• Math/Science Centers
• STEM faculty from Higher
Education Institutions

6. Levels of Action
• Local Team Development and
Partnerships
• Statewide Professional Development
• Networking Among Participants and
Other Stakeholders
• Resource Development for Local PD
• Dissemination of Resources and Ideas

7. Local Coordination and
Leadership Development
• Michigan’s Mathematics and
Science Center (MSC) Network
• MSC Centers Role in Fostering
Local Teacher Leadership
• Resources and Activities of Local
Teams (from the MSC)

8. Local Partnerships
• STEM Faculty
• Support Content Knowledge of Teacher Leader
• Collaborate with Teacher Leaders and MSCs to
Develop Content Specific Resources
• Liaison’s with Higher Education Institutions
• Local School Administrators
• Math / Science Centers
• Teacher Leaders

9. Local Leadership
Development
• Recruitment and Needs
Assessment
• Professional Development Plan for
Teacher Leaders
• Release Time for Teacher Leaders
• Semester Sabbatical
• Other Release Time Models

10. Examples of Leadership
Development Efforts
• Saginaw
(individual teacher sabbatical)
• Port Huron
(team of teachers with partial
sabbatical)
• Detroit and Oakland
(afterschool PLC and summer
program)

11. Statewide PD for Leaders
• Leadership Skill Development and
Awareness of Leadership Issues
• Strategic Planning for Local Teams
• Role-specific Sessions Addressing
Policy Issues and Networking
• Content and Pedagogy Issues for
Science Instruction

12. Leadership Topics
Team/General Issue Science Specific Support
Curriculum standards, design, Inquiry unit design/adaptation,
and policy issues review of curriculum resources
Assessment policy, types of Formative Assessment,
student data Student Science Test Data
Professional development Content and scientific process
facilitation and planning specific PD considerations
Leadership styles, team Content-based PD approaches,
classroom observation strategies,
dynamics, change and conflict
mentoring approaches, research
management findings on student learning and
instruction

13. Science Instruction Focus
• Inquiry Learning Process
• (Project Based Science Model - Krajcik, et al)
• Curriculum Resources from LeTUS and IQWST
• Student Designed Investigations
• Using Scientific Models
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Formative Assessment
• Writing and communication strategies in science
• Links to research on student learning and
instruction

14. Sample Activities for
Science Teacher Leaders
• Sample teaching activity to illustrate
common instructional issues and
observation strategies
• Collaborative investigations of science
phenomena with multiple variables
• Practice PD Design and Facilitation
• Book Study Groups
• Jigsaw analyses of curriculum
resources or readings on science ed.

15. Developing a Network
• All of the prior activities involve some level
of collaboration
• Among different schools/teams
• Among different roles
• Recognize the greatest need of PD:
networking and discussion with other teachers
• Encourage collaborations on other, non-
project related efforts
• Each task included the creation of some
artifacts that required discussion to focus
“on topic” and not stray

16. Design for Dissemination
• Teacher leaders and local teams need to
actually engage other teachers during the
project
• Statewide PD and local efforts focused on
creation of useful products and resources
that could be used with others
• Incorporated online discussion and other
communication tools for sharing ideas and
ongoing local support of teachers

17. Teacher Leaders in Action
• Shannah Dutka and David LeClerc
Southfield Public Schools teachers
Members of Cadre I of MMSTLC
• Leadership development
• Team activities
• What do teacher leaders do?

18. For More Information
• See the links on your handout
• Check out other sessions here:
• Web 2.0 in the Classroom: Collaborative Learning Tools
for Science (Saturday at 10am in Lansing Ctr 104)
• Investigate the State: Collaborating to Study Science
Issues in Michigan (Saturday at 11am in LC 104)
• Science Book Studies as Professional Learning
Communities (Saturday at 1pm in LC 202)
• Visit the MMSTLC Website:
http://mmstlc.net