TEA Collaborative Learning Group
Overview of Plan

Caldwell

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Team Members:
1. Jeremy Newman (Biology and Physiology) 2. John Bell (Global Science) 3. Christine and Rob Funk (Biology and Elementary, respectively)

What is your role within your team?
As mentor, it is my role to establish meeting times, provide curriculum and data, and to facilitate implementation of the research in their classrooms.

What professional growth goals do you and your team members hope to reach through this partnership?
I hope to achieve a productive relationship that will make it easier for my mentees to complete their requirements. I hope they will access my site while I'm in the field and will incorporate my experience into their curriculum.

How will you and your team reflect on these goals and on learning and classroom practice (e.g., pedagogy, the use of technology, content, the process of science)?
Each classroom is equipped with a computer that can access the TEA site. I will encourage my mentees to access this and contact researchers whose research parallels their curriculum. Colorado Science Standard 1 focuses on the process of science. Students will be introduced to how professional scientists use the same techniques that they do in the lab.

Mentoring Plan (Revised from Orientation)

As a TEA parcticipant, we are required to enlist the association of at least three other teachers.  These teachers are obligated to contribute 140 hours of mentoring time toward the transfer of polar research in their classrooms.   Let me state my preliminary ideas for my mentoring proposal:

Cooperating Teachers:
1. Jeremy Newman (Biology and Physiology)
2. John Bell (Global Science)
3. Christine and Rob Funk (Biology and Elementary, respectively)

Optimum Situation:
Since all of us (except Rob) work within the same department, we should be able to meet at lunch at least once a week. A cross curriculum project is in development that would reward teachers with credit that will focus on implementing polar research in curriculum. We would meet at least once a month to discuss possible curriculum and applications of polar science.  

This mentoring would continue during the time I am in Antarctica.  One project I?m proposing to Jeremy Newman is the idea of graphing my vital signs for his Physiology class throughout the next two years.  I would send him data via e-mail and updates on external conditions.  This same type of project could be done in John Bell's class where weather, climate, and environmental data are sent to a Global Science class.  The class could graph the data, but also correlate with real-time satellite data from the web.  Chris and Rob Funk could study acclimatization to Antarctic conditions by a variety of organisms through images and anecdotal information.  Chris also mentioned wanting to do a unit on conditions that "plague the earth" for her International Baccalaureate students.

One outcome of this process will be the development of tangible polar activities.  These can be compiled in a notebook for possible future publication or use by the TEA program.  These activities will be adaptable for use by elementary and secondary teachers alike.

In addition to district funding or credit for this development, a portion of the stipend will be distributed among my team.  I hope to have at least four members in case one cannot meet the commitment over the next three years.  At the next in-service, I will make an announcement about TEA and my involvement, inviting other teachers to join me in sharing this research in their classrooms.  This kind of announcement will also be made through the district?s newsletters and in my meteorite class at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  Any interested teachers in my district or museum will be encouraged to parcticipate.