Neff Center Garners MSP Science Grant

The William N. Neff Center for Teacher Education and the Science Department at Emory & Henry College, in collaboration with the Southwest Virginia Public Education Consortium and sixteen high needs school divisions in Region 7, have been approved for funding for a $220,000 Mathematics and Science Partnership competitive grant through the United States Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Education.

The Contemporary Teaching of Science and the Nature of Science Grades K-5 will offer professional development through a combination of science classes at Emory & Henry College and collaboration activities to 40 K-5 classroom teachers in Region 7. Participating teachers will receive 6 college credits and professional development points through two intensive summer institutes and school year collaboration sessions which will include development of lessons,  sharing of those lessons via technology with Emory & Henry science faculty and fellow grant participants, and postings to the grant website.

Using a systemic approach to enrich the delivery of science in each school division, participants will return to their respective schools as resource teachers to facilitate content and inquiry-based professional training in science with the goal of meeting the needs and learning styles of all students. The grant will provide college-level coursework in physical and earth science with a pedagogical emphasis on inquiry-based instructional strategies and the nature of science using standards-based science materials. A capstone to the grant program will be a presentation by the grant participants of a region-wide “Celebration of Science” in spring 2013 for all teachers in the region, focusing on science content acquired during the grant college courses.

Dr. Doug Arnold will serve as project director.  Dr. Jim Warden and Dr. Sara Bier will teach the college coursework.