Goals

The goals of the Phase 2 Wipro SEF project are:

• Goal 1: Math and science teachers will collaborate to choose NGSS science practices and Common Core mathematical practices and determine methods to harmonize the practices in math and science courses in middle and high school.
• Goal 2: Fellows will create lessons/units that include complementary science and mathematical practices for use in math and science courses.
• Goal 3: The project will disseminate these lessons via a repository that is available to all Wipro fellows and teachers outside the Wipro project. This repository may be in the form of a website.

These goals will be achieved by creating a corps of experienced math and science teacher leaders The Missouri Wipro Science Education Fellowship will help teachers in three areas of professional growth. 

1. Thinking about teaching: Fellows engage in research-based, structured inquiry into their own teaching and growth, focusing on the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices and Common Core Mathematical Practices.
2. Educational Leadership: Fellows identify opportunities to take leadership roles within their districts.
3. Lesson Plans: Fellows identify and pursue opportunities to collaborate among math and science teachers and create lesson plans that can be used widely.

Activities for Fellows in the two-year program, Cohort 6 (2024-26)

Project activities are designed to focus on professional development in the areas of instruction, reflective practice, adult learning, and leadership. Teachers will work in small groups of math and science teachers, with the primary goal of achieving complementarity in math and science practices at the elementary middle school and high school levels. District science, math and curriculum coordinators will help inform and support these activities. Year 1 activities are set up in a collaborative format across and among districts. Year 2 activities are primarily within the district, with meetings that help disseminate information among districts.

YEAR ONE: TEACHING MATH AND SCIENCE IN A COMPLEMENTARY MANNER

Monthly Meetings: During year one, all Fellows gather as a group at MU once per month. Some meetings will occur at MU’s Columbia campus and others may take place online. Meetings will be held on weekday evenings. Meals are provided. A detailed schedule will be provided to fellows mid-summer.

Collaborative Coaching and Learning of Science and Math (CCLS) Groups: Small groups of teachers will work in vertically and horizontally aligned CCLS groups as well as individually to improve your classroom practice while setting and meeting personal and professional development goals. Each group will choose a specific pair of math and science practices on which they will focus their attention that semester and will choose a research article on which to base their work.

CCLS groups will share recordings of their teaching in the classroom, reflect on science content, pedagogy, and how to improve teaching math and science in a complementary manner. The small groups determine their own schedules, courses of study, and the lessons they will be taping and observing. Fellows will create lessons that approach math and science in a complementary manner.

YEAR TWO: CREATING COMPLEMENTARY MATH AND SCIENCE LESSONS FOR USE IN WIPRO PROJECT SCHOOLS

Based on the lessons learned in Year 1, math and science teachers will collaborate and create lessons that can be used in their schools as well as in other Wipro project schools. They will share these lessons, help publish them on a project-created website, and provide professional development for their peers.

Activities for K-5 Fellows in the one-year program, joining Cohort 5 (2024-25)

K-5 Fellows will work in groups as well as individually to improve classroom practice while setting and meeting personal and professional development goals. They will collaborate with year 2 middle and high school Wipro SEF Cohort 5 Fellows and among their elementary school cohort on teaching math and science in a complementary manner.
Collaborative work will include:

• Developing relationships with fellows across math and science content areas, grade levels, and districts.
• Collaborating with middle and high school Wipro SEF fellows on one to three chosen topics, with the goal of implementing learning in elementary classrooms.
• Creating math and science lessons that complement math and science practices.
• Presenting work at Wipro and other conferences.