The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is recruiting Maryland high school science teachers from both public and private schools for its comprehensive 2012 professional development program in modern biology.
(NOTE: To be eligible, teachers must teach in a Maryland high school; teachers are NOT required to live in Maryland.)
Twenty-two Teacher Scholars will be selected to create a cooperative learning community. The scholars will receive instruction in three phases which provide a sustained professional development program aimed at expanding and fortifying their learning base in molecular and cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, evolutionary theory and laboratory skill development. This increased knowledge and skill base is very adaptable and can be immediately applied by the scholars to benefit their current and future high school students.
Funded by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for a seventh year, the Teacher Quality in Biology (TQB) Program at UMBC will help teachers become highly qualified in biology through face-to-face and online instruction with UMBC faculty. The program is intended to enhance each participant’s success in his or her own classroom. The laboratory workshop phase has been designed with exercises that can be easily repeated by participants in their own classrooms and function to reinforce knowledge in modern biology topics. An experienced education coordinator will help participants develop specific applications for course concepts and procedures.
THREE-PHASES of the TQB PROGRAM
PHASE I: Preparation Course - features eleven half-day Wednesday sessions
of instruction in current biology with supplemental online instruction
and meetings announced by course instructors.
UMBC will also offer a remote-access learning
experience to a selected group of applicants unable to commute to
our campus during Phase I. These select remote scholars will
participate in real-time through synchronized classroom interaction
using a computer and high-speed internet access*. The 2012
TQB sessions will be held Wednesday evenings from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on
the following dates:
February 15 (orientation**) 22, & 29, 2012
March 7, 14, & 28, 2012
April 11, 18, & 25, 2012, and
May 2 & 9, 2012
*If you are eligible for consideration for one of the limited remote-access positions, please contact the program office to verify you have the appropriate computer configuration specifications.
**ALL participants (including the
remote-access positions), must be participate in the first class
for orientation to be held on the UMBC campus.
Online meetings with the course instructors in the Blackboard Virtual Classroom will supplement the in-class training for all participants (remote and in-class scholars) and will be held during the Preparation Phase to provide additional opportunities to review course material, take online quizzes and reinforce course concepts.
The purpose of Phase I is to ensure all participants have a strong foundation in biology so as to gain a greater appreciation and understanding for the laboratory work to be done in the Phase II: "Hands-on" Summer Laboratory. Participants with a demonstrated strong foundation in biology may opt to test out of Phase I by completing the Phase I final exam with a grade of "B" or better. Participants who test out of Phase I are not eligible for Phase I attendance based stipend.
PHASE II: “Hands-On” Summer Laboratory Course - features comprehensive lectures and laboratory instruction during the activity-based, ten-day training held:
June 20 to July 3, 2012 (weekends excluded). Plus
any or all of July 5, 6 and 7 may be added ONLY if LEA's extend
the school year due to missed days.
Participants will have the opportunity to sequence
their own DNA and receive workshop instruction focused on the following
four laboratory procedures:
• DNA Protein Fingerprinting
• Protein Purification
• Bacterial Transformation
• Forensic DNA Analysis
PHASE III: 2012 Fall Meeting – tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 17, 2012.
The purpose of this meeting is to review the concepts, and provide feedback
on final projects of the TQB Teacher Scholars, as well as share lesson
plans based on program content.
IMPORTANT: A condition of acceptance into the program requires that teacher scholars agree to participate in a comprehensive formative and summative evaluation of this program and their own classroom use of the course content, which includes a self-evaluation and academic year classroom visit by the education coordinator. Self-evaluations must be completed and submitted to the UMBC Department of Biological Sciences by December 1, 2012.
FACILITIES
The majority of 2012 TQB Program activities including the “Hands-On” Laboratory Course will be held at the following location:
Department of Biological Sciences, UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle, BS Bldg.
Baltimore, Maryland 21250
BENEFITS
Participants who successfully complete all the program requirements will receive all books and materials, and earn the full stipend as well as up to three graduate credits in biology. The final grade and credit for Phase I will be posted at the end of the Spring 2012 and the final grade and credits for Phase II and III will be posted at the end of the Fall 2012 semester. Participants will have their entire tuition paid for by our grant.
Stipends
Teachers will receive attendance-based stipends of $150 for full-day and $75 for half-day participation in the TQB Program at UMBC, which may be supplemented by individual teacher’s
school systems. The stipend is paid in three increments. Twenty-five percent from the first each of two stipend installment payments is withheld until all program requirements are completed.
Total TQB Stipend Payment Possible:
Preparation Phase
11 half-day sessions @ $75.00
|
$825.00 |
Summer Laboratory Course:
10 full-days @ $ 150 |
$1,500.00 |
The fall meeting:
1 full day at $150 |
$150.00 |
Total possible TQB Stipend: $2475.00
* - 25% will be withheld and paid at the end only if TQB Program is completed
Course Materials
Participants will receive course textbooks and notebooks/manuals to support laboratory exercises that are filled with ideas for incorporating modern biology knowledge into the high school classroom.
Tuition
Because of the timing of the training and the program deadline date, each scholar will enroll for one graduate credit in summer 2012 and two graduate credits in Fall 2012. Tuition costs will be paid by UMBC through grant support funded by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Summer Housing
Campus housing will be provided at no cost to a limited number of participants
who live over 40 miles from UMBC and/or demonstrate need for this support.
Sponsorship
This course is supported by the Departments of Biological Sciences and Education
at UMBC and the Maryland Higher Education Commission through an Improving Teacher
Quality State Grant: Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund
Partnership Grant Program (Public Law 107-110 (No Child Left Behind Act of
2001)
For more information, contact the TQB Program Administrator, Jeffrey Jarosz at
(410) 455-8071
or by e-mail:
jaroszj@umbc.edu
