Improving the teaching and learning of science and math in Las Vegas Valley middle schools is the goal of a new $860,000 grant awarded by the Nevada State Department of Education to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the Clark County School District (CCSD). The grant will fund a new three-year project, titled "Project MIST" (an acronym for Mathematics Integrated with Science Using Technology).
"Project MIST attempts to capitalize on the important role that classroom teachers play in the intellectual development of students by further developing their understanding of science and science teaching," said Kent Crippen, UNLV associate professor of curriculum and instruction. "The project does that by engaging teachers in the process of developing and using research to better understand their students, curriculum, and instructional practices."
Teams of CCSD teachers from grades five through eight will increase their content knowledge of science and math during an intensive two-week summer institute hosted by UNLV's Center for Math and Science Education. Participants will supplement their summer experience at the institute with a graduate-level course at UNLV in the fall, during which they will develop an "action research project" based on MIST principles. Those teachers will then implement their project in their CCSD classrooms during the spring semester. The success of the project will be evaluated by documenting changes in knowledge, dispositions, skills, and behaviors in both teachers and students.
The ultimate goals of the project are to reform teacher practice, improve content knowledge for both teachers and students, and to develop a professional learning community. Teachers who successfully complete the MIST program will make significant progress toward obtaining "highly qualified" status. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all states and school districts to develop a plan to ensure that all public elementary, middle and secondary school teachers who are teaching in core academic subjects meet the requirements of a "highly qualified" teacher.
Project MIST is based on another highly successful program, called Project PASS, which focuses primarily on the scientific literacy and pedagogy of CCSD high school teachers. To date, more than 200 CCSD high school teachers have participated in the PASS program. Results of the project, which is unique to Southern Nevada, have been presented nationally and published in leading journals, such as the "Journal of Science Teacher Education."
Principal investigators on the project include Kent Crippen, UNLV associate professor of curriculum and instruction; MaryKay Orgill, UNLV assistant professor of chemistry; David Miller, CCSD K-12 science and health coordinator; and Lynn Trell, CCSD mathematics coordinator.
UNLV's Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMSE) was created in 2004 as a collaborative venture between faculty from the UNLV College of Sciences, UNLV College of Education, and the Curriculum and Professional Development Division of the Clark County School District. As its primary mission, the Center is dedicated to improving both the teaching and learning of science and mathematics through externally funded research and professional development opportunities.
