About MAIS SMART

Project Overview

Project Summary

Goals of the Project

Project Purpose

Operational Definitions

Target Population / Region to be Served

Standards

Project AERO Standards

USA National Science Education Standards

USA National Mathematics Standards

USA National English Language Arts Standards

SMART Leadership for Teachers

K-3 Estoril, Portugal

3-6 Paris, France

1-6 Portugal Inquiry

Activities

SmartPLAN Models

Activity / Lesson Links

Family Activities in
Science and Technology (FAST Pacs)

Reference

Science / Math School Resource Suppliers

SMART References

Contact Us

Contact Information

SMART Leadership for Teachers

I. Estoril, Portugal
A multiple-strand leadership program for MAIS teachers of Early Childhood to Grade 3 was presented as a Pre-Conference during the annual fall MAIS 2004 Conference in Estoril, Portugal. Included as topics were a project overview, model science/math activities and related children’s literature, FAST Pac construction and utilization, plus school leadership strategies, staff development opportunities, and assessment techniques.

A. Program Agenda
  9:30 Welcome, Program Overview, Introductions, Leadership
10:00 Constructivist Teaching: Trees are Terrific! (Book- Trees are Terrific!)
10:30 Round-robin Science/Math Process Stations
(Two of each station is set up. Participants work in pairs to read the Task Cards, spending no more than 15 minutes/station. They complete the Task Cards/Data Sheets and Science/Math Process Analysis Sheets. Participants should complete 4 to 6 stations.)

  1-11 Foil Boats
  2-12 Drops on a Penny
  3-13 Reaction Time
  4-14 Button Sort
  5-15 Body Parts
  6-16 K-NEX
  7-17 Bubbles
  8-18 Pendulums
  9-19 Magnetic Fields
10-20 Probability
11:30 Discuss Round-robins and staff development; Identify process skills

12:00 Lunch

12:45 Color Water Wheels (Book - Mousepaint)
  1:15 Teddy Bears in the Den (Book - Primarily Bears)
  1:45 Floating Fruit
  2:15 Frog Math (Book - The Frog Alphabet Book)
  2:45 Break
  3:00 Shape Search
  3:30 Wiggle Worms (Book - Gummy Candy Counting Book)
  4:00 Fast Pacs (Books - Who Sank the Boat?, What Makes a Magnet?)
  4:45 Home School Implementation, Summary, and Evaluation
  5:00 Close

MAIS teacher leaders were encouraged to participate in related science/math presentations scheduled throughout the conference. Topics included Inquiry, Investigation, Design Technology, Use of Tangrams as Teaching Tools, Improving EC/K-6 Science Programs, Science Songs and Math Tunes for Learning and Teaching, Electronic Bug Collecting, Crime-lab Science, and Integrating Science, Math, and Geography.

Instructors for Project SMART included Dr. Ken Mechling, Dr. Vickie Harry, Dr. Bruce Smith, Amy K. Mechling, and Dussie Mechling - all of Clarion, Pennsylvania.


B. Estoril, Portugal 2004 SMART Project Participants
The following school leaders were participants in the joint MAIS Pre-Conference held in Estoril, Portugal on November 4, 2004. Participants included K-3 teachers in the MAIS Science and Mathematics Activities for Region Teachers (Project SMART) combined with Grades 3 to 6 teachers in the MAIS Inquiry, Investigation, and Design Technology Project (Project Inquiry). A total of 22 teachers participated, representing 10 international schools from 7 countries.
 

C. Estoril, Portugal 2004 MAIS Project SMART Participants in Action
Twenty-two (22) teacher leaders from 10 different MAIS schools in 7 countries participated in the MAIS Pre-Conference on November 4, 2004 in Estoril, Portugal. The sessions began with introductions and a program overview by Dr. Ken Mechling. Participants were quickly engaged in a tree growth activity called "Reading the Rings" from a book Trees Are Terrific. Dr. Bruce Smith led the group in a lively mystery of interpreting tree growth from the study of annual rings. Dr. Smith modeled and explained constructivist teaching and its benefits for children’s learning. Next, Dr. Vickie Harry explained a "round robin" activity that had been previously set up in an adjoining room. There were 10 pairs of math-science-children’s literature activities, ranging from sorting buttons to constructing pendulums. All included science and mathematics content information plus varying science/math process skills. Some included related children’s books. Participants were challenged to engage in the activity that was described on a Task Sheet and, particularly, to analyze and describe the science/math skills inherent in it. After about an hour, in which teachers did 4 to 6 different activities, Dr. Harry drew the group together to discuss the science/math process skills they had teased out of the activities-skills including observing, classifying/sorting, predicting, measuring, designing investigations, formulating and testing hypotheses, and so forth. During the afternoon session, Dr. Harry and Dr. Smith focused on combined mathematics and science activities appropriately keyed to the Early Childhood/ Kindergarten to Grade 3 levels. These activities included Teddy Bears in the Den, Frog Math, Wiggle Worms, and others, plus Fast Pacs which focused on science/math activities like boat building and magnetism. In all cases, participating teachers received appropriate references, children’s books, and science supplies for use in their own classrooms.

Following are photos of participants engaged in various science experiences:
 

Modeling constructivist teaching strategies, Dr. Bruce Smith challenges participants to "read" annual rings from cross-section samples of deciduous trees.

All participants received the tree samples (called tree cookies) to observe with magnifying lenses, then describe and discuss their observations and inferences.

Carla and Lynn observe and discuss tree cookies...counting rings, distinguishing between spring and summer wood, and cross-dating specimens.

Ted compares samples from two different trees.

SMART Leadership for Teachers - K-3 Estoril, Portugal - Page 2 ->