NEWS

School is out for summer, and committed and passionate science educators are focused on using the time to learn more about instructional practices and curricular materials to better serve their students in the next academic year.

Webster Parish’s middle school teachers are engaging in professional development sessions courtesy of a partnership with Louisiana Tech University’s Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC).

The open-source curriculum OpenSciEd incorporates easy to get and use instructional materials to improve educators’ approach to research-based instruction strategies. Louisiana is one of 10 states engaged in the field test program for OpenSciEd, and the local program is facilitated by Diane Madden, SciTEC Associate Director.

“The OpenSciEd curriculum is based on phenomena and builds understanding through coherent storylines,” Madden said. “I enjoy working with the teachers and providing the guidance they need to be prepared to deliver the curriculum to their students.”

In addition to face-to-face delivery of the curricular materials through partnerships like that of the Webster parish effort, university leaders are currently working in with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Coursera, and BetaFlix to expand the options and opportunities for delivery of the curriculum through augmented and virtual reality.

“If pending proposals are selected for funding, we look forward to bringing the enhanced instructional materials and technologies to even more teachers and learners in Louisiana and the other nine OpenSciEd partner states,” said Dr. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Associate Dean for Research, Outreach and Innovation in the College of Education.