Check the QuarkNet and other center Web sites for projects, suggestions, and examples of institutes held in past years. At some centers, lead teachers visited local schools. One center found that participants in other NSF-funded teacher programs were good resources for contacts in the local region. Other good resources included local AAPT and other professional teacher organizations. Plan and start recruitment as early in the school year as possible, but no later than January of the year you want to hold an Institute.
Many teachers make plans for the summer during that time.
Planning the Institutes Planning an Institute requires significant lead time and many collaborative meetings with lead teachers worked closely with their mentors. Plan to meet at least three-five times over the course of the school year prior to implementing an institute. The strategy of dividing responsibilities works best when mentors and lead teachers actively discuss and review each others's plans before conducting the Institute. Invite feedback from potential associate teachers wherever possible. Meeting diverse needs of participants Knowing the associate teachers' backgrounds enables lead teachers and mentors to better target institute activities to meet the needs of the participants.