It is a form of continuing education, and it occurs with varying degrees in most school districts. A complex reform issue is that of changing assessment practices to determine student understanding and conceptual development. Traditionally, student learning in the science classroom has been assessed using multiple choice and short answer formats. While these formats provide information on students' fact acquisition, they are limited in their capability to assess deeper levels of understanding. By using alternative assessments to measure these competencies, teachers are better able to make informed instructional decisions as well as do a better job or assigning grades.
Planning is an essential ingredient for successful workshop presentations.
I don't know the first thing about giving a workshop. For many, it is one thing to have good ideas and something else to implement them in a successful workshop. An Eisenhower funded project served as a catalyst to spark collaboration among teachers and the community. These teachers more than doubled the amount of time they spent teaching science in their own classrooms, distinguished themselves as teacher leaders and role models for students, and established permanent new science programs in the Montebello Unified School District. Participants were required to evaluate each and every session they attended to provide presenters with feedback regarding the level of the handouts, the pace of the program, the relevance of topics being addressed, and more.