UD summer programs help teachers enhance their skills

As teachers in Delaware's public schools head back to their classrooms this fall, more than 1,000 of them will have spent the summer honing their skills in professional development courses at the University of Delaware.

"We offer a wide range of courses during the summer sessions and try to cover as many areas as possible," said Carol Vukelich, the L. Sandra and Bruce L. Hammonds Professor in Teacher Education and director of the University's Delaware Center for Teacher Education. "There were lots of opportunities this summer for teachers to do a variety of interesting work."

Teachers were able to enroll in courses to build their knowledge in various content areas and to improve their instructional skills. Participants in specialized institutes worked in such subject areas as reading and writing, developing workshops they will lead during the school year to share some of their best teaching strategies with their peers. In addition, some teachers pursued master's and doctoral degrees during the summer, while others attended a program to learn effective uses of technology in their classrooms. The Delaware Academy of School Leadership also met during the summer, helping school principals and prospective principals enhance their administrative skills.

Professional development programs for teachers also are offered during the academic year. In addition, many programs that begin with a summer course extend into the school year, with follow-up sessions as teachers get a chance to try out the instructional methods they learned during the summer and give and receive feedback.

Vukelich noted that the statewide student achievement standards, implemented by the Delaware Department of Education in 1995, now have been in use long enough for UD courses to incorporate what educators have learned about meeting those goals. "We certainly use the state standards to help us determine our course content," she said.

The University of Delaware makes a significant investment in the continuing professional development of Delaware teachers, according to Dan Rich, Acting Provost. Teachers and instructional aides working in Delaware public schools attend the University tuition free. This summer, 1,037 made use of that benefit–approximately the same number as during the previous summer. In recent years, the state has contributed $590,300 annually to the University to cover part of the tuition for in-service professional development courses for teachers–covering less than half the actual costs. During the last fiscal year, for example, UD incurred tuition expenses of nearly $1.2 million for the teachers who took such courses in the summer and during the school year.

"The University of Delaware is proud to be the state's largest provider of qualified teachers" Rich said, "and equally proud to be the higher education leader in professional development opportunities for practicing Delaware teachers. These investments reflect our continuing commitment to support K-12 educational improvement."

One consideration this summer, Vukelich said, was the increased demand among Delaware school districts for qualified summer-school teachers. This increase occurred because 2002 was the first summer in which students in certain grades who scored poorly on state standardized tests were required to attend summer classes. As a result, the University scheduled more of its professional development classes late in the day, to ensure that teachers who wanted to work in summer school would be available to do so.

In addition to regular undergraduate and graduate courses, teachers this summer had a number of special programs in which they could enroll. Those included:

Delaware Writing Project. The state's best writing teachers, selected for their track records of innovation and success, met full time for five weeks in the summer to develop workshops, each highlighting a particular teaching method. During the school year, these "teacher-consultants" present the workshops as requested by schools and districts throughout Delaware.

Delaware Reading Project–In a similar, "teachers teaching teachers" program, participants in an intensive summer institute developed workshops designed to improve reading instruction and will begin presenting them this fall.

Preventing Reading Failures–A new course this summer focused on helping teachers learn strategies for early literacy. Participants attended class and then taught summer school using the techniques they had learned and videotaping their instruction for later critiquing. The teachers will attend follow-up sessions this fall to continue sharing and refining their experiences.

Delaware Social Studies Education Project--The project held a summer institute for elementary teachers, "Teaching to the Standards," that emphasized building the participants' knowledge base in economics, geography, history and civics. The teachers developed model lesson plans, which they will implement in their classrooms this fall and then post on a web site for their colleagues to use.

Discovery-based Learning in Math and Science–The UD Mathematics and Science Education Resource Center has been targeting hands-on methods of teaching math to students from kindergarten through 12th grade and science to middle and high school students. Experienced classroom teachers have helped develop model lessons for selected science topics and have worked with groups of their fellow teachers during the school year to help them implement these new methods. Math teachers are studying exemplary teaching methods and curricula.

Summer Institute in Educational and Assistive Technology–The University's Office of Educational Technology offers numerous professional development programs for the state's schools, including the popular summer institute. Courses, which often fill within minutes of the opening of online registration in the spring, include such topics as computer productivity tools for teachers, technology in elementary and middle school math instruction and using the Internet for curriculum applications.

Delaware Academy for School Leadership–The academy provides a series of professional development opportunities designed to help administrators sharpen their leadership skills, particularly in the critical areas that have an impact on meeting the state standards for students, teachers and schools.

Institute in Teaching Limited English Proficient Children--This intensive course, offered each summer since 1986 by UD professor of linguistics Louis A. Arena, is open to Delaware teachers and administrators with classrooms that include students whose first language is not English. This year, 41 educators attended the course, which was taught in Dover to accommodate participants statewide.

ANN MANSER