Middle and high school teachers attend summer school at MSOE
| Published: 06/19/2010 |
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More than 100 middle and high school teachers from around the state of Wisconsin are immersing themselves in intensive training at Milwaukee School of Engineering. The teachers will spend the next two weeks learning the curriculum for Project Lead The Way (PLTW) classes they will teach at their respective middle and high schools next year. An additional 100 teachers will attend training in August at MSOE.
Master teachers and affiliate professors who bring hands-on teaching experience to the classroom will be leading the PLTW teacher training classes. MSOE pays significant attention to assessing the teachers' readiness for the intensive two-week training. Other professional development opportunities are provided for school counselors and administrators as they implement and expand the PLTW program in their schools.
MSOE is the National Affiliate University for PLTW in Wisconsin, has been involved in the program since 2004. The Kern Family Foundation is a major proponent of the program. MSOE will offer six courses during two summer sessions, lasting 10 days each.
PLTW (http://www.pltw.org/) is a national program that uses a hands-on approach to learning which shows students how math and science integrates into real life. The program touches a wide array of students, many of whom normally wouldn't have considered engineering or a technical field. PLTW prepares students to be the most innovative and productive leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
FAST FACTS
- 28,000 students were enrolled in PLTW courses in Wisconsin last school year.
- 257 program implementations are currently underway in the Wisconsin PLTW network.
- Wisconsin is the fifth largest state in the union in terms of the number of school who have adopted the PLTW curriculum.
- 204 teachers will be provided curriculum-specific training this summer in preparation for expanding the number of PLTW offerings during the 2010-2011 school year.
- MSOE is the fourth largest training site in the nation for the PLTW program with a cumulative total of 732 teachers trained over the last six years.
- 409 high school students were issued MSOE transcripted undergraduate credit for successfully completing their PLTW course work during the 2009-2010 school year.
- PLTW works. When surveyed, 80% of the high school seniors in the program indicated their primary area of study after high school would be in engineering, technology or computer science.
- PLTW courses attract a much more diverse population than engineering programs in colleges and universities.
MSOE is an independent university with 2,600 students. MSOE offers 17 bachelor's degrees and 10 master's degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, architectural engineering and building construction, computer, business, nursing and health-related fields. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; and extremely high placement rates and starting salaries. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.