Saugus Iron Works PBU

SIW leaders please review the list of all Grade 5 teachers in your building so we can determine how many PBU User Guide Booklets need to be distributed to your school. Also kindly verify the names and position for all grade 5 teachers and the # of students in each grade 5 classroom. Email: rsimpson@malden.mec.edu.

User Guide Distribution List

-Thanks

Robert Simpson and Diane Schilder presented results from last year's SIW PBU implementation to a combined meeting of Malden Public School principals and curriculum directors on Tuesday, January 24th. Summary follows;
Teacher Learning Center Background

• Funded through federal grant funds 1999-present
  
• Hypothesis: Effective integration of curriculum and technology would result in student achievement gains.
  
• Teachers collaborate to build web-based PBUs
  

My Role (Simpson) as Teacher Learning Center Director

• Collaborate with district administrators, University faculty, and TRITEC partners to build curriculum/technology model
  
• Support teacher's acquisition of 21st century skills
  
• Disseminate student achievement results
  

Are we on the right track?
>these ideas are acting upon our world...
1. Flattening Malden Public Schools
Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat" is a good narrative on what he terms a "flattening of the World" due to 10 major events. > MPS teachers and students live in a global world.
2. The rise of the professional cyber athlete
60 minutes segment on how today's young people are more likely to look to video gaming for community and for role models.
3. Push toward one-to-one laptop initiative [MA DOE report PDF]
If MA moves in this direction, our success in PBU training and implementation means that the MPS environment could significantly benefit from the program.

What can we conclude from the SIW data?
Diane Schilder discussed how 2004/05 data were collected and analyzed and the impact on fifth grade science achievement.
Download One-page Evaluation Brief [PDF] or [FLASH].

Ferryway grade 5 teachers working on the HP Technology Teaching Grant have created a survey to assess student background knowledge around technology use and SIW PBU science content. All teachers planning to implement the SIW PBU should administer the survey to their students prior to beginning implementation. The survey download includes teacher instructions and the student survey. Return all surveys to Bob Simpson at the Ferryway School.

Download survey: Student Survey [PDF] or Student Survey [FLASH].

The SIW team announces the publication of the Saugus Iron Works Content Evaluation Rubric. Teachers can use the SIW content rubric to assess student learning outcomes when using the SIW PBU. The rubric should be used as an evaluation guide to determine the integration of district curriculum (content)standards through the suggested student performance levels and relative weighting factors. Special thanks to Margie Briatico, Doreen Girard, Paul Texiera, and Toni Perna for their work on the rubric.
Download SIW Content Rubric: Adobe PDFor FLASH