Cerritos College News Releases -- July 2009

---

Teacher TRAC Hosts Middle School Summer Math/Science Academy

College Teams Up with CSULB and Norwalk-La Mirada USD

Cerritos College's award-winning teacher training program Teacher TRAC hosted middle school students from the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District in a Summer Math/Science Academy from June 22 to July 2.

Teacher TRAC partnered with California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District to offer the Academy to address both math/science preparation and increase the pipeline of qualified math and science teachers. 

For two weeks, 60 middle school GATE students in the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District attended the math and science curricular enrichment program.  The students participated in hand-on, interactive, inquiry based activities which aimed to strengthen their preparations and motivation to continue pursuing a background in math and/or science.

The Academy also offered an invaluable professional development opportunity for pre-service teachers, local teachers, and college professors.  Twelve Cerritos College prospective participated as assistant professors in the Academy.  Cerritos College prospective teachers worked alongside lead professors and facilitated small group explorations and labs. Professors for the Academy included six school district teachers and two Cerritos College faculty members. 

Some of the lead professors were Teacher TRAC graduates. Tami Francis, lead chemistry professor, just finished teaching her sixth year in Downey Unified School District and she also teaches EDEL 100 course at Cerritos College.

“My experience was ‘The Resort of teaching!’” said Francis. “Every part of the Academy experience was beneficial and exciting from a teacher's perspective. One of the important benefits to this camp was that the instructors were able to reflect and debrief daily about their teaching experiences.” 

“It’s great to see our graduates in action,” said Sue Parsons, director of Teacher TRAC. “And it’s a great opportunity for the current Teacher TRAC students to be able to work with and learn from the experienced graduates. It showcases the excellence of the program which revolves around generations of our students!”

The summer enrichment program was funded by the Teacher TRAC National Science Foundation Grant and the CSULB Math Science Teacher Initiative. The initiative addresses the need to close the achievement gap in math and science by creating new credential pathways.

“The technical nature of today’s workplace and the global economy that drives it demand more mathematically and scientifically literate workers,” said Parsons. “Yet, California faces a critical shortage of fully credentialed and qualified mathematics and science teachers. With the Academy, we were able to address the essential role K-12 teachers play in improving their students’ math and science competency.”

At the end, students did a sweet exothermic reaction experiment of making ice cream with ice and rock salt. After almost freezing their hands shaking the freezer bags containing ice and ice cream mixture, the students enjoyed the delightful reward for completing the two-week program.

Cerritos College partner with CSULB to provide dedicated, talented individuals to the field of K-12 education. As a student in the integrated, standards-based Teacher TRAC / CSULB program, students can earn their bachelor's degree and multiple subject teaching credentials and complete their student teaching within four years.

More information on Teacher TRAC is available at www.teachertrac.com or at 562.860.2451 ext.2212.

###

The Campus Connection, July 27, 2009