Ritchie Adlaon, an Exceptional Student Services and Physics teacher at Istrouma High School, has been selected as one of 21 high school Science teachers across the nation participating in NanoTeach, a new pilot program designed to help high school Science teachers obtain a clearer understanding of the basic concepts of nanotechnology and integrate these concepts into their existing curricula.
Adlaon, who was selected from a nationwide pool of more than 100 applicants, will spend two weeks in Denver this summer learning about the key concepts of nanotechnology and how they fit into current Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Physical Science standards.
The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and was designed by researchers at the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) in collaboration with the Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Research Center, the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network and the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility. The pilot program will be evaluated for effectiveness by Aspen Associates.
The NanoTeach project develops and tests professional development that combines an instructional design framework with nanoscale science content, using multiple delivery methods for high school Science teachers. The program will test both self-guided and facilitated professional development and study how a carefully designed framework can help teachers learn and share these lessons.
“Nanoscience and technology is an amazing area of science where we see scientists and engineers working across disciplines to better understand the unseen world with the potential to improve our world,” said McREL Senior Director John Ristvey, one of the principle investigators and key designers of the program. “NanoTeach will prepare high school science teachers to integrate cutting-edge science into their classrooms in a way that will deepen student understanding.”
For more information, visit http://www.mcrel.org/nanoteach/ or contact Bryan Goodwin at McREL at (303) 632-5602 or Adlaon at school, (225) 355-7701. McREL is a Denver-based, nationally recognized private and non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service.
