MIST Summer Teacher Workshops:
Funded by the National Science Foundation
Our Summer Workshops are designed to introduce high school and community college teachers to the structure and teaching strategies used in the Merit Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The main goal is to help teachers feel confident in implementing this new method in their own classrooms. In addition, we aim to introduce you to other teachers in your subject area to create a community of support where teachers can feel comfortable discussing Merit teaching methods, problems and successes. A description of the Merit Program along with evidence of its success will be given, however, the majority of the workshop time will be devoted to experiencing the Merit teaching style and giving teachers the opportunity to develop materials they can take back to their own institutions.
After a Summer Workshop experience, we continue to supply materials and support to the teachers as they develop and experiment with their own Merit Programs. We have two follow-up meetings (Fall & Spring) with the purpose of bringing the teachers back for additional support after they have had time to experiment with the Merit-style in their own classrooms. These meetings are indispensable as they allow us to reconnect with the teachers to discuss any concerns or obstacles they may be experiencing, answer questions and provide the teachers with an opportunity to share their own personal experiences with the Merit-Style in their classrooms. Financial Support for these follow-up meetings will be available.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign