1. Mentoring Teachings through Professional Learning Communities
Dave Henry, SUNY Buffalo State
Michael Belling, Williamsville East High School

2. The takeaway:
The U.S. teacher shortage can be solved if we can lower the teacher attrition rate from 8% to 4%
There are teachers who seek a professional community and professional growth that they do not get that from their schools or school community. We need to provide real professional opportunities for these teachers.

3. Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance (WNYPTA)
New York Master Teacher Program (NYMTP)
Lessons Learned from Two Different Teacher Communities

4. Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance
1997-present
Saturday Mornings, September – June
We meet in physics lab at SUNY Buffalo State
Average of 49 teachers attend at least one meeting each year,
130 different teachers have attended since 2010
Equal mix of veteran, mid-career and newer physics teachers

5. WNYPTA Average Attendance by Month (2010-17)

6. Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance
Typical Schedule:
8:30-9:15: Social
9:15: Announcements (jobs, upcoming events), sharing of teaching ideas, demonstrations
9:30 – 10:30: main presentation or activity
10:30: second activity / make & take
A majority of the meetings include some kind of Make & Take
Many meetings have an invited presenter.

7. Western New York Physics Teachers Alliance
Dan MacIsaac (SUNY Buffalo State) and Dave Henry are co-directors
organize the yearly schedule and most meeting agendas
Dan runs the List Serve
Send meeting notices, certify PD hours
Make coffee
Most meeting activities come directly from the teachers themselves.
Make & Take ideas come from teachers and we help with materials and organizing.

8. The WNYPTA Mafia

9. WNYPTA 2016-17 selected topics/speakers
Shadowgrams and Schlerien Imaging
Buffalo Public School: Refugees and STEM teaching
Physics of Radio Controlled Flight
Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance
Physics Olympics
Electric & Magnetic Fields
Planetarium Meeting
Praxair Global Analytics and R&D Productivity

10. WNYPTA Survey (n=33) 70% of respondents have attended this year
88% said WNYPTA changes the way they teach
90% said they come to WNYPTA meetings to network with other teachers
93% said that they share what they learned at WNYPTA with colleagues
100% agreed that they continue working on ideas and strategies from WNYPTA

11. WNYPTA Sample Comments
It’s really a great program. I love the opportunity to develop concepts and share ideas with other physics teachers outside my district.
Getting large whiteboards into the classroom is the one of the most important things WNYPTA has done for local physics teachers. They have changed they way I teach.
Physics teaching is often a solitary position in a school. WNYPTA allows me to see other teaching ideas and methods and to share my own practices. It provides a community of other teachers who I can contact with any questions I may have.

12. WNYPTA Survey Comments
WNYPTA provides far more useful PD than anything my school district provides for me. WNYPTA is subject-specific and designed by teachers who are actually in the trenches using materials with their students. The PD is not just a one- day dog and pony show, it is a career-long search for growth and improvement.
The yearly Physics Olympics is an absolutely outstanding contribution that WNYPTA makes to students. Even if it only did the Physics Olympics, it would still be a very worthy organization.

13. Each year, the WNYPTA teachers organize and run a Physics Olympics Competition for ~150 middle and High School Students
3 events
Free t-shirt
Pizza Lunch & Physics Fête

14. Physics Olympics Video:

15. Video was imagined, directed, and produced by Michael Belling

16. WNYPTA: Lessons Learned
Remember that the teachers come primarily for the networking.
A great planned agenda is nice, but not required. It is OK to have some “Open Space” meetings where the agenda is emergent.
Funding is minimal, but nice.
Open attendance rules are important
We rarely require RSVP
Come when you can come, leave if it isn’t interesting to you
Contribute when you can

17. WNYPTA Lesson Learned
Be reliable: Having a regular schedule, set in advance, year- to-year, sustains our membership.
Two facilitators is critical.
Conclusion: a College-based program run by college faculty provides the most stability.

18. New York Master Teacher Program www.suny.edu/masterteacher/
In 2013 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the NYS Master Teacher Program with these goals:
Reward the state's highest performing STEM teachers
Ensure the best and brightest to stay in education
Encourage the state's best teachers to share their expertise with peers.

19. New York Master Teacher Program www.suny.edu/masterteacher/
$15,000
50 hours
Rigorous selection process
~40% acceptance
~700 Master Teachers in nine cohorts across NY.
103 teachers in WNY cohort

20. New York Master Teacher Program www.suny.edu/masterteacher/
The Master Teacher Program professional development primarily comes from the Master Teachers themselves.
Professional Learning Teams: WNY has 17 active PLTs
Cohort meetings: Monthly, whole-group meetings to build community and work across disciplines.

21. New York Master Teacher Program www.suny.edu/masterteacher/
“We come into the PLT meeting exhausted from a long day of teaching, but at the end of the meeting, all of us are totally reenergized and excited to try out new things the next day.” The number one benefit the master teachers say they get from the program is to spend time with teachers who are like themselves. Teachers who are interested in, and willing to work at, improving their teaching.

22. Lessons Learned from both programs:
There are teachers who seek a professional community and professional growth that they do not get that from their schools or school community. We need to provide real professional opportunities for these teachers.

23. Questions & Discussion
Dave Henry

24. an AP Physics Professional Learning Team
Michael Belling

25. Who’s in our PLT 12 members 4 are not Master Teachers (33%) Non-Master

26. AP Experience Valuable resource to new AP teachers Classroom visit
Fewer than
3 years

27. Classroom visit video:

28. What we teach 6 teach AP mechanics C
NY Regents
Physics
Only
6 teach AP mechanics C
1 teaches AP mechanics C and E&M C
2 teach AP course 1 and/or 2
1 teaches college physics
All members teach NY Regents physics (regular high school physics)
2 teach only NY Regents physics
AP 1 & 2

29. What we do
Meet monthly at 5:00 PM at Buffalo State, or a member’s classroom
Eat
Share ideas – especially labs
Pose questions
Share resources
Set next meeting’s agenda

30. a Meeting: AP PLT meeting video: https://youtu.be/hJOighb4U1I

31. Questions and discussion
Michael Belling