1. Formalized Mentoring as a Component of Teacher Research Experiences Lessons from the TEA Program

2. Mentoring as the Multiplier Effect: Or how does the professional experience of one teacher inform the teaching practices of a multiple of teachers? This talk aims to disseminate the TEA Program’s experiences with its peer mentoring component

3.  What is the TEA Program? Goals of and Brief History Teachers Experiencing Antarctica & the Arctic Immerse teachers in a research experience as a component of their continuing professional development Inform teaching practices through research experience; science investigations in classrooms should model the real process of science Bring polar research into classrooms in engaging and innovative ways to underscore the relevance of science to society Build on the research experience to establish a growing, collaborative Polar Learning Community of teachers, students, administrators, researchers, and the public

4.  Strategies employed by TEA ãCollaborative Approach to Mentoring ãMentoring Resource Groups ãFace to Face Meetings ãBuilding connections to other research experience programs  What Challenges faced the Program? ãTEA Mentoring Requirement 3 peers at 140hours of face to face time each ãLearning Community creation of a Polar Learning Community

5. Mentoring Programs: Are a Vital Component of Learning Communities Learning Communities: Are the Key to Realizing Impact of and Sustaining Professional Development

6. “Moving out of classroom isolation to share ideas with peers in a supportive group fosters a sense of professionalism among teachers.” Source: Ideas that Work: Science Professional Development Learning Communities: key to realizing desired impact of and sustaining professional development

7. Mentoring Resource Groups TEA’s Missing Piece Foster community by providing a structure for:  Strategizing solutions to challenges  Participants to discuss their experiences with a group of peers  Ensuring continuity within the developing community  Sharing ideas for transfer to classroom

8. “I am so glad that the MRGs were instituted. It brings the TEA Community together in intimate circles where ideas and concerns can be freely shared. It keeps a connection going long past the initial stage where we can grow and develop as ambassadors of polar learning.”

10. Participating in a Mentoring Resource Group is helpful to me as I work to meet the post-field TEA Program requirement of mentoring 3 peers

11. Sustaining the Learning Community: Connecting with other Research Experience Programs ARMADA TREC

12. Connections to ARMADA

13.  Isle of Shoals Marine Lab TEA Regional Workshop May 2005  NSTA Convention March/April 2005

14. Connecting Arctic/Antarctic Researchers and Educators  Seeks to establish a broader learning community  Teachers and scientists working to bring polar research into classrooms

15. Goal: Inform teaching practices to model the process of science

16.  Successful mentoring does increase the impact of the research experience  Support mechanisms that foster discussion about science content and teaching pedagogy will strengthen community  Mentoring is an important component of a learning community TEA Program’s Perspective:  Mentoring requirements need to focus on outcomes (not just # of hours) and be realistic

17. Mentoring Mentoring A teacher’s perspective Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic A TEA participant is expected to mentor 3 teachers for 140 hour each. Find teachers Create a plan

18. Goals Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic Support Best teaching practice Polar activities Outreach POLAR BEARS Positive opportunities learning about regions, basic experimentation, and research skills

19. Mentoring activities Attended conferences/workshops/classes Developed & shared inquiry activities Worked with other TEA teams & PIs Wrote & submitted proposals and more…. Network Research and content knowledge Change of teaching approach Confidence and more… Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic Outcomes

20. TEA: A Researcher’s Reflections Work closely with the teacher - researcher as teacher/mentor/colleague. Shannon Graham and MOJ toast TEA at 34 Mile Pond (Shannons’s Pond). Marge Porter measures as MOJ leans at 35.8 Mile Pond. Discuss expectations and responsibilities beforehand - avoid shocks and surprises. Give the teacher responsibility as a valued and integral member of the research team. Treat the teacher as a professional who can make an intellectual contribution. Researcher as student, teacher as mentor - be ready and willing to learn from the teacher. Visit your teacher at school, observe the teacher teaching and do some teaching yourself. Provide data and materials, write a paper, attend a conference together. Research experiences can be a rich and rewarding professional development experiences for both researcher and teacher, leading to lifelong learning, collaboration and friendship. Continue to collaborate, repeat research experience. Martin O. Jeffries, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, martin.jeffries@gi.alaska.edu

21. The Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic Program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education in the Directorate of Education and Human Resources and the Office of Polar Programs. TEA is facilitated by the University of Rhode Island’s Office of Marine Programs, the American Museum of Natural History, the Cold Regions, Research, and Engineering Laboratory, and Rice University.