Author Archives: Robin Mara

The Legacies of the League of Nations

Annie Calloway, Literacy, Olde Providence Elementary School

Final Unit (pdf)  Implementing Teaching Standards (pdf)

read more »

Math in the Gym?

Benjamin Lewis, K-5, Physical Education, Barnette Elementary School

Final Unit (pdf)   Implementing Common Core Standards (pdf)

read more »

CTI’s Exploding Canons: NUEVOlution Event Oct. 27 Focuses on Latinos in the New South

8.5_11nuevolution_FINAL_9-30-15

Charlotte Teachers Institute to Explore Latinos in the New South

Levine Museum of the New South joins CTI to present Exploding Canons Speakers Program

Charlotte – Oct. 7, 2015 – The southeastern U.S. is now the nation’s fastest growing Latino region, with many historians calling this cultural shift the South’s biggest post-Civil Rights story. To better understand this powerful transformation, Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) joins Levine Museum of the New South in exploring the impacts of Latinos on the New South and of the New South on Latinos, in CTI’s Exploding Canons interdisciplinary speakers program.

The event will be from 5:15 – 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Levine Museum, 200 E. 7th St., Charlotte.

“Levine Museum is delighted to partner with Charlotte Teachers Institute to explore the growth and influence of Latinos in Charlotte and across the South,” said Emily Zimmern, President, Levine Museum of the New South.  “We deeply value CTI’s engagement with teachers, professors, students, community members and business leaders around questions of identity and change among Latinos.  What a great way to encourage our community to think differently about who we are.”

CTI’s Exploding Canons: ¡NUEVOlution! is centered on the Museum’s new, groundbreaking exhibition: ¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South, opening Sept. 27.

“This new Exploding Canons event supports the Levine’s goal of bringing together diverse groups to promote deeper understanding and community building,” said CTI Director Scott Gartlan. Gartlan said Exploding Canons talks aim to challenge participants to think differently about a selected topic, and consider multiple perspectives. CTI’s ¡NUEVOlution! speakers panel, representing Davidson College, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte and Levine Museum, will frame the story of Latino impact using a variety of liberal arts lenses and lived experiences.

The Oct. 27 program is open to the public without charge and includes admission to the Levine’s ¡NUEVOlution! exhibition. REGISTER HERE.

Featured topics and speakers include:

  • Charlotte: America’s New Immigrant Gateway Model – Owen Furuseth, Associate Provost and Professor of Geography, UNC Charlotte
  • Cultural Geographies, Gender, and Chicana Memory: Amalia Mesa-Bains – Magdalena Maiz-Peña, Professor of Hispanic Studies/Latin American Studies, Davidson College
  • De Aquí y de Allá: Creando Identidad en el Nuevo Sur – Oliver Merino, Latino New South Coordinator, Levine Museum of the New South
  • Latina Finds Inspiration In The Queen City: Race, Language, and Cultural Literacy – Kurma Murrain, English as Second Language Teacher, West Charlotte High School
  • The Train Has Left the Station: You’d Better Climb on Board – Gregory Weeks, Chair and Professor of Political Science, UNC Charlotte

Local organizations representing the Latino community will host information booths about their programs and services during the opening reception at 5:15 p.m., and speaker presentations follow at 6:30 p.m. Nancy Gutierrez, Dean of UNC Charlotte’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, will moderate the speakers panel and follow-up discussion. Afterward, the museum galleries will reopen until 9:00 pm.

CTI’s Exploding Canons: !NUEVOlution! program is made possible by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council and Levine Museum of the New South. The opening reception is hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and WDAV Public Radio is a media partner.

About the Charlotte Teachers Institute

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is an educational partnership among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte that works to improve teaching in Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools. CTI cultivates content-knowledge, creativity, leadership skills and collaboration within and among Charlotte’s public school teachers. Programs include long-term seminars and special events for teachers, as well as community presentations.

CTI’s flagship speakers series Exploding Canons draws on the strengths of CTI’s partners to offer collaborative educational opportunities for teachers and the general public that highlight university and college faculty, explore diverse topics in an interdisciplinary manner, and encourage community conversation.

Currently, 96 CMS teachers in grades preK-12 are enrolled in eight, multidisciplinary seminars that began in the spring and continue until December, where teachers are creating new curriculum units for their students. These curriculum units generate learning beyond each teacher’s classroom, as the final units are shared with teachers’ school colleagues and are also published on the CTI website, providing access to teachers worldwide.

CTI is made possible by a joint commitment of resources from all three Institute partners and through the generosity of private funding institutions such as Wells Fargo, the Belk Foundation, Duke Energy, and the Charlotte Hornets Foundation. The Institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

For more information, contact CTI Executive Director Scott Gartlan, 704-687-0078, info@charlotteteachers.org.

Our Community: Charlotte — History Channels Who We Are Today!

Rosa Bockian, Third Grade, Collinswood Language Academy

Final Unit (PDF)     Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)

read more »

CTI Welcomes 2015 Cohort of 104 CMS Teachers

Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) welcomed its new cohort of 104 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teachers into its innovative, interdisciplinary seminars for 2015. “This year’s CTI Fellows represent the wide range of teachers in CMS, from new to veteran, kindergarten to 12th grade, and physics to interior design,” said CTI Director Scott Gartlan. “We continue to create significant growth opportunities for teacher leaders looking to deepen their knowledge base and impact the lives of their students.”

CTI’s eight concurrent seminars began with an orientation at Discovery Place in April and will run through November. CTI seminars are led by faculty experts in the arts and sciences, including four from Davidson College and four from UNC Charlotte. Seminars meet on those campuses and also at the Discovery Place Education Studio.

In each seminar, 13 CMS teachers (CTI Fellows) and a faculty leader work closely together in exploring a topic, long term and in depth, with each teacher creating new curriculum designed for his or her own students as a culminating project. CTI Fellows receive full access to both Davidson College and UNC Charlotte resources, as well as family memberships to Discovery Place. Upon completion each Fellow is awarded a $1,500 stipend and continuing education credits.

The 2015 CTI seminars and seminar leaders include:

About Charlotte Teachers Institute

Through seminars led by UNC Charlotte and Davidson College faculty, CMS teachers learn new content, work collaboratively with other teachers, and develop new curricula for their students. Teachers serve as leaders in the institute and choose seminar topics they deem most important and engaging for current CMS teachers and their students. To date, more than 300 CMS teachers have participated in 44 CTI seminars, reaching more than 62,600 students.

In addition to its eight intensive annual seminars, CTI presents special events open to all teachers including “Evening for Educators” and “Teachers as Scholars” where CTI Fellows share the new curriculum they have developed in their seminars. CTI also offers community programs open to the public such as the popular “Exploding Canons” cultural collaboration series. In 2013 CTI and its partners were recognized by the Council of Great City Schools with the Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award.

CTI programs are made possible by a joint commitment of resources from CMS, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte and through the generosity of private funding institutions such as the Wells Fargo Foundation, The Belk Foundation, The Duke Energy Foundation, Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation and Lowe’s Home Improvement. The institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

The full list of 2015 CTI Fellows by seminar includes:

Exercise and the Brain

  • Cassandra Black, First Grade, Ashley Park PreK-8
  • Jeanne Cooper, Science, Mallard Creek HS
  • Tracie Cooper, Fourth Grade, Hidden Valley ES
  • DeNise Gerst, Science, Barringer Academic Center
  • David Hartzell, Literacy, Shamrock Gardens ES
  • Deb Jung, Media Skills, Winding Springs Elementary
  • Amethyst Klein, Science, Winterfield ES
  • Aaron Kollar, Math, Piedmont Open IB MS
  • Benji Lewis, Fifth Grade, Grand Oak ES
  • Molly McCarthy, Language Arts, Piedmont Open IB MS
  • Lauren McNeil, Special Education, Lebanon Road ES
  • Ted Miracle, Fifth Grade, Grand Oak ES
  • Leslie Paytes, Math, Crestdale MS

What Makes a Nation?

  • Jennifer Anderson, Language Arts, James Martin MS
  • Brad Baker, History, W.A. Hough HS
  • Annie Calloway, Literacy, Olde Providence ES
  • Calen Clifton, Social Studies, Martin Luther King, Jr. MS
  • Alexandra Edwards, Social Studies, Bailey MS
  • Michele Lemere, English, Garinger HS
  • Lisa Modrow, Social Studies, Bailey MS
  • Rob Pinkston, Interior Design, W.A. Hough HS
  • Bridget Robinson, History, W.A. Hough HS
  • Heather Simpson, Grades 1-3, Chantilly Montessori
  • Mark Surratt, Fourth Grade, Providence Spring ES
  • Alan Vitale, History, East Mecklenburg HS
  • Katie Willett, English, Independence HS

The Origins of Human Language

  • KaraAnne Boneillo, Fourth Grade, Reedy Creek ES
  • Melinda Clunn, Language Arts, McClintock MS
  • Adriana Hart, Kindergarten, Collinswood Language Academy
  • Allen Jacobi, Language Arts, Northwest School of the Arts
  • Matt Kelly, Spanish, Independence HS
  • Melanie Kirschner, First Grade, Albemarle Road ES
  • Tabitha Miller, Kindergarten, Collinswood Language Academy
  • Sedana Noble, First Grade, Reedy Creek ES
  • Nicole Nesbitt, Science, Albemarle Road MS
  • Margaux Saenz, Fourth Grade, Oaklawn Language Academy
  • Seon Sloley-Posey, Fourth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
  • Rochelle Stanley, English, Garinger HS
  • Elizabeth Young, English as a Second Language, Lebanon Road ES

Fundamentals of Mathematics: Problem Solving and Process Standards

  • Lisa Ashworth, Fifth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
  • Michael Butler, Fifth Grade, Elon Park ES
  • Dennis Fox, Math/Science, Turning Point Academy
  • Gilberto Franco, Math, Collinswood Language Academy
  • Miesha Gadsden, Second Grade, J.H. Gunn ES
  • Katelyn Gardepe, Fifth Grade, David Cox Road ES
  • Connie George, Math, Quail Hollow MS
  • Kimberly Lipscomb, Fourth Grade, Highland Creek ES
  • Mindy Passe, Fifth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
  • Joanne Rowe, Math, Northwest School of the Arts
  • Stephen Salisbury, Kindergarten, Crown Point ES
  • Meg Shuman, Fourth Grade, Barringer Academic Center
  • Rima Solh, Math, Eastway MS

Peace Education: Psychological Factors that Endorse War

  • Heather Almaraz, Fifth Grade, Lebanon Road ES
  • Angela Bates, History, CATO Middle College HS
  • Gloria Brinkman, Visual Art, North Mecklenburg HS
  • Albertia Burgess, English, West Charlotte HS
  • Melanie Greely, Grades 4-6, Chantilly Montessori
  • Cheryl Hanley, Language Arts, McClintock MS
  • Sarah Korenyik, Language Arts, Northwest School of the Arts
  • Jennifer Ladanyi, Language Arts, Bailey MS
  • Michael Richards, Social Studies, Bailey MS
  • Megan Shellenberger, English, W.A. Hough HS
  • Roshan Varghese, History, Butler HS
  • Deborah Watson, Visual Art, Hopewell HS
  • Christopher Williams, English, East Mecklenburg HS

Integrating Concepts in Life Sciences

  • Chrystal Cavanagh, Science, Morehead STEM Academy
  • Alicia Gaj, Science, McClintock MS
  • Rochelle Gray, Biology, Mallard Creek HS
  • Tavia Highsmith, Language Arts, Albemarle Road MS
  • Julie McConnell, Biology, W.A. Hough HS
  • Adora Reid, Science, James Martin MS
  • Ericka Riddle, Biology, East Mecklenburg HS
  • Julie Ruziska Tiddy, Science, Carmel MS
  • Deb Semmler, Physics, East Mecklenburg HS
  • Sandie Spraggins, Technology, Irwin Academic Center
  • Kimberly Terrell, Fifth Grade, Steele Creek ES
  • Jennifer Thompson, Science, James Martin MS
  • Connie Wood, Biology, East Mecklenburg HS

Africa: Moving Beyond Popular Culture

  • Lara Britain, Social Studies, James Martin MS
  • Justine Busto, English as a Second Language, East Mecklenburg HS
  • Nikki Dingle, Science, Coulwood MS
  • Ian Joyce, Social Studies, Eastway MS
  • Beth Lasure, Visual Art, Mallard Creek HS
  • Ebone’ Lockett, English, West Mecklenburg HS
  • Wendy Potter, Family/Consumer Science, David Butler HS
  • Pam Shembo, Fifth Grade, Waddell Language Academy
  • Jackie Smith, Science, W.A. Hough HS
  • Merrie Smith, Third Grade, Shamrock Gardens ES
  • Darrmetacia Winston, Family/Consumer Science, Olympic HS School
  • Lana Withrow, Music, Barringer Academic Center
  • Sade Wright, Third Grade, Barringer Academic Center

Supernatural Figures in Theatre, Film and the Brain

  • Tabitha Albury, English, North Mecklenburg HS
  • Christine Beau-Antoine, Language Arts, Lincoln Heights Academy
  • Angela Boyce-Thornton, Kindergarten, Ashley Park Pre K-8
  • Mawuena Dabla, French, Harding University HS
  • Jennifer Dalesandro, Third Grade, Bain ES
  • Nikki Guevara, First Grade, Bain ES
  • Kristen Karazsia, English, West Mecklenburg HS
  • Stephanie Misko, English, W.A. Hough HS
  • Silvia Monsalve-Velazquez, First Grade, Oaklawn Language Academy
  • Noelle Peerey, Visual Art, Hopewell HS
  • Kelley Shelley, Visual Art, Butler HS
  • Teresa Strohl, Visual Art, Barringer Academic Center
  • Amy Thomas, First Grade, Reedy Creek ES

 

CTI Announces 2015 Local Seminars for CMS Teachers

2015 CTI Seminar Leaders are looking forward to the year ahead in CTI. Pictured (left to right) are: Mark Pizzato, Rick Gay, Barbara Lom, Chris Paradise, Malcolm Campbell, Ron Lunsford, Shelley Rigger, Harold Reiter and Beth Whitaker.
2015 CTI Seminar Leaders are looking forward to the year ahead in CTI. Pictured (left to right) are: Mark Pizzato, Rick Gay, Barbara Lom, Chris Paradise, Malcolm Campbell, Ron Lunsford, Shelley Rigger, Harold Reiter and Beth Whitaker.

Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) has announced eight new intensive 2015 local seminars featuring a wide variety of content areas for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teachers at all grade levels (preK-12). Interested CMS teachers can meet the seminar leaders and learn about seminar topics and the application process at the CTI Local Open House on Thursday, Feb. 26, 5:30-7:30 pm, at UNC Charlotte Center City in uptown Charlotte. The application deadline is Mar. 18. Online applications will open in mid-February.

CTI’s 2015 seminars include these intriguing topics led by faculty from Davidson College and UNC Charlotte:

Full-time CMS teachers are eligible to apply to become CTI Fellows who collaborate with higher education faculty in these long term seminars to develop innovative curriculum for CTI Fellows’ own students. Seminars begin in April and continue through November, including a summer reading and research period. CTI Fellows receive a $1500 stipend and three continuing education credits for their curriculum development work.

CTI is an educational partnership of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Davidson College and UNC Charlotte, designed to strengthen teaching in CMS by cultivating content knowledge, creativity, leadership skills and collaboration among local public school teachers.

For more information, contact CTI at info@charlotteteachers.org.

CTI Lauded by Educational and Cultural Leaders

CTI was honored to be lauded by two outstanding Charlotte educational and cultural leaders at CTI’s Fellows’ Finale celebration December 11 at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. For the text of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Acting Superintendent Ann Clark and Bechtler Museum President and CEO John Boyer please read on …

CMS Acting Superintendent Ann Clark:

“It was almost 10 years ago when a letter came from Yale about this extraordinary opportunity for teachers to actually lead and own the professional development for their district, and I thought immediately of Jeff. And Beth was an amazing teacher that I’ve actually had the privilege of watching teach. (Jeff Joyce and Beth Lasure are founding teacher leaders in CTI.) I asked if they would be willing to go spend a couple of weeks at Yale in the summer? And that’s how CTI got started. What I continue to say to anybody that ever asks me about CTI, is it is the most extraordinary opportunity for teachers to be in charge – which is what it should be. Teachers should be in charge. And so it has been fun for me to watch.… people that were really a part of the birth of this amazing teacher empowerment and leadership opportunity who are now leading (CTI), how are part of the Yale planning team. It’s been equally thrilling to see our partners with Davidson College and UNC Charlotte come together and I’m hoping we will continue to expand that network so we can offer more and more seminars and really open this up to touch more teachers which is really what I want to challenge those of you in the audience tonight with. We need to continue to make sure more teachers in CMS get this experience. We can’t send everyone to Yale but we certainly can create opportunities here in Mecklenburg County for more teachers to have the experience you’ve just had over the last semester. And so I really want to push you. We’re going to be opening up CTI I hope to even more schools or all schools. I’ve really pushed the teacher advisory team to realize that we really need every school and teachers within the district to see that this is a possibility for them. I was talking to one of the amazing teachers right before we walked in about how we create more teacher leadership opportunities within CMS. CTI is absolutely the beacon opportunity for teachers. But we need you to help us think about other ways beyond CTI that we can create those teacher leadership roles so that teachers in this district and coming into this district see ways that they can lead and remain in the classroom. Or lead and stay in the schoolhouse to share their magic with other teachers. And so I really want to push you to think about how that’s possible, but more importantly to think about who you can tap on the shoulder, help with an application this spring, to allow more teachers that have never had this experience to have it. I think it is the deepest, richest, most profound professional development that I’m aware of in the country. I would say that with great confidence to Jeff Joyce and Beth Lasure. That’s not possible without teacher leaders, without seminar leaders, without our higher ed partners, without Scott Gartlan, and amazing corporate partners that sponsor us, and people like John Boyer that see the possibilities of a humanities rich experience. What Jeff and Beth taught me is that, particularly for our secondary teachers but I would argue for pre-K all the way through twelfth grade, is our teachers are hungry for content. You’ve got the strategies. You’ve got the tools in most cases. But what you are really hungry for is going really, really deep in the content. I think we’ve delivered on that. But you’ve got to keep helping us make this program better, and helping it reach more teachers, because I believe, we have 9,000 teachers – it would certainly be my hope that anybody among those 9,000 that wanted the opportunity and was willing to put in the effort that you have – this is not easy professional development – I think you would all nod your heads and agree. This is a very different kind of professional development experience. At the end of the line you look back on it and it is worth it. But this is not a professional development experience for everyone, and I’m clear about that. But I know each one of you knows a teacher that’s ready for this opportunity so let’s make sure next time we convene in a year that we see new faces. And that many of you are now leading, or helping facilitate, or moving into the advisory role. There are opportunities for those here to continue to grow as well, and of course to continue to have seminar opportunities. This is too amazing an experience to be restricted to a small group of teachers. So help us build that network and help pass the baton on to others and look for ways that you can lead more deeply with CTI. And I will continue to be your number one champion. And I really want to salute John (Boyer) in particular. I feel like we all just got a mini amazing lecture in the few minutes he was here at the podium in terms of really saluting teachers, which is what I want to do as well. I never want to miss an opportunity to say thank you for the work you do. It is a privilege to lead and serve with you, and I welcome your ideas about how we can grow CTI larger while protecting the incredible quality and the richness of what you do. So thanks to Scott for his leadership. Thanks to all of you at a busy time of year for making this commitment to come here and celebrate. One of the things that really thrills me as I look around this room is the number of principals that are here supporting their teachers. That wasn’t the case 10 years ago. And so I give our teachers credit for helping their principals understand what an important experience this is. And so it is exciting for me to see the principals that are here to support their teachers tonight. So thank you.

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art President and CEO John Boyer:

“This program is one of our most favorite of all the different things we do at the Museum. One of the main reasons is because it was our first. We started our public outreach within the school system in the fall of 09 and we didn’t open to the public until Jan of 2010. CTI was woven early on into the fabric of the institution, the way we think about ourselves and the role we can play in the community. We have so much to learn from you, and that’s another reason why we do this.” Boyer lauded the interdiscliplinary aspect of CTI. “What’s so beautiful about teaching, is that you have them (students) for this brief window and yet it can make all the difference… The general public needs to have a much higher level of engagement and respect for the important work that you do.” Quoting Epictetus: “Only the educated are free.” “….The work you do is so fundamental to all of our freedom – as a city, as a county, as a nation, as citizens. All of that is predicated on what you do. So thank you. We look forward to working with you in the future as many years as you do what you do. We want to be there to support you any way we can.”

98 CTI Fellows Honored at 2014 Fellows’ Finale Celebration

Congratulations to CTI’s 2014 CTI Fellows! We were thrilled to honor 98 CMS teachers for their outstanding work in 2014 CTI seminars at CTI’s Fellows’ Finale celebration Dec. 11 at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

This year’s CTI Fellows include 35 elementary, 27 middle and 36 high school teachers, representing 45 CMS schools and a wide range of content areas from science, math and technology to history, social studies, English, languages, music, art and more. For fun facts, consider this: together they have taught for 986 years and plan on teaching 1,532 more; together they will teach 15,144 students during the next 12 months.

CTI Fellows were saluted by Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Director John Boyer and CMS Acting Superintendent Ann Clark during the festivities. Clark heralded CTI as “absolutely the beacon opportunity for teachers.” The texts of their comments are available on the CTI website.

New curriculum units created by CTI Fellows will be posted on the CTI website in February.

This was CTI’s sixth annual cohort of CTI Fellows. To date CTI has offered a total of 44 long-term professional development seminars for 313 CMS teachers, with 40 CTI National Fellows also participating in seminars at Yale University.

2015 Yale National Summer Intensive Seminars Announced

A new slate of thought-provoking Yale Summer Intensive Seminars for teachers was announced during the Yale National Initiative’s Annual Conference in October in New Haven, CT.  Yale National Seminars have the twin purposes of immersing public school teachers from across the country in the Institute approach, while affording them an opportunity to increase their preparation and develop new curricula in a subject they teach, working closely with Yale faculty seminar leaders. Each year Charlotte Teachers Institute accepts applications from its most recent cohort of CTI Fellows and chooses about six Fellows to represent CTI as Yale National Fellows. These National Fellows travel to New Haven to collaborate with their colleagues from across the U.S., for two weeks in July and for two long weekends in spring and fall.

2015 Yale Summer Intensive Seminars

  • Literature and Information led by Jessica Brantley, associate professor of English
  • Explaining Character in Shakespeare, Paul H. Fry, professor of English
  • Problem Solving and the Common Core, Roger E. Howe, professor of mathematics
  • History in Our Everyday Lives: Collective Memory, Historical Writing, and Public History, Mary T. Y. Lui, professor of history and American studies
  • Reading Literature through Film (Using Film in the Classroom), Brigitte Peuker, professor of German
  • Physiological Determinants of Global Health, W. Mark Saltzman, professor of chemistry and biomedical engineering

Yale Attendance Dates for National Fellows

  • National Orientation: May 8-9
  • National Summer Intensive Seminars: July 6-17
  • Yale Annual Conference: October 30-31

Eligibility

2015 Yale National Seminar applicants must have completed CTI local seminars as a 2014 CTI Fellow, must commit to being a 2015 CTI Local Fellow, must be a teacher leader in CTI (CTI school contact, seminar coordinator and/or steering committee member), and must commit to being a teacher leader in CTI into the future and to being in the teaching profession in CMS for at least five years.

The application deadline is January 28. CTI will provide application information to eligible CTI Fellows soon. For more information, contact CTI Director Scott Gartlan at scott.gartlan@uncc.edu

CTI Well-Represented at Yale National Initiative’s Annual Conference

More than 70 public school teachers and university professors from across the country participated in the Yale National Initiative’s (YNI) 10th Annual Conference at Yale University, Oct. 31 – Nov 1, 2014.  A total of 16 different school districts and  five universities and colleges from nine states were represented.  Charlotte’s five National Fellows included Gloria Brinkman, visual art, North Mecklenburg High School; Phil Carver, science, James Martin Middle School; Torrieann Dooley, 2nd grade, David Cox Road Elementary School; Alexandra Edwards, social studies, Bailey Middle School; and Teresa Strohl, visual art, Barringer Academic Center. Torrieann Dooley also serves as a member of the YNI’s National Steering Committee.

Also representing Charlotte Teachers Institute were: CTI’s National University Advisory Council Representative Shelley Rigger, political science professor, Davidson College; Michele Mason, executive director of leadership development, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; and Scott Gartlan, CTI director.

The conference was packed with exciting activities – a panel discussion from the National Fellows describing their experiences teaching their curricula to their students, a poster session of National Fellows sharing examples of student work, and a preview of the 2015 Yale National Seminars led by Yale University professors. After Friday morning breakout sessions, Shelley Rigger led a conversation on wide-ranging topics of great importance to the Institute from retaining high quality teachers and developing teacher leaders in the classroom to integrating technology and teaching STEM in K-12 schools. On Saturday, Michele Mason and the other school district officials, including Barbara Byrd-Bennett, CEO of Chicago Public Schools, participated in a school caucus led by Merv Daugherty, superintendent of the Red Clay School District (Delaware). They discussed the value of the Teachers Institute Approach and how best to support this work in local school districts and communities.

Charlotte Teachers Institute Explores Lake Norman in Exploding Canons: Under The Lake Oct. 21

Photos from CTI’s Exploding Canons: Under The Lake October 21, 2014

Alex Edwards-Aaron Kollar

CTI Fellows Alexandra Edwards and Aaron Kollar welcome guests.

Amy Ringwood-Alan Vitale

CTI Seminar Leader Amy Ringwood and CTI Fellow Alan Vitale set up for guests to view living things Amy collected from Lake Norman waterways.

Mary Fabian and guests

CTI Fellow and Seminar Coordinator Mary Fabian invites guests to take a closer look at creatures who live in the lake.

???????????????????????????????

Expert panelists included (l. to r.): Rebecca McKee, Jan Blodgett, Jeff Michael, Steve Jester and Bill McCoy.

PRESS RELEASE

The flow of life along the Catawba River changed dramatically about 50 years ago when Duke Energy created Lake Norman with the construction of Cowans Ford Dam in 1963. The lake and its surrounding region saw small farms, large plantations, mills and more replaced by state-of-the-art homes and businesses, nuclear power structures, and a recreational lake culture – along with less visible changes such as shifting fish populations and a rise in community activism and environmental protection.

Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) will plumb the depths of Lake Norman – past, present and future – with “Exploding Canons: Under The Lake” on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5:30-8:00 pm, at Davidson College’s Lilly Family Gallery. This installment of CTI’s flagship speakers series dives deep into the changing social and physical landscapes of Lake Norman and its profound effects on the larger region, with a diverse group of topics and experts including:

  • Lake Norman: Powering the Region — Steve Jester, Vice President of Water Strategy, Hydro Licensing and Lake Services, Duke Energy
  • Stories from Under the Lake — Jan Blodgett, College Archivist, Davidson College
  • Making Room for Nature in Man-Made Environments — Rebecca McKee, Davidson Impact Fellow, Catawba Lands Conservancy
  • From River People to Lake People: Place & Identity in the Lake Norman Area — Jeff Michael, Director, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
  • Lake Norman: A Catalyst for Growth — William J. “Bill” McCoy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, UNC Charlotte

David Martin, professor of economics and environmental studies at Davidson, will serve as moderator. Community partners including Carolina Thread Trail, Catawba Lands Conservancy and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute will host information booths during the event. “CTI’s Exploding Canons programs feature new ways of looking at current topics from a variety of perspectives,” said CTI Director Scott Gartlan. “It’s fascinating to consider all the lenses through which we can look at Lake Norman – what lies beneath the lake not just physically but socially and historically, and what it likely means for us in the future.” Gartlan noted this is CTI’s 10th Exploding Canons program. The original “Under the Lake” project began with Davidson College archivist Jan Blodgett who collected oral histories and stories about the people connected to Lake Norman to mark its 50th anniversary. “Exploring the land under the lake brings together so much more than a few names on an old map,” Blodgett noted. “Those names and the land they farmed, or mills they worked in, shaped this region. All our recent economic and social changes are built on what was here before. The more we know of the stories of the lake, the richer our shared culture becomes.” “Duke Energy had a vision to harness the power of the Catawba River to provide electricity for a growing region,” explained Duke Energy’s Steve Jester.  “The completion of Cowans Ford Dam in 1963 created Lake Norman which was a catalyst for the region’s prosperity and continues to be a valuable resource for the community.” CTI’s Oct. 21 event, sponsored by Duke Energy, is free and open to the public. It begins with a reception at 5:30 pm, followed by the speakers’ presentations and panel discussion from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Information and registration is available at www.charlotteteachers.org or 704-687-0047. About Charlotte Teachers Institute The Charlotte Teachers Institute is an educational partnership among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte initiated to strengthen teaching and learning in CMS. An affiliate of the Yale National Initiative at Yale University, CTI provides intensive, seven-month-long seminars led by Davidson and UNC Charlotte faculty where CMS teachers learn new content, work collaboratively with other district teachers, and create new curriculum for their own classrooms. Teachers serve as leaders in the institute and choose seminar topics they deem most important and engaging for current CMS teachers and their students. Since CTI’s inception in 2009, more than 350 CMS teachers with over 70,000 students have participated in CTI seminars. CTI also reaches out to the larger community with public events such as Teachers As Scholars and the popular Exploding Canons cultural collaboration series. CTI is made possible by a joint commitment of resources from all three Institute partners, with additional support from the Duke Energy Foundation, Piedmont Natural Gas Foundation, Wells Fargo and the Belk Foundation. The institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. In 2013, CTI and its partners were recognized by the Council of Great City Schools with the Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award. For more information, please visit charlotteteachers.org or contact CTI Executive Director Scott Gartlan at 704-687-0078 or scott.gartlan@uncc.edu.

###

CTI Presents Bright New Ideas for Teaching About Energy

CHARLOTTE – Sept. 18, 2014 – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teachers will share bright new ideas for teaching and learning about energy, at a Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) event for the public on Tuesday, Sept. 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the EnergyExplorium at McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville.

This “Teachers As Scholars” program features CMS teachers who collaborated on the topic “The Nature of Energy: How We Use and Store It to Power Our Everyday Lives,” and highlights innovative curriculum they developed during a long-term CTI seminar. CTI Seminar Leader Susan Trammell, professor of physics and optical science at UNC Charlotte, will also share her energy expertise at the free Sept. 30 event.

Sponsored by Piedmont Natural Gas and Duke Energy, the program begins with a reception and viewing of the EnergyExplorium’s exhibits from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by presentations and a panel discussion with Trammell and CTI Fellows until 8 p.m.  Space is limited, so registration at www.charlotteteachers.org is recommended.

Featured topics and teachers include:
• The Nature of Energy: How to Use and Store It to Power our Everyday Lives – Trammell
• Energy in Our World – Cindy Woolery, Science, Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School
• Cruising Continents and an Awesome Asthenosphere: How Convection and Geothermal Energy Fuel Earth’s Ever Changing Surface! – Julie Ruziska Tiddy, Science, Carmel Middle School
• Mama Did Not Take the Kodachrome Away But Charge-Coupled Devices Did – Deb Semmler, Physics, East Mecklenburg High School

The event is an outgrowth of an intensive, seven-month-long  CTI seminar Trammell led for CMS teachers in grades K-12, where they explored various forms of energy, the science behind its generation and conservation, as well as costs, benefits and concerns. CTI Executive Director Scott Gartlan said, “One of CTI’s strategic goals is to provide opportunities to showcase CMS teachers’ innovative scholarship created in CTI seminars to a wider community audience. This partnership with Piedmont Natural Gas, Duke Energy and the EnergyExplorium will serve as an important step in fulfilling this goal.”

Thirteen sets of extensive, energy-related curriculum units for grades K-12 were developed by teachers in Trammell’s seminar, designed specifically for their own students. “We hope these units inspire other teachers to share their creativity with colleagues in an effort to benefit more students in more classrooms across the district,” Gartlan said. All 13 are published on the CTI and Yale National Initiative websites.

Trammell’s seminar was one of eight CTI conducted in 2013 on a wide range of topics for a total of 97 CMS teachers from all grade levels and subject areas, led by Davidson College and UNC Charlotte faculty. The units developed in all eight seminars are posted online. Currently CTI is offering another eight seminars for 2014. For more information visit: www.charlotteteachers.org.

About Charlotte Teachers Institute

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is an educational partnership among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), Davidson College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte initiated to strengthen teaching and learning in CMS. An affiliate of the Yale National Initiative at Yale University, CTI provides intensive, seven-month-long seminars led by Davidson and UNC Charlotte faculty where CMS teachers learn new content, work collaboratively with other district teachers, and develop curriculum units for their own classrooms. Teachers serve as leaders in the institute and choose seminar topics they deem most important and engaging for current CMS teachers and their students. Since CTI’s inception in 2009, more than 350 CMS teachers with over 70,000 students have participated in CTI seminars. CTI also reaches out to the larger community with public events such as Teachers As Scholars and the popular Exploding Canons cultural collaboration series.

CTI is made possible by a joint commitment of resources from all three Institute partners, with additional support from Piedmont Natural Gas, Duke Energy, Wells Fargo and the Belk Foundation. The institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. In 2013, CTI and its partners were recognized by the Council of Great City Schools with the Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award.

For more information, please visit charlotteteachers.org or contact CTI Executive Director Scott Gartlan at 704-687-0078 or scott.gartlan@uncc.edu.
###

Save the Date for Exploding Canons: Under the Lake on Oct. 21

11_17underthelakeREGISTER NOW!

Save the Date for CTI’s Exploding Canons: Under The Lake event on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5:30-8 p.m. at Davidson College’s Lilly Gallery (Chambers Building), sponsored by Duke Energy. This installment of CTI’s flagship speakers series explores the changing social and physical landscapes of Lake Norman and its profound effects on our region, with a diverse group topics and experts including:

  • Lake Norman: Powering the Region — Steve Jester, Vice President of Water Strategy, Hydro Licensing and Lake Services, Duke Energy
  • Stories from Under the Lake — Jan Blodgett, College Archivist, Davidson College
  • Making Room for Nature in Man-Made Environments — Rebecca McKee, Davidson Impact Fellow, Catawba Lands Conservancy
  • From River People to Lake People: Place & Identity in the Lake Norman Area — Jeff Michael, Director, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
  • Lake Norman: A Catalyst for Growth — William J. “Bill” McCoy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, UNC Charlotte

David Martin, professor of economics and environmental studies at Davidson, will serve as moderator.

The original “Under the Lake” project began with Davidson College archivist Jan Blodgett who collected oral histories and stories about the people connected to Lake Norman to mark its 50th anniversary. Lake Norman was created in 1963 with construction of Cowans Ford Dam, a Duke Power hydroelectric project initiated to provide power, flood control and recreation along the Catawba River, and today also helps cool the McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville.

The event opens with a reception at 5:30 pm, followed by the speakers’ presentations and panel discussion from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Please REGISTER HERE in advance.

Belk Foundation Awards Fifth Grant to CTI

The Belk Foundation recently awarded Charlotte Teachers (CTI) Institute a grant for the fifth consecutive year, this time for $25,000 to support seminars serving over 100 teachers in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). CTI is an innovative, educational partnership among UNC Charlotte, Davidson College and CMS designed to strengthen teaching and learning in CMS by cultivating content knowledge, creativity, leadership skills and collaboration among teachers.

“Retaining excellent educators in North Carolina is a top priority for The Belk Foundation. We hear from teachers that being a part of a supportive professional community keeps them energized and moving forward. We’re fortunate to have Charlotte Teachers Institute fostering that kind of engagement for our teachers,” said Katie B. Morris, board chair of The Belk Foundation.

“If we want every child to have the education she deserves, we must provide all students with high quality teachers. Charlotte Teachers Institute treats teachers like the professionals they are, encouraging them to grow and improve their craft, all for the goal of student learning,” said Johanna Anderson, executive director of The Belk Foundation.

CTI Director Scott Gartlan noted research indicates the single most important school-based factor in student performance is teacher quality. He said CTI strengthens teaching and learning in CMS public schools by improving teachers’ engagement and effectiveness in the classroom and by helping the district retain high quality teachers. CTI offers eight long-term, interdisciplinary seminars on a variety of academic topics, led by faculty from Davidson College and UNC Charlotte. This year, four seminars groups meet regularly at Discovery Place, one at the Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and the others at Davidson College and UNC Charlotte.

Gartlan stated research studies concur that high quality professional development programs feature seven dimensions: a focus on content and pedagogy linked to content; active teacher learning with feedback on teaching strategies and practices; teacher leadership; extended duration; collective participation by teachers from the same school, grade, or subject; alignment with state and local standards; and ongoing evaluation. “CTI fosters all seven of these dimensions, and, with the support of The Belk Foundation, CTI will continue to excel by retaining high quality teachers in CMS,” Gartlan said.

Duke Energy Supports CTI Energy Seminar and Special Events

Duke Energy recently announced its support for Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI) with a $20,000 grant to fund an energy-related seminar for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teachers, as well as two special events for the public this fall. Duke Energy is sponsoring “The Global Energy Challenge,” one of CTI’s eight, long-term seminars in 2014.

The two Duke Energy supported public events are: “Teachers as Scholars: The Nature of Energy” on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the EnergyExplorium at McGuire Nuclear Station, in partnership with Piedmont Natural Gas; and “Exploding Canons: Under the Lake” on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Davidson College. The Exploding Canons program explores the changing social and physical landscape of Lake Norman over its 50 year history. Both events are free and begin with a reception at 5:30 pm, followed by presentations from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

“Duke Energy commends the more than 100 teachers who will spend much of their free time this summer and fall participating in the Charlotte Teachers Institute,” said Richard “Stick” Williams, president of Duke Energy Foundation. “These dedicated educators are being exposed to content-rich ideas and are developing curriculum that will benefit students in Charlotte classrooms and beyond. We are proud to support the work of the Institute,” Williams said.

Denise Gerst, science teacher at Barringer Academic Center, said CTI’s energy seminar stretches her knowledge as an educator and a consumer. She added: “I’m more cognizant of how energy is utilized and how energy sources are identified within our country and throughout the world. I also have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow educators from various disciplines who challenge me to think beyond my comfort zone.”

Davidson College Chemistry Professor Durwin Striplin, faculty leader for the energy seminar, notes he is also grateful for “the opportunity to study and learn – with a very energetic and keen group of fellow teachers – about the energy future that faces our planet and the challenges we face. We’re looking at not only possible solutions to the massive energy needs that will confront us in the next couple of decades, but also the necessary teaching practices that will motivate students to take part in this all-inclusive, all-important global conversation.”

CTI seminars began in April and continue until December, with 104 CMS teachers participating. These CTI Fellows work closely with university/college faculty and each other to create new curricula designed for their own classrooms, with an expected reach of 15,000 CMS students in 2014-15. “CTI’s collaborative seminars deepen teachers’ understanding of the subjects they teach, and help them think critically and creatively about academic objectives – with their own students in mind,” said CTI Director Scott Gartlan.

This year’s CTI seminars take place at Discovery Place, the Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte. The Duke sponsored Energy seminar is on of the four seminars at Discovery Place.