Mathematics Institutes

Thanks to the generous funding provided by the PPG Foundation, a limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools (at least 30% of families identified as low-income). School districts participating in the AIU MSC RK Mellon STEM+C will be supported by the generous funding provided by the RK Mellon Foundation.

We will explore how classrooms can incorporate “three shifts” that are essential for equitable teaching and are necessary to develop mathematical proficiency and agency, specifically: 

1. How can we engage students in problem-based tasks and lessons?
   
   
2. How do we create math lessons that promote access, inclusion, and equity for all learners?
   
   
3. How do we use school mathematics to develop job-essential skills such as perseverance, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking?
   
   

Grades 6-8 Algebra I Mathematics Institute

This 3-day institute will focus on essential mathematics content in grades 6-8, including ratio and proportional relationships, and expressions and equations. Statistical contexts will be included to reinforce proportional reasoning skills. 

Price: $450 per person. A limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools.

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: October 17, 2023; November 9, 2023; December 6, 2023

Register for Fall Session

K-2 Mathematics Institute

This 3-day institute will focus on developing number sense leading to proficiency in numbers and operations in base ten, and operations and algebraic thinking with whole numbers. Geometric contexts will also be incorporated to reinforce their number sense skills. 

Audience: K-2 mathematics teachers and leaders

Price: $450 per person. A limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools.

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: October 25, 2023; November 15, 2023; December 13, 2023 

Register for Fall Session

Grades 3-5 Mathematics Institute

This 3-day institute will focus on essential mathematics content in grades 3-5, including numbers and operations in Base Ten, Operations and Algebraic Thinking with whole numbers and fractions, and Measurement and Data. 

Price: $450 per person. A limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools.

Audience: Grades 3-5 mathematics teachers and leaders

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: October 24, 2023; November 16, 2023; December 14, 2023 

Register for Fall Session

High School Mathematics Institute

This 3-day session will focus on essential content for high school mathematics in algebra, geometry, and statistics. We will explore how high school mathematics classes might incorporate the “three shifts” in science instruction from the NGSS Standards. 

Price: $450 per person. A limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools.

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: October 4, 2023; November 2, 2023; November 29, 2023

Register for Fall Session

Math Coaches/Administrators Network

The Math Coach/Administrator Network, a free network, is a professional learning community that brings together math coaches and leaders to learn from and with each other, exploring and sharing successful strategies that actively engage students in the content and practices of the PA Core Standards for Mathematics.

Price: Free

Audience: Mathematics coaches and administrators  

2023-24 School Year Meeting Dates: October 6, 2023; December 8, 2023; February 9, 2024; April 12, 2024

To register, contact Samuel Shaneyfelt.

Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics

Do your students lack confidence and/or motivation to do mathematics? Are your students content to wait for the right answer from the teacher? Do your students lack perseverance when the answer is not immediately obvious? If so, come learn how to Build a Thinking Classroom. A thinking student is an engaged student! Built on 14 key practices teased out over 15 years of research, it’s a way of teaching that gets students up on their feet, collaborating and thinking through challenging problems on a daily basis.

Price: $450 per person. A limited number of free tuition tickets are available for educators in high-needs schools.

Audience: Grades K-12 mathematics teachers and leaders (administrators are free when attending alongside a participating teacher)

2023-24 School Year Meeting Dates: January 16, 2024; February 8, 2024; March 11, 2024

Registration Opens October 18

Building Fact Fluency

Are you struggling with developing students’ fact fluency in a meaningful and engaging way? If so, join us for a 2-part series on Building Fact Fluency.  

You will receive a Building Fact Fluency toolkit (Addition and Subtraction and/or Multiplication and Division), access to the companion website with all online resources, and two intensive days of professional learning introducing you to all the strategies in the tool kit. Strategies include number talks, games, three-act tasks, application problems, and others, thoughtfully designed to increase engagement and understanding.

Price: You only pay for the cost of the tool kit(s) you choose. The two days of professional learning are free.

Audience: K-5 mathematics teacher and leaders (including interventionists)

2023-24 School Year Meeting Dates: January 29, 2024; February 28, 2024

Registration Opens October 18

Science Institutes

Participants will explore the progression of the newly adopted Pennsylvania Integrated Standards for Science, Environment, Ecology, Technology and Engineering through their grade band. Attendees will develop a shared understanding of phenomenon-based and problem-driven science instruction that effectively incorporates all three dimensions of the standards (disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices and cross-cutting concepts). Participants will engage pedagogical practices that foster reasoning and sense-making in the science classroom and support equity and access for all students.

They will also gain access to readily available instructional tools and resources for science and engineering instruction at their respective grade bands as they become familiar with what science instruction looks and feels like when implementing Pennsylvania's updated standards. Administrators are encouraged to attend with the teacher(s) from their district/school. Act 48 hours will be awarded pending approval by PDE for those who attend all sessions and complete related assignments. 

K-2 STEM Institute

The content focuses on life science, physical science, Earth and space science and engineering design.

Price: Free to all AIU educators

Audience: K-2 Science, Engineering and STEM teachers

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: September 20, November 28, December 15

Register for Fall Session

Grades 3-5 Science Institute

The content focuses on physical science, life science and Earth and space science.

Price: Free to all AIU educators

Audience: Grades 3-5 Science teachers

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: September 22, November 15, December 12

Register for Fall Session

Life Sciences Institute for Secondary Teachers

The content focuses on the life sciences in grades 6-12 (with the inclusion of related Earth and space science topics as appropriately connected to the life science content under consideration).

Price: Free to all AIU educators

Audience: Grades 6-12 Life Science teachers

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: October 16, November 13, December 5

Register for Fall Session

Physical Science Institute for Secondary Teachers

The content focuses on the physical sciences in grades 6-12 (with the inclusion of related Earth and space science topics as appropriately connected to the physical science content under consideration).

Price: Free to all AIU educators

Audience: Grades 6-12 Physical Science Teachers 

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: September 21, November 1, November 30

Register for Fall Session

2023-24 Framework for K-12 Science (NSS, 2012) Book Study

New members of the Science Leadership Network are encouraged to enroll in the Framework for K-12 Science Education book study. Open to science leaders who have participated in at least one of the opportunities in Phase 1: Make the Case. This opportunity will be offered in a hybrid setting for the 2023-24 school year. 

Price: Free to all AIU educators

Audience: Any AIU3 explicit or implicit science leader who has previously attended at least one phenomenon-based, three-dimensional science professional learning offering from Phase 1: Make the Case (e.g., science institute in 2022-23 school year or summer 2023; Digging into 3-D science-the Everest immersion; Administrator-specific science professional learning-PLANS)

2023-24 Meeting Dates: 

Full Days In-Person at the AIU: October 5, 2023 and March 5, 2024

Half Days on Zoom: November 2, 2023;  January 19, 2024; February 1, 2024

Course Registration

Administrator-Focused Science Professional Learning

This one-and-a-half-day administrator-focused professional learning offering was specifically created to help leaders support shifts in science instruction towards phenomenon-based, 3-D science teaching. This offering is steeped in both science learning and leadership for science instruction. The experience is based on the Next Generation Science Exemplar System’s Principal’s Learn and Network to Support 3-D Science Learning (PLANS) Pathway. Although this offering is designed specifically for administrators, it is open to any science leaders, including department heads, grade-band science leads and science coaches. (This offering is a prerequisite for a two-day training opportunity in Phase 2: Create a Plan.)

Price: $350

Audience: Any and all administrators (district or building) or explicitly defined science leaders (e.g., department head, coach, grade-level lead)

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: September 27-28 (1.5 days)

Register for Fall Session

Planning for Professional Learning around Science Standards:
Strategically Building Capacity for Sustained Practice

Designed for a small team of three to six individuals from each school district, this is a two-day training opportunity to plan for science professional learning in your district.

Price: $1,200 per district team

Audience: A district team of three to six science leaders including at least one administrator.  See Important Prerequisites.

Important Prerequisites: At least one administrator on your team must have already attended the administrator-specific science leadership experience in Phase 1: Make the Case, and all other team members must have already attended at least one science institute or science immersion experience in the initial phase. 

Fall 2023 Meeting Dates: November 6-7, 2023

Register for Fall Session