About Us

Summer Program Leading to the Masters of Science in Natural Sciences
for Secondary School Mathematics & Science Teachers

The Master's of Science in Natural Sciences program for secondary school mathematics and science teachers is presently being updated and is temporarily inactive.

Looking Forward to 21st Century Science & Mathematics Education

The broad challenge of science and mathematics education is to inspire observant inquiry. Tactically, we must give science & mathematics immediacy and relevance which will make them compelling to our students. Excellent teaching of these subjects occurs when the teacher has a broad-based, in-depth view of content matter, knowledge of how content integrates with other disciplines and the ability to use tools such as modern instructional technologies to enhance classroom activities.

The present educational environment presents teachers with an opportunity to upgrade their qualifications and examine how their curriculum can leverage the modern paradigm of changing technologies. This program aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of secondary school science and mathematics teachers with techniques, tools and a rich body of scientific and mathematics content to highlight the relevance of science and mathematics for their students.

A Program Designed for Teachers by Teachers, Scientists & Mathematicians

Teachers are front line scientists in the effort to make science and mathematics positive forces for human well-being, and they need special resources as they pursue their often elusive educational goals. This degree program departs from traditional graduate education in three ways:

content: as much as possible, our courses emphasize the nature and processes of science, mathematics and technology and their relevance in classroom education

computers: the use of modern instructional technologies such as interactive multimedia and LEGO robotics is a theme in all three summers, with teachers asked to integrate these technologies into their curriculum.

pedagogy: as much as possible, inquiry-based learning will be modeled to exemplify teachers' classroom options.

And in Detail. . . . Teachers spend six weeks at Rensselaer during each of three successive summers. Each summer they take three courses and earn ten credits. During the semesters between summers all participants will be networked through a server on Rensselaer's campus which will be dedicated to this program. A spirit of collaborative learning is fostered through core courses for all teachers, independent of discipline, with an instructional technology experience offered throughout all three summers. Depending on enrollment, we will offer several content courses each summer, with participants free to choose those that are of interest. A focus of the technology strand is both an exposure to cutting edge educational technologies, and classroom materials development and assessment. Detailed course information will be provided upon request.

www.cipce.rpi.edu