Professional Development

Education reform and systemic change in the Nation's classrooms can only come about when there are well educated teachers, who possess cutting edge skills, interacting with our young people. CIPCE's major activities focus on developing and implementing cutting edge professional development initiatives for teachers. These initiatives have inquiry at its pedagogical foundation, and integrate cutting edge technologies into their activities.

Capital Area Technology and Inquiry in Education Program

The Capital Area Technology and Inquiry in Education (CATIE) program provides learning experiences rich in content-driven technology to K-6 teachers using a situated model of professional development. The CATIE program is supported by the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) at Rensselaer and aligns itself with the goals of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics through inquiry-based resources and innovative technologies. The CATIE model places instructional technology mentors in active classrooms to support teacher development within the learning situation (Swan et al., 2002). Mentors work directly with teachers to construct and implement technology-rich lessons that address curricular and instructional classroom needs. Mentors offer teachers support by co-designing, co-teaching, and modeling how to assess technology lessons (Jennings et al., 2002). This model was designed to support teachers to support teachers’ interest and skills in integrating innovative technologies into their development and the integration of innovative technologies into classroom activities over an extended period of time. Cases studies of four exemplary teachers in the CATIE program found having a mentor in the school was an effective feature of the program improving teachers’ comfort and confidence levels in using technology as an instructional tool (Holmes, 2003). Website.

Online Learning Forum

The Online Learning Forum is one of CIPCE's emerging professional-development experiences. It is dedicated to serving the rapidly evolving needs of the pre-college community by bringing instructional technology to the service of learning. Its objectives reflect Rensselaer's commitment to student-centered, interactive learning, and to the development of useful and cutting edge educational technologies. Website.