Knowles Academy Launched

Professional Development For Teachers, By Teachers

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Jan 04, 2018, 08:45 ET

MOORESTOWN, N.J., Jan. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knowles Teacher Initiative announced the launch of the Knowles Academy, a new arm of the organization that will expand its reach and impact by providing support for teachers seeking to enhance the opportunities their students have to learn mathematics and science. Through the Knowles Academy, the organization will offer a range of professional development opportunities for teachers, as well as customized services for schools and districts.

The Knowles Academy was designed to address many of the shortcomings of traditional teacher professional development. Drawing and building on the expertise developed within the Knowles community over the last 15 years:

All Knowles Academy courses and services include experienced teachers as facilitators and coaches.
All Knowles Academy courses and services are designed to build teacher community so that participants can continue to support each other's learning and professional growth long after the professional development experience ends.
All Academy courses include extended support to assist teachers as they work to successfully implement what they've learned in their own classrooms.

"Teachers need high quality, sustained professional development to help mathematics and science students develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills that are needed to align with the changing landscape of education in the U.S.," stated Nicole Gillespie, Executive Director and CEO, Knowles Teacher Initiative. "Our goal is to leverage what we've learned from the Knowles Fellows Programs over the past 20 years to support the professional growth of many more teachers, and thereby strengthen and grow the nationwide network of teachers who are improving education in their classrooms and beyond."

The following Academy courses will be offered in summer 2018:

Designing Instructional Tasks to Increase Student Engagement and Learning in Math (Location: Moorestown, N.J.)
Engaging Math and Science Students in Engineering Design (Philadelphia, Penn.; Denver, Colo.; and Oregon, Wis.)
Physics for the Next Generation: The Patterns Approach (Moorestown, N.J.)

Additionally, the Knowles Academy is seeking teachers to participate in pilot versions of three new courses in summer 2018. These courses are available for a nominal fee to teachers who are willing to provide feedback on course content and effectiveness:

Designing Instructional Tasks to Increase Student Engagement and Learning in Science (Moorestown, N.J.)
Knowledge Generation for the Teaching Profession: An Introduction to Practitioner Inquiry (Moorestown, N.J.)
Establishing an Equitable Classroom Culture: An Introduction to Complex Instruction for Science Teachers (Moorestown, N.J.)

"I really felt I got so much out of the workshop and am excited to implement ideas in my classroom next year. I felt I walked away with a deeper understanding of the engineering design process and much more confidence and skills in using the engineering design process in my science classroom," said Shannon Morey, a physics and computer science teacher at Abbott Lawrence Academy in Lawrence, Mass., who attended the Engaging Math and Science Students in Engineering Design Knowles Academy course.

Visit the new Knowles website to learn more about the Academy.

About the Knowles Teacher Initiative

The Knowles Teacher Initiative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit formerly known as the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF), was established by Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles in 1999 to increase the number of high quality high school science and mathematics teachers in the United States. Through the Teaching Fellows Program, Senior Fellows Program and the Knowles Academy, the Knowles Teacher Initiative seeks to support a national network of mathematics and science teachers who are collaborative, innovative leaders improving education for all students in the United States. For more information, visit www.knowlesteachers.org.

Media Contact
Ebony Freeman
Knowles Teacher Initiative
856.608.0001, ext. 7029
[email protected]

SOURCE Knowles Teacher Initiative