Teachers Ready to Get InSTEP™ During Summer
CET Thu Jun 23 2004

The InSTEP™ program, which over the last three years has trained more than 8,000 teachers in the latest educational technology and constructivist teaching strategies, recently kicked off its summer sessions.

InSTEP, which stands for Integrating Strategies and Technology in Education Practice, had its first session the week of June 14 at the Center for Educational Technologies^® on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University. Other sessions are scheduled throughout the state of West Virginia during the summer. About 500 math, science, and technology teachers serving K-16 students are scheduled to participate this summer. Through the InSTEP model, those teachers will then hold professional development sessions in their home areas throughout the school year, passing on what they have learned to other teachers and thus extending the program’s reach.

For those who can’t attend the summer workshops, the InSTEP Online and InSTEP InSchool programs offer other ways to take part in this learning community. While InSTEP started out as a West Virginia program, its offerings are now available to teachers anywhere.

InSTEP gives teachers a chance to put the newest educational technologies to work. Workshop participants design problem-based learning challenges for their own classrooms, using such tools as handheld GPS computers.

Teachers can also return to the program each year for advanced study. In fact, some InSTEP facilitators this summer are previous workshop participants.

November 10, 2004