Educators
Learning Communities
To promote and improve student achievement in science and mathematics (SM) at all levels of education, PRISM will establish collaborations between P-12 and college faculty that help to find solutions to problems connected to the teaching and learning of science and mathematics. Through these collaborations, there is the expectation that faculty members will avoid experiencing some of the isolation associated with classroom teaching, while also providing opportunities for P-16 educators to reflect on practice by working with others to improve practice/pedagogy.
As a statewide effort, PRISM Learning Communities will occur at several different levels:
- Learning Communities within regions will bring together teachers from multiple schools to collaborate with SM disciplinary and education faculty from supporting partner colleges/universities. Feedback on student learning from these communities will help further refine effective instructional approaches for P-16 students.
- Learning Communities within districts and schools will bring together teachers, administrators, and university SM and education faculty members from supporting colleges/universities. These learning communities will focus on school and district improvement plans and will serve as the context for customized professional development described in Strategy 1.
The Lessons learned at the regional, district, and school levels will be studied and shared among all PRISM schools and eventually across Georgia and the nation.
At the core, the goals of the PRISM Learning Communities are:
- To assess and share current practices in science and mathematics instruction
- To investigate, learn about, and implement various innovative teaching approaches in SM
- To promote research related to SM teaching practices and associated student learning
- To increase the success of all P-16 students in SM