RECRUITING ADVICE for Modeling Workshops
updated November 2008. by Jane Jackson
HOW TO RECRUIT TEACHERS for a modeling workshop:
In our experience in Arizona, high school physics teachers:
1) don't know about the workshop (they don't have time to read their e-mail),
2) don't think that they're qualified (since most don't have a degree in physics, and many teach
other subjects more than they teach physics),
3) don't know if it'll be worth 3 weeks away from home,
4) don't think they're doing anything wrong (those who teach only physics) in their teaching,
5) don't think anyone from the university cares about them, so they don't take any mailing from
the university seriously,
6) think they might lose financially.
The best strategy, we find, is to call teachers repeatedly at school and encourage them to attend;
and ask them specifically what might prevent them from attending. It is most effective if
modelers and/or the faculty organizer call; but an undergrad student could do this; Dan MacIsaac
(formerly at Northern Arizona University, now at Buffalo State College in NY) uses undergrads
exclusively for all sorts of work with his modeling workshops. (The secretary calls the school
first and finds out what their prep time is, and how to contact them.)
We call each teacher up to 4 times. We ask them for their home phone, if possible. If we have
their home phone, we call them at home in the evening or weekends.
I like to start in the previous fall. I keep a data base of Arizona physics teachers, and I co-manage
a statewide listserv for physics teachers. I update the data base and listserv each fall, calling
schools to ask for the name, e-mail address, and phone extension of their new physics teacher. I
email the teacher and invite them to subscribe to the listserv. Then by December I post an
announcement of our next summer’s Modeling Workshops.
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE:
In April 2000, I talked with Al Adams, Professor of Physics at the Univ. of Arkansas at Little
Rock (501-569-8033 at work). He had an NSF grant for several years to work with 60 Arkansas
high school physics teachers for their professional development via 3-week summer workshops.
Most teachers are rural, and the majority are women.
He reinforced my statement that many high school physics teachers don't feel qualified to attend
a physics workshop - he says it's the chief reason that they don't apply! They don't consider
themselves true physics teachers because they didn't major in physics and aren’t teaching just
physics.
Also, many of the women have children at home, and they can't be away.
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(We've provided apartments, but that's difficult in most locations.)
Tell teachers that they won't lose out financially; that is crucial. (For example, if tuition isn’t
waived, must teachers sign up for graduate credit? If not, they could come out ahead. If they
already have a master's degree, all they need for advancement on the salary scale is a letter from
the faculty organizer, stating the number of contact hours they’ve completed.)
Al Adam's strategy through the years is to call teachers at their school at 7:30 AM, before their
classes begin. He encourages them to apply to the workshop, saying things like "This will work
out, we really want you, why don't you give it some thought!"
In his experience, 2/3 of the teachers don't want to self-improve, and the other 1/3 do. (We find
that a larger proportion do want to improve!)
HOW TO ASSURE THAT TEACHERS WHO SAY THEY’RE COMING ACTUALLY
COME:
In my experience, a few teachers don't come; these are mostly those who have a last-minute
emergency (like a heart attack in the extended family).
To ensure that most teachers who are accepted actually attend,
1) I e-mail them an acceptance message in April, and ask them to apply to ASU and register for
the course, or to reply if they just want to 'sit in' for no credit, on a space-available basis.
2) I follow up later by e-mailing them and asking them if they have registered.
3) I call teachers who don't reply, and talk with them personally.
4) I email everyone occasionally, giving more information as the workshop start date approaches.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
The bottom line is: many physics teachers are reluctant to take a physics workshop. Thus we
should make a special effort to encourage teachers to participate.
1) The personal touch is best: a phone call; or if that is impossible, an e-mail or a few of them,
repeated weekly.
2) For science teacher colleagues in your building, take time to talk with them -- repeatedly -about how good the workshop will be.
3) Post to listservs, and e-mail announcements to your state science teachers association, AAPT
section officers, and school district science coordinators.
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4) Users of Modeling Instruction can give a workshop at your AAPT section meeting in the fall
or spring, and/or at your state science teachers’ convention. The faculty workshop organizer can
give a short talk and/or question/answer session.
5) If you have time, invite preservice teachers, too. Contact academic advisors in the College of
Education.
6) Prepare a flyer and hand it out at meetings; e-mail it in .pdf as an attachment; put it on your
project website.
Bottom line: Don't wait. Any communication is better than none. A personal testimony is fine.
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