THE PROGRESSIVE SCIENCE INITIATIVE
AND
PROGRESSIVE MATHEMATICS INITIATIVE:
Increase Math and Science Understanding
While Reducing Stress
Timothy Panebianco
NJ Center for Teaching and Learning
timothy.panebianco@gmail.com
www.njctl.org
New Jersey
Center for Teaching and Learning
Empowering Teachers …Leading Change
www.njctl.org
The Role of a Teacher

Drive student achievement
 Design
 Plan
curriculum
lessons
 Motivate
students
 Classroom
 Work
management
with others
 Assessment
& Grading
Challenges

Not all teachers are curriculum developers
 Scaffolding
content
 Aligning to the standards
 Making it engaging
 Articulating a scope and sequence
 Embedding formative assessment
 Time to develop
Challenges

Lesson Plans
 Not
based on student performance
 Compliance focus

Motivating Students & Classroom Management
 Keeping
students entertained, feeling successful,
but adequately challenged
 Keeping students engaged and on task
 Students want to talk to each other
Challenges

Working with Others (Teachers,
Administrators, & Parents)
 Common
Planning Time
 Common curriculum, but different scope and
sequence
 Administrators get lesson plans, not lessons
 Parents and students at home don’t have access
to the lessons
 Student collaboration
Challenges

Working with Others (Teachers,
Administrators, & Parents)
 Common
Planning Time
 Common curriculum, but different scope and
sequence
 Administrators get lesson plans, not lessons
 Parents and students at home don’t have access
to the lessons
 Student collaboration
Challenges

Assessment & Grading
 Difficult
to get daily data on each student
 Matching the rigor or EOC tests
 School grading schemas don’t correlate to EOC
performance
 Who is doing the homework?
Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) &
Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI)

PSI developed to teach HS science

PSI then used to create HS science teachers

PMI uses PSI Methods to teach K-12 math

PMI will be used to create K-12 math teachers
Progressive Science Initiative (PSI) &
Progressive Mathematics Initiative (PMI)
•
Developed in 1 NJ school: 1999 - present
•
Extended to 50+ NJ schools: 2007 – present
•
Extended to Argentina: 2010 - present
•
Extending to RI and CO: 2011
Teacher Training: New Jersey
In last two years, we created about
•
70 new physics teachers
•
25 new chemistry teachers
And trained in PSI-PMI Methods about
•
200 currently certified math and science
teachers
Teacher Training: New Jersey
Those teachers taught, or are teaching
•
•
•
•
•
10,000 students Physics
500 students AP Physics B
2500 students Chemistry
150 students AP Chemistry
4000 students mathematics
Teacher Training: Other States
Rhode Island
•
•
•
Pilot started with summer 2011 training of 4
teachers
Should start training new teachers, with local
trainers, in July, 2012
Colorado
•
•
Morgridge Family Foundation supporting
implementations with training and technology
Argentina
2011 Results
•
•
•
•
•
Spanish translations of physics and some math
Created 10 trainers
Created 25 new physics teachers
Trained 75 currently certified chemistry and math
teachers
2012 Plan
•
•
•
Spanish translations of Chemistry, AP Physics B,
and more mathematics
Creating 20 new trainers and training 100 new
teachers
Africa
World Bank Mission to The Gambia in December
•
Proposal to pilot a Train the Trainers model
•
Scalable to all of The Gambia
•
Then, the African Union (600,000 schools)
PSI-PMI Methods

Curriculum

Pedagogy

Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment and Grading

Technology

Face-to-Face and Virtual PLCs
AP Performance and
International Competitiveness
1995 TIMSS Results - Physics
AP Exams as a Goal

Provides a standard metric

Recognized by K-12, colleges & universities,
students and parents

Correlated to international competitiveness

Gives students access to top colleges &
universities, plus scholarships
Curriculum
PSI Course Sequence: Grades 9 – 12
Physics
Chem
Biology
Algebra
AP
Physics
AP
Chem
AP Bio
Geom.
MA I II
Algebra
MACalc
II
Pre
AP Calc
Curriculum
PSI Course Sequence: Minimal Version
Physics
Chem
Biology
Algebra
Geom.
Algebra
II & Trig
Curriculum
Traditional Course Sequence
Biology
Chem
Physics
Algebra
Geom.
Algebra.
II & Trig
Precalc
AP Science Exams Taken
(2010 – Bergen Tech vs. Normed State)
*AP Physics B exams taken 18x the state average
AP Science Exams Passed
(2010 – Bergen Tech vs. Normed State)
*AP Physics B exams passed 14x the state average
Pedagogy
Social Constructivism
Plus
Direct Instruction
Pedagogy
Social Constructivism
Round Tables
 Group Problem Solving
 Heterogeneous setting

Pedagogy
All slides printed and
provided to students
ahead of time
Pedagogy
Direct Instruction
Interactive White Board (IWB) Notebook presentation
 Student Response Formative Assessment
 Teacher as part of social group

Formative Assessment
Student Responders
Anonymous student polling
during class to guide
instruction
Direct Instruction
Example: Direct Instruction - Adding Decimals
Direct Instruction
Example: Direct Instruction - Adding Decimals
Formative Assessment
Formative Assessment
Summative Assessment

Grades based only on what students know
and can do – Tests, quizzes and labs

Retakes for all assessments

Grades are not subjective

Correlated to End of Course Tests
(APs, EOC Algebra I, Common Core, etc.)
AP Physics B Participation Rates
Learning Forward – National Report
Learning Forward – National Report
“The New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning
(NJCTL) has been doing groundbreaking
professional development work in math and science
instruction as well…using the innovative curriculum
of 2006 New Jersey Teacher of the Year Robert
Goodman…to create the Progressive Science
Initiative….”
2011 IMS
Learning Impact Award
The Progressive Science Initiative and the
Progressive Mathematics Initiative: an
effective new approach to student learning
and teacher training – SMART Technologies
and New Jersey Center for Teaching and
Learning
2011 IMS Learning Impact Award
The Progressive Mathematics
Initiative (PMI)
PSI methods used to create PMI
Common Core Mathematics

Common Core adopted by 47 states

Current textbooks are not aligned to Common
Core; they need to be replaced

But, textbooks themselves are becoming
obsolete; districts don’t want to buy new ones

Free, highly effective, Common Core aligned
course materials are critically important
PMI Mathematics Courses
Free for non-commercial use









Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 7 - Accelerated
Grade 8
Grade 8 / Algebra I
Algebra I
Geometry
Algebra II / Trig
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus A/B
College Algebra
PSI Science Courses
Free for non-commercial use








Algebra-Based Physics
AP Physics B (trigonometry based)
AP Physics C: Mechanics (calculus based)
AP Physics C: E&M (calculus based)
Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Biology
AP Biology (being revised for new AP exam)
Free Digital Course Content

25 Courses Posted
 Most
of K-12 Mathematics
 College
 Most
Algebra
of High School Science
www.njctl.org
Free Digital Course Content

Everyone can see all the content, but the
assessments, at www.njctl.org

Free registration for teachers to get
access to all assessments
Free Digital Course Content

About 44,000 slides
 50+
writers
 At
30 second per slide, it would take 360
hours to see them all

Growing rapidly
www.njctl.org
www.njctl.org
www.njctl.org
www.njctl.org
PSI-PMI Paradigm Shift
Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow
Wilson National Fellowship Foundation,
describes PSI-PMI in these words:
“There is a shift from teaching to learning,
from working alone to collaboration, from
passive to active learning, from analog to
digital, from teaching a class to sharing
authority for educating all the kids at a
school, or beyond.”
PSI-PMI Paradigm Shift
For what world are we preparing our students?
Isolated work:
factual recall;
sitting quietly;
transcribing;
accepting
PSI-PMI Paradigm Shift
For what world are we preparing our students?
Collaborative work:
critical thinking;
problem solving;
talking;
debating
questioning
PSI-PMI Paradigm Shift



Digital technology has enabled a new
paradigm for teaching and learning
There’s no reason to build a new system
with the old paradigm.
Build with the new paradigm
Reducing Stress &
Improving Achievement

Curriculum Development
 Framework
is already designed
 Aligned to standards
 Designed and vetted by teachers
 Content is scaffolded
 Embeds pedagogy, including formative
assessment
Reducing Stress &
Improving Achievement

Lesson Planning
 No
more lesson plans; share the actual lessons
and pacing guides with administrators
 Formative
 If
 If
assessment dictates pace
students understand- go faster, cover more
students didn’t understand – reteach, review, try
another problem
Reducing Stress &
Improving Achievement

Motivating Students & Classroom
Management
 Students
feel successful by teaching small
chunks
 Mastery learning eliminates high stakes testing
 Teaching is fast paced
 Instruction mimics student life
Reducing Stress &
Improving Achievement

Work with others (teachers, administrators,
parents)
 Teachers
can share notebooks electronically
 Curriculum articulates scope and sequence
 Administrators get lessons not lesson plans
 Parents and students at home have access to the
lessons
 Student collaboration enabled and encouraged
Reducing Stress &
Improving Achievement

Assessment & Grading
 Daily
formative assessment
 Matches the rigor or EOC tests
 Grading practices correlate with EOC
performance
 No longer grading homework- students do
homework to learn, not compliance
New Jersey
Center for Teaching and Learning
Empowering Teachers …Leading Change
www.njctl.org