A team of six teachers from Barrett Elementary has received the Intrepid Philanthropy Foundation California Educator Leveraging Innovation by Growing and Honoring Teachers (LIGHT) Award, according to a May 14 announcement.
The team of Dawn Petty, Teresa Colbert, Jen Myers, Diane Wilson, Heather Oliver and Janet Lammers receive $30,000 over two years to fund Teacher Learning Labs.
“This award is going to allow us to jump-start a program of math instruction that we believe will be super engaging and empowering to the students,” said Barrett Principal Mary Alice Callahan of the award.
The LIGHT Awards program is designed to honor the significant and influential role that educators play in our society. It allows teachers to enhance their skills and passion as professionals and renew their commitment to the career of teaching.
The Barrett teachers’ goal is to change the way they teach math by using the new National Council of Teachers of Mathematics effective teaching practices, which establishes a more student-centered approach, according to Morgan Hill Unified School District’s release.
The team plans to attend their chosen professional development opportunities/classes, and use time to collaborate and develop lessons with activities. Over the course of two years, team members will build math units and try them out with their students. They will design lessons where students learn to construct knowledge instead of relying on the teacher to model one way to find solutions.
“We are super excited and every teacher engaged in the grant is looking forward to beginning this summer as we meet and study together,” Callahan said. “It will be a lot of work, but we think it will also be a wonderful experience for the teachers, the students and our families here at Barrett.”
The grant allows Barrett to develop a two-year professional development agenda and builds in dedicated time for teachers to learn, to plan, to observe each other, to refine, to teach others and to engage deeply in a what some would call a cycle of inquiry for re-imagining what the best mathematical teaching and learning practices could be.
