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Workshop description:

Introduction to Middle School Modeling is a fast-paced dynamic look at science instruction through the lens of student learning and cognition.  Teachers will be prepared to deliver high quality, NGSS-aligned and research-based Modeling Instruction across the Middle School curriculum.  We all have models of how to teach science.  Participants will be challenged to examine their own models of instruction and to develop new understanding and new models that engage students, promote critical thinking practices, and elevate learning to higher levels.  We will explore the role of models and modeling in learning science in both formal and informal contexts.  Fundamental theories of thinking and learning will be examined as they relate to classroom instructional practices as well as the alignment between Modeling Instruction and the Next Generation Science Standards. 

Dates: June 13 - July 1, 2022
Meeting days: Mon - Thurs
Meeting times: 11:30-3:30 pm EST and then 11:30-2:30 pm EST on Thursday
Leaders:  Karle Delo (MI), and Aaron Mueller (IL)
Costs: $775, includes a one-year AMTA membership .
Optional graduate-level credits: $79 per credit through the University of Pacific (up to 3 credits available) 
Location: Zoom

Meet the leaders:

Karle Delo began teaching in 2010 in central Michigan and has 10 years of experience teaching middle school science. With a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Michigan State University, Karle has always had a passion for elevating student engagement and teacher efficiency through technology. Karle took her first modeling workshop in 2015 at a Middle School Modeling workshop in Muskegon, MI. For three years Karle used Modeling in her own 8th-grade science classroom and saw a transformation in quality discussions, depth of knowledge, and student ownership of learning. This is Karle's second year as Instructional Coach and Technology Integrationist at Ovid-Elsie Area Schools. As an instructional coach, she hopes to introduce some aspects of Modeling to other content areas. 

Karle facilitated the last two virtual Middle School Modeling Workshops. With her background in technology and Modeling, she provided teachers with examples of how tech tools can support Modeling in a virtual, hybrid, or socially distanced face-to-face environment.

 Aaron Mueller is currently a 7th grade Science Teacher at Scullen Middle School in Indian Prairie School District 204, Naperville, Illinois.  He has been teaching for 22 years and began Modeling in 2012-13. Within that time, he taught 8th grade for 14 years and had a brief experience teaching high school Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Botany after graduating with a BS in Secondary Education - Broad Field Sciences from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Aaron earned his MS Ed in Administration and Educational Leadership in 2006 from Northern Illinois University.
 Aaron's experience in Modeling Workshops has been through Biology, Mechanics, and Middle School.  In 2017, Aaron became a certified Modeling Facilitator and has worked with the staff at Wheaton-Warrenville South HS Modeling Institute with Middle School Modeling.  He is an NSTA 3D Professional Development Cadre member and a Lifetime Member of AMTA.  In 2017, Aaron was selected as an Illinois finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.  Aaron is passionate about Modeling with his students, colleagues, and those new to Modeling Instruction.