|
|
|
************ |
PRISM Opens New Facility
Pictured above left is the entrance to the new PRISM office space in Blanton Hall at Montclair State University's Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning. Dr. Jacalyn Willis, director of PRISM, (above right) is pictured in her new office and meeting room following the ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the new facility. Professional Resources In Science & Mathematics (PRISM) at Montclair State University's Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning now has a spacious facility in Blanton Hall. A ribbon cutting ceremony opening the new facility was held Monday morning, Oct. 24, 2005. The facility is available for science teachers in New Jersey to learn quality programs for grades pre-K through 12. Programs available help make stronger teachers and in turn inspire students to learn, experience, and understand. Dr. Jacalyn Willis, director of PRISM, welcomed guests and provided tours of the new office space and conference room, complete with computers and various research materials. Previously, PRISM managed in cramped quarters in another area at the Center with no room for expansion. Guest speaker Sally Shuler, executive director of the National Science Resources Center, gave a presentation during the program on the topic "Science Education Today." Shuler said there has been a change in skills needed by businesses. "Computers and the Internet have changed all that. School today does not advocate that skill set." A brief educational videotape produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Institute was shown during the program. One point made was that science is about predictions and not explaining. It stressed the importance of teaching students and "knowing they learned something." Shuler said students know how to regurgitate classroom learning but research has shown they cannot apply that learning in the field. An example given in the film was Harvard graduates who were handed a seed in one hand and an approximate 18 inch diameter chunk of a log in the other and questioned "where does all the mass come from?"
The ultimate mission is to improve student performance in science. Students should learn in ways that reflect research, using modes of inquiry that scientists use to understand the natural world. How people learn science, mathematics and history is through the brain and mind, then by experience and school. Shuler commented about instructional materials, saying that "teachers are asked to write their own lesson plan materials, and no other profession demands that." She said that an expert uses instructional strategies designed to help students develop as well as assess their understanding. To learn more about PRISM, call 973-655-7753 or fax 973-655-4430. Visit them online at http://www.csam.montclair.edu/ceterms/prism/ for additional details as well as directions and a map to the campus.
Above is an area of the new office space at PRISM. On right is a close up view of natural prisms displayed in the office.
Above left is one of the bookcases with educational materials in the spacious training and meeting area. Above right is a close up look at skeletal examples displayed within the bookcase seen on the left. Below left is a view of the spacious training and meeting area during the open house celebration. Below right is a close up of the computer stations.
|
|
Click Here to visit the Sterling Hill Mining Museum web site |
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif){kind=small}
