The 2004 Summer Colloquium was hosted by Radford University from July 7 through July 9, 2004. Dr. Betty Dore was co-chair of the program committee and handled local arrangements.  A copy of the Program for the 2004 Summer Colloquium is available:

Program for the 2004 Summer Colloquium

Each participating institution sent a team of three individuals to participate in an annual week-long FIPSE Summer Colloquium. (In Year One - Summer of 2002- the Colloquium was hosted by VCU, in Year Two by Norfolk State University and in Year Three by Radford University).

A highlight of the Year One colloquium was the opportunity to hear from and interact with Sid Rachlin from East Carolina University. ECU has been recognized by the United States Department of Education for its outstanding program that prepares middle school mathematics teachers. The program for the colloquium and Sid’s remarks are available:

Program for the 2002 Summer Colloquium
Presentation by Sid Rachlin: Lessons Learned by the MiddleMath Project (PDF) (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF file)

The 2003 Summer Colloquium was hosted by Norfolk State University. A highlight to the Colloquium was a presentation by a number of faculty members who had previously registered for and completed the middle school mathematics and science PRAXIS 2 exams. Participants were also given an opportunity to meet with a large number of recent graduates of our teacher preparation programs and learn from their experiences. A copy of the Program for the 2003 Summer Colloquium is available:

Program for the 2003 Summer Colloquium (PDF) (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF file)

During each Colloquium, participants will:

• Meet with the other members of their Standing Task forces. Although the Taskforces conduct their work throughout the year, the Colloquium provides an opportunity for the members to meet in person. The membership and Charge of the Taskforces are described in Taskforces (PDF) (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF file).
  
• Conduct structured visits of courses that have been successfully designed for future middle school students; These courses will be offered as a portion of the host institution’s summer school; Each participant will conduct as least three visits to at least two different courses. Before each visit, the participants will discuss the overall goals of the course and of the particular class to be visited. After the visit, the participant will discuss the activities of the day with the instructor and with future teachers who are enrolled in the course;
  
• Present their institution’s plan for improving all aspects of its program for middle school math and science teachers. (This includes coursework; recruiting students, with particular attention to those from underrepresented groups; practicum and student teaching; support for new teachers.) In preparation for the colloquia, each participating institution will prepare a status report - update; during the colloquium they will present an overview of their status report and then participate in a collegial session allowing for advice, opportunities to share ideas, etc;
  
• Participate in special sessions on particular aspects of quality courses. VCEPT adopted a set of criteria for course development; during the first FIPSE Summer Colloquium a new set of program and course criteria will be developed;
  
• Understand, in detail, all aspects of the program of its “paired” institution. For the first year the institutions will be paired as follows: Old Dominion – Norfolk State, Mary Washington– Virginia Intermont, VCU – Virginia Tech, Longwood – Virginia Union, Radford – James Madison. Pairings will be reconstituted by the Steering Committee for work in Years 2 and 3.

After the Colloquia:

• Each participating institution will continue to work on its individual plan to increase the quality and scope of its middle school teacher preparation program;
  
• Each participant will work on his or her course development plan;
  
• Conduct a visit to their “paired institutions” and, in turn, host a visit from its paired institution;
  
• At the Year 2 and Year 3 Colloquia, all previous-year participants will return for the first day to report on their work of the intervening year. Some will attend the full Colloquium; others will be replaced for the rest of the week by individuals who will join the effort during the following year.