WPI and Teacher Preparation

 

History

          WPI was established in 1868. Seeing its  primary obligation  to Worcester County, and charging no tuition  to students from there, its name at that time was Worcester Free Institute.   The cornerstone of its educational approach was a proper balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application with the result being a person able to contribute to, and provide innovations to the growing industrial economy and society of Worcester Country and Massachusetts.  A very thorough account of its development may be found in the book  Two Towers by Mildred McClary Tymeson, available on line  (www.wpi.edu/Academics/Library/Archives/TwoTowers/ )

            For some 100 years, WPI graduated men consistent with the goals of the original aims of the college and in close cooperation of the ever expanding industrial world of Massachusetts.  Companies such as Wyman-Gordon, Norton Company, Riley Stoker, and Atwater Kent generously supported WPI while also making good use of its graduates and research.  The industrial growth of central Massachusetts essentially peaked in the 1960s, beginning a quiet decline mirrored by a comparable decline in population.

            At this point in time, comparable to the United States as a whole, Massachusetts was a more complex and challenging world. Jobs and material affluence were no longer the sole criteria for success. The streams and ponds bordering the factories symbolizing Massachusetts prior successes now were realized to contain pollution and toxic waste; the air was of questionable quality. Minorities and women sought a more equal footing.  Jobs were viewed not only in terms of their financial reward but also of their intrinsic value.

            The auto industry and its various related issues offer a contrast of the old and new directions of students.  Graduates of WPI from the 1950s eventually worked their way up the ladder of General Motors, including those who went on to President and Vice President. By comparison, in 1970, the first of many Clean Air Car Races were held, with alternative fuel vehicles going from MIT to Caltech.  WPI entered many vehicles in the race and won 6 different categories in 1970.

            In the late 1960s, WPI underwent a substantial academic reconfiguration of itself.  At this time it moved from a traditional, course based curriculum to a project based curriculum that came to be called the WPI Plan.  To a substantial extent the new curriculum reflected the needs of students entering a society which was in the process of confronting many substantial problems.   The proper role of technology in society was also questioned.  The education that students had been receiving was seen by some as inadequate to address the emerging needs of society and the college responded accordingly.  Graduation requirements changed to become a project in one's major (MQP), a project addressing an issue of society (IQP), a Humanities project (Sufficiency), and a Competency Examination addressing cumulative knowledge of one's major. Projects were the equivalent of 3 courses in terms of work required.

            The class entering in the fall of 1968 had two women in it thus beginning the completion of a goal of the original founders of the college. More effort was made to recruit minorities as well as foreign students.

            As the intellectual environment of the times allowed for considerable questioning and investigation of education at all levels, it was natural that some students would take a path into education as a career. The Plan allowed what we would today call a practicum to be the basis of a student's IQP, and a number of student did exactly this. In the first class to graduate under the Plan was, for example, Mark Mooradian, an outstanding Physics major. Mark's IQP was based upon his teaching experiences of science in Worcester high schools. Following graduation, Mark got a Master's degree in Education at Harvard and then taught physics in the Middle East.  Ken Lexier, a math major, based his IQP on teaching of mathematics in an alternative high school in Worcester, and then began a lengthy career in education which lead to his becoming superintendent of schools in Skowhegan, Maine. Dean Kamen, currently known for his company's development of the Segway transportation device,  was also a member of the first class to graduate under the WPI Plan. While he chose to go into engineering, he has always maintained a strong commitment to education, supporting it in many ways, perhaps the most conspicuous being the US First Robotic competition.

            Alumni of WPI with traditional degrees also found their way into education, and a recent study of the alumni database showed that some 600 or more alumni are in education today with nearly half of those teaching at the secondary or middle school levels.

            The college itself, while providing avenues for student interest in education, also developed its own interest in secondary education. While there are a number of possible motivations for such interest, among them would certainly be the realization that better instruction at that level would result in better preparation of subsequent WPI students. Toward such an end, the Department of Mathematical Sciences, in 1975, instituted the Masters in Mathematics for Educators program, a content based masters degree in mathematics tailored to the needs of high school teachers.  To a substantial degree, the philosophy of this program predated the direction that the State of Massachusetts took in 2001 with its content based requirements of secondary teachers.  Additionally the college had a Masters in Natural Science program which attracted many Massachusetts teachers, as evidenced by the Alumni database.

Begun in 1993, the Massachusetts Academy for Mathematics and Science at WPI is the only publicly funded high school in the Commonwealth for gifted math and science eleventh and twelfth grade students.  The junior year curriculum is an interactive, project-based program emphasizing learning to think analytically and independently, and requiring participation in a rigorous year-long science seminar.  Students in the senior year attend WPI classes full time; with the college credit they earn, they are able to accelerate their progress towards both the Bachelor's and advanced degrees after receiving their Academy diploma.  The Academy has graduated more than 300 students since its first class , and many of these students are now working as science, engineering or computer science professionals while others are pursuing advanced degrees.  In addition to conducting the educational program for these gifted students, Academy faculty spend a significant portion of their time in outreach and in-service activities to introduce other Massachusetts teachers to their pedagogical innovations.  They also work with WPI to help prepare WPI math and science majors for teacher certification and are a key resource of the program. A more detailed description of the Academy may be found in the Appendix.

            In 1994, current Associate Provost Lance Schachterle began assisting students who sought teacher certification upon graduation by setting up practica and supervising their preparation as teachers. These students applied to the DOE as individuals for certification. In 1998, he, along with John Goulet of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, began the application process to become a formal licensing site for teachers under the then new regulations.

            In the 1990s, what came to be called "K-12 Outreach" became a permanent part of the college's Strategic Initiative. Today, WPI supports more than forty programs designed to enhance the pipeline of students entering the fields of science and engineering.  Some programs address the elementary school level, while others pertain to students in middle school, high school, or even college.  WPI’s Office of K-12 Outreach is led by Dr. Martha Cyr.  Two offices at WPI exist specifically to support underrepresented minorities and women:  1) Office of Diversity and Women’s Programs led by Dr. Stephanie Blaisdell and 2) Office of Minority Affairs led by Calvin Hill. The breadth and richness of the forty some odd programs is too lengthy to be listed here but may be reviewed in their entirety in the Appendix to this document.

            The WPI of 2004, on the one hand now offers students opportunities to do project work at 9 different global sites ranging from Washington DC to Venice to Thailand, while on the other hand building even stronger ties with the primary and secondary schools of Worcester through a continually growing list of initiatives. For example, as recently as February 10 of 2004, Professor Neil Heffernan, a computer scientist, received support to develop an artificial intelligence package to help better prepare Worcester Students for the MCAS exam while an extensive group of students and teachers under the leadership of Professors Judith Miller and Joe Rencis have begun to introduce engineering to 4th, 5th and 6th graders at two pilot schools thanks to a 3 year NSF grant (engineering now being part of Frameworks and being an exam topic in the 2008 MCAS).  Thanks to a grant from General Electric, high school math teachers develop and analyze models for the air pollution due to the fumes from gassing up ones car at a pump and the recapture of these fumes, in one week workshops each summer.

 It would seem that the intentions of  the founders of the college of contributing to the society of Worcester and Massachusetts have been maintained despite the changes and expansion of the college between 1868 and 2004, and, in particular, that the contribution to public education has grown considerably.

 

Missions, Goals and Objectives  (under construction!)

            The mission of the WPI Teacher Preparation program is to provide WPI students with the teaching experience, pedagogical knowledge, and understanding of Massachusetts public school education so that they may bring their own knowledge and breadth of experiences to a productive career in teaching.

            The goals are

 

            The objectives are

 

College Resources

          Within WPI, the college established, in 1998, the position of Director of Teacher Preparation, since held by John Goulet and reporting to Associate Provost Lance Schactherle.  Additionally, the college provides regular funds an adjunct faculty position for the delivery of ID 3100, Teaching Methods, currently taught by Dr. Raynold Lewis of Worcester State College.

            So that the teaching methods course contains portions which are specific to the needs of future teachers of mathematics and science, a substantial portion of that course is taught by Master Teachers Jacqueline Bonneau and Jim Barys of the Mass Academy as part of their normal load.

            Dr. Marth Cyr is Director of K-12 Outreach.

 

            Worcester Public Schools: WPI has long had a strong relationship with the Worcester Public Schools.  While the college has assisted with developments of various engineering initiatives, the school system in return provides opportunities for students to practice teach.  The key person in this is Dr. Gale Nigrosch of the Human Resources office, who coordinates the placement of all student teachers (see letter from Gale in the Appendix)

 

            Massachusetts Academy

Master Teachers Bonneau and Barys use the Academy as the setting for their portion of the Teaching Methods course thus taking advantage of its laboratories and computer facilities.