The MMSA math consulting team supports mathematics educators through project work, consulting, and curriculum development. MMSA strives to identify opportunities to support educators in learning how to integrate mathematical practices into STEM learning, both for in-person and virtual instruction. We work statewide to provide educators and administrators with the support to integrate high quality mathematics… [Read More]
Breaking the Assessment Barrier with ACRES Animation
Over the last year the ACRES (Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM) research team has piloted and deployed an innovative new assessment tool utilizing animation software to mimic an afterschool program. This tool allows participants an opportunity to give feedback about an educator’s use of questioning skills. Built off of the idea of virtual… [Read More]
Place-Based Learning for Elementary Science at Scale
Science class has looked like a lot of different things over the years. We all have memories of dissecting frogs, memorizing the planets, and building volcanoes. Maybe we still cringe at our first attempt at the science fair or, maybe we still have our ribbons displayed. Slowly, we have shifted away from memorizing the steps… [Read More]
MMSA’s Board of Directors 2020/2021
The mission of MMSA impacts many diverse stakeholders ranging from educators themselves, to the students they reach, to businesses that hire a qualified STEM workforce, to parents, and everyone in-between. It is with this in mind that we work towards building a board of directors that reflects those stakeholders. MMSA’s board has grown in strength… [Read More]
ACRES Team Wins 2 STEMforALL Video Awards
This week the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance’s Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM Project (ACRES) won two national awards for a 3-minute video showing their online work in virtual coaching for afterschool providers. “2020 STEM for ALL” is a national video showcase featuring 171 short videos of cutting-edge STEM education programs funded by the National… [Read More]
Managing Virtual Learning During Covid-19
We hope you are well and finding ways to decrease your stress during these difficult times. Your efforts to be creative, resourceful, and resilient do not go unacknowledged. You matter and are inspiring in your efforts to pivot so quickly. Kuddos to you! We thought we would take a moment to share some analogies to… [Read More]
Emergency Remote Learning: Navigating Uncharted Waters Over a Virtual Cup of Tea
This month, we had educators from Madawaska to Waterboro, Fryeburg to Belfast and many between and beyond join us for multiple sessions to discuss how we can best support learners and families during this crisis. We invited you for a cup of tea over Zoom, and you showed up. In our weekly meetups, we had… [Read More]
WeatherBlur Teacher Leader Marci Train Sets Sail with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences Team
On January 24th, 2020, Mrs. Marci Train, a teacher at the two-room Long Island School in Maine’s Casco Bay, set sail for the Southern Ocean as part of a partnership between MMSA and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences team. Marci joined Senior Research Scientist Barney Balch and several other Bigelow Laboratory scientists on this… [Read More]
AR Girls Registration Open for Summer 2020
AR Girls registration is open for the summer 2020 workshop program which will run in three art centers across Maine: Fiddlehead Art and Science Center in Gray, Wintergreen Art Center in Presque Isle and Waterfall Arts in Belfast. The AR Girls project is the first of its kind in the nation aimed at increasing the participation… [Read More]