The following article was selected from the Internet Edition of the Chicago Tribune. To visit the site, point your browser to http://chicagotribune.com/. ----------- Chicago Tribune Article Forwarding---------------- Article forwarded by: Michael Lach Return e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Article URL: http://chicagotribune.com/news/local/article/0,1051,SAV-0012170021,00.html ---Forwarded article---------------- PROGRAM WILL TURN SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS INTO TEACHERS By LeAnn Spencer To combat Illinois' looming teacher shortage--a crisis predicted to hit in force within three to five years--educators at two influential DuPage County institutions have unveiled an unusual accelerated program to train new teachers for high school and middle school. The plan is to train 15 to 20 science teachers this summer and have them ready to teach in the fall. The teacher training will be offered in partnership with Benedictine University in Lisle and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora. While many colleges and universities offer accelerated teacher training programs for people who already have bachelor's degrees in other fields, this program is unusual for a number of reasons. For one thing, it is designed to train teachers of science, an area experiencing some of the worst shortages of qualified teachers. Also, the candidates, besides having a bachelor's degree in science, must have at least five years of work experience. "It is a real advantage to have people who have experience with the real world in science. They should be able to help children make better connections between the real world of work and the theoretical world of the classroom," said Harry Trumfio, Benedictine's director of alternative certification. Next year, the university hopes to add a component to train teachers in math, and other specialties are likely to be added in the future. The new program comes on the heels of a state report that estimated about 20 percent of Illinois' 124,000 public school teachers will be eligible to retire in three years. The report also predicted student enrollment will continue to rise, creating an even greater need for teachers. The need already is apparent in math and science, where qualified candidates are routinely siphoned off into higher-paying jobs in business and industry. Officials at Benedictine and the Mathematics and Science Academy are hoping to counteract that trend by luring experienced professionals into the classroom. The program will train teachers in problem-based learning, a format in which students must identify and solve real-world problems. More traditional teaching drills students in formulas and theory, but problem-based learning puts such fundamentals to work. "These will not be traditional classes. All the course work will be done in the framework of problem-based learning programs," said Susan Bisinger, coordinator for strategic initiatives at the Math and Science Academy, which has designed its own curriculum around problem-based learning. "Candidates [in the training program] will not be taking Ed 101 and attending a class or taking Psych 201," she said. The goal, officials said, is to teach the teachers how to create learning experiences that will give their students grounding in science, as well as the ability to solve problems. Teachers also will receive intensive training in classroom management, officials said, and will do student teaching in the Mathematics and Science Academy's summer program. Those who finish will not receive a degree but will be awarded a four-year teaching certificate. The certificate program has yet to be approved by state officials, but approval is expected early next year. Tuition will be about $12,000, and candidates are expected to attend full time. Classes, which will be held at the Mathematics and Science Academy, will begin in early June and run through the middle of August. Benedictine, which received a $100,000 state grant to create the certificate program, will make applications available Feb. 1. By the time schools open in the fall, the candidates will have earned provisional teaching certificates allowing them to participate in a one-year residency. They will teach for one school year with pay in a regular school district. During the residency, the new teacher will work with a mentor and others to hone his or her skills, Bisinger said. Including the residency, the program will take about 14 months. Four school districts--Elgin District 46, Joliet Township High School District 204, East Aurora District 131 and the Rockford Public Schools--have agreed to support the certificate program by providing residencies and mentors for the candidates. "With retirement options and people going into the private sector, we're having a real brain drain" among science teachers, said Robert Gilliam, assistant superintendent for human resources in Elgin District 46. "It's a difficult time trying to find enough qualified teachers in the field of science." Superintendents hope the program will bring seasoned career professionals into the classroom, people who are ready for something more altruistic than corporate life. Jim Clark, superintendent of Joliet Township High School District 204, said the possibility of luring career professionals into the classroom is a big attraction. Instead of first-year teachers with undergraduate degrees, he said, the program will train teachers who can bring experience to the classroom. "That's the beauty of this," he said. "To have people with real-life skills." -- This is the ISTA-talk mailing list. 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