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How Project T.R.I.P.S. Worked
Project T.R.I.P.S. consisted of three main components carried out by teams of professionals.
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 Teams were selected through a competitive application process.
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The teamwork began with intensive, 12-day Science Leadership Training Institutes for ISI educators, teachers and school administrators from across the country who came as a team to the Bronx Zoo. These institutes included discussion of national science education standards, inquiry practices in the classroom, authentic assessment, life science concepts and integration of ISI resources into life science curricula. During the Institutes, teams developed action plans for implementing professional developmental workshops, new curricula and methods into their current life science programs. Seven institutes were run between 1999 and 2004.
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An extensive follow-up program of technical assistance through which the Project T.R.I.P.S. staff helped teams with implementation of their action plans was available.
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3-day Reflective Study Workshops were held at other host institutions in the summer following the leadership training institutes. At this workshop the teams reconvened to showcase their work conducted over the school year and to brainstorm solutions to challenges.
Benefits for participants in Project T.R.I.P.S.
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 Joining an outstanding group of colleagues to be a part of an innovative, cutting-edge network that focused on strengthening relationships between schools and ISIs.
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Increasing professional competency by working with leading experts in the field of science-reform, science standards, inquiry-based learning and life science content.
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Gaining new insights into the linkages between ISIs and schools, and the potential this relationship holds for improving science education at the middle school level.
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Receiving complete exemplary life science curriculum modules for implementation in schools and ISIs.
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Video Commentary (Clip 1):