Academic Alliances

Committee Members

English

Cristie Roe, PC, chair
Maria Harper-Marinick, DIST, group support

Mary Ellen Smith SMCC
Ken Thommen GCC
Camilla Westenberg PC
Jo Egan, South Mountain High School
Philip Mandel, Carl Hayden High School
Charlotte Slade, Camelback High School
Sharon Snuffer, Alhambra High School

Mathematics

David Dudley, PC chair

Carol Achs MCC                Melinda Rubidaugh CGCC
Carol Barner GCC              Dennis Shaw RSCC
George Barrientos SMCC        Al Shipley GCC
John Bennett GCC              Theodora Tsakiris GWCC
Ed Chandler PVCC              Dan Benson PUHSD
Ted Corley GCC                Jim Forsman GUSHD
Betty Field PVCC              Melinda Romers CUSD
Barbara Herzog EMCCC          Sandy Nagy MUSD
Alan Jacobs SCC               Joaquin Bustor ASU
Joyce Janiga PVCC             Matt Kawski ASU
Ann Linder SMCC               John Quigg ASU
John Mildrew SMCC             Christrian Ringhofer ASU
Nora Ramirez SMCC

Charge

Academic Alliances establishes linkages with faculty across levels of educational insitutions (junior high schools, high schools, community colleges and universities) to discuss technology infusion in the teaching and learning process. Other items of concern are the impact of technology on the pedagogy of specific disciplines, and restructuring and redefining the new curriculum in the identified disciplines.

English

Introduction

Academic Alliances are local groups of school and college faculty, from the same discipline or interdisciplinary area of study, who meet regularly and voluntarily to discuss issues of mutual concern. Through ongoing meetings, members engage in self-directed, collegial, and professional experiences that focus on common interests, concerns, and goals. The Maricopa English Teachers Network (METNET) is the Academic Alliance for English in Maricopa County. It began as an organization for English instructors from Phoenix College, the Phoenix Union High School District (PUHSD) and its feeder elementary schools.Since its inception, METNET has organized workshops and conferences for English teachers at all levels. In addition, METNET has sponsored Student-to-Student Dialogs, which consist of college students visiting high schools to share their experiences in college with high school juniors and seniors, in order to help encourage and prepare them to succeed in college.In 1992, the Academic Alliances of Maricopa County were invited to join Ocotillo. Thus, METNET is now an Ocotillo committee. In order to fulfill the Ocotillo mission, METNET is endeavoring to expand county-wide, and to incorporate a technology focus into upcoming events.

Year In Review

On September 26, 1992, METNET hosted Dr. Sheridan Blau of the University of California at Santa Barbara in an English teachers workshop held at Maryvale High School. Dr. Blau is a contributor to the high school English textbook series published by McDougal Publishing Company, which has been adopted by PUHSD. Approximately 30 educators from elementary schools, high schools and community colleges across the valley attended Dr. Blau's presentation on the use of literature in writing instruction. Participants also discussed methods of incorporating multicultural themes and awareness into the classroom and curriculum.

At this workshop, a questionnaire was distributed among the participants for the purpose of identifying prospective METNET members. Respondents were asked what software, if any, was being used at their institutions to teach English or ESL, what their interest was in English instructional technology, and whether they would be interested in serving on the METNET Steering Committee. There were eighteen respondents to the survey, of which eleven expressed interest in joining the Steering Committee. To date, five of those have been able to attend Steering Committee meetings, bringing the membership in the committee to half MCCCD faculty and half PUHSD teachers.

During the early months of 1993, the METNET Steering Committee met twice monthly to organize the Ocotillo- supported technology function. This was a "ENTEXPO", the English Technology Exposition, which was held Saturday, May 8, from 1:00-3:30 P.M., in the Phoenix College Library. Karen Schwalm of Glendale Community College gave two 30- minute presentations on the Electronic Forum, and Irwin Wetsel of South Mountain High School gave two 30-minute presentations on Project WriteAway, a software package for the teaching of writing skills to high school students. In addition, several instructors from Phoenix College and Glendale Community College demonstrated and explained computer programs in use for the teaching of English and ESL at the college level. The following people were scheduled to demonstrate: Gail Caylor, PC, demonstrated Project Jefferson, an ENG 102 program; Nancy Seifer, GCC, demonstrated ENG 109, a computerized grammar review course; and Kathy Schulhoff, PC, demonstrating Project LEE, an ESL program.

Recommendations

Expand METNET to include representatives from all colleges, high schools and elementary schools in Maricopa County in a technology-focused dialog.
Invite software publishers to demonstrate new programs at future technology showcases.
Review software in use by students at ASU.
Investigate trends in English teacher education software.

Mathematics

Primary Activity:

The primary activity of this group has been the preparation of a National Science Foundation proposal for the "Bridges to Calculus" grant program. In this proposal, the Maricopa County Community College District plans to completely restructure the community college mathematics curriculum. The curriculum will be restructured in a way that is responsive to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum and Evaluation Standards, and to the nation-wide calculus reform movement.

Supporting Activities:

October 1 Meeting with representatives from Arizona State University, Maricopa County Community College District, Glendale Union High School District, Phoenix Union High School District, Mesa Unified School District, Chandler Unified School District, and Uri Treisman, internationally known mathematics educator. All participants agreed to work together to prepare and submit the proposal.
October 8, October 27, November 23 Writing Meetings Developed curriculum and staff development teams with representatives from Phoenix College, Paradise Valley Community College, Scottsdale Community College, South Mountain Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College Center, Glendale Community College, Glendale Union High School District. The grant proposal was written
November 19 Meeting with representatives from Arizona State University, MCCCD, Glendale Union High School District, Phoenix Union High School District, Mesa Unified School District, Chandler Unified School District, and Uri Treisman. The grant proposal was presented to all parties, reviewed, and accepted with additional revisions.
Electronic Communication One suggestion from these working groups was to set up an electronic mail network. To steal an idea from the PBS series Square One Television, we decided to call it MathNet. It is currently limited to A1 with the creation of a district-wide mailing list called @ALL_MATHFAC. There are plans to expand the service to the Electronic Forum in the future.
January 8 Convocation Presentation The finished proposal was presented to the mathematics faculty, and much enthusiasm was generated to proceed.
February 12 Meeting with representatives from Arizona State University, MCCCD, Glendale Union High School District, Mesa Unified School District, and Chandler Unified School District. Presentations at high schools were planned.
March 9 Presentation to the Chandler Unified School District mathematics faculty. Faculty wanted to know where to proceed from here? What can we do next?
April 2 Presentation to joint meeting of the Arizona Mathematics Consortium and the Arizona Mathematics Association of Two Year Colleges. Participants expressed desire to get involved and asked what they could do.
April Presentation Presentation to Mesa Unified School District mathematics faculty.
April 23 Mathematics Dialogue Day Mathematics faculty agenda to included a presentation of the NCTM Standards, PVCC's implementation of calculus reform curriculum, and use of manipulatives in geometry.
May 24-27 Mathematics Retreat at EMCCC Agenda includes developing a strategy for staff development, develop a strategy for writing the new curriculum, training on a mathematics word and symbol processor to text creation, training on the using the Electronic Forum, and other topics as determined.
June 9-16 Task Force Meeting As a result of the high profile this grant is generating for MCCCD, a representative from the District will serve on the 25 member national task force to write a Standards-like document for Curriculum and Pedagogy Reform for Mathematics in the first Two Years of College (CPR-MATYC) which will directly affect the work of the mathematics faculty in the District.
Result of Primary Activity
If the grant is funded, then the duties of this committee would be incorporated into the activities of the grant. If the grant is not funded, the mathematics faculty would anticipate continuing the curriculum reform process with the support of this committee and others in the District.

Index

Ocotillo Report '93
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© 1993, Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI) Maricopa County Community College District, Arizona