Louisiana educators hone their STEM teaching skills

With the full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) on the horizon, educators who feel like they are unprepared to teach K-12 students CCSS-aligned lessons are receiving the training they need.

Having a country full of instructors who can effectively teach math and science is in the best interest of companies in STEM fields. For this reason, organizations like the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) exist. The NMSI's goal is to ensure students are ready to take rigorous math and science courses at the college level, according to the Initiative's website.

Recently, more than 200 teachers had an opportunity to participate in a four-day NMSI workshop at Pineville High School in Louisiana, The Town Talk reported. For many of these educators, this was an opportunity to acquire more effective instructional skills that reflect the CCSS.

"I know the math," Kayla Barrientos, an algebra teacher who participated in the workshop, told the news source. "I can tell you the math. It's how to teach in a way they can understand [that I want]."

Overall, workshops like the one put on by the NMSI provide instructors with a chance to revise their approach to teaching and ensure that it is aligned with the CCSS.