About

About.

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Kathleen A. Renfrew

147 McKinley Drive

Barnet, VT 05821

Phone 802-633-3026

Email: kathy.renfrew@state.vt.us,  KRScienceLady@gmail.com

 @KRScienceLAdy

 

Education 

 

• Master’s Degree in Science Education, VT Science Initiative, Final Project- Science & Literacy, VT State College System, Lyndon State College, Lyndon, VT 2005.
• Master’s Degree in Education, Professional Educator, Final Project- Integrated Curriculum, Trinity College, Burlington, VT.,1994
• Bachelor of Science, Human Development, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. 1973.

 

Professional Experience

 

 

·         Professional Learner/Collaborator 1973- present – A continuous seeker of new learning

·         K-5 NGSS Science Consultant (details provided upon request)

·         NGSS Curator – 2013 – present

·         NSTA Learning Center Online Advisor– 2010-present

·         K-5 Science Assessment Coordinator – Vermont Agency of Education, 2011-2014

·         K-5 Science & Math Assessment Coordinator-Vermont Agency of Education, June 2008- 2011

·         Teacher, Peacham School Grade 5/6, September 1997 – 2008.

·         VISMT Teacher Associate, Vermont Institute of Science, Math, & Technology June 1997 – June 1998.

·         Teacher, Peacham School Grade 5/6 September 1993 –1997.

·         Instructor, Peacham Science Curriculum, University of Vermont, 1997.

·         Director/Teacher, Peacham Summer Science Camp 1995.

·         Instructor/Moderator, INTEC (online science course through the Concord Consortium ).

·         Facilitator/Leadership Team, LabNet (an electronic bulletin board for math and science teachers of all levels).

·         Teacher, Waits River Valley School, East Corinth, VT. Grade 4, September 1979 – June 1993.

·         Teacher, Bradford Elementary School, Bradford, VT. Grade 4/5, September 1978 – June 1979.

·         Teacher, Fleming Primary School, Flemington, Australia, Grade 3/4, February 1977 – May 1978

·         Teacher, Wantirna South Primary, Wantirna South, Australia, Kindergarten

 

Professional Development

 

• Collaboration in Professional Learning Community with NSTA’s online Advisor program  2010 –present
• Writing NGSS –evidence statements and developing model content frameworks for Grades K -5.
• NGSS training – many different venues
• BCSSE Conference in Denver CO
• Translating NGSS with Renee Affolter & Dave White
• EQUIP rubric for Evaluating Instructional Sequences or Units
• What’s the Evidence?  Constructing Explanations in K-5 Science Classrooms- hybrid face to face workshop  followed by online PLC , face to face  and ?? began May 2014-ongoing.
• Training as an NGSS Curator
• Vermont Science Initiative-Through auditing/monitoring MSP projects, I have received additional content and pedagogy.
• Attendance at National Academies of Science Virtual Workshop on Science & Literacy November 2013
• Vermont Professional Development Science Network Leaders Training , Summer 2005 –2007.
• Skillful Teacher Course ( very similar to  formative assessment course, similar strategies recommended), 2006.
• NASA Earth Science Institute , UMASS, 2005.
• Differentiated Instruction  (3 year summer course ).
• Critical Friends Training.
• Science Standard Setting.
• Teacher Associates Meetings 1997.
• Standards in Action Conference.
• Bridges to Mathematics (math content training for Everyday Mathematics).
• Teacher-Researcher for Continuous Assessment in Science Project.
• Discover Earth/Oceanography (2 week summer course ) .
• Advanced Inquiry Workshop  (Exploratorium with Wynne Harlen ).
• Discover Earth,  a NASA 2 week course on NSF research boat out of Woods Hole (July 1997).
• Science, Technology & Children/ Insights Train the Trainer Institutes, Northeastern University, MA.

 

Professional Outreach/Project Areas

 

• Facilitator of “What’s the Evidence? Constructing Explanations in the K-5 Classrooms” – a project that brought Carla Zembal-Saul and team to Vermont for an intense day of professional learning , followed by teachers practicing the new learning in classrooms or other venues as well as online collaboration  to be followed by a follow up day of learning.
• Planning & presenting a series of K-5 NSTA NGSS web seminars in collaboration with Carla Zembal-Saul, Mary Starr and Ted Willard.
• Facilitator of K-5 Science Professional Learning Team-Plan and deliver professional learning for Vermont educators
• Collaborating with Achieve, writers of NGSS to create model content frameworks for grade 4 ad 5.
• Working to implement the Common Core in Mathematics and English Language Arts. (integrate and/or use the CC to leverage instructional time for science. ( current )
• As a Presidential winner in science was asked to teach a lesson in science to preschool children at the University of West Alabama. ( January 2011 )
• Member NSTA Outstanding Science Trade books Committee 2011-2014
• Vermont Professional Development Science Network Leader, 2004 –present.

·         Field testing Math materials for Laura Candler, NBCT, a 4^th grade teacher and author from North Carolina.

• NSTA District Director ME, NH & VT 2006-2009.
• NSTA Preschool/ Elementary Committee, 2006 – 2009.
• Annual Presenter at National Science Teachers Association Convention.
• Board member-former president of Vermont Science Teachers Association.
• Member Vermont Leaders in Science Teaching (VTLIST).
• Science Assessment Content Committee 2001-2002.
• Grade level Expectations Committees.
• Math Portfolio Network Meetings.
• Math/Writing Summer Portfolio Camps.
• VISMT Trainer/Consultant for Science, Technology & Children /Insights.

 

 

Awards, Honors & Achievement

 

 

·         Elementary Teacher of the Year Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering, 2007.

• Exemplary Elementary Science Teacher Award from the Council of Elementary Science International, 2004.
• Vermont Elementary Presidential Science Award, 2000.
• National Board Certified Teacher-Middle Childhood Generalist, 1999.
• Featured in an article in Middle Ground (NMSA magazine).
• State finalist Vermont Presidential Science Award, 1999.
• Toyota Tapestry Grant, 1998.
• School to Work Grant to supplement Tapestry grant.
• 1998 CCSU Teacher of the Year.
• Featured in Vermont’s ABC’s of Education Documentary “Teacher Are Learners, Too “Broadcast in the Fall of 1995.

 

 

Professional Organizations

 

• National Science Teachers’ Association
• National Science Education Leadership Association
• Vermont Science Teacher’s’ Association
• Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees
• Council of Elementary Science International

 

Thoughts #1 From a New #NGSS & More Blogger

Working with a 4th grade teacher for the last two months has been an amazing NGSS learning journey for me. We planned, we planned, we planned. We taught, we revised, we taught and revised again. I hope we offered the students quality science instruction but as early NGSS implementers we are are questioning everything we do.  We  asked the students to grapple with phenomena and construct a collaborative model that demonstrated their initial thinking about “how the energy ball lit up and buzzed”. :”How does the energy Ball demonstrate energy transfer”? These were the driving questions based on the anchoring event. Every other learning experience in this instructional sequence had its roots in these driving questions

I learned so much by just observing carefully. I watched what the students were doing and listened to what they were saying as they investigated.  I learned that this instructional sequence which was begun a year ago, piloted, gone through revisions and after this pilot still could be made better. As I said in the beginning of this post, this was a NGSS journey. I think have many more NGSS excursions to make.