CTI Names 104 Fellows, Four CLAS Seminar Leaders

Charlotte Teachers Institute has named 104 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools teachers as CTI Fellows to participate in its innovative, interdisciplinary seminars for 2016.

“This year’s CTI Fellows represent a wide range of teachers in CMS, from new to veteran, pre-K to 12th grade and physics to digital art and language arts,” says CTI Director Scott Gartlan. “We create important growth opportunities for CMS teacher-leaders looking to deepen their knowledge base and impact the lives of their students.”

CTI’s eight concurrent seminars began on April 21 with an orientation at Discovery Place and will run through November. CTI seminars are led by eight faculty experts in the arts, sciences and education, including five from UNC Charlotte – with four from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences – and three from Davidson College.

In each seminar, 13 CMS teachers and a professor work closely on an in-depth study of a topic, with each teacher creating a new curriculum designed for his or her own students. CTI Fellows receive full access to UNC Charlotte and Davidson College resources, as well as family memberships to Discovery Place. Upon completion, each fellow receives a $1,500 stipend and continuing education credits.

The 2016 CTI seminars and seminar leaders are:

• How Science is Done: A Behind the Scenes Look at Scientific Research – Susan Trammell, physics and optical science, UNC Charlotte

• The Many Faces of Capitalism around the Globe: Past and Present – Jurgen Buchenau, history, UNC Charlotte

• FUNdamental Ideas in Math for Grades Pre-K-12 – Harold Reiter, mathematics and statistics, UNC Charlotte

• It’s a Small World! Exploring Science at the Tiniest Scale – Marcus Jones, chemistry, UNC Charlotte

• Exploring Memoir: From Picture Book to Digital Story – Brian Kissel, reading and elementary education, UNC Charlotte

• Literacy and Literacies in the 21st Century – Kyra Kietrys, Hispanic studies, Davidson College

• Writing with Power: No Fear Here – Brenda Flanagan, English, Davidson College

• Tracing the Legacy of Hispanic Cultures: 1492 to Today – Angie Willis, Hispanic studies, Davidson College

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC sponsored the CTI Fellows Orientation at Discovery Place. “We are thrilled to support CTI Fellows in this high-quality teacher professional development program,” says Carrie Reeder, PwC Carolinas marketing and community relations leader.

“At PwC, we are focused on building literacy skills among CMS students, particularly financial literacy,” Reeder says. “Kicking off the CTI Fellows program in April, which is Financial Literacy Month, is a great way to celebrate the value teachers add to classrooms every day.”

CTI programs are made possible by a joint commitment of resources from CMS, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte and through private funding from institutions such as Wells Fargo, the Belk Foundation, Duke Energy, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC and the N.C. Humanities Council. The institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Words and Image: Courtesy of CTI