Advanced Academy For Future Teachers
Summer 2009
Program Dates: June 8-26
Applications accepted through April 30
After April 30, call 404-413-8121 to inquire
Welcome to the Summer AAFT
The Advanced Academy for Future Teachers is designed for bright, talented, and diverse high school students interested in a rewarding career teaching math or science in an urban environment. Through the AAFT, students collaborate with master teachers and university faculty, developing teaching and tutoring skills, participating in field trips, and building an appreciation for the value of professional and academic preparation. Math and science concepts are reinforced as participants practice presentation skills which they demonstrate as they teach fellow student. Teamwork and leadership knowledge are emphasized.
The AAFT Experience
The Advanced Academy for Future Teachers is an intense three-week, five days a week (June 8-26, 2009) initiative held at Georgia State University from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The Academy is FREE to its students. Each participant receives a $200 Stipend for full participation in all three weeks.
Regular, structured sessions present:
- College-level classroom experiences facilitated by GSU faculty and public sector Master Teachers
- Challenging educational issues viewed from perspectives across various academic disciplines
- A concentrated focus on the teaching of Elementary as well as Secondary Science and Mathematics
- Opportunities for personal, scholastic, and professional exploration and growth
- Practice teaching and leadership skills introduced and utilized in class
Focus:
- Professional practices
- Teaching and stress
- Multicultural education
- Challenges of an urban environment
- Knowing how your style affects your students and others
- Leadership in school and community
- Team-building activities
Learning Styles & Strategies
- Art & Science in Education
- Establishing and maintaining orderly and peaceful classrooms
- How personality types influence teaching and learning
Why Participate in the AAFT ?
Students who participate in the AAFT -
- Gain insight and a head start on a teaching career.
- Meet and interact with students from across the metro Atlanta area.
- Experience a college setting which includes college faculty leadership.
- Enhance their team building skills.
- Discover more about what it means to be a teacher, an urban educator, and a professional.
- Begin developing a network of professionals who could provide letters of recommendations, mentoring, support and other services as they enter college and a teacher education program.
- Respond to Georgia’s need for the best teachers possible. And we believe the best can be YOU!
AAFT Format
Students rotate through Early Childhood Math & Science and Secondary Science and Secondary Mathematics Education classes to gain exposure to teaching strategies at multiple educational levels. Students are provided with an array of learning experiences, including structured field trips, interactions with GSU professors, GSU graduate research assistants (GRA), Master public school teachers, Teacher Education Environment in Mathematics & Science (TEEMS) students/teachers, and GSU daycare children.
All classes are held on Georgia State University’s campus in downtown Atlanta. Lunch is scheduled from 12:50–1:30, just prior to student dismissal. Students are provided with a non-replaceable GSU Panther Card which enables them to purchase lunch on campus. A choice of a Marta transportation card (non-replaceable) or campus parking space is provided.
Closing Ceremony:
The summer initiative of the Advanced Academy for Future Teachers closes with a ceremony designed to acknowledge the aspirations, achievements, relationships and involvement of each AAFT participant, facilitator, and volunteer. Following this ceremony, each student who has satisfactorily completed the summer academy will receive a $200 stipend. Satisfactory completion denotes adequate attendance (no more than one absence) and active participation in all opportunities offered.
AAFT Host:
Georgia State University
College of Education
Funded largely by a University System of Georgia extension of the Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics grant (PRISM II), the Advanced Academy for Future Teachers is hosted by the College of Education on the campus of Georgia State University. Renowned for its status as a Research One educational institute, Georgia State University’s College of Education offers bachelor degrees in Early Childhood Education and Health and Physical Education, plus extensive graduate study opportunities leading to masters degrees (28 programs), educational specialist degrees (7), plus doctoral degree programs (10). The college’s diverse academic programs make the downtown campus location uniquely prepared to introduce high school students to the challenges and opportunities of a career in teaching, especially in urban environments.
AAFT Faculty – A Team Approach
Every AAFT class is led by a team which includes a Georgia State University Professor teamed with an outstanding Atlanta Public School System Teacher. This combination combines the insight of current research with practical, dynamic instructional approaches and urban classroom expertise. It also provides a stimulating atmosphere for the AAFT faculty, as everyone learns from each other.
Student Eligibility
Students applying to the summer initiative of the Advanced Academy for Future Teachers must be rising juniors or seniors in the 2009-2010 school year. Students from all of the greater metro Atlanta school systems are encouraged to apply. We seek to facilitate a large, diverse community network among the urban and suburban counties. Atlanta Public Schools, City Schools of Decatur, Cobb County Schools, DeKalb County Schools, Fulton County Schools, and Gwinnett County Schools are some who’ve been represented over the years.
Students may not have graduated from high school.
We welcome students active in their school’s Future Educators/Future Teachers Club as well as those who mentor other students and work in childcare.
Students who attended AAFT in summer 2009 and who will be in high school in 2009-2010 are encouraged to return for a second year of AAFT. We want you back! A special curriculum has been designed for you.
Application Deadline: April 30, 2009
Application form and supporting documentation must arrive in the AAFT office by this date – via mail or fax or electronic scan.
Late Applications:
Plan now! We welcome 45-60 bright, enthusiastic students to AAFT every summer. It is vital that applications arrive early for the best chance of admission and the quickest possible acceptance.
Our goal, however, is always to welcome as many deserving students as possible, and openings occasionally occur after deadline. After April 22nd, we will accept and review late applications in case of a last-minute vacancy. Email:AAFT@gsu.edu or call (404) 413-8121 to inquire after this date.
Notifications: April 29, 2009
Program Acceptance - Applicants are notified as soon as possible of AAFT’s admission decision. A sincere effort is made to reach each applicant using mail, E-mail and/or phone contacts listed on their application.
AAFT 2009 Student Commitment |
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| Dates of the Summer Academy: | June 8-26, 2009 |
| Monday-Friday 8am-1:30 pm | |
| Five days per week for three weeks | |
| All participants are expected to be fully present from 8 to 1:30 every day of the program. Late arrivals and departures prior to 12:50 (lunch release) will not be automatically excused. To receive the student stipend of $200, no more than one excused absence will be accepted. Please plan accordingly and discuss all special circumstances with the coordinator beforehand. | |
E-mail AAFT@gsu.edu
| GSU Contact: | Laurie Forstner, Project Coordinator lgregory@gsu.edu Office: 404 413-8121 Fax 404 413-8103 |
AAFT gratefully acknowledges funding support from the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia Board of Regents, and Scientific Atlanta.