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About 80 East Tennessee teachers this week breathed life into textbook principles, in hopes of ultimately improving classroom experiences.

Math and science teachers in grades 8 through 10 from four public school systems -- the York Institute and Blount, Fentress and Union counties -- participated this summer in the East Tennessee Math Science Partnership, which is being administered by Maryville College.

Teachers learned many hands-on, technology-based lessons. Math teachers ultrasonically measured distance with motion detectors to create real-time motion graphs of position, velocity and acceleration. Motion was illustrated graphically, making it easy for them to experience the way real scientists collect data.

Physical science and chemistry teachers made glue, analyze dyes and pigments, took apart 35 mm cameras and digital cameras to learn how they work and built spectroscopes.

Teachers were excited about the program's potential to deepen student understanding of material. "I think technology is the big thing (about the program). For 30 years we didn't have all this technology, we just taught it," said Tommy Bird, a Heritage High School chemistry teacher. "The technology will help them to see it. Chemistry is an abstract science. You never get to see it, but the more you can show students will help them to understand it."

"This is some of the most beneficial professional development we've ever had. There's a lot of things in the new standards that are technology- and manipulative-based," said Valerie Shipwash, an eighth-grade math teacher at Union Grove Middle School. Shipwash was alluding to the Tennessee Diploma Project that not only changes high school graduation requirements for this year's freshman class and all subsequent classes, but also puts the state's K-12 curriculum more in line with national standards and assessments.

"Some of the things we've never taught before, and they're giving us the tools to anchor it to things we've already taught," Shipwash said. One example would be that students are now expected to be able to convert between the customary and metric systems of measurement, and Shipwash said she'll use her student's familiarity with the customary system to teach them, in turn, about the metric system. "I think this is putting us on the right path, and we can go back to our schools and teach the other teachers what we've learned."

Nolia Cummings, a Union Grove Middle School special education teacher, talked about some of the challenges that educators face with the inclusion model in regards to rising standards. Inclusion refers to a commitment to educate each child, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the school and classroom he or she would otherwise attend. It also involves bringing the support services to the child -- rather than moving the child to the services -- and requires only that the child will benefit from being in the class.

Special educators are trained to help in the classes and effectively co-teach classes, Cummings said. "This is helping us learn and better prepare for it. It will familiarize us with what we're expected to help students with. Outside of special ed, this one of the best PD (professional development) experiences that I've ever had.

"Typically special educators are out in left field. This does a lot for making teachers a lot more cohesive. It will enable us to help support the teachers and students much better."

Maryville College officials said they were excited about the program, which is in its second year at the college. "This energizes teachers and gets them to think differently about their subject. The next step is: How do I teach this? And we try to do everything we can to get the materials for teachers," said Dr. Terry Simpson, chair of the college's Education Division and project director for the grant.

"We're a teaching college. We do not get course reductions for participating in this. We teach the same load," Simpson said. "My first commitment is to the students at Maryville College and then to this program. It's a balancing act. I'm committed to public schools. We want to help the teachers be the best they possibly can be.

"The teachers already are doing a good job by agreeing to do this. We make them better, and if we do it we'll help improve the education of our children," Simpson said.

Maryville College officials have discussed resubmitting an application to extend the program for another three years, he said.

Administrators are already evaluating whether the program has increased teacher content knowledge and impacted student Gateway and TCAP test scores, Simpson said. Officials will fully evaluate the program's success when the three-year grant ends in early 2011, he said.