Professional Learning With RiSE
At the RiSE Center our professional learning is always aimed to be collaborative and ongoing with the ultimate goal of facilitating genuine change in the classroom. through professional partnerships among teachers, RiSE staff, and University faculty.
As a result of this philosophy, many of our teachers return throughout their career again and again.
We offer a variety of professional learning opportunities. You can use the key to the right to help match your interests.
These cons can be found to the right of the title of the professional learning opportunity, with more details in the drop-down menu.
Profession Learning Key
Professional learning opportunity open to all grade K–8 teachers in Maine
Sponsored by the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center, University of Maine
Facilitated by Dr. Franzi Peterson and Jenn Fronczak
July 7–10, 2025 (Monday–Thursday); 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. with one-hour lunch break
Estabrooke Hall, University of Maine, Orono
This year’s content immersion is designed to inspire and provide you with creative strategies to build students’ number sense and place value concepts! Each morning, we’ll dive into the K-8 progression, uncovering how foundational ideas in counting and cardinality grow into powerful tools for understanding operations and algebraic thinking. In the afternoons, grade-based centers (K-2, 3-5, 6-8) will offer hands-on activities and resources tailored to your students’ needs. Together, we’ll explore visual models, strategies, and meaningful connections that make mathematics accessible and exciting for all learners!
Throughout the content immersion, we will explore tasks that promote reasoning about and make meaning of numbers and their sizes using manipulatives and many hands-on activities. Teachers will leave each day with tasks that can be used directly in their classrooms.
Participating teachers will receive a stipend of $700, contact hours, and lunch is included!
To request a reasonable accessibility accommodation to participate, please contact the RiSE Center: risecenter@maine.edu or 207-581-4672.
Registration is open through June 30
Igniting Engineering and Computer Science Minds: A Professional Learning Experience for Grades 3-8 Teachers
Professional learning opportunity open to grade 3–8 science, mathematics and/or STEM teachers in Maine
Sponsored by the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center, University of Maine
Facilitated by Shane Barker from the RiSE Center
July 28 and 29, 2025 (Monday and Tuesday); 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. with one-hour lunch break
Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, University of Maine, Orono and a zoom follow up sessions during the 2025–26 school year.
In this 2-day engineering content immersion we will provide opportunities for you to gain experience and confidence with engineering and computer science concepts and instructional activities using these concepts.
You will
We will work with actual NGSS and Common Core Math aligned hands-on activities. Teachers will leave each day with tasks that can be used directly in classrooms.
$200 registration fee. If your school or district is unable to pay this cost, please contact the RiSE Center for scholarship options, risecenter@maine.edu.
Participating teachers will receive a stipend of $385, contact hours, and lunch is included!
To request a reasonable accessibility accommodation to participate, please submit a request form and/or contact the RiSE Center: risecenter@maine.edu or 207-581-4672.
The University of Maine System is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
Registration is open through July 9, 2025.
The next running of productive talk will be in the 2026-2027 school year
Check here for the announcement of dates for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.
Productive Talk in the STEM Classroom 2024–25
Sponsored by the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center, University of Maine
These sessions will be co-facilitated by Maine teachers who are successfully using these strategies in their high school and middle school classrooms.
This online community will meet on the following Mondays from 4:00–5:30 p.m.
February 10, 2025
February 24, 2025
March 10, 2025
March 24, 2025
April 7, 2025
April 14, 2025
Create a classroom culture that promotes rich discussions among students and facilitates sense making of mathematics and science content.
This community will learn, practice and share their experiences with specific strategies that promote sense making discussions between and among students. These sessions are adapted from “Talk Science” developed by the Inquiry Project at TERC. High school and middle school examples will be highlighted in the sessions with elementary examples available if needed by the community. Participants are asked to try the strategies in their classrooms and share their experiences at the following meeting.
Cost to participate: $500.
Teachers will receive a stipend of $270 and 9 contact hours for full participation!
The next running of productive talk will be in the 2026-2027 school year
Check here for the announcement of dates for Fall 2026 and Spring 2027.
Professional learning opportunity open to all K–12 STEM-discipline teachers in Maine
Sponsored by the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center, University of Maine
Facilitated by Kate Dumont (Bonny Eagle High School), Andrew Myers (Old Town High School)
Six sessions, Mondays on Zoom, 4:00–5:30 p.m.
October 16, 2023
October 30, 2023
November 13, 2023
November 27, 2023
January 8, 2024
January 22, 2024
Join teachers from the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center to strengthen your assessment literacy skills.
This Assessment For Learning series will include six virtual sessions starting in October (dates and times listed below). It will begin with an introduction to Assessment For Learning and setting success criteria for your students. In subsequent sessions, participants will learn about a specific formative assessment strategy and discuss their experiences using these tools and strategies in their classrooms.
The strategies we will explore include:
As a group we will see how these tools and strategies work together to increase student achievement by helping students see and know themselves as learners. These sessions provide ongoing support as you continue to implement these strategies in your classroom regardless of whether or not this is your first time trying them!
Led by experienced professional learning facilitators:
Kate Dumont – science teacher, instructional coach, and experienced professional learning facilitator
Andrew Myers – mathematics teacher, former high school administrator, and experienced professional learning facilitator
$500 registration fee. If your school or district has agreed to pay for this professional learning opportunity, you can select “Invoice (Enter School or District Billing Info)” at checkout.
Teachers will receive a stipend of $270 and 9 contact hours for full participation!
The next RiSE Center Conference on STEM Education and Related Research will be in the summer of 2026.
Check here for the announcement of dates.
The Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) at the University of Maine proudly hosts an annual conference dedicated to advancing STEM education. Each year, this dynamic event features a keynote address, invited talks, interactive workshops, panel discussions, roundtables, and a vibrant poster session.
Designed to spark meaningful connections and lively discussions, the conference brings together discipline-based education researchers and STEM educators from middle schools, high schools, and post-secondary institutions. Join us to share ideas, explore new approaches, and collaborate with colleagues committed to excellence in STEM education.
Information coming soon!
The next running of Social Emotional Learning in the STEM Classroom will be announced soon.
Check here for the announcement of future dates.
Professional learning opportunity open to all K–12 STEM-discipline teachers in Maine
Sponsored by the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center, University of Maine
Facilitated by Maine teachers Grace Coffe from Brewer HS, Nick Innis from Mt. Ararat HS and Betsy Trenckmann from Hermon HS
Six sessions, 4:00–5:30 p.m on Zoom
- Tuesday, January 16, 2024
- Monday, January 29, 2024
- Monday, February 12, 2024
- Monday, March 4, 2024
- Monday, March 18, 2024
- Monday, April 1, 2024
Join teachers from the Maine STEM Partnership at the RiSE Center to strengthen your assessment literacy skills.
During this professional learning experience we will explore SEL categories and practice social emotional learning. We will develop a repertoire of strategies that support the social emotional learning of all students as well as how to implement them in the classroom.
The strategies include:
- Cooperative Learning
- Productive Talk
- Productive Struggle
- Responsibility and Student Choice
As a group we will see how these tools and strategies work together to support the SEL needs of your students. These sessions provide ongoing support as you continue to implement these instructional approaches in your classroom regardless of whether or not this is your first time trying them!
Led by experienced professional learning facilitators:
- Grace Coffe – physics, engineering Design, and robotics teacher
- Nick Innis – earth and space science, wildlife ecology, and marine science teacher
- Betsy Trenckmann – biology, physics, and ecology teacher
$500 registration fee. If your school or district has agreed to pay for this professional learning opportunity, you can select “Invoice (Enter School or District Billing Info)” at checkout.
Teachers will receive a stipend of $270 and 9 contact hours for full participation!