Mandatory Poster Session

The poster competition is designed to provide an experience for pre-service elementary and middle school teachers that addresses the following goals of the Pre-Service Teacher Conference: (1) to enhance knowledge, skills, and strategies for teaching mathematics and science; and (2) to promote enthusiasm and self-confidence for teaching lessons that include science, technology, engineering, and math connections.

Fee: $150 By December 14, 2007
         $200 After December 14, 2007

All schools will be charged the poster session fee. There will be a $50 penalty in addition to the poster fee for any school that does not submit a poster.

There will be three rounds of judging. The first round of judging will occur as the posters are reviewed by a panel of teachers, scientists, administrators, and researchers from a variety of professional communities. Selected posters from this round will be reviewed and scored in a second round. Ten poster projects will be selected from this second round for the third and final round of judging. This round will include both a poster review and oral presentation by students selected by their faculty advisors to represent their schools.

A new feature is being added to the Judged Poster Session this year. Judges will notify the four winners of the poster session on Friday evening, and the winners will be presenting their posters to conference attendees at the breakfast session on Saturday morning in lieu of a speaker or panel presentation. Each presentation will last 3 - 5 minutes.

Judging Criteria: Judges evaluate the posters using an 80-point scale in the first two rounds. A 100-point scale is used when judging in the third round, which includes the 20-point oral presentation component.

The Scoring Rubric with assigned points is as follows:

The abstract is a preview of the lesson plan. It should be able to stand alone, independent of the poster components. An advance copy of the abstract must be submitted online using the Abstract Submission Form by Wednesday, February 6, 2008. (Click here for the Abstract Submission Form.) The abstract should meet all of these criteria:

• Abstract received by Wednesday, February 6, 2008. (1 pt.)
• Contains a list of the team members. (1 pt.)
• Contains no more than 250 words. (1 pt.)
• Identifies the grade level targeted. (1 pt.)
• Clearly identifies the main idea, attracts readers’ interests, and encourages them to want to know more about the lesson plan. (3 pts.)
• Clearly shows the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics connections relating to the lesson. (3 pts.)
• Briefly summarizes the lesson to be taught. (2 pts.)
• Identifies student-centered goals/objectives to be addressed by the lesson. (2 pts.)
• Describes teaching strategies to be applied. (2 pts.)
• Describes anticipated student behaviors and the learning/classroom environment. (2 pts.)
• Describes proposed assessments and defines mastery level. (2 pts.)

The lesson plan provides a description of the learning goals, how the lesson is to be taught, conditions under which the students will be engaged, and the type of assessments to be used. The lesson plan should meet the following criteria:

• Has a clear outcome/goal. (2 pts.)
• Targets a grade level that is appropriate for the lesson. (2 pts.)
• Has student-centered objectives. (2 pts.)
• Reflects the application of content and national standards in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. (2 pts.)
• Describes the context for the lesson. (2 pts.)
• Describes how the lesson is taught. (3 pts.)
• Uses technology appropriately to teach the concept. (3 pts.)
• Has a student activity or activities that teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concept. (3 pts.)
• Describes what students are expected to do. (3 pts.)
• Describes the conditions under which the behaviors will be performed. (2 pts.)
• Describes the assessment methods. (3 pts.)
• Addresses materials/safety issues. (2 pts.)
• Is typed in Times New Roman size 12 font (1 pt.)

Posters must be within the maximum poster size allowed of 3 ft. by 4 ft. in either orientation. Tri-fold posters meeting the above dimensions will also be permitted. Posters exceeding the size limit will be disqualified. A poster should meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrates how student activity reinforces the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics concepts being taught. (3 pts.)
• Demonstrates how students are involved in the use of technology to learn the concepts. (3 pts.)
• Calls attention to main ideas of the lesson. (3 pts.)
• Is well constructed, neat, easy to read, visually pleasing, and professional. (3 pts.)
• Has a copy of the abstract attached to the back of the poster. (3 pts.)
• Has a lesson plan included in the poster presentation but not hanging off the poster. (3 pts.)
• Has a design that communicates the lesson to be taught. (3 pts.)
• Is constructed of durable materials. (3 pts.)
• Has mounted materials securely attached to the poster backing. Sprays, roll-ons, or stick adhesives are affected by temperature and humidity variables; consider these variables when storing or transporting your poster. (3 pts.)
• Has the poster title (which exactly matches the abstract title) displayed on the front of the poster. (3 pts.)

Poster presenters who compete in the third-round oral presentation component should be prepared to give a 10-minute overview of the poster lesson. Student teams should be prepared to answer questions from the judges about their poster presentation and lesson plan. The oral presentation should meet the following criteria:

• Student team (at least 2 students) can clearly explain the lesson plan. (10 pts.)
• Student team (at least 2 students) can answer questions posed by judges. Answers to questions reflect knowledge of plan, including objectives, assessments, age/developmental cognitive levels. (10 pts.)

• No electrical outlets will be available for use. No technology of any kind will be permitted to support the poster presentation. No tables will be provided for poster set-up. Posters must be placed on easels provided.
• Poster content sections should be clearly labeled. Excessive text should be avoided; all diagrams, graphs, tables, or photographs should be captioned.
• No identification of the submitting institution or team names can appear on the front of the poster. Follow guidelines for the abstract as listed above. Pre-assigned numbers, based on receipt of abstract, will be provided to each faculty advisor at registration check-in. Posters will then be placed on easels with the matching numbers.
• Poster set-up will occur on Thursday, February 14, 2008 by 4:30 p.m.; judging will begin on Friday, February 15 at 9:00 a.m. Posters must be removed by Friday at 8:00 p.m. The four winning posters will remain in the judges' room until Saturday morning, when they will be moved to the ballroom for the group presentation.