Professional Development &
Teacher Opportunities
CSTA provides the opportunity for organizations with professional
development opportunities for science teachers to post their
program information on the CSTA website, subject to CSTA approval.
If you would like to submit information to be included on
this site, please e-mail the webmaster.
Last updated: August 25, 2008
Curriculum Reviewers Needed
The Califorinia Department of Education is recruiting individuals
to participate in the review of instructional materials being
developed as part of the Education and the Environment Initiative
(EEI) curriculum for kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12).
Reviewers will attend a 2-1/2 day training April 20-22, 2009,
and will return for a three-day meeting August 10-12, 2009,
to develop their recommendation to the Curriculum Commission.
Travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for those meetings
will be reimbursed. Information and application can be found
at the CDE website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/ee/.
Application deadline: August 27, 2008
CAPCOA--The Future is Green Conference
CAPCOA is hosting The Future is Green Conference
& Expo on New and Emerging Clean Air Technologies
and Innovations on September 14-16, 2008, at the Long
Beach Convention Center, which will feature presentations
on achieving a cleaner, greener tomorrow and reducing
our carbon footprint. There will be a Teachers
Workshop on Sunday September 14 from 12:30pm
– 5:30pm which will include an Environmental Curricula
Panel of curricula being developed under California
Education and the Environment Initiative; Global Climate
Change Panel; and Renewable Energy Panel. Teachers’
Workshop participants will receive information packets
including a CD of all presentations, a comprehensive
resource guide for teaching environmental topics, a
DVD of a movie on the importance of clean air, and great
giveaways to take back for classroom use.
On Monday September 15 and Tuesday September 16 there
will be High School Student Field Trip Days
from 9:30am – 2:30pm. CAPCOA is offering limited
funding incentives to reimburse schools: $175/day for
substitutes and $200-$300/day for school bus transportation.
There will several conference sessions specifically
intended for students, a movie, and an opportunity to
view more than 70-80 exhibits and 30 vehicle displays
of the latest technologies that are helping win the
battle for clean air. Student session topics will include:
“The Heat is On (global warming),” Environmental Winners
Forum, and “Air, the Search for One Clean Breath.” After
the sessions, students will be encouraged to tour The
Expo and participate in a “treasure hunt” seeking answers
to specific questions. The Expo will also have displays
of student-designed vehicles and equipment that have
won various environmental competitions. Students will
receive packets of educational giveaways.
For more information about either the Teachers’ Workshop
or the High School Student Field Trips, please contact Larry
Kolczak at (909)396-3215 or lkolczak@aqmd.gov
or visit the conference website: http://www.capcoagreen.com/teachers-workshop/#teachersAgenda
NCAR's Climate Discovery Online Courses for Educators
Are you seeking a K-12 professional development opportunity
that will enhance your qualifications, competency, and self-confidence
in integrating Earth system science, climate, and global change
into your science classroom? NCAR offers a series of seven-week
online courses for middle and high school teachers that combine
geosciences content, information about current climate research,
easy to implement hands-on activities, and group discussion.
The courses run concurrently beginning September 19
and ending November 7.
- CD 501 Introduction to Earth's Climate is designed to
guide participants through the basics of climate science,
integrating content, classroom activities, and community-building
discussions to help middle and high school educators understand
the answers to common questions about climate.
- CD 502 Earth System Science: A Climate Change Perspective
explores Earth as a system from the perspective of climate
and global change, describing the interactions between the
various parts of the Earth system, including human activities,
and how they all affect our climate.
- CD 503 Understanding Climate Change Today presents some
of the current and predicted impacts of global warming on
our planet and human societies. This course explores how
climate models are developed and used to understand likely
scenarios of future climate and how current scientific research
is improving the quality of climate predictions.
There is a $225 fee per course. (Early bird registration
fee of $200 if registered by Sept. 1!)
For complete course schedule and registration information,
visit http://ecourses.ncar.ucar.edu
Cosmic Learning Competition
An opportunity for teachers to collaborate with and win a
Digital STARLAB Planetarium Projection System, a $58,000 value.
To enter, educators and middle/high school students will team
together to create a custom lesson using Starry Night High
School® software. This lesson will ultimately be presented
in a Digital STARLAB Planetarium. For complete contest rules
and requirements, and to, please visit the Cosmic Lesson website
at http://www.cosmiclesson.com.
Register by December 31, 2008
Biology Teachers Needed to Lead Field Experiences
Since 1990, Save The Rainforest (STR ) has been sending groups
of high school and middle school students to the rainforest
reserves it helped create with donations from school children.
Many of the biology teachers who have led these groups are
retiring, and STR is looking for a new generation of biology
teachers to take their students on field courses to the Galapagos,
Amazon, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama and Mexico. For more information
contact Bruce Calhoun at (608) 729- 4877 or saverfn@cybermesa.com,
or view STR's website at www.saverfn.org.
STR is a non-profit organization.
Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree will offer workshops for secondary
educators during 2008 with a focus on exploring concepts and
issues dealing with forest ecology, municipal solid waste,
environmental risks, biodiversity, and biotechnology. All
PLT materials are aligned to California’s science standards.
For more information, contact kay.antunez@fire.ca.gov
or visit the www.plt.org
website.
Seminars on Science: Online
Graduate Courses for Educators American Museum of Natural
History
Seminars on Science offers online graduate courses in the
life, earth, and physical sciences to educators throughout
the country and abroad. Designed by the Museum specifically
for K-12 educators, each six-week course immerses the learner
in an area of contemporary research. Educators come away with
a deeper understanding of both the science and the tools of
scientific inquiry as well as an array of classroom resources.
Courses are co-taught and led by Museum scientists and educators
and feature rich web-based discussions. Each course is available
for up to 4 graduate credits from leading institutions. Courses
offered by the program include Evolution; The Solar System;
Earth: Inside and Out; The Ocean System; Genetics, Genomics,
Genethics and more. For more information on courses or to
register, go to http://learn.amnh.org/welcome.php?w=CASTA.
Science In Action Courses from
the University of Nebraska
Science in Action courses are online courses that integrate
the application of content and pedagogy in the biological,
physical, and earth sciences. These courses are designed to
meet the needs of K-12 educators who want to improve their
content knowledge and ability to teach science. Course curricula
align with state and national science standards. Available
courses are Entomology, Natural Resources, Biotechnology,
and Food Science and Technology. For more information, contact
Cindy Larson-Miller at (402) 730-9691 or clarson@unlserve.unl.edu
National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards
NBPTS is currently accepting applications for the El Segundo
2008 scoring session. Score NBPTS candidate responses and
earn $150 per day. Eligibility requirements: Baccalaureate
degree; valid teaching license/certificate (or valid state
license as a school counselor, if applying to assess the ECYA/School
Counseling certificate), if required by the state; three years
of teaching experience in a preK-12 setting; currently teaching
at least half-time in the certificate area for which you are
applying to assess, or a National Board Certified Teacher®
in the certificate area. Retired teachers or teachers with
new assignments should visit www.nbpts.org for a complete
list of eligibility requirements; not be a current or nonachieving
candidate for National Board Certification®; willing to successfully
complete the required NBPTS assessor training. For more information
and to apply, visit http://www.nbpts.org
or call 1-800-22TEACH, option 4.
Science Ambassador Program
The Science Ambassador Program is a competitive program for
middle and high school science teachers that partners CDC
scientists with science teachers to create science lesson
plans based on public health topics which meet National Science
Education Standards. The Science Ambassador Program selects
a small number of very accomplished teachers from across the
nation to come to CDC for a week to learn from CDC scientists.
For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/excite/ScienceAmbassador/SA_Application.pdf.
Field Testers Needed for Grades
6-8 Modules
The CENSEI (Center for Embedded Networked Sensing Education
Infrastructure) project at UCLA has developed guided inquiry
modules that allow middle school students to explore real
scientific data sets captured by remote sensor networks deployed
by scientists at UCLA's Center for Embedded Networked Sensing.
Each module is aligned with California and national standards
for grades 6-8, with an emphasis on students constructing
evidence-based explanations for driving questions. We currently
seek field test teachers of grades 6, 7, or 8 in Los Angeles
County for the current academic year of 2007-8 and for the
academic year 2008-9. Materials include print and online resources,
including lesson plans and assessments. We will provide training
on curriculum materials, on-site support at your school, and
a stipend for field-test teachers. To participate, email censei@gseis.ucla.edu.
For more information go to http://censei.ucla.edu.
GEODE Initiative at Northwestern
University
The GEODE Initiative at Northwestern University is pleased
to offer a free professional development opportunity to a
limited number of high school environmental science teachers.
This opportunity is available to schools that adopt Investigations
in Environmental Science and will be implementing
it for the first time in 2007-2008 or 2008-2009. Teachers
selected for the study will receive 48 hours of professional
development and a stipend at the completion of each year of
the study. Accepted teachers and their principals must have
purchased (or commit to purchasing) the instructional materials
and commit to participating in future workshops and in the
study. For more information, visit
http://www.worldwatcher.northwestern.edu/investigations/development.html.
National Science Resources
Center’s Professional Development Center
The National Science Resources Center's Professional Development
Center cordially invites you to take part in one or more unique
and exciting professional development opportunities—the Smithsonian
Science Education Academies for Teachers. Deepen your knowledge
of life and/or physical science; gain special access to the
scientists, curators, and educators of the Smithsonian Institution
and other museums and research institutions; learn about the
unparalleled resources available to teachers through the Smithsonian,
earn three graduate credits from Montclair State University,
New Jersey; inspire your students to greater understanding
of how the world works. For more information visit http://www.nsrconline.org/professional_development/index.html
University of Michigan and Northwestern
University
As part of an NSF-funded research study, the University of
Michigan and Northwestern University are offering free professional
development to teachers who purchase It's About Time's
Investigations in Environmental Science, a year-long,
case-based environmental science curriculum. Teachers will
receive 48 hours of free professional development along with
a $1,500 stipend upon completion of the study. To learn more
about the curriculum or to apply for the study, visit http://www.worldwatcher.northwestern.edu
or contact Beth Kubitskey at kubitske@umich.edu.
Coast Alive! Teacher Institute
at Monterey
Explore the Elkhorn Slough and nearby beaches while learning
to incorporate stimulating, inquiry based, and multimedia
curriculum in your middle or high school science classroom.
The focus on experimental design will help you develop a hypothesis
and conduct research in the best possible setting--the field!
Return with students to design and conduct field studies.
You will participate in hands-on local field investigations,
receive a free Coast Alive!—Land-Sea Interface CD-ROM,
use Coast Alive! materials, and earn a $500 stipend from California
State Parks and the California Institute for Biodiversity.
Enrollment will fill before the end of the school year. For
upper elementary and middle school educators; 6 CSUMB academic
quarter units. Registration fee without credit: $50. For details
and to apply, visit http://www.EurekaSeries.org. |
