Professional Development Opportunities

American Museum of Natural History Online Professional Development Courses

Designed for K-12 educators and available this Spring, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) offers award-winning Seminars on Science online professional development courses. The six-week courses immerse the learner in an area of contemporary research, and are taught by Museum scientists and educators, and feature rich web-based discussions. Graduate credit is available from a number of major institutions and may meet local professional development requirements. For more information and to register, go to http://learn.amnh.org or call 800-649-6715.

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Coastal Processes in the Outer Banks is a free workshop offered as part of the Coastal Legacy: Multicultural Marine Science, Professional Development Summer Program from the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence- SouthEast (COSEE-SE). Participants will explore the physical forces that create barrier island dynamics. By investigating regional geology, currents, waves and weather, educators will learn how researchers use technology to measure the processes and enhance their Earth science and physical sciences classes. Multicultural strategies that maximize learning in the science classroom will be examined. Applications will be accepted from middle and high school teachers, pre-service teachers, and informal educators in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia; teachers in schools with high percentages of underrepresented/underserved populations are encouraged to apply.

Information and applications will be available on the web site.

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The DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES) Online is an online course directed towards middle-school teachers, but open to all K-12 teachers. The course incorporates inquiry-based instructional strategies and a holistic concept of Earth from oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial water and problem-focused perspectives. The 13-week course is offered twice a year to selected participants. It investigates the mass and energy flows associated with the global water cycle, and related issues through the use of electronically transmitted environmental data and learning materials combined with Text and Study Guide readings and investigations. Course participants will be prepared as WES resource teachers. Through investigations of the global water cycle, they will demonstrate the value of Internet access to environmental information in classroom applications. All teachers involved will be prepared to promote Earth system studies across the school curriculum in support of the National Science Education Standards. For more course information, visit the WES web site.

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Digital Workshops offers online professional development for teachers in math and science, language arts, and other areas. Watch presentations on vocabulary, phonemic awareness, reading and writing in the content areas, algebra, measurement and geometry, computation, linear equations, differentiated instruction, history, inclusive classrooms, and using data to improve instruction.

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To ensure that future scientists possess the perspective necessary to better understand Earth and tackle complex environmental problems, the Earth System Science Education Alliance is training geoscience teachers in the systems approach to Earth science. ESSEA offers online Earth system science courses, geared toward K-12 teachers. Read more about ESSEA on the NASA portal.

For More information go to the web site.

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The Faculty and Student Teams (FaST) Program is a cooperative effort between the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Faculty from colleges and universities with limited research facilities and those institutions serving populations, women, and minorities underrepresented in the fields of science, engineering, and technology are encouraged to apply for the FaST program. The FaST program will support a team comprised of one faculty member and 2 – 3 undergraduate students. The program provides hands-on research opportunities in DOE national laboratories during the summer. The faculty member identifies a mutually beneficial research area amenable to collaboration by the faculty member and the laboratory scientist. Potential areas of collaboration are based upon the Project Descriptions described at the specific DOE Office of Science laboratory. Faculty and student team members recruited by the faculty member should apply online. If the application is accepted, your institution may be responsible for requesting supplemental funding from NSF to support the team's participation.

For more information please visit their web site.

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Elementary, middle and high school teachers are invited to join NASA and the International Technology Education Association’s one-day professional development workshops. Attendees will receive standards-based units complete with assessments and teacher resources that align with the upcoming STS-118 mission. Five workshops are being held across the U.S. during July and August 2007.

For more information, please visit the web site.

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The Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development (LSTPD) program is designed by the Office of Science to create a cadre of outstanding science and math teachers with the proper content knowledge and scientific research experience to serve as leaders and agents of positive change in their local and regional teaching communities. This three-year program will use the unmatched wealth of mentoring talent at the DOE National Laboratories to guide and enrich the teachers’ understanding of the scientific and technological world. Through this program, teachers will establish long-term relationships with their mentor scientists and teaching colleagues who will continue to support the educational efforts of the teachers when they have returned to their classrooms.

Teachers are expected to commit to spending at least 4 weeks at one of the labs during the first year and at least 2 weeks at one of the labs for two years following the initial program.

For more information please visit their web site.

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Master's Degree in Education for Science Teachers

Online Master's Degree in Education from UMassOnline was created for elementary and middle school teachers who are ready to increase their science content knowledge and teaching skills. UMassOnline features hands-on, inquiry-based online science and science education courses 100% online. For more information and to register, go to the UMassOnline web site.

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Developed in partnership with PGA golf pro Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy, the weeklong, intensive professional development program trained 200 third- through fifth-grade teachers. The goal of the program is to inspire teachers and hone their skills in math and science subjects so that they pass along their knowledge and excitement to their students. Throughout the week, teachers investigated links between math and science and deepened their understanding of these concepts through hands-on experiments and team interaction.

The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy recently announced a new way for elementary school teachers to get a chance to attend the 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy and improve their math and science teaching skills. Students can nominate teachers from Grades 3, 4, and 5 or urge them to apply for an all-expense paid trip to the Academy’s math and science professional development program by logging on to www.sendmyteacher.com, an interactive website.

Developed in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy enables teachers to hone their science and math teaching skills, enhance their curricula, and discover innovative new ways to inspire students.

The teachers will spend five days next July at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ, deepening their understanding of mathematics and science content, building expertise in facilitating student learning through problem solving and inquiry, and using links between math and science that support student learning and understanding in the classroom.

Teacher applications are due by October 31, 2008. The National Science Teachers Association and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics will convene a panel of math and science experts to evaluate the entries and announce the selections in February 2009.

The 2008 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy will host more than 600 teachers in Houston, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Jersey City, New Jersey. To date, nearly 1000 teachers have attended the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.

To nominate a teacher or to learn more about the program, visit www.sendmyteacher.com.

For more information please visit their web site.

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Does your career as a teacher require you to obtain a Master's degree, continuing education units or graduate coursework? Do you lack the time to attend an evening class once a week after a full day at school? If the answer to either of these questions is YES, then consider the teacher in geosciences distance-learning program.

Earn a Master of Science in Geosciences with an emphasis in Educational Applications via distance learning from Mississippi State University. Learn about meteorology, geology, planetary science, oceanography, physical geography and hydrology from noted science experts. Earn a Master of Science degree, or just take those courses you need the most, without having to attend the Mississippi State campus.

More information about this program is on the Mississippi State web site.

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NASA Langley Research Center will host a hands-on workshop designed for educators of grades 6-12. The workshop will focus on using Earth system science data sets developed for the pre-college education community as part of the MY NASA DATA program. The data sets are derived from the archive of remotely-sensed data from NASA's Earth Observing System satellites.

Participating teachers will explore topics in Earth system science (especially atmospheric science), educational application of data sets and hands-on classroom activities. They will attend lectures and tours led by scientists.  Participants will also explore how the data sets can be used to enhance their curriculum and how students can utilize these data for inquiry-based learning and research. A major component of the workshop will be to develop lessons incorporating one or more data sets.

Important Dates:

• Applications must be postmarked by April 9, 2008
• Notification of acceptance will be sent on or before May 2, 2008
• Workshop dates will be June 22-27, 2008
  

For more information, go to the web site.

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NASA-Funded Project 3D-VIEW

Project 3D-VIEW (Virtual Interactive Environmental Worlds), designed and developed by U.S. Satellite Laboratory, Inc., is a new, NASA-funded, comprehensive, curriculum-based program for Grade 5 and 6. Students engage in simple-to-use, immersive 3D technologies with 3D imagery and animations, and learn standards-based concepts and practice inquiry in lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and, then, Earth systems. Being a beta-school includes: Online professional development, Comprehensive curriculum-materials, Formal literacy and Mathematics components, Assessments and Rubrics.

Twenty-five participants will participate in two unique online classes in September, which will be national and live. Visit: the project web site for more information, or contact Glen Schuster, Project Director.

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The National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN) is prepared to meet your professional development goals this summer. Registration is open and teachers can choose between 22 online courses in eleven disciplines, including astronomy, biology, chemistry, Earth science, education, entomology, land resources and environmental science, math, microbiology, nutrition, and physics.

Headlining this summer's offerings is NTEN's powerful course “The Fascinating Bug: Learning about Insects through Observation and Inquiry.” Co-taught by a Smithsonian science consultant and an award-winning nonfiction children's book illustrator, this graduate level course is designed to launch K-6 grade teachers and their students into the intriguing world of entomology. A starter kit of "safe, fascinating, classroom-friendly and easy-to-maintain" live bugs will be sent to you as part of the course.

For more details about "The Fascinating Bug" and all of NTEN's summer 2007 professional development course offerings for science educators at all grade levels, visit the web site or call 800-282-6062. NTEN is a program of Montana State University and most courses offer graduate credit.

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NOAA's Ocean Explorer Program offers professional development opportunities for educators to bring the thrill of ocean exploration to the classroom. While studying the ocean, educators will learn how to incorporate mathematics, science, technology, as well as address state and national standards. Spaces are limited and registration is required.

Go to the Ocean Explorer web site to learn more.

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Gain first-hand research experience on a government ocean research vessel - explore the opportunities offered by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) The mission of NOAA¹s Teacher at Sea program is to give teachers a clearer insight into our ocean planet and a greater understanding of maritime work and studies, and to foster an interdisciplinary educational experience that provides a unique environment for learning and teaching. Since 1990, NOAA¹s Teacher at Sea Program has enabled more than 460 teachers to gain first-hand experience of science and life at sea. Teachers have enriched their classroom curricula with a depth of understanding made possible by living and working side-by-side, day and night, with those who contribute to the world's body of scientific knowledge. For more information, visit the Teacher At Sea web site.

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This summer the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) offers a series of seven-week online courses for middle and high school teachers that combine geoscience content, information about current climate research, easy to implement hands-on activities, and group discussion. The courses run concurrently June 20-Aug. 15 and include: Introduction to Earth's Climate; Earth System Science: A Climate Change Perspective; and Understanding Climate Change Today. There is a $200 fee per course. For complete course schedule and registration information, visit the web site or contact: Sandra Henderson sandrah@ucar.edu. or call 800-649-6715.

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Application Deadline: May 31, 2008
 
Choose from six different content area workshops, designed to meet classroom curriculum requirements.  Grants provide all participants with a private room in the newly-built Brill Hall, reimbursements for travel costs up to $100, breakfast in the dining commons, and an allotment for lunches and dinners. In addition, tuition subsidies are available for all of the workshops on a competitive basis. Depending upon funding availability, additional tuition subsidies may be provided after March 21.
 
2008 Workshops:

• Exploring Renewable Energy Technologies and the Materials that Make it Happen (NEW)
• Earth’s History: Interaction between life and the environment (NEW)
• Extreme Particle Astrophysics
• Evolution - How important is it to a good science education?
• Telescopes:  The Tools of Astronomical Inquiry (NEW)
• Black Holes: Gravity's Fatal Attraction (NEW)

The workshops are an outreach program of NASA's Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, the Eberly College of Science, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, NASA Astrobiology Institute, the NSF-funded Penn State Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and NASA.

For more information, visit the web site.

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Only three more opportunities remain this summer for teachers to participate in Project E3: Expanding Energy Education workshop training. This interdisciplinary grade K-12 energy education curriculum, offers exciting new teaching ideas for use in science, math, social studies, language arts, physical education and music. This six hour training at the Ocean Star promises to increase students' energy and Earth science literacy while having fun!

For more information , go to the web site.

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Sally Ride Science, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and NASA, is offering an Educator Institutes. These one-day professional development programs for upper elementary and middle school science teachers will focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. The institute will include presentations about the STS-118 mission and first Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan, hands-on workshops, and a keynote address by a NASA astronaut.

For more information and to register online, visit the web site.

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The Toyota International Teacher Program is a unique study abroad opportunity for U.S. educators. This program aims to inspire collaboration between U.S. and International teachers and to build awareness of how to teach sustainability and environmental stewardship through a cross-cultural approach.

Applications are available online to participate in this fully-funded 10-day study tour. Eligible applicants much teach full time in grades 7-12 and must have at least 3 years teaching experience. Twenty (20) classroom teachers of all disciplines will be selected to travel to discover some of the world's most unique animals, explore cutting-edge environmental projects, and participate in discussions with experts and community leaders. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. sponsors these opportunities with the goal of expanding the global perspectives of all educators and their students.

Full-time classroom teachers in grades 7-12 are encouraged to submit online applications for the Toyota International Teacher Program. Apply online. Program brochures may be requested by visiting the Toyota International Teacher Program web site or by calling the Institute of International Education at 1-877-832-2457.

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Look backward and forward in time by studying weather for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month; climate for a year, 30 years, 400,000 years; and geology for millions of years. Sessions will include hands-on activities utilizing real-time NASA and NOAA satellite imagery in Google Earth to study the Earth System and detailed discussions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 Summary for Policy Makers. Teachers can earn 1 graduate level credit through the UW-Madison’s Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department (course # 508). A nominal registration fee of $20.00 is required; otherwise the workshop (including lunches) is free to all educators with lodging provided for educators residing outside of Dane county.

For more information please visit: the web site or contact Margaret Mooney (mooney@ssec.wisc.edu), phone: (608) 265-2123.

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