Thinking and Working outside my Comfort Zone
3 comment(s) so far...
July 26, 2011 By: Cheryl Oakes
Jul
26
Written by:
7/26/2011 12:13 AM
crossposted at cheryloakes.com
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to attend a Teachers on The Estuary workshop in Wells, ME at the Wells Estuarine Reserve.
Read further if you are looking for science examples to use in your
instruction in your classes. This science information is not just about
understanding science, but about being a life long learner and steward
of our planet.
I
am lucky in my position at Wells High School, I get to work in special
education classes and co-teach science with highly qualified science
teachers and I assist as the highly qualified special educator. It is a
program that works well as an inclusion model in our continuum of
classes offered for all students. This summer, when I had the chance I
immersed myself, along with my co-teacher at the Teachers on the Estuary
week long workshop, the TOTE program.
I
learned a lot about our local marine resources and how NOAA does an
incredible amount of really good scientific work in areas other than
weather! How many of you think that NOAA is only about weather; hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and dust
storms? Check out their logo for more topic areas that NOAA promotes.
NOAA has a whole section of their web dedicated to Education and Teacher Resources, The topic, estuaries, where the river meets the sea, and fresh and
salt water mix, has some online classes you can take advantage of and specifically the Estuary Workshop 101 for high school
students. ( NERR is working on a middle school and elementary option
too.) Who knew NOAA was so involved in so many areas?
NOAA has partnered with other organizations notably METEd and Comet, whose mission is: “MetEd is operated by The COMET® Program,
a talented team of scientists, instructional designers, and developers.
We've been producing quality educational materials since 1989.”
There
are free online course modules for educators and learners from middle
school to adults who are life long learners. These courses would be
awesome for the classroom to infuse scientific work into your
instruction. I was fascinated by the Arctic Ecosystems which in fact
explains not only the Arctic Ecosystem but builds with the foundations
of photosynthesis, carbon cycle,the greenhouse effect and the life and
food cycle of the arctic region. This particular module really resonated
with me as one of our guest scientists, Cameron Waite, UNH professor
and researcher spoke to us about Climate Changes, and one way to help make people
aware of these changes is to include in the conversation what role the
changes play in Systems! “Unlike
science of a century ago, Earth System Science is focused on the
interactions between several disciplines that determine the state and
evolution of our planet. The impact of that on human behavior - as well
as the impact of human behavior on the planet - is an additional focus
of Earth system science.”
( Atmosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere, Hydrosphere, and Human Interaction Systems) http://essedesignguide.org/
As
a culminating part of my summer TOTE workshop, I will be designing,
with my students, a stewardship project about our local watershed and
how we can protect and promote it to the public.
For
a quick look at how a stewardship project about watersheds can be
implemented in your classroom, here is a TOTE stewardship project from last year. Pam and I are planning our stewardship projects over the summer. I’ll report out here throughout the summer and school year.
Resources:
National Estuary Day http://www.estuaries.gov/GetInvolved/Default.aspx?ID=153
September 24, 2011.
Stewardship Project http://www.estuaries.gov/News/Default.aspx?id=527
Earth System Science http://essedesignguide.org/
NOAA Teacher Resources http://www.education.noaa.gov/
Teachers of the Estuary http://www.estuaries.gov/GetInvolved/Default.aspx?id=401