Summer Professional Development Opportunities

OpportunitiesSummer Professional Development Opportunities

Virginia Science Standards Institute

The Department of Education is pleased to announce the 2008 Virginia Science Standards Institutes (VSSI).  The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Museum of Natural History, will conduct two institutes this summer.  The purposes of the two six-day institutes are to provide teachers of fourth- and fifth-grade with detailed science content training that models best practices in science instruction and to enhance the teaching of grade-level science content and investigative skills.

The first VSSI will be held on July 20 - 25, 2008, at Twin Lakes State Park, located in Prince Edward County, Virginia www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/twi.shtml.  The second VSSI will be held on August 3 - 8, 2008, at Hull Springs Farm, located in Westmoreland County, Virginia www.longwood.edu/hullspringsfarm/.

For more information, go to Superintendents memo: www.doe.virginia.gov/info_centers/superintendents_memos/2008/05_may/inf120.html

Mary Baldwin College is offering the following environment-based learning courses for Summer 2008:

• June 23 - 27 Math in the Garden
• July 7 - 11 Writing as a Second Language: From Natural Experience to Story to Prose
• July 7 - 11 Trout in the Classroom
• July 14 - 18 Natural Research: Using the Environment for Student-Driven Investigations
• August 4 - 8 Environment-Based Learning

Graduate Credit: Each course provides 3 hours of graduate credit from MBC. Tuition is discounted by grants for some of the courses. A $50 registration fee is due by May 15, 2008. Courses will be held in Staunton and at various field-experience locations.

For more information, click here for flyer or go to www.mbc.edu/mat/ebl.asp.

This summer the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom is expanding our Garden in the Classroom workshop series. Workshops will be held across the state in cooperation with various botanical gardens. Free professional development is available to Virginia K-7 teachers throughout the month of July in Vienna, Norfolk, Blacksburg, and Richmond.

Please see flyer for more information.

Forest Ecology and Biology for Educators
FOR 5384
This a 10 week graduate course covering the basics of tree growth, tree identification (80 commonly occurring species), forest ecology, and natural resource management. The class is primarily aimed at public school biology educators but would be of interest to anyone desiring advanced knowledge about trees and forests. All material is relevant to teaching the Virginia Standards of Learning. Course content will be on CD's and the class managed over the internet. All testing is done on-line.

For more information visit the web site at: www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/forbioeco/index.html or contact John Seiler at mailto:jseiler@vt.edu  

Interested in Young Children and STEM Education? Become a leader in this growth field in Education! Join the graduate program in Instructional Technology (IT) at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. At Curry, IT students receive course credit for participation in an on-going research mentorship, and all admitted students are eligible for a research mentorship supporting authentic, fun, early childhood STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). You'll be able to participate in federally-funded curriculum development and teacher support. Upon graduation, you'll be a leader in this newly emerging and critically important field.
There's still time to apply for Fall 2008 admission. For more information, contact Dr. Mable Kinzie. E-mail: kinzie@virginia.edu Get ready to launch the next stage in your career!

Bridging the Watershed

Attention High School Science Teachers
Bridging the Watershed is conducting the 2008 SUMMER TEACHER/RANGER INSTITUTE at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Monocacy National Battlefield July 7 - July 11, 2008 or June 23 - 27 in northern Virginia national parks.

An Outreach Program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation in Partnership with the National Park Service and Area Schools. Click here for pdf including more information and application, or go to www.fergusonfoundation.org/btw/training.html for more information.