I'll join a small number of middle school and high school educators today to begin a multi-day inquiry-based field exploration of the local environment with educators from Beyond Benign, The Wade Institute for Science Education, Harvard Forest, and Mass Audubon.
I signed up for this exploration in order to deepen my knowledge of and ability to teach science to fifth grade students. I have found that the more I know, the better I can teach. Overtime I have engaged in many learning experiences like this which have had a positive affect on my teaching craft and practice.
What do I hope to get out of this institute?
First, I look forward to learning from the educators there. Many will be educators who teach science every day. I want to hear those instructors talk about the ways they approach science education day in and day out in the schools where they teach.
Next, I want to challenge myself as a learner to learn in efficient and effective ways. I've learned a lot and taught a lot about how to maximize optimal brain-friendly teaching/learning strategies, and I want to employ those strategies to learn well and increase my knowledge.
And, I want to look for ways to update and deepen the environmental education program we teach at school. I updated our environmental program outline early this week and later next week I'll work with the program team to continue to update the interdisciplinary program we promote. I'll continue this revision process throughout the days when I take the course which will include about 6-7 days beginning today, then in July, and again next fall.
