TEACHER WORKSHOPS AND HANDS-ON GALLERIES: EFFECTIVELY INVOLVING K-12 TEACHERS IN PROFESSIONAL GEOSCIENCE MEETINGS

Large geoscience meetings are often intimidating for K-12 teachers, with K-12 courses and workshops conducted as meeting-parallel events, rather than structured into the fabric of the meeting. We have developed and used an effective model that allows geoscientists and geoscience organizations to present the results of their research for K-12 teachers, college educators, and informal science educators to use in their teaching.

In the model, a teacher workshop parallels and is integrated with a morning oral session and an afternoon poster session. Presenters (which may include K-12 teachers) in both sessions display their activity or demonstration in a ‘Hands-on Gallery' that is run in association with the afternoon poster session. The teachers meet for a workshop session prior to the morning presentations, and again during the lunch break, and following the ‘Hands-on Gallery'; the facilitator helps them consider how to use or adapt the activities for their classroom & curriculum, as well as discuss pedagogy and content-related topics. Finally, the teachers leave with an action plan for implementing at least one of the activities. Presentations, posters and teacher handouts and instructions for the activity are posted on the NAGT/SERC website (http://serc.carleton.edu/nagt/programs/activities_collection.html).

The key elements allowing this model to be successful are: 1) The K-12 teachers play an essential role in the sessions and guarantee a response to the Hands-on Gallery; 2) The K-12 teachers and undergraduate faculty are provided with specific content and activities that they can turn around and use next day in their classroom; 3) K-12 teachers, undergraduate faculty and research scientists are able to meet and build connections that benefit all participants. Research scientists and those involved in graduate research gain insights into standards- and curriculum-driven demands and practical limitations in the classroom; 4) The workshop facilitator provides an effective bridge between pedagogy and science and ensures the teachers leave the workshop with a concrete action plan; 5) The enthusiasm of the oral and poster presenters, and their willingness to undertake the additional logistical challenges associated with presenting in the Hands-on Gallery.