Polar News and Notes Professional Development

The University of Rhode Island’s Office of Marine Programs is now accepting applications for the ARMADA Project - Research and Mentoring Experiences for Teachers. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides K-12 teachers an opportunity to participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring.
Teachers with five or more years teacher […]

Teachers of grades 3, 4, and 5 now have the opportunity to apply for an all-expense paid trip to the 2009 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy’s math and science professional development program. Selected participants will spend five days next July at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ building math and science content knowledge, learning […]

The Polar-Palooza tour of presentations at science centers and natural history museums continues this fall with stops scheduled from coast to coast (see schedule below).
Three-day presentations in major U.S. cities feature scientists who are working in polar research, authentic props, such as a piece of ice core over 2,000 years old and fossilized wood […]

This Thursday, September 4, 2008, at 7 p.m. EDT, Beyond Penguins staff will hold an hour-long chat at Tapped In. Tapped In  is a web-based learning environment created in 1997 by SRI International to transform teacher professional development (TPD) for professional development providers and educators.
The Tapped In interface is easy to use, with no download needed.  […]

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is currently accepting applications. Teachers are invited to submit an application to participate in field research learning experiences during the 2009 (Arctic) or 2009-2010 (Antarctic) field seasons.
Through the PolarTREC program , over 40 K-12 U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks in the Arctic or Antarctic, working […]

Starting September 30, NSTA will offer a online short course about energy for teachers of grades 3-9. Course participants will meet on five consecutive Tuesday evenings (Sept. 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21, and 28) to ask questions and have discussions. A course listserv and self-paced completion of course materials round out the experience.
Fees, which include all […]

Have you ever felt confused by the complexity of the polar regions? Or realized that your knowledge just scratches the surface of these far-off places? If you have, you are certainly in good company. All of us - especially the project staff at Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - have been confronted with our lack of understanding […]

Interested in refining your teaching practice? Using science notebooks? Creating a web site or publishing a resource list for students or parents? Helping English Language Learners develop science and academic vocabulary? Check out the Professional Learning department in Issue 4 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Weather and Climate: From Home to the Poles. In […]

Tuesday, May 27 was the first of five scheduled Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears web seminars. The free, online seminars are run through a partnership between the National Science Digital Library and the National Science Teachers’ Association. 47 educators participated, representing a wide variety of geographic locations (across the U.S. and even Sydney, Australia!), teaching […]

Interested in refining your teaching practice? Using rubrics? Meeting the needs of all students? Check out Issue 3 of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears - Polar Patterns: Day, Night, and Seasons!
In this issue:
Learn about rubrics and checklists and use technology to create your own.
Learn about meeting the needs of gifted students without leaving others behind.
Learn […]