ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions. ***************************************************************************** I agree with Beryl and Ellen. Teacher attitudes toward science (or any subject, really) strongly influence student attitudes. I have also found that there are many teachers who don't fear science per se, but nonetheless are not sure they *can* fit science into their curriculum. I therefore try to emphasize the practical -- there are many ways to teach science (the scientific process, that is) that don't require a lot of special training or expensive equipment. Much of what I do during a PD session is demonstrate how to set up quick and easy labs that keep the prep time and the clean-up to a minimum. And most importantly, I let them know where my lesson plans came from -- high-quality sites like howtosmile.org -- so that they can easily find similar plans on their own. That said, I'd like to hear from the list not just on why, but how and when you offer PD. Here in Oregon, we used to have a statewide teacher inservice day, where all teachers were required to attend a PD session. In recent years, many schools have dropped the requirement, and our workshop attendance has suffered as a result. What schedules have worked best for you -- weekends? evenings? over the summer? Do you offer open enrollment, or do you work directly with particular districts or schools to tailor a workshop to them? I look forward to your responses. -- Nick Spicher, Education Director Science Factory Children's Museum and Exploration Dome 541-682-7892 / [log in to unmask] On Wed, Nov 13, 2013 at 6:59 AM, Ellen Giusti <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related > institutions. > > ***************************************************************************** > > I agree with and would like to add to what others have already replied to > Michelle: Classroom teachers in the elementary grades--pre-K-5 or > 6--typically are not certified to teach science and often have no formal > education background in science. As Beryl notes, they are intimidated by > science and unavoidably pass that on to their students. Museums can inspire > and arouse or revive teachers' innate interest in science--in a program I > was involved in evaluating, a teacher commented, "[The PD program] reminded > me how much I loved science." Inspiring curiosity and reaching students' > affective realm is what museums are uniquely qualified to do. > > Ellen Giusti > Exhibit and Program Evaluation > 1125 Park Avenue > New York NY 10128-1243 > > T: 212 876-1425 > C: 917 885-2614 > F: 212 427-7142 > [log in to unmask] > > > > > > Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 15:09:27 -0600 > > From: Michelle Nichols <[log in to unmask]> > > Subject: Why do museums do teacher PD? > > > > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers > > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related > institutions. > > > ***************************************************************************** > > > > So, a question was posed to me today that I thought would be interesting > to pose to the list-serv because I would be fascinated to see your replies, > even if it's just from a few folks or many of you: Why do museums do > teacher professional development? > > We can't reach every teacher everywhere, so why do we do it at all? > > > > I am not looking for a particular answer. I just want to experience the > breadth of answers that I suspect would come out of posing such a question. > Hope you enjoy noodling on that one for a bit. :>) > > > > Michelle > > > > Michelle Nichols, Master Educator - NASA Forum Programs > > The Adler Planetarium > > 1300 S. Lake Shore Dr. > > Chicago, IL 60605 > > 312-322-0520 > > 312-322-2257 (fax) > > [log in to unmask] > > http://www.adlerplanetarium.org > > > > > > Visit our website: http://www.adlerplanetarium.org > > > > > *********************************************************************** > For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and > the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org. > > Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at > www.exhibitfiles.org. > > The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. > To learn more, visit > http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html. > > To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the > message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to > [log in to unmask] > > > *********************************************************************** For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org. Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org. The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html. To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to [log in to unmask]