Professional Development

Science needs to be taught to every student using an inquiry/problem solving approach with an emphasis on content. Professional development assists teachers in their planning, guiding, and assessing learning through the implementation of state and national standards.

23rd Annual MAEOE Conference
You are invited to attend the 23rd Annual Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Conference, October 7-9, 2011 in Bay City, MI. Registration materials can be found online. This year's conference celebrates the Great Lakes Bay Region, with the theme: Striving for Sustainability! Conference sessions will be held at the Delta College Planetarium in Historic Downtown Bay City. One of the many workshops and fieldtrips offered will take you through the Tobico Marsh, the longest coastal wetland complex system on the Great Lakes! Friday features thirty Educator Workshops, and a special evening Keynote program "Biodiversity Live!" by Rob Mies, Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation, and a state of the art planetarium program on "Black Holes." Saturday has forty different sessions, a share-a-thon, book fair, a silent auction, exhibitors and vendors. Saturday evening features the Awards Banquet and Keynote speaker, Pat Norris, Professor of Natural Resource Economics and Conservation - Michigan State University "Responding to Wicked Problems with Environmental Literacy and Civic Engagement." Sunday there are scheduled 5 outstanding field trips that explore the cultural, educational and natural values of the Saginaw Bay watershed. Just 5 miles away group camping is available at the Bay City Recreation Area for $4.00/night if reserved through MAEOE. The Doubletree Hotel is offering reduced rates for MAEOE guests if you book your room before Sept. 15th. For financial support to attend the conference, apply for the Michigan Space Grant Consortium's K-12 Initiative Professional Development Grant; MAEOE scholarships are also available (see the website for details on both.)
Date: October 7-9, 2011

27th Annual Grand Valley State University Science Update
The Regional Math and Science Center at Grand Valley State University is pleased to announce the 27th annual Fall Science Update (FSU). The 2011 program is an all-day event and will take place on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. on Grand Valley's Pew campus, downtown Grand Rapids. This year's theme is "Cultivating Critical Thinking in Science". This program is designed to provide current information, hands-on activities, and collegial exchange through a variety of presentations on contemporary topics related to science and technology. The conference will showcase elementary and secondary keynote speakers Robby Cramer, from the Van Andel Education Institute, and Dr. Christine Rener, Director, from Grand Valley State University's Pew Teaching and Learning Center. Also included are multiple hour-long breakout sessions, lunch and snacks throughout the day. One of the goals each year is to highlight those schools and educators in the region who exemplify excellence in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and best classroom practice. They also want to encourage educators to share their ideas with others in their field as a means of stimulating professional growth and development. If you would be willing to be a presenter at this year's seminar, they would make every attempt to schedule your session around your teaching schedule. If you are interested in this professional development opportunity, please contact Margo Dill at (616) 331-2272, or by email, dillm@gvsu.edu. The presenter application deadline is September 16, 2011.
Date: November 16, 2011

Become an Eco-School
Register with Eco-Schools USA! This internationally acclaimed program is active in over 50 countries and has been identified by the United Nations Environmental Program as a model initiative for Education for Sustainable Development. Here in the United States 620 schools, from 48 states plus DC, have already registered to take part in the Eco-Schools USA program. Will you help us surpass 700? The comprehensive, self-guiding Eco-Schools USA website walks you through each step toward greening your school. Here's how to get started: 1. Register your school - it's free and easy!; 2. Find other K-12 schools in your city, county or state that are registered Eco-Schools by using the interactive map; 3. Learn about our seven-step process and the eight different pathways to sustainability. Eco-Schools USA can help to green not only your school grounds and buildings, but also help you to incorporate environmental education into the curriculum and nurture the next generation of environmental stewards. Sign up now! They look forward to helping you green your school!

Dow Chemical Funds School Trips on Board the Schooner Appledore
BaySail is offering fully funded environmental education programs for school groups and youth groups from the Great Lakes Bay Region this September. Opportunities will also be available for sails next Spring and Fall! Youth Group Leaders can sign their group up for one of the 35 free EcoSails, environmental sailing expeditions. Teachers and school groups can apply for one of the 35 scholarships for a free Science under Sail program. The 3 ½ hour sails will depart from Bay City. Funding for these trips is provided by a generous grant from the Dow Chemical Company. Interested teachers and youth group leaders should contact Gregory Allington at BaySail: (989) 895-5193 or program@baysailbaycity.org. These special educational sails were developed by BaySail with funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The goal of these sails is to help teachers and students become more knowledgeable stewards of the Great Lakes. These Science under Sails will focus on water quality, invasive species, and climate change with particular attention to issues specific to the Saginaw Bay Watershed. On board the Appledore students analyze water, benthos, and plankton samples that they collect while aboard the ship. In addition, the students are given the opportunity to help raise sails, tie knots, and learn to navigate. BaySail is a 13-year old non-profit organization dedicated to environmental education and stewardship through hands-on shipboard educational programming.

Earth Science Week
Date: October 9-15, 2011

Family Engineering 
Learn how to engage elementary children & parents in engineering through fun, hands-on activities and events for the whole family! Read the flyer for info.
Date: September 16, 2011

International Year of Chemistry
Date: January 1 - December 31, 2011

iPads in the Classroom Conference
Date: October 20-21, 2011

MDSTA - DACTM Fall Conference
Date: November 12, 2011

Michigan Science Teachers Association Conference
Date: March 9-10, 2012

Music Video: We've Got to be That Light - A Gift to America's Teachers
Dr. Jeff Goldstein, Center Director for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education had the wonderful honor of giving the Keynote Address at the National Science Teachers Association National Conference in San Francisco in March 2011 to a few thousand teachers of science. Much of the Keynote was dedicated to why we teach, and to reaffirm to teachers why we went into this noblest of professions. After the Keynote, teachers approached him by the dozens and talked about losing their passion, their need to consider leaving the teaching profession, and overwhelming levels of stress from testing and the severe economic pressures now on school systems. As a thank you to the participants, and to all teachers, he wanted to do something to help in some small way. He worked with John Boswell at Symphony of Science to remix the Keynote into a music video as a gift to America's teachers - to let them know how important their job is to our children, our communities, and this great nation.

National Estuaries Day
Why should teachers celebrate National Estuaries Day, which takes place on September 24, 2011? Because estuaries offer a rich context for science education and interdisciplinary learning. These dynamic environments have a daily flux of ocean flows mingling with river water, resulting in a diverse range of life and ecosystems. So lessons about estuaries can teach students about Earth systems science, biology, chemistry, geography, geology, and marine science. Students also can develop math skills by making measurements, modeling phenomena such as growth and cyclical variation, and analyzing data to compare multiple estuaries. They can hone their language skills as they read and write about estuary-related topics and communicate their explorations and findings with other students and scientists. And since estuaries have affected human settlement, exploration, and development, students also will learn about human history and culture. Whether your school is located near an estuary or you transport your students online to an estuary anywhere in the world, National Estuaries Day has something for you and your students. Visit: the website for free curriculum and simple activities classes can do to participate.
Date: September 24, 2011

National Public Lands Day
Date: September 24, 2011

National Science Teachers Association Conference
Date: March 29 - April 1, 2012

NBC EducationNation Teacher Town Hall
Participate and join educators from across the country on Sunday, September 25, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our schools in the second-annual nationally televised Teacher Town Hall. Hosted by Brian Williams, the educator-only forum will provide a unique and visible platform for educators from across the country to make their voices heard, brainstorm new ideas, discuss key policy issues, and ask questions of each other to advance the conversation about teaching in the United States. As hundreds of teachers gather in-person at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, NBC News is also inviting teachers from across the country to join the conversation virtually by registering to take part in the conversation. This special event is part of the 2011 Education Nation National Summit, which consists of live events and panel sessions on Rockefeller Plaza in New York City and is complemented by education reports and programming across the network's shows and platforms
Date: During the week of September 25, 2011

Project WILD and Project Learning Tree (PLT) Facilitator Training
Please contact Natalie Elkins at 517.373-6919 or elkins@michigan.gov
Date: October 25-27, 2011

See the World from a Kids-Eye View
BASF Corporation has partnered with Kids X-Press to present anew twist in science literacy for children-a fun-to-read quarterly magazine about science that is written by kids. Combining articles, poems, illustrations and games, this new 32-page multilingual publication presents the world of science from a kid's point of view with many interesting results. Anyone between the ages of 6 and18 can submit material to Kids X-Press, which is accepting submissions for the next science edition focusing on the International Year of Chemistry and the importance of water as a major global resource. The Kids X-Press Website provides information on how to submit work to the magazine.

Severe Weather Awareness Week
Date: April 15-21, 2012

Teachers in Space: Pathfinder Competition
Date: Deadline to apply December 2, 2011

Teaching and Learning in the Cloud Conference
Date: October 13-14, 2011 

World Monitoring Day
Date: September 18, 2011

World Space Week
Date: October 4-10, 2011