Local teachers attend farming, marine workshops
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Estuarium held a marine Application of Science and Technology Workshop for Alabama teachers on June 23-27. Local teachers Jean Clay, Emily Doty and Cindy Lynch, all of C.E. Hanna Elementary School, attended the state-sponsored workshop and learned valuable knowledge to bring back to their classrooms. The Alabama State Department of Education under Title II and V of the No Child Left Behind Act sponsored this free workshop for Alabama teachers. Teachers participated in hands-on application of math, technology and science using coastal Alabama resources. They explored salt marsh ecology, climatology, fisheries management and oceanography across the Dauphin Island Landscape. The oceans provide exciting avenues for learning by providing a mystery of the unknown and the challenge of exploration. These educators are now well-equipped to teach their students back at home their new facts and applications learned at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and Estuarium. When asked about their time spent at the sea lab, Cindy said, "It was wonderful learning how to integrate science, math and technology at multiple ability levels." Madison County A group of Alabama teachers who recently walked through Mike Moore's wheat field in Madison County may never look at a loaf of bread the same way again. Seventy-three educators, including members of several county Soil and Water Conservation Districts who work with teachers in their counties, attended the annual Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute June 17-19. The institute included workshops, tours and educational seminars. Moore, who was busy harvesting this year's wheat crop, said he was impressed with the questions the teachers asked and how interested they were in his farm. He thanked the participants for attending the conference. "As the number of farmers declines, we need help telling our story," Moore said. "You can help us to do that," adding that he would encourage teachers to invite farmers to visit with students in their classrooms. AITC helps teachers incorporate agriculture into an array of course studies including reading, science, mathematics and history. Nettie Edwards of Summerdale School in Baldwin County said the AITC summer institute is the best teacher program she has ever attended. "This isn't a workshop where you listen to someone talk for 90 minutes, it's really hands-on," she said. "The highlight of the meeting for me was going to the fields and actually watching the farmers work. We take for granted what farmers do for us. I can incorporate so much of what I've learned here into the curriculum for my classroom for reading, language arts, science and social studies." |
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