STEM Ed Announcement: Natural History Course for Teachers

[Morton Sternheim <mort@k12s.phast.umass.edu>]

This is not a UMass program.
Contact information is below.
================================

This upcoming academic year (2010-11) the Hitchcock Center will be
offering a graduate level course on the natural history of
Massachusetts.  See the description below.  Please let interested
students know of this opportunity.  There are no pre-requisites for
registration.

Also please note that our registration deadline is August 6, an
internally important date for us, but unfortunately when a lot of
students are off campus.  Feel free to be in touch with me if you have
any students who are interested but for whom the date is a problem.

The course will be offered through the UMASS School of Continuing
Education, 3 graduate credits awarded in spring 2010 semester.  It
will start in September and end in June as described below.  The
course is sponsored through the UMASS School of Education and is
entitled Natural History for Teachers.  However the focus of the
course is content, not teaching methodology.  Teachers will gain
knowledge about the plants, animals and natural processes that are
outside their schools and in their communities to increase their
confidence in taking students outdoors for learning.  Course
participants who are not elementary teachers will get as much from the
course as classroom teachers.  The focus will be on field learning
about the nature of the Valley!

I would be happy to share more of the course materials with you.

Thank you very much for your interest,

Ted Watt





TO REGISTER CALL SUSAN HEITKER AT THE HITCHCOCK CENTER AT (413)
256-6006 BY AUGUST 6, 2010



The Hitchcock Center for the Environment Presents:

The Natural History of Massachusetts :

A Course for Elementary and Middle School Teachers


Instructor:                  Ted Watt, Naturalist/Environmental Educator

Dates:                         Saturdays: Sept. 18, Oct. 2, Nov. 13,
Dec. 4, Jan. 22, Feb. 26, Mar. 26, Apr. 9, June 11, 9:30 am-12:30 pm

                                    Saturday: May 14, 5am-5 pm
(coastal trip to Plum Island)

                                    Wednesdays: Sept. 29, Oct. 13, May 25, June 8, 3:30-5:00 pm

                                    (Rain Dates: Oct. 30, Mar. 5 and June 4)

(37.5 hours instructional time, times listed above include some travel times)

Cost:                          $450 for 35 PDPs only

$900 for 35 PDPs and 3 graduate credits through UMASS Division of
Continuing Education (awarded upon completion of course in May 2011)

Course Description:

Have you wanted to take your students outdoors but felt uncertain
about your own knowledge of what's out there?  Have you been seeking
to deepen your knowledge of plants and animals and the land?  Most
elementary and middle school students are very excited to be in
nature.  Being outdoors can be a tremendous motivator for learning in
science as well as other disciplines. In this year-round,
content-based course, we will study the natural history of western
Massachusetts.

Time will be spent building a strong foundation of natural history
identification skills and knowledge of habitats and local ecology. 
The course will be held largely outdoors observing and identifying
plants and animals and keeping a record of your observations. Some of
our field time will be spent on the school grounds of participating
teachers. Participants should be prepared to spend time outdoors in a
variety of weather conditions, including light rain and the cold of
January.  Each participant will create an independent project where
they explore more deeply one aspect of local nature of their choosing.

This course is designed to be fun, engaging, and content rich. Three
graduate credits through UMASS Division of Continuing Education will
be offered in addition to 35 professional development points. There
will be a total of 37.5 hours of instructional time over the school
year.

Ted Watt is a highly skilled naturalist and environmental educator
with over 30 years of field and classroom experience. He has worked
extensively with schools and school districts throughout the region to
strengthen science education using the outdoors.  His area of
specialization is in birds and plants of New England.  Ted has a a
degree in biology and has continued his professional development, both
informally and formally, through the New England Wild Flower Society,
Massachusetts Audubon Society, Humboldt Field Research Institute at
Eagle Hill, and the Great Smoky Mountains Wildflower Pilgrimage.  Ted
has worked at the Hitchcock Center since 1984 and, prior to that, at
two other wildlife sanctuaries of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
Over the years, he has mentored hundreds of people in their lifelong
pursuit to become a well-rounded naturalist.

SPACE IS LIMITED

FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL TED AT ted@hitchcockcenter.org

OR TO REGISTER, CALL SUSAN HEITKER AT THE HITCHCOCK CENTER AT

(413) 256-6006 BY AUGUST 6, 2010



The Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at the Larch Hill Conservation Area
525 South Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 256-6006
http://www.hitchcockcenter.org