Just saw this information about a new field test opportunity for an energy course and thought some of you high school teachers might be interested-if so read on for more info:
Energy concepts are fundamental to all science disciplines, and a basic understanding of energy concepts is essential to thoughtful civic participation on issues of foremost national interest. To help teachers more effectively teach energy-related concepts, BSCS, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), the National Teacher Enhancement Network (NTEN), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) are developing and researching an online course entitled Energy: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Teachers (EMAT). Funded by NSF, EMAT will be an innovative online, multimedia, professional development course focused on energy-related concepts within a context of the production and use of alternative energy.
The EMAT course will address three major energy concepts across a variety of alternative energy contexts:
A systems approach is necessary when considering energy and energy transformations. Energy is neither created nor destroyed in energy transformations. It is possible to track energy and matter inputs and outputs in energy transformations. In all energy transformations, some energy is lost from the system as heat. This energy is not destroyed; it merely leaves the system under consideration. The efficiency of an energy transformation is related to the amount of energy lost from the system as heat. The EMAT course is composed of the following six units:
> Energy in Coal
> Energy in Nuclear Reactions
> Light Interactions with Matter (Solar Energy)
> Biofuels
> Heat Transfer Across the Globe (Energy from Wind and Waves)
> Energy Inside the Earth (Geothermal Energy)
> Energy in Coal
> Energy in Nuclear Reactions
> Light Interactions with Matter (Solar Energy)
> Biofuels
> Heat Transfer Across the Globe (Energy from Wind and Waves)
> Energy Inside the Earth (Geothermal Energy)
In addition to helping teachers enhance their knowledge about energy concepts, theEMAT course will help teachers enhance their teaching practice by learning strategies to create coherent science content storylines as well as strategies to reveal, support, and challenge student thinking.
Teachers and students are valuable, critical friends and help us design and improve programs like EMAT. Teachers like you are key partners in the development process by helping us test what will benefit teachers and students in the future. Due to the online nature of the new materials, participating teachers will need a computer and Internet access to complete the online course and participate in this project.
BSCS will work with each teacher's district to fulfill the district's research requirements. Once BSCS has met these requirements, field-test teachers must agree to participate in a process that extends over two academic years and includes administering pretests and posttests to students (during the 2012-13 school year AND the 2013-2014 school year), filming themselves (using a camera provided by BSCS) teaching an energy-related lesson sometime between September and December 2012, taking the online EMAT course during summer 2013, filming themselves teaching the same energy-related lesson sometime between September and December 2013, and answering questions about the EMAT course in online surveys. Field-test teachers receive a $400 stipend for their participation ($200 during the 2012-2013 school year, and $200 during the 2013-2014 school year) and three (3) graduate credits from Montana State University for completing the EMAT course.
BSCS will work with each teacher's district to fulfill the district's research requirements. Once BSCS has met these requirements, field-test teachers must agree to participate in a process that extends over two academic years and includes administering pretests and posttests to students (during the 2012-13 school year AND the 2013-2014 school year), filming themselves (using a camera provided by BSCS) teaching an energy-related lesson sometime between September and December 2012, taking the online EMAT course during summer 2013, filming themselves teaching the same energy-related lesson sometime between September and December 2013, and answering questions about the EMAT course in online surveys. Field-test teachers receive a $400 stipend for their participation ($200 during the 2012-2013 school year, and $200 during the 2013-2014 school year) and three (3) graduate credits from Montana State University for completing the EMAT course.
Note: teachers must pay a $200 deposit to take the course, but the deposit will be refunded after all course requirements have been met.
BSCS is excited about working with classroom teachers around the country to develop the EMAT course. If you are interested in being a field-test teacher, please complete the online application and submit the required signature page. If you have questions, please contact me. The deadline for submitting applications is April 1, 2012.
Please share this opportunity with colleagues who may be interested. We look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Sue Kowalski
Sue Kowalski
Science Educator,
Project Director
(719) 219-4148
skowalski@bscs.org
skowalski@bscs.org
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