An excellent week of science and hands-on experiments concluded for the 2011 Summer Teacher Institute. The annual program, held at the beautiful Valles Caldera National Preserve and the VCNP Science & Education Center, allows teachers to participate with project scientists in field activities, such as equipment deployment and data collection, and to develop activities to take back to their classrooms. This, in turn, allows New Mexico students to benefit from fresh research and exciting experiments that they may not have access to otherwise.
This year, 12 teachers and 1 principal from 8 Northern New Mexico districts participated:
- 8 Female, 5 Male
- 8 Hispanic, 5 Caucasian
- 4 teachers for grade levels 9-12
- 4 teachers for grade levels 7-12
- 5 teachers for grade levels 6-8
Participants spent much of their time in the field and in the lab performing experiments that will prove useful in the classroom. Subjects for exploration and experiments included:
- Water quality;
- Geomorphology;
- Macro-invertebrates;
- Forestry;
- Botany; and
- Terrestrial Soils
Participants will meet again, once in the fall and once in the spring, to discuss the success of new classroom curriculum, and to strengthen the bonds made during the program. Feedback from the teachers about the Summer Teacher Institute can be viewed below. For more information on the Summer Teacher Institute, visit our K-12 Education page, or contact
Anna Espinoza, annamtespinoza@yahoo.com.
Q: What did you like about the Summer Teacher Institute?
"Being out at a field site was wonderful. Having the lab available afterwards was good."
"I really enjoyed working with experts. They were all very enthusiastic and willing to share their knowledge."
"Presenters were very knowledgeable and passionate about their field and what they presented."
"Going out on the field and doing hands on activities allowed me to learn what strategies I can use with my students."
"It was very informative and it will help me to integrate math and science."
"I really enjoyed doing activities that can be done in the classroom and will be taking some of these back."
"The facilitators were organized and well prepared. The hands-on application was fantastic. Loved the lab."
"Presenters were all excellent in content knowledge and delivery. Use of the lab was crucial in being able to tie this into instruction at our site."
"Educational and very enjoyable. Lots of information given including ideas for integrating classroom lecture and practice to real-world applications."
