Free Colorado academic standards workshops for K-12 science teachers begin this week
A new initiative from inquiryHub at University of Colorado Boulder, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Education, is offering free professional learning for K-12 Colorado science teachers beginning in July through October.
聽Made possible through funds allocated by the聽, the initiative is called "Science at its Peak," a professional learning effort designed to support K-12 Colorado science teachers as they dig deeply into the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for science. Teachers will experience instruction organized around CAS and will explore classroom-ready resources that they can use to implement the standards in their own classrooms.
From Steamboat Springs to Colorado Springs, Science at its Peak will be offered across the state by highly qualified science education leaders passionate about strengthening science education in Colorado. Any K-12 science teacher in the state can attend these sessions at no cost, said Kate Henson who is leading the initiative for inquiryHub at 蜜桃传媒破解版下载. Teachers will also earn contact hours toward license renewal.
鈥淭his initiative is so important because the CAS asks teachers to make some big instructional shifts to support science learning and engagement for all students," said Henson, inquiryHub research associate and CU School of Education alumna, EduPhD'19.聽
"With all the demands we put on science teachers鈥 time it鈥檚 crucial that we make high quality professional learning accessible for teachers in every district in the state.鈥
The professional learning is designed to support both teachers that are new to the CAS and those who have been working with the new standards for several years. During the six hour professional learning session, teachers will build foundational knowledge about the Framework for K鈥12 Science Education, the Next Generation Science Standards, and the CAS.聽
Teachers will explore and experience instructional strategies designed to capture student interest as they build knowledge and participate in science. This includes using phenomena to organize instruction and assessment. They will then have an opportunity to investigate resources already available to them that they can use to implement the standards in their own classrooms.
Henson noted that in addition to in-person professional learning sessions happening around the state this summer, sessions will also be available during the school year in both virtual and in-person formats.
The team at inquiryHub and the Colorado Department of Education hope that the initiative will help teachers experience the professional learning they need to bring engaging, standards-aligned science instruction to all students in Colorado.
Teachers interested in signing up for a session should check out the inquiryhub聽 for registration information, dates, and locations鈥攊ncluding new dates and locations to be added. School districts and other education providers interested in hosting a sessions should email inquiryhub@colorado.edu.
