Being a homeschool teacher can bring some great benefits and opportunities that are reserved for educators. Many museums or educational venues have special teacher programs that include homeschoolers, and the Arizona Science Center is no exception.
In partnership with the ASU STARR Noyce Scholarship Program and the Arizona Science Teachers Association (ASTA), the Science Center is reaching out to support new science teachers. A free evening of networking, interaction with other science professionals and time to explore the center is planned to give new instructors resources and a social base to enhance their teaching.
New Science Teacher Night at Arizona Science Center
Date: Saturday, January 28, 2012 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St. Phoenix, Arizona
Limited to: 150 homeschooler and first and second year science teachers from across Arizona.
Bring: Proof of homeschooling (Arizona county affidavit of intent to homeschool) or documentation of school employment
“Beginning science teachers often feel isolated regarding the implementation of student-centered practices, particularly in schools that are under scrutiny for not making adequate yearly progress,“explains Irasema Ortega, who received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction-Science Education at Arizona State University and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Alaska-Anchorage “In these schools, remedial classes such as readingoften take away instructional time from subject areas such as science.”
Features of the New Science Teacher Night
- New Science Teacher mixer
- Representatives from educational support organizations like ASTA, Ask a Biologist, Arizona Science Center, and others will be on hand to answer questions
- Keynote Speaker Sharon Hall, Associate Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, will then address attendees in Arizona Science Center’s Dorrance Planetarium with a talk on her research in the field of urban ecology. She will also provide ideas for first and second year science teachers on how to use “sense of place” in their home environments to connect students to science.
- The talk will be followed by Q & A and a short introduction to ASTA and the National Science Teachers Association Learning Center
- An hour of fun in the museum
- Refreshments
- Discounted parking
- Free Educator Memberships to Arizona Science Center
- Door prizes
- Information on STEM training for elementary school teachers
- The Robert Noyce Scholarship program which helps fund education for future K-12 science teachers
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