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Professional Development
| These customized, fun and informative workshops help teachers to use science as a foundation for interdisciplinary explorations through curriculum enhancement and inquiry-based learning strategies. Any of the workshops from the menu below can be offered at Whitaker Center or we can travel to your district. Just gather a minimum of 12 teachers from your district and/or neighboring districts, select the workshop topic, choose a location and a date, and we’ll do the rest! SDPC participating districts receive a 10% discount on all professional development opportunities. Whitaker Center is an Act 48 approved provider. |
| 2007–2008 Professional Development Opportunities available from Whitaker Center Battles Within Your Body: Exciting Techniques for Introducing Biology and Health Issues in the Elementary Classroom Do you want to spark your students’ interest in biology and health-related topics? This workshop is for you. Participants will learn how to translate body-systems science content in a way that will wow their students and build scientific process skills at the same time. Highlights include Big Science Theatre presentations Meet StuffeeTM and BodyWorks. Exploring Engineering and Math Topics Using K’NEX® The possibilities are endless during this exciting, hands-on, minds-on workshop for teachers of grades 4–8. Learn how to teach geometry, algebra and basic engineering principles through challenging and fun activities that will have your students asking for more! Geology: Stories in Stone (GEMS) Discover the excitement of uncovering our Earth’s history while learning methods for building students’ observation, identification and classification skills using geology content. Mathematics topics, including patterns and geometry, will also be addressed during this workshop. Linking Children’s Literature and Science in the Elementary Classroom Calling all elementary teachers! It’s time to get excited about the strong connections that can be made between children’s literature and science. Educators will learn how to evaluate the usefulness of a wide array of science-related children’s literature selections and discover how to weave inquiry-based science experiences into the curriculum using limited supplies and external resources. Microscopic Explorations Designed for teachers with little or no prior microscope experience Gain first-hand experience examining specimens with a wide variety of natural and man-made magnifiers. Participants will learn ways of incorporating microscopes into the primary and intermediatelevel elementary classroom ranging from the use of unbreakable specimen slides to conducting flower dissection. Participants will receive a copy of the GEMS guide Microscopic Explorations, and the session will be conducted by a certified GEMS Associate (Great Explorations in Math and Science). Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Get your feet wet with addressing PA Academic Standards in both Environment and Ecology and Science and Technology during this fast-paced workshop. Participants will gain a working knowledge of watersheds, wetlands and a variety of other water-related content. This workshop has three different grade clusters at which it can be presented: K–3rd, 4th–7th, and 7th–12th. Participants will receive a copy of the 516-page Project WET curriculum guide and will devise an implementation plan for future use. back to top Registration Information To Schedule a Professional Development In-Service Opportunity Workshop prices vary depending on the topic, duration and materials provided to participants. Most workshops can be adapted to a variety of grade levels. Contact the Director of Education at 717-724-3865 to schedule workshops onsite, at your venue or at Whitaker Center. back to top |
