"Teach The Teacher" Programs A Hit
Space Florida tells ANN it has partnered with Florida District
Schools and the Florida Department of Education to fund a series of
innovative, "hands-on" workshops whose emphasis is in innovative
“Inquiry instruction” for teachers throughout the state
of Florida. The inaugural summer session of the "Inquiry Program"
will complete its 15th and final workshop on August 6 at the
Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee, FL.
Throughout the first summer session, more than 365 teachers
representing 15 counties across the state of Florida were
instructed in the Inquiry Method of teaching, a system that
promotes non-traditional, interactive learning through innovative
math and science curriculum. It is estimated that more than 8,000
Florida students will benefit from the program during the 2008-2009
school year.
"This is a very exciting opportunity for Florida teachers," said
Mary Jane Tappan, Florida Department of Educations K-12 Deputy
Chancellor for Student Achievement. "Florida is serious about
improving performance in math and science. Support programs like
this provide teachers the tools they need to better prepare our
students for the opportunity to be part of Florida’s future
in space exploration and support industries."
"One of Space Florida's goals is to increase student interest in
math and science through experiential learning" noted Percy Luney,
vice president of education, research and development, and
workforce at Space Florida. "We are pleased to play a part in
promoting the Inquiry Method of teaching in Florida schools, as it
has been proven to improve science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) learning for primary and secondary students, who
are the future of our state aerospace workforce."
Space Florida and Dr. Chew combined resources to train eight
"Master Teachers" in Spring 2008 who, in turn, led instruction for
this year's workshops. The curriculum is based on the Inquiry
Method of teaching, which fully coincides with Florida Sunshine
State Standards for education.
At the conclusion of each workshop, participating teachers
receive a Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Kit to help
reproduce activities learned in the workshop. The program is fully
funded by Space Florida, with participating Florida School
Districts providing a stipend for the Teachers. Additionally,
participating teachers receive 18 in-service credits for
participating in a three-day program and 30 credits for a five-day
program.
Further Inquiry Training workshops will be conducted across the
state throughout the 2008-2009 school year.