Wade Institute to Offer 2019 Summer Professional Development Institutes - Wade Institute for Science Education | Inquiry-based, hands-on, minds-on, science, technology and engineering professional development for K-12 teachers and informal educators.

Friday, May 17, 2019

For Immediate Release

Wade Institute to Offer Four Regional, One-week
2019 Summer Professional Development Institutes

Quincy, MA – This July, the Wade Institute for Science Education will hold four inquiry-based Summer Professional Development Institutes designed to support elementary, middle, and high school educators engagement of their students in the Science and Engineering Practices. These one-week professional learning opportunities will be offered in the Berkshire, Cape Cod, North Central, and Southeast regions of Massachusetts. The 2019 Summer Professional Development Institutes will connect teachers to STEM resources within their communities through site visits to partner and collaborator organizations, presentations from industry professionals, and inquiry-based pedagogy. Participants will expand their science, technology, and engineering content knowledge by learning directly from science and education professionals, and they will enhance their toolkit of inquiry-based, hands-on, minds-on activities to use in their classrooms.

Berkshire Region: One-Week Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators (July 8 – 12)
Thinkers and Tinkerers: Using Biomimicry to Teach Engineering and Life Science
Partners & Collaborators: Flying Cloud Institute; MASS MoCA; The Chamberlain Group; Sabic Manufacturing; Miss Hall’s School; Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary; Nature Matters

This institute will immerse educators in the world of innovation and problem-solving. Participants will meet with research and design engineers to witness how high-performance plastics, agri-nutrients, polymers, and metals are developed. They will see how biomimicry is used to produce models, tools, and prosthetics, and how the engineering design process works to develop anatomically correct models of human organs for medical study and testing. Educators who attend this institute will engage in engineering design challenges, and explore innovative ways to spark their students’ curiosity for STEM.

Cape Cod Region: One-Week Institute for Middle and High School Educators (July 15 – 19)
Go Under the Sea with STEM: Investigating Marine Life from Open Ocean to Coastal Shores
Partners & Collaborators: National Marine Life Center; Lloyd Center for the Environment; Atlantic White Shark Conservancy; Tufts University; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Educators will dive into inquiry-based learning through the exploration of marine ecosystems, from coasts down to the deep sea. Teachers will identify the tools and techniques used to monitor marine biodiversity and wildlife population shifts in correlation with the effects of climate change on local environments. Focusing on marine megafaunas like seals and sharks, participants will use the current technology to investigate the important roles these creatures play in Massachusetts’ marine ecosystems. Throughout the week, educators will engage with scientists in field and laboratory settings to observe how technology and engineering have advanced the study of marine animal science.

North Central Region: One-Week Institute for Middle and High School Educators (July 15 – 19)
Exploring Innovative Solutions to Environmental Challenges Through Green Chemistry, Biomimicry and Real World Technologies
Partners: Beyond Benign; Fitchburg State University; The Revolving Museum; Harvard Forest; Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary

At this institute, educators will explore the ways in which scientists, engineers, and artists creatively design sustainable solutions for current environmental challenges. Participants will examine how industry and academia are working to understand climate change and to design materials that utilize excess carbon dioxide. Educators will get an inside look at the applications of biomimicry to develop everyday products, as well as the use of green chemistry to create safe, energy efficient and non-toxic processes. Teachers will investigate how green product packaging can be produced from raw organic materials, how art can promote awareness of ocean plastics, and how scientists study the role of forests in the global climate change.

Southeast Region: One-Week Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators (July 15 – 19)
Inquiry and Innovation: How Science Informs Engineering Solutions
Partners & Collaborators: Mass Audubon’s Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary; AccuRounds; North Easton Machine Company; Sensata Technologies; Coyle & Cassidy High School & Middle School

By interacting with engineering and design staff of local companies, educators will explore the role that materials science plays in manufacturing and how it informs the design process. Participants will observe applications of the Science and Engineering Practices during new product development for the aerospace, agricultural, automotive defense, energy, and medical industries. Educators will identify ways to integrate technology and engineering into their students’ study of natural history by exploring the tools and techniques used for gathering field data on natural phenomena and wildlife populations. Through hands-on, minds-on activities and field trips, educators will investigate how engineers solve modern-day problems and design challenges.

Special Offers for Multiple Teachers from a School or District
Summer Professional Development Institutes create a collaborative environment for educators to design their own inquiry-based science lessons based on content provided throughout the week. Participants earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) and optional graduate credit, while they increase their confidence in teaching science using hands-on, minds-on methods and by modeling the Science and Engineering Practices. Educators leave the course with a deeper understanding of inquiry and access to resources from museums, science centers, and higher education institutions in their community. To support teachers working as a team, the Wade Institute for Science Education provides a registration fee reduction of $25 per teacher attending from the same school or school district. To register for the 2019 Summer Professional Development Institutes, visit: https://www.wadeinstitutema.org/spdi-k12/

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The Wade Institute for Science Education specializes in providing Inquiry-based, hands-on, minds-on, science, technology and engineering professional development for K-12 teachers and informal educators. For more information, visit www.wadeinstitutema.org or call 617-328-1515.