This wasn’t a typical “Saturday school.”
In this case, the participants actually signed up and chose to attend.
About 125 teachers from North King and Snohomish counties gave up their Saturday on March 5 to learn more about teaching science at Educator Enrichment Day, which Boeing organized in a partnership with the Washington Alliance for Better Teachers.
The experience was beneficial for Penny Creek Elementary teacher Darren Larama and several teachers he spoke with.
“We all agreed that if they offered it again, we would go,” Larama said.
This was the first Educator Enrichment Day in the Puget Sound region, and it attracted teachers from Edmonds, Everett, Marysville, Mukilteo, Northshore and Shoreline school districts.
The districts and the Washington Alliance identified gaps in science curriculum and honed in on making the topics interesting and inquiry-based. They brought together Boeing scientists and a handful of teachers from the schools to work cooperatively on lessons for the event.
Event organizers felt it was important to give teachers ideas they could use in their classrooms, said Jonelle Adams, executive director of the Washington Alliance.
“Kids tend to get more excited about science when there’s hands-on interaction,” said Cris McHugh, Boeing spokeswoman.
Nikko Linn, a teacher at Silver Firs Elementary, was one of the instructors Saturday. She said she has always had an interest in science and has shared that passion with her students, who have responded enthusiastically.
“Kids are really curious,” Linn said.
Linn and a Boeing engineer paired up to help teachers with light- and sound-wave lessons.
During each of the three-hour classes they taught, Linn said they tried to give suggestions for a number of possible lessons.
The focus was on “showing” the information, not “telling,” she said.
“We talk about the different everyday things we can bring in (to supplement lessons),” Linn said.
In her classroom, Linn uses flashlights and overhead projector lights to visually demonstrate light waves. Using echoes is a similar means to demonstrate sound waves, she said.
Making science fun is one of the reasons Boeing sponsors events like this, McHugh said.
“The goal is to engage teachers in math and science in a fun and interesting way,” McHugh said.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction introduced its science grade-level expectations in January, and these workshops for teachers aligned lessons with these and national standards, said Bob Sotak, Everett schools science specialist.
“I thought it was outstanding,” Sotak said of the workshop.
Larama said he and all other participants received a binder and CD with lesson plans that align with the standards, so he will be able to incorporate them as he sees fit in his fifth-grade classroom.
That was a goal of the Washington Alliance when it partnered with Boeing, Adams said.
“These inquiry-based workshops will help teachers be better prepared to support student learning in science,” she said.
Other topics covered were astronomy and science lab safety.
These lessons can incorporate subject areas beyond science, Linn said.
“For many of my students, science is a way to use many math, reading and writing skills,” she said.
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