Hurricanes and the Atmosphere

June 26-July 1, 2011

Climate and Climate Change

July 10-15, 2011

Engaging Your Students in Astronomy

July 18-22, 2011

Plate Tectonics

July 17-22, 2011

Summer workshop participants reunited for three events during the 2011-2012 academic year.  The first gathering was during the PSTA annual conference, held in Hershey, PA, December 1-2, 2011.  All workshop participants were encouraged three presentations in Earth and space science pedagogy, given by ESSP faculty, and a reception for the Pennsylvania Earth Science Teachers Association (PAESTA).  A listing of the PSTA talks can be found on the PAESTA website: http://www.paesta.psu.edu/article/paesta-reception-psta

The second gathering of workshop participants took place on February 25, 2012, at three locations: Penn State University Park, Penn State Brandywine, and Penn State Harrisburg.  Teachers traveled to the Penn State campus closest to their own location, allowing for teachers to connect from across discipline workshops but within their geographic region to facilitate professional networks.  Teachers shared what they had implemented from the summer workshops, what they still planned to implement, and discussed challenges and successes within individual classrooms and districts.  Penn State facilitators provided resources on careers and future opportunities for students in the Earth & space sciences, as well as information about additional curricular resources.

The third gathering had workshop participants report back to the campus of their summer workshop (University Park or Brandywine campuses) throughout April and May 2012.  In addition to completing final project assessments, teachers again shared classroom implementation of summer workshop content and pedagogical strategies, and discussed formative assessments and dissemination strategies for curricular materials.