Teacher Training Workshops jointly organized by IGEO & NCAOR during July 2-5, 2015

  INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION ORGANISATION (IGEO)

(Affiliated to the International Union of Geological Sciences)

One of the goals of IGEO is to improve the quality of teaching earth sciences at the school level. Currently, earth science is not a separate subject of study in high schools in India. School teachers are not formally trained in imparting knowledge about earth sciences. To overcome this problem, IGEO will be organising three workshops in Goa, Mangaluuru and Bengaluuru during July 2015 in collaboration with the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR), Goa, the Geological Survey of India, Mangalore and the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology (KSCST), Bengaluuru.

 Duration                        Four days

Dates                              July 2-5, 2015 (Goa)

July 7-10, 2015 (Mangaluuru)

July 12-15, 2015 (Bengaluuru)

Resource persons           Prof Nir Orion, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, and Prof Chris King, Keele University, United Kingdom

Participants:                    High school teachers. Preference will be given to those who i) have a science background, ii) teach earth science-related topics, and iii) are less than 35 years of age.

No. of participants           Sixty

Registration fee                 None

Schedule                         9.30 am to 5.30 pm

Workshop materials, working lunch and refreshment will be provided to the participants but not travel or any other allowance.

Teachers interested in participating in the workshop may email their applications* to Prof R Shankar, Chair, IGEO (rshankar_1@yahoo.com) before June 20, 2015. Selected participants will be notified and provided further details by June 25, 2015. Mailing address: Prof R Shankar, Department of Marine Geology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri 574199, Karnataka; Mobile: 9916823885.

 * Should include name, age, gender, educational qualifications, experience, subjects taught, mailing address, email address, mobile number and should be forwarded by the head of the institution.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

Part 1: “Teaching the dynamic Earth” workshops by Chris King

These will involve a series of hands-on, practical activities during which the participants will be invited to test the different activities and feedback on their educational value and practicability for teaching in Indian classrooms. Each workshop activity is designed to teach Earth science knowledge and understanding whilst developing critical thinking skills in both participants and the school pupils they will teach. The workshops have been developed and widely used across the UK and at a range of international venues, provoking excellent feedback.

Part 2:  “The Rock Cycle and the Earth System Workshop: Practical Methods for Teaching an Earth System-based Curriculum” by Nir Orion

The objective of the workshop is to provide the participants with practical teaching and learning strategies and techniques. The participants will experience active learning in all the learning environments (classroom, lab, outdoor and computer) with learning materials (worksheets) that are ready for use in their schools.

In practice, the participants will experience teaching methods and receive learning materials that will demonstrate the following aspects: 

·         Inquiry-based learning,
·         Earth system-based learning,
·         Adjusting the learning for learners of differing abilities,   
·         Integrating the outdoor environment as an integral component of learning,
·         Using the schoolyard as a learning resource,    
·         Development of thinking skills, and
·         The integration of emotional aspects of learning as an integral part of the learning process.

 The workshop will involve the implementation of an Earth System Approach program for the Elementary and Junior high school levels (1^st-11^th grade). This program is called “Thinking Science – Understanding Environment” and is used as a platform for "Science for all" curricula.

Come and join us to develop your own Earth science understanding and teaching skills in a collaborative, non-threatening, positive environment.