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Release date: June 10, 2005 Emory's Oxford College Environmental Institute Offers Outdoor Education for Georgia's K-12 Teachers June 13-24Georgia teachers will brave the great outdoors this month hiking through fields, streams and muddy wetlands to learn first-hand how they can translate the excitement of science to their students. For the 14th consecutive year, Oxford College of Emory University is sponsoring the Oxford Institute for Environmental Education June 13-24 to train Georgia educators in teaching ecology through hands-on investigations and field techniques. The intensive yet fun institute is designed to help teachers -- regardless of background or grade level -- develop their own teaching plans using their schoolyards for scientific investigation. For 10 days, the educators learn the basic principles of ecology in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, how to apply this knowledge to lesson plans, and how to develop their school yards for environmental education. Teachers say the program has had a profound impact on how they teach science -- and how their students learn it -- while improving math and reading skills in the process. Many have gone on to secure grants and volunteers to build outdoor classrooms and nature trails. The institute is housed at the Oxhouse Science Center of Oxford College, a 47-acre ecology laboratory, which includes a small lake and 40 acres of forest, grassland and easy access to both pristine and polluted streams in the area. Since the institute held its first session in 1992, more than 240 teachers have participated in the program. Founded in 1991, the program is run by Oxford biology professors Steve Baker, Eloise Carter and Theodosia Wade. Sallie Burn, a teacher in Decatur City Schools, also is an instructor in the program. "We get teachers with every level of experience in science and ecology, and every one of them leaves with renewed confidence and enthusiasm for teaching environmental education," says Baker, director of the institute, who attributes the program's success to its emphasis on investigation. "What teachers have found when they return to their own school yards and use what they have learned, is that students are more interested in their work," Baker says. "Teaching through inquiry-based methods is one of the best ways to teach kids about the sciences. They're not just learning things out of a book. The students get excited about science and about doing science, and that makes it all worthwhile." The institute is free for educators accepted to the program, plus each receives a $200 stipend and six staff development hours required for their certification. Once teachers complete the program, they also receive $100 to use for classroom supplies provided by a grant from Chevron Texaco Corporation. The program is funded annually through the Improving Teacher Quality Grants Program, the Georgia Power Foundation, the Georgia Wildlife Foundation and Oxford College. The program was named the “Educator of the Year” by the Georgia Wildlife Federation in 2001. In addition to the summer institute, the participants reconvene for a half-day session in November to relate their experiences with implementing their plans and discuss future, long-range plans for additional investigations. The institute staff also visits each teacher's class during the school year to evaluate first-hand the success of the institute. "The teachers who take it are wonderful and eager to learn. There's a lot of networking and friendships are formed. It becomes like a summer camp for teachers," Baker says. Oxford College is located in Oxford, Ga., 38 miles east of Atlanta. For more information on the program, call 770-784-8397 or e-mail Steve Baker at baker@learnlink.emory.edu. For more information, go to http://www.emory.edu/OXFORD/Academics/oiee/. Teachers participating in this year's institute include: Chris Crosby Stonewall Tell Elementary School College Park, Ga. 30349 Dena Fleming Mt. Carmel Christian School Stone Mountain, Ga. 30087 Richard Guckert The Walker School Marietta, Ga. 30062 Imogene Hall Stephenson Middle School Stone Mountain, Ga. 30087 Audra Haywood Redan High School Stone Mountain, Ga. 30088 Colleen Johnson Dommerich Elementary School Maitland, Fla. 32751 Steven Joyce Terry Mill Elementary School Atlanta, Ga. 30316 Dorothy Jordan Lilly Ralph Johnson Bunche Middle School Atlanta, Ga. 30331 Vicki Loess Stockbridge High School Stockbridge, Ga. 30281 Katrina Pandya Stockbridge High School Stockbridge, Ga. 30281 Robert Phillips Georgia Wildlife Federation Covington, Ga. 30014 Laurie Riley Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful Covington, Ga. 30014 George F. Smith Mansfield Elementary School Mansfield, Ga. 30055 Nathan Waters Eagle's Landing High School McDonough, Ga. 30253 Kalinda Zaveri Henry McNeal Turner Middle School Atlanta, Ga. 30303 |
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