Teacher Training By Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski

Today thousands of children across the nation will celebrate the birthday of Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss (March 2, 1904-September 24,1991), during NEA’s Read Across America activities. I believe many individuals throughout the world are thankful to Dr. Seuss’s imagination and creativity, as they still have fond memories of reading The Cat In The Hat. Seuss was inspired to write The Cat In The Hat beginner reader for children after Life published a report on illiteracy among school children, which suggested that children were bored with the “Dick and Jane” primers. Seuss wrote and illustrated over 60 children’s books during his lifetime. Many of his books convey an underlying moral for individuals to keep in mind when going through life. I have continued to share Seuss’s creativity and imagination through hands-on science programs and teacher workshops I conduct using Dr. Seuss’s literature to teach science concepts. Many of Seuss’s books can be used to teach science and math concepts. Additionally, there is a relatively new series published by Random House “Cat In The Hat’s Library Series” by Bonnie Worth and Tish Rabe, which have familiar Seuss characters in it. However, in this new series you will not find any nonsensical words or outlandish creatures. The learning series consists of approximately 15 titles with science themes such as Is A Camel a Mammal? and Miles and Miles of Reptiles. Throughout the month of March I will be conducting Teaching Science Through The Literature of Dr. Seuss, this program is available for students, teachers, and families. If interested in booking a program or workshop send me a note via the contact page. Thanks again, Dr. Seuss for your contribution to promoting literacy among all.

     On February 20th UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science was host to the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conference. EYH  is a national organization whose goal is to motivate young women in science and mathematics by exposing them to hands-on-minds-on workshops for a day. The unique aspect of this conference is that the parents of the junior high girls can remain on the campus and participate in workshops designed for parents. I provided an interactive keynote presentation workshop for 75 parents entitled “Exploring Patterns, Shapes, and Structures from Nature to Engineering.”  The interactive keynote presentation workshop integrated science, technology, engineering, and math principles. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts. Currently, STEM education is a major focus of reform in math and science education, and I felt that the parent workshop should focus on STEM concepts as well. To explore STEM concepts parents were given a pre-packaged bag that contained a wide-assortment of objects from nature as well as man-made items whose design is based on models borrowed from nature. Parents were asked to observe, compare, and analyze structure and function of the objects using eye-loupes. Parents worked in groups of two which allowed them to develop theories as to why certain objects had a particular structure etc., as well as correlating the natural object to a modern-day invention. Objects and concepts the group explored included: golf balls, bird feather, model airplane wing, aerodynamics, seed structure and dispersal, sea shells, hexagonal nuts and bolts, soap film, architectural design, and geometrical structures. As always, I was very impressed with the group of parents that participated in the parent Expanding Your Horizons session. They were totally immersed in the learning process via hands-on-minds-on explorations, busily jotting down their observations, theorizing, building models, and exchanging ideas within one another. Additionally, parents heard presentations from Megan Clementi, Miss Florida USA 2010 who earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from UCF, and Janet McCulloh, Mrs. Florida 2009 who earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from UCF and a MS in Electrical Engineering from GA Tech. For more information about the EYH Conference held at UCF check this link out.