Teacher Training By Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski

Seventy Seminole Tribe of Florida early childhood teachers attended a full-day hands-on science inquiry-based teacher training professional staff development workshop to learn how to teach science through children’s literature conducted by Dr. Diana Wehrell-Grabowski. Teachers were actively engaged in exploring early childhood science concepts through hands-on explorations. Additionally, teachers were introduced to early childhood children’s literature that can be used to teach early childhood science concepts in the classroom and at home. Teachers conducted hands-on explorations to investigate:  the nature of matter, floating and sinking, plant and animal kingdom concepts, how rocks break down into smaller pieces, mathematical concepts including patterns, shapes, and sorting. The teacher training workshop was a great success. Participants left the workshop with increased content knowledge, motivated, confident, and ready to implement what they had learned in the teacher training workshop within their own classrooms. All of the children’s literature used during the teacher training workshop can be viewed and ordered from Amazon via this site at no extra charge (see book page).

Many teachers do not look forward to attending professional development (PD) sessions, I can’t say that I blame them. After you have attended one too many irrelevant PD  sessions where the basis of the PD had little relevance to your needs or your students needs, it becomes rather difficult to become engaged in the learning experience. The very essence of  teaching  requires teachers to continually expand upon their own existing content knowledge. As well as become immersed in learning how to present science concepts in an effective and meaningful manner in order to improve student performance and learning in the classroom. I encourage school administrators and individual teachers to take a look at the many excellent articles in Science & Children Summer 2010 Volume 47 Number 9. This particular issue examines how to find the right professional development for your teachers, or yourself, and make the most of it. From creating professional learning communities to mentors, distance learning, and more. Editor, of Science & Children, Linda Froschauer hit the nail on the head ” if teachers don’t see the value of the PD in which they are involved, they will not be engaged.”  The  NSTA  position statement on Professional Development in Science Education can be seen  at the following  NSTA Internet resource.