U.S.-Australia Workshop: Ice e-Mysteries Polar e-Book - An Innovative Approach to Science and Literacy Education

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This award supports a U.S.-Australia workshop for the refinement and assessment of an innovative middle school science education pedagogy that links science, art activities and creative writing, and uses international collaboration. The workshop will be held in Hobart, Tasmania bringing together scientists and teachers from Alaska and Tasmania following the teachers completion of a pilot project with their students studying polar science and collaboratively writing Arctic/Antarctic mystery e-books. The workshop and pilot project will be organized and led by Elena B. Sparrow from the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, G. Andrew Page from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Allan Miller from the Alaska Statewide Mentor Program, Andy Baird from the Tasmania Art Gallery and Museum, and Sandra Zicus from the International Antarctic Institute and the University of Tasmania. The workshop will serve as a forum to explore the 2008 Fall/Winter pilot project and to evaluate the processes and outcomes in order to investigate the development of a scaleable, sustainable model linking science and literacy education. Particular emphasis of the pilot project and future scale-up will be to broaden the participation of underserved students (Native Alaskans and other ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged and/or geographically isolated) and teachers from remote schools. This activity integrates with the NSF funded IPY GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Seasons and Biomes Project and GK-12 TASK (Teaching Assistants Sharing Knowledge) project.