K-12 Teachers

Details of the GK-12 Program

The goal of the program is to provide K-12 teachers and students with recent knowledge and innovative learning activities in the areas of biology, environmental science, aquatic science, geology, meteorology, and oceanography and to relate these topics to the impacts of environmental change on Texas habitats and residents. The school districts involved range from 1 to 17% limited English proficiency, from 23 to 47% economically disadvantaged, and from 12 to 65% minority. This project emphasizes field research for students and teachers and builds on three existing programs between The University of Texas at Austin and local school systems from the Texas coast to the State's interior: The Marine Science Institute's Study of Arctic Change, The Institute for Geophysics' Adopt a School, Teachers in the Field, and the Environmental Science Institute's Outreach Lecture Series. Program funds will provide annual fellowships for 9 graduate and 4 advanced undergraduate fellows in the environmental sciences over a three-year period. Special features of the program include numerous field activities for K-12 students and teachers led by graduate fellows, summer workshops for teachers focused on developing content knowledge in targeted interdisciplinary subjects aligned with State educational standards and goals, joint participation by teachers and graduate fellows at local and regional science conferences, and building partnerships between undergraduate science and mathematics students seeking teaching certification with graduate fellows and K-12 teachers. This project receives partial support from the Geoscience Directorate.

Proposal # and Institution: 0139347, University of Texas at Austin
P.I.: Kenneth Dunton
Co-PI: Jay Banner; James Barufaldi; Ian Dalziel; Katherine Ellins
Partner School Districts: Austin, Flour Bluff, Port Aransas, and Merkel
Title: GK-12: An Interactive Program Linking Graduate Fellows in Environmental Science with K-12 Students and Teachers
Budget: $1,520,281
#Fellows/year: 9 Graduate Fellows, 2 Advanced Undergraduate Fellows
Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, and High School
Setting: Urban, Rural
Disciplines: environmental science, geology, chemistry, physics

 

Outreach Lecture Series

 

This lecture series is designed for the public in general and for K-12
science teachers in particular. In each lecture, a professor or research
scientist from UT/Austin will speak on a topic of general interest that is
associated with his/her research expertise.

 

 

GK-12 Program

Professional Development Credit for Teachers

Webcast of Outreach Lectures

Previous Outreach Lectures

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