Teach the Teacher! Building ROV’s to Teach Polar Science

Abstract:

In 2013, the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS) a non-profit corporation consisting of institutions organized and operated for educational, professional, or scientific purposes, received funding from Lockheed Martin to design and host a workshop for teachers.

Middle School teachers participated in a three-day Polar Workshop designed to enlighten teachers regarding marine polar science and exploration through the use of remotely operated vehicles, or ROVs. The Polar Workshop was offered as part of a teacher professional development activity that took at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The workshop provided training for teachers alongside polar scientists and teacher mentors. The overall purpose of the workshop was to teach teachers about marine polar science and technology that could be used with students in classrooms. Teachers were teamed with a polar scientist and with a teacher mentor for the three-day project.

Results from the evaluation of the Polar Workshop indicate this workshop was an excellent opportunity for the teachers who participated as well as for the scientists. In this presentation, we will share the evaluation data, best practices of the workshop model, and how teacher mentors, scientists, and graduate students can help teach teachers successfully.