Educators Institute | LEARN ABOUT THESE WORKSHOPS

The Coastal Ocean Observing Center and the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS) have co-sponsored teacher workshops at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) since 2004. The first COSEE-OS UNH workshop, Seasons in the Sea: Understanding Change in the Gulf of Maine Through Buoys, Boats, and Satellites was held in June 2006 for elementary, middle, and high school science teachers. Using computers and online data, the teachers learned how the Gulf of Maine works, how it changes, and how those changes are monitored. The workshop also combined educational pedagogy and cutting edge content to help teachers find new and effective ways to teach their students about the ocean.

The second workshop - Climate and Oceans - Using Ocean Based Data - employed the highly rated aspects of the 2006 workshop but with a new emphasis on climate change. This workshop continued its collaboration with GoMOOS, while partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) program EARTH (Education and Research: Testing Hypotheses), a professional development program that uses real time ocean observing data for teachers in the classroom.

The third workshop - Understanding Seasonal Change in the Ocean Using Ocean Observing Data - focused on understanding how ocean observing data can explain seasonal changes in the ocean. Teachers collected data at sea, learned how to interpret various types of ocean observing data, and practiced using cutting edge materials that connect the ocean to the larger earth/sun system. Teachers were also asked to translate this new knowledge to learners through creating effective lessons for their classrooms. This workshop aimed to provide a deeper understanding on how the Gulf of Maine works, how it changes and how we can monitor these changes through studying ocean observing data.

Facilitator: Amy Holt Cline
Education Outreach Coordinator, UNH/OPAL/COSEE
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824-3512