Scientist-Educator Collaborative Workshop Workshop Educators

Held at the University of Connecticut Avery Point Campus, Groton, CT Thursday, October 8, 2009 through Saturday, October 10, 2009

COSEE-OS is dedicated to fostering educator-scientist collaborations with a focus on investigating how inland audiences can better understand how the oceans affect their everyday lives. Since 2006, over 100 educators from 18 states -- as far away as Texas, Idaho and New Mexico -- have participated in professional development workshops at the University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Connecticut. Some of our workshop attendees have also been sponsored to participate in national conferences.

Based on experience from these and other COSEE-OS initiatives, we have crafted a new model of Scientist-Educator Workshops to co-create online learning resources that align with National Science Education Standards, Climate Literacy and Ocean Literacy Principles. Each workshop focuses on the current research topics of the internationally known scientists who participate fully in all aspects of the workshop. Pedagogical techniques such as concept mapping and on-line collaboration tools are employed to foster sustained interactions between the educators and scientists.

Watch a video of scientist Kari Heinonen describing science as the common link between her and her educator team.

In this workshop, 15 educators were matched with 5 ocean and climate scientists from the University of Connecticut to improve their collective understanding of Earth's major ocean - climate systems. Click on their names in the menu at left to learn more about these educators and how some of them are applying what they've learned in their classrooms.