MCLA, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA. -

UMass Nanotechnology Summer Institute
Monday to Friday, July 7-11, 2008 at UMass Amherst
Funded by the National Science Foundation
Sponsored by the STEM Education Institute and the Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing

Application process: An application form and additional information are available at www.umassk12.net/nano. STEM Ed Institute: www.umassk12.net/stem, 413-545-1908
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Assessing and Addressing Misconceptions in Physical Science
A Professional Development Institute
For Grades 3-8 Teachers
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary& Secondary Education
(MA DESE) Hosted by the Chicopee Public Schools
in partnership with the Regional Science Resource Center at UMASS Medical School

August 4-8, 2008
8:30am-3:00pm
Plus 2 days in fall TBD in October and December
Chicopee High School, 820 Front Street, Chicopee, MA

The course will focus on the following:
Deepening and strengthening teacher content knowledge on specific physical science concepts (energy and energy transfer, electricity, density and conservation of mass) underlying science misconceptions.
Raising awareness of the pervasiveness and strength of physical science misconceptions
Using and interpreting formative assessments for understanding students’ reasoning for what they know and what they don’t yet understand.
Learning and practicing instructional strategies and activities to help students interpret and develop understanding of physical science concepts.

This course is funded by the MA DESE. Participants will be eligible to receive 67.5 PDPs upon completion of the institute requirements.
3 graduate credits will be available from Worcester State College for $300 at the participants own expense.

Institute Presenters
Joanne Jenal, Anna Marie College, Duke Dawson, Anna Marie College
Joyce Tugal, Maine Math and Science Alliance,Kathy Berube, Worcester Public Schools, Sandra Mayrand, University of Massachusetts Medical School

To register, contact Bobbi Coletta, Chicopee Public Schools, bcoletta@chicopee.k12.ma.us
For further information on the institute or graduate credit, contact Sandy Mayrand at 508 856-5097 or Sandra.Mayrand@umassmed.edu
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Sea Education Association, an educational organization in the Woods Hole community of Cape Cod runs the only academic program in the world that incorporates a six-week voyage under full sail on one of our tall ships.

Please contact:
Claire K. Stern
Executive Assistant to the President
Sea Education Association
P.O. Box 6, Woods Hole MA 02543
800.552.3633
Desk: 508.540.3954 x13
FAX: 508.457.4673
www.sea.edu

A Natural Focus LLC and Westfield State College's Center for Teacher

Education and Research offers COSTA RICA: Natural History & Cultural Exchange

A Special Trip Designed For K-12 Teachers August 9-20, 2008
With naturalist guides Laurie Sanders & Fred Morrison
To reserve your place, call 413/572-8065 or e-mail us at the CENTER at pmiller@wsc.ma.edu
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Online Mini-Course in Fats and Health Fitting Fats into a Healthy Lifestyle
Plus OTHER ONLINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT From UMassONE (http:// www.umassone.net ):
Food Safety For Family Day Care Providers non-credit modules for child care providers
Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Remedies, Risks, and Recommendations - cyberseminar
New! Online Master of Public Health Nutrition applications accepted now for fall 2008 enrollment
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Announcing a unique new opportunity for middle and high school STEM teachers in the northeast United States Funded by NSF and by UMass Amherst, STEM Polar Connections is designed to promote the teaching of science concepts and processes related to the Polar Regions and to emphasize connections to State and National Science Standards for the middle and high school.
Features of the program include:

- July 14-18 at UMass Amherst plus academic year online discussions
- Sponsored by the STEM Education Institute and the Climate System Research Center
- Middle and High School Science, Math, and Technology Teachers
- Housing and meals provided for teachers outside the commuting area
and travel costs for attending the institute
- $75/day stipends ($375 total)

More information and application forms:

www.umassk12.net/ipy

py@umassk12.net
voice: 413-545-0734, fax: 413-545-3697

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Teaching Elementary Life Science Online Course

This summer, WGBY, in partnership with the Massachusetts DOE and Easthampton Public Schools a, is proud to offer Teaching Elementary Life Science, a course from PBS TeacherLine and Teachers' Domain

The course will run for six weeks, June 23 through August 8th. Coursework is done completely online and is flexible to complete around your summer schedule. No set meeting times are required, just successful completion of course activities at the end of each session. Upon course completion, you will receive a certification for 50 PDPs. Optional graduate credit will be available.

To take the course, there is no cost to you as a teacher, because this project has been grant funded by the MA Department of Education. Space is EXTREMELY limited, with only 25 seats available.

Contact hlavigne@wgby.org for an application.

Course Description: "Teaching Elementary Life Science begins with the principles of constructivist learning, inquiry, and exploration-based science Course content includes living things, plants as producers, animals
as consumers, heredity and adaptation, interaction of organisms, and the human impact on ecosystems Throughout, the emphasis on content gives teachers a comprehensive understanding of life science to increase students' understanding at the elementary level The final week will be spent on developing a series of life science activities for the classroom, a final product you can use!"