Information on these free institutes below. Thank you for your interest and see you on the rivers!
Rivers Institute In summer 2010, Hamline University School of Education's Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) will present its acclaimed Rivers Institute. Two options are available--on the St. Croix River or the Mississippi River. The three-day, two-credit field-based course addresses the natural overlap between science processes and content and the skills of literacy. Our natural affinity to water makes rivers and watersheds a useful and familiar context for teaching and learning.
Goal To explore how using rivers as a context can help your students meet specific education standards in science, engineering and literacy.
Eligibility All 3-8 grade teachers (classroom teachers as well as science specialists) and middle school science and social studies teachers are eligible. Teams of teachers are encouraged to apply. Students may take only one Rivers Institute per summer.
Structure Participants
- Explore the unique geology of river gorge areas in canoes;
- Experience the power of accurate, richly described scientific observations;
- Investigate the nature of science and engineering;
- Participate in learning activities from Project WET, an international K-12 water education program that gives teachers proven classroom tools to teach science, engineering and literacy skills;
- Share strategies for helping students think like a scientist and design like an engineer as they practice the skills of literacy;
Process The Rivers Institutes take place over three days, with a follow-up online component. Participants in this course will work directly with professionals working on the river to investigate how concepts taught in the classroom are applied in the field. Core concepts in science and literacy will be explored, as well as strategies for integrating curriculum using the river as a context.
Full scholarships provided for teachers admitted to the program. Provided in part by contributions from the 3M Foundation, Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation, Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation, Ecolab Foundation, Medtronic Foundation, the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization and Xcel Energy Foundation. With their support we enable hundreds of teachers to improve the way they teach science through watershed education, connecting thousands of young people to their natural world.
To apply, click on the link below. If this is your first 2010 Rivers Institute or MnSTEP application, click on the "First time user account creation" link to create a Login ID and PIN. This ID and PIN will only be used during the application process. However, we encourage you to write down your ID and PIN should you need to return to your application later or apply to a MnSTEP institute this summer. The application Login ID and PIN is NOT the same as (if you already have them set up) your official Hamline ID number and Piperline PIN.
Rivers Institute - St. Croix River or Mississippi River (will indicate on application)
Be sure to also visit the River Education Network
watershed resources for teachers!
Questions? Contact CGEE by email at srobertson01@hamline.edu or by phone at 651 523 2895.
