Calling all middle school teachers who instruct science classes. Jefferson Lab would like to help you refresh and hone your science knowledge and teaching skills over the summer.
The Department of Energy physics research lab, located at 12000 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News, is seeking applications for its four-week, summer physics enrichment program for science teachers.
The program consists of a mini-course in basic physics, guest lectures on current research at Jefferson Lab, and interactive activities designed to enhance physical science instruction at the middle school level, according to Jan Tyler, JLab's Science Education Program manager.
"The program is great for teachers who didn't major in science and now find themselves responsible for teaching middle school science classes. This program can help them become more comfortable with the material they are teaching and how they present it to their students," Tyler says.
"It's also a great refresher for science teachers who majored in biology and didn't receive as much physics instruction," Tyler adds, "or, to just update your knowledge on physics."
The program includes a discussion of the knowledge needed to meet Standards of Learning (SOL) requirements; and, in response to teachers' requests, workshops specifically for developing classroom activities were added to the curriculum.
The course runs from July 7-31. Participants meet from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday each week. Sixty-four hours of recertification points will be awarded to each teacher completing the program; and each participant receives a $700 stipend.
The program is open to middle school teachers, employed full time in public, private or parochial schools that have teaching assignments including science. U.S. citizenship or Permanent Resident Alien status is required. Application forms may be downloaded from Jefferson Lab's Education Web page and complete application packages must be received at the Lab by April 11, 2003.
For more information or for hard-copy application forms, contact Stacy Ring at (757)269-7560 or e-mail ring@jlab.org.
This is Jefferson Lab's fourth consecutive year hosting Physics Enrichment for Science Teachers. Last year's participants felt the program was very worthwhile, rated it "excellent" and described it as time well spent.