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PISD teacher chosen for camp
By Jon Vanderlaan, jvanderlaan@acnpapers.com
Research-based organizations have joined forces to further teacher development in an attempt to increase students' interest in science, technology, engineering and math.
Karen Shepherd, a Plano Senior High School teacher, was among just 20 educators from around the nation selected to participate in a research-centered development camp at the end of June.
"This was truly focused on science for the sake of science and learning more about science so we can keep our students interested in science," Shepherd said.
She said she believes the program was important to the teachers because it gave them access to projects and tools they do not normally have in the classroom.
The foundation has focused on student interest in the STEM subjects, Harper-Taylor said, but this is the first teacher-focused program it has rolled out.
"We haven't put a lot of efforts into the teacher arena," she said. "We really thought, 'Let's make sure we invest in teacher professional development.'"
Working with nanoparticles and neutron scattering were some of the opportunities the 20 teachers had, and Harper-Taylor said the experiences allowed them to create lesson plans they will implement in their teaching in the future.
Marie Westfall, the group manager for the Center for Science Education at Oak Ridge Associated Universities, said bringing the teachers to a national laboratory helps expose them to research that is ongoing, which they can use to excite the students.
"That's where you can instill the excitement in the students before they get into college and start picking a major," she said. "Students are being asked to make decisions very early where they want to spend their future."
Shepherd said many of her students are taking science classes as a way to become doctors, but she also is trying to guide them to the understanding that science encompasses many different disciplines, including teaching.
The science teachers participated in during the course of the program was "science for the sake of science," she said, and allowed the teachers to learn more about science in a broad sense.
Because of this, Shepherd said she will be able to bring what she learned back to the classroom and show students why it is important.
Westfall said students should learn the various possibilities a science career could provide and that should get them more excited about studying science.
Harper-Taylor said all the teachers who attended the program were energized about what they were doing and about what they could bring back to their students when school starts up again.
She said Shepherd is a "champion" at engaging students and teachers in science and how it affects day-to-day living.
According to its website, the Siemens Foundation provides more than $7 million annually in support of educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where the program was hosted, is a science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of Tennessee and Battelle.
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