 Chance encounter with pygmy marmosets reveals the power of informal science
|
Ask the Expert
Facilitating Wonder: An Interview with Dr. Molina (Mo) Walters
Clinical Associate Professor at Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teacher College
Mo teaches elementary and secondary science method courses and supervises elementary and secondary pre-service teachers. She is the coordinator for the TEAMS secondary science program, is the lead advisor for STELLAR (a club for educators seeking professional development in science), and a creator of a number of other science outreach initiatives across Arizona. Mo is also the co-leader of our 2013 Educator Academy in the Amazon!
Mo, you've spent quite a bit of time in the Amazon over the last two summers. What is it about the Amazon that has captivated you and compels you to keep coming back?
The Amazon is a magical place. My first visit took my breath away. I was then and still am awed and enlightened by its grandeur, beauty, and diversity. Few places on earth can rival the rich diversity, both cultural and ecological of the Amazon rainforest. It's an outdoor classroom that will teach you about life, your place in the world, and about yourself.
Mo, as a "teacher of teachers" your job at ASU is to prepare the next generation of classroom teachers. How do help your students balance the demands of high stakes testing and the tidal wave of standards reform with their role as "facilitators of wonder"?
High stakes testing will always contribute challenges to teaching and learning. The variables that contribute to these challenges are many. However, the standards that inform the development of high stakes tests emphasize questioning, problem solving, inquiry, and applying those skills to science content via real world applications. My goal with students, of all ages and in all settings, is to stimulate and facilitate their own sense of wonder and curiosity by...Read Complete Interview |
Amazon! The Musical
One educator's efforts to connect science to the arts!
Sometimes viewing the Amazon through the informal lens of the arts and humanities makes the Amazon understandable in ways that a thousand data points cannot. The same is true for the students  in our classrooms! Infusing our science lessons with a dash of art or a pinch of music is a great way to open the door to curiosity and wonder.
Jon Strube, an elementary principal from Greencastle, IN and 2012 Educator Workshop Alumni, is using his Amazon experience to do just that. Next summer Jon will launch the first annual summer enrichment theatre camp for his students at Tzouanakis Intermediate School. Principal Strube, along with TZ fine arts department educators, Dessa Frank and Carrie Hamilton, will bring to life the rainforest through the musical, The Rumpus in the Rainforest, by Bad Wolf Press....read more! |
|
When was the last time you experienced the joy of discovery? The thrill of epiphany? A reawakening of wonder? How have informal learning experiences shaped your identity as a science learner? Join the conversation and post your repsonses on our Blog - Field Notes from the Amazon!
We hope you've enjoyed this issue of Amazon Explorer. We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let us know how we can make future editions of Amazon Explorer even better.
Sincerely,
Amazon Rainforest Workshops Team
© 2012 Environmental Expeditions |
|
|
 |
|
In This Issue
Pygmy Marmosets and Informal Science Learning
Quick Links to Additional Resources |
|
BREAKING NEWS!
Registration Now Open for 2013 Educator Academy in the Amazon
Take your professional development to a whole new level - out of the classroom and into the jungle. Join us in Peru and investigate the Amazon rainforest using best practice 21st century instructional models such as inquiry- based exploration, STEM education, sustainability science, and more. Return to your classroom with a new set of skills and tools that will enrich your teaching and deepen student understanding.
Scholarships available!
|
|
Looking for an informal learning environment for your Students? Why not the Amazon?
Be a "facilitator of wonder" and share the magic of the Amazon with your students. As a teacher leader you can jump start their passion for learning and discovery.
With just 10 students your travel expenses are covered.
Visit our webiste to learn more about our
|
Quick Links to Informal Science Info & Resources
|
|
Still flush with excitement, we reflected on the powerful, even visceral, reactions we all felt as we watched those tiny mammals race through the treetops. Unexpected and unfiltered, this chance encounter in nature did more to ignite our curiosity than any science textbook or zoo exhibit ever had. This, we determined, was what the joy of discovery felt like. 
