The Whitaker Center for STEM Education is partnering with the Conservancy of SW FL to offer week-long STEM Summer Institutes for K-12 teachers.  These workshops will take place twice during the summer of 2013 the week of June 10-14 and repeated July 22-26 at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, in Naples, Florida.

At the STEM Summer Institute for Teachers, participants will learn how to write and facilitate engaging inquiry-based STEM activities focusing on the SW Florida environment.  The workshop infuses technology into the week by integrating iPads and probe-ware (Vernier Labquest 2) into classroom and field instruction.  Partnering with local businesses and Champions for Learning, this workshop will also connect STEM learning to professional job skills.  Research in student engagement and inquiry-based pedagogies have been shown to improve student comprehension and retention.

Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to apply for Champions for Learning classroom grants and field trips and sustain their workshop experience through a curricula repository.

Participation to the STEM Summer Institute for Teachers is free of charge. However, due to space limitation, participation will be on a first-come first-served basis with preference given to invitees until April 12, 2013.

Other aspects of the Conservancy’s STEM Institute to look forward to in the coming school year include K-12 programs for students:

• K -12 Field Trips

• STEM Smart – High School Research-Focused Programs

For more information about the STEM Institute please visit www.conservancy.org/stem.


The STEM Institute teacher workshops are developed through collaboration between the Whitaker Center FGCU faculty associates and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida education staff, along with personnel from the education staffs of Imaginarium and Edison & Ford Winter Estates.

The STEM Institute connects real-world environmental research with inquiry-based instruction. Made possible by a grant from AT&T, this program utilizes state-of-the-art technology in an immersive natural setting, merging STEM-based curricula with core instruction.