Whitaker Programs

STEM Education Academy

The Whitaker Center during the 2009-2010 academic year is sponsoring a series of seminars and workshops designed to provide STEM educators professional training in instructional methodologies, curriculum planning and assessment, and educational research skills. At the conclusion of the year’s STEM Education Academy, participants will receive a certificate of achievement and a letter acknowledging the extent of involvement. The latter could be used to support a faculty member’s annual report or promotion dossier. The Center hopes to perpetuate the STEM Education Academy in subsequent years, thereby providing members with ongoing professional development as the Center and individuals grow in interest and specialty.

The Whitaker Center is finishing arrangements for this spring's 2010 Whitaker Center STEM Academy events. The theme is Planning and Assessing Innovative Teaching.

Each session will begin at 1:30 PM in Whitaker Hall 101 with a thirty minute hands-on Education Technology demonstration introducing technologies in use at FGCU. A presentation on teaching and learning will follow at 2:00 PM.

Here are dates and topics.

      2010 STEM Academy Schedule

Friday                                        1:30 to 3:30                      WH 101

January 29	Opening Gala
February 12	Listening to Students
March 12	Planning Innovative Teaching
March 26	Assessing Innovative Teaching
April 2	A Team Approach to Grant Applications
April 9	Indigenous Pedagogy

 

SRO (Student Research Opportunity)

Students participating in the Regional Science Fair are chosen to participate in a Summer Research Opportunity at Florida Gulf Coast University offering them a hands-on experience of collaboration on a complete and genuine research problem from hypothesis generation and initial design, through field and laboratory data collection, and culminating in data analysis and interpretation.  The program is sponsored by the Whitaker Center and is staffed by FGCU faculty and Graduate Student Assistants. 

Whitaker Center Summer Institute

Institute Outcomes & Products:
Teachers will acquire . . .

• Skills in curricular planning for science and math that emphasize “essential understanding.”
• Skills that promote and engage students in active learning in science, math, and literacy
• A methodology that integrates literacy and math training into a science curriculum
• A curricular content background in science topics of their choosing.

At completion of the institute, teachers will retain the following products:

• Integrated curricular packages that fulfill State Standards in science, math, and literacy.
• Curricular packages will be shared among all participants and be available to other teachers at the participating elementary schools.
• A network of teachers interested in science and math education at the elementary school level and science education professionals from the Whitaker Center.  This network will be called upon during the subsequent academic year to assess the effectiveness of this approach to science education.