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| Professional Development > Professional Development Services > BSCS Science Institutes > FAQs | |||||||||||||||||
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 Science InstitutesFrequently Asked Questions What content will the inquiry in the classroom courses cover? What content will the evolution course cover? What is the content of the online portion? Is BSCS able to obtain fund grants for teachers to attend the Science Institutes? Tuition Costs What does the registration fee include? What does the registration fee not include? Ground Transportation Meals Location and Climate Schedule Course Credit Do I have to attend the entire time? What content will the inquiry in the classroom courses cover? The inquiry course will focus on inquiry both as content as well as pedagogy. We will use focus on content from various disciplines, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth/Space to both push participants' subject matter knowledge, as well as to experience inquiry as content rich learning. The content of the inquiry courses will focus on developing participants’ understandings and abilities of scientific inquiry, as a leaner and as a teacher. Additionally, there are specific experiences designed to engage the participants as adult learners to deepen their content understanding while exploring how to use inquiry-based learning in the K-12 classroom. Content will be around inquiry, ecosystems and human environmental impact, Earth-sun-moon systems, chemical interactions, and a physics example. The elementary and secondary versions will provide examples of grade-band level appropriate activities to illustrate how inquiry could be integrated into the classroom. Some common misconceptions about inquiry will be addressed including that inquiry takes too much time, that it is only for advanced learners, that it is void of science subject matter, that it does not promote higher student achievement. We will deeply delve into scientific explanations and testable questions as we consider the essential features of scientific inquiry in the classroom What content will the evolution course cover? The content of the evolution courses will focus on delving into the processes and patterns of evolution by examining evidence in geological formations to consider evolution in geologic terms, and then from biological evidence to consider it from a biological perspective. We will engage in learning through an inquiry-based approach and do some debriefing around inquiry as well as the teaching of evolution. Primarily, we will ask participants to engage as learners throughout the week. What is the content of the online portion? The online portion of the institutes will allow teachers to reflect on how they are integrating the content and approaches discussed during the course back in the district and will provide a learning community to review student work, practices, and interactions back in the district. Is BSCS able to obtain fund grants for teachers to attend the Science Institutes? BSCS would be happy to work with you to secure funding. In some areas, local corporations are willing to provide sponsorships for participants. If you could help indentify a local business or two who you think has an interest in supporting science education in your community, we would be happy to draft a letter and package to send to them requesting support. Additionally, you may want to check with your district science supervisor to see if there are Title 1 funds or other district resources available. Tuition Costs The registration fee for each Institute is $2,450 per participant, which includes the year-long online experience and summer program in Colorado Springs described above. Fees must be received by June 1, 2008. EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNTS - Register by May 11, 2008, and pay a discounted fee of only $1,950 per participant. TEAM DISCOUNTS - Register as a team of three or more on or before May 11, 2008, and pay only $1,800 per participant. What does the registration fee include?
Ground Transportation BSCS will provide a morning and afternoon shuttle service between the Bradford and meeting location; however you will be responsible for your own transportation to and from the airport and local restaurants. BSCS is located at 5415 Mark Dabling Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO 80918, which is less than ˝ a mile from the Bradford. Meals A continental breakfast will be served each morning at the Bradford. Your lunch, beverages and snacks, as well as two dinners will be provided on campus. Dinner other nights is “on your own.” Location and Climate BSCS is located in Colorado Springs, 70 miles south of Denver, along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The summer climate is usually dry, with sunny, hot days and comfortable nights. The elevation is approximately 6,000 feet. Some people may feel the effects of the altitude for a few days. Here are some ways to reduce your risk of altitude sickness.
We will be working full days while together in Colorado Springs. A formal agenda will be distributed during the first day, and posted on the online forum. We will begin each day at 8:00am and have structured activities until 5:00pm each day. On two of the evenings we will have learning dinners and events. The remaining evenings will be for more informal or social events with the group, or you may elect to go off on your own. Course Credit College graduate credit is offered through Colorado State University. You can earn up to 4 graduate credits for the Inquiry Institute. The 2007 cost was $72.00 per credit. Enrollment forms will be made available at the Institute. The cost of credit is not included in the tuition, is the responsibility of the participant, and must be paid in full during the Institute. Checks should be made out to Colorado State University. The University also accepts payment via credit card. If you have coordinated with your school district to receive CEU’s for the Institute, please bring your paperwork with you and we will be happy to provide the documentation necessary to complete your forms. It is the participants’ responsibility to coordinate and arrange any CEU credits with their district. Do I have to attend the entire time? Attendance is required during all of the scheduled times during the week in Colorado Springs, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructors. We expect that you will attend and actively participate in all sessions; critically read and reflect on all reading assignments; demonstrate your reflection through your writings and discussions; collaborate with your colleagues; be prompt and professional with all assignments; put forth more than the minimal effort when completing assignments; ask for help when needed; and offer help to others when you can. |
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