TEA Collaborative Learning Group
Team Meetings

Ellison
2003

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Date: January 16, 2003
Duration: 1 hour
Location: Yampah Mountain High School
Parcticipants: Susy Ellison, Leigh McGown-Kaufman, Mike Podmore, Diana Davis

Goal(s) of Meeting
1. Become familiar with TEA website: journals, real audio presentations

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
Parcticipants utilized TEA website to learn about individual TEA assignments, learned how to hook up to real audio 'live' presentations

Discussed ways to utilize journals and experiences in the classroom

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
We primarily discussed the use of technology and applications of the TEA website and journals

Additional reflections:

Goal(s) of Meeting
1. set date for summmer workshop 2. set goals for summer workshop

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
1. Determined that all wished to parcticipate in a 4-day geology field course, set date for early June

2. goals: a. focus on local and regional geological features that can be easily accessed with students b. focus on inquiry learning techniques to transfer this knowledge to the classroom

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
1. discussed broad-based applications of geology and looking at the world through a geologic perspective

Additional reflections:
Team member Mike Podmore will be arranging the class through a contact at the Museum of Western Colorado.

Goal(s) of Meeting
1. basic principles of geology and geological inquiry 2. field visit to Glewnood Canyon 3. Rabbit Valley--dinosaur bones, what can we learn? 4. Unaweep Canyon--stream capture, dinosaur tracks 5. Horsethief-Ruby Canyons--geology 6. adding geology to existing field programs--climbing, rafting, hiking

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
The course was taught by Dr. Jonathon Cooley a geologist/paleontologist. Day 1: basic principles of geology (stratigraphy, plate tectonics, etc.), hikes in Glenwood Canyon to examine local geologic features and discuss incorporating geology into climbing programs/river trips through canyon Day 2: Rabbit Valley--hiking the 'dinosaur trail', looking at dinosaur bones, discussion of fossilization and preservation, bone identification. Visit to Dinosaur Museum in Fruita, CO and collection lab (analysis of samples, sorting, preservation, etc.). Apllications of dinosaur 'stuff' to our classrooms and student populations. Day 3: Unaweep Canyon dinosaur track site--applications to discussions on stride, identification, modes of locomotion. Discussion of stream capture and rock layers. Douglas Pass fossil site--collection site for leaf and insect fossils. Discussions of application of information to our classrooms. Day 4: Horsethief-Ruby Canyon Raft trip. Geology of the canyons. Discussions on including geology on river and other experiential trips.

The team will be working to include much of this information on a variety of experiential trips next year.

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
Dr. Cooley gave excellent presentations on inquiry-based science and its application across the curriculum. The course left us with much time for informal discussions about viewing the world from a scientific worldview and how to help our students do the same.

Additional reflections:
It was interesting for me to see my team begin to get an inkling of the weird way scientists look at the world and the questions we like to ask.

Leigh McGown-Kaufman was unable to attend, due to a last-minute family scheduling conflict. Over the next school year she and I will be working together to cover the information and discuss applications.

Goal(s) of Meeting
1. plan meeting schedule for the fall 2. discuss how to get everyone psyched for my upcoming adventure 3. identify team needs for being school liason for my antarctic journey

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
1. we will meet Tuesday mornings from 8am-9am until the end of September 2. I will familiarize them with the journals and real audio parts of the TEA website 3. gave powerpoint overview of 'my' Weddell Seal project 4. gave brief overview of environmental science class i attended during the summer

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
1. discussed how to involve our students in my upcoming antarctic experience 2. discussion of inquiry-based science and its applications

Additional reflections:
next meeting: Sept 23 to give curriculum materials from Environmental Science curriculum project

Goal(s) of Meeting
1, introduce Worldwatcher curriculum materials 2. discuss ways to connect students with my TEA experiences

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
1. I gave each person a copy of the curriculum guides and CD-roms for the worldwatcher curriculum. This information came from a workshop I attended last summer. it is an inquiry-based environmental science curriculum that I will be using when I return in January. I gave a brief overview of the curriculum goals, etc. and each team member will be previewing the material while I am gone. 2. We talked about how to bring my experience to the students--presentations during our all-school discussion groups and linking up with individual students via e-mail

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
The Worldwatcher curriculum is an inquiry-based one, so I went over what that will mean for our students. We also discussed how to use my TEA experience to show students the process of 'doing' science.

Additional reflections:

Goal(s) of Meeting
1. create 'passage' for students to use to guide them in following my journals while I am in Antarctica

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
Leigh and I met to create a 'passage' (curriculum packet) for Yampah students to use while I am in Antarctica. The passage gave them a framework for using my journals as a source of information. In addition, the passage packet provided them with some background information about Antarctica and references for further research. She will be using the passage with the students in her Teen Parent Program.

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
The passage that we created gave students a framework for using my journals and both asking and answering questions about Antarctica. Students will use the internet to access my journals and to create email accounts through which they wil email me while I am on the ice.

Additional reflections:
Leigh's students used this passage to earn credit and follow my life on the ice. they sent me many emails and challenged me with their questions (especially the ones that were in Spanish!).

Goal(s) of Meeting
interact on-line with Leigh's students as they work through the passage she created for them to follow my work in Antarctica.

Overview of Session (e.g., resources used, discussion points, next steps, etc.):
Leigh worked with her students to help them create thoughtful questions to email me as they followed my journals on the TEA website. I responded to those emails with information and questions for her students to ponder. Leigh worked with the larger YMHS student body to lead weekly sessions where they reviewed my journals and emailed me with questions and comments (and their own haikus!).

How did your team address pedagogy, content, the process of science, and the use of technology during the session?
Leigh worked with her students to help them craft questions that would help them learn more about the process of science--research design, field biology, and the wonders of life in Antarctica. Students followed my journals on the TEA website.

Additional reflections:
Leigh made sure that students were aware of what I was doing and where I was. It was often challenging to respond to her students' emails, since many were in spanish--I learned some new words in the process.