Greetings from 44^o30'N, 123^o17'W! (Corvallis, Oregon)

I teach adult basic skills development and high school completion classes for students aged 16 and older (no upper limit to learning!). There are classes like this in every US state and territory, serving more than four million people. Students in programs like mine are workers, consumers, community members, voters, parents, and grandparents. For one reason or another, their formal education was interrupted, and they've now come back to school to complete a high school equivalency program or to improve their skills in reading, writing, and math.

Through the years, I've found that science is an excellent and enjoyable context for teaching, learning and practicing these skills. And, polar science is parcticularly exotic and fascinating! In the past, students and I have written e-mail messages to scientists in Antarctica and to those on ships in the Southern Ocean. It is now so exciting to think that I'll have the opportunity to be in Antarctica myself! I'm interested in the specific scientific research as well as the geography of Antarctica, the people working there, the international Antarctica Treaty, environmental regulations, tourism, and the history of Antarctic explorations.

In addition to classroom teaching, I conduct teacher-training workshops around the country on the topics of math instructional reform and the use of technology in adult literacy programs. Thanks to a Literacy Leader Fellowship from the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), I've developed materials using Internet-based resources as a teaching and learning tool http://www.nifl.gov/susanc/inthome.htm. I maintain a NIFL special collection of online resources in science/numeracy: http://literacynet.org/sciencelincs.

Here are some additional links for information and curricular materials:

National Institute for Literacy: http://www.nifl.gov/

Oregon Weather: http://literacynet.org/orweather

CNN San Francisco Learning Resources-Story of the Week: http://literacynet.org/cnnsf

Adult Numeracy Network: http://www.std.com/anpn

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Click here to see the arcticle on Susan Cowles' project in the Antarctic Sun!

6 March, 2002:

BACK HOME !!

28 February, 2002:

THE POLAR PLUNGE