Denver has mild summers with dry heat & manageable, but sometimes unpredictable, temperatures. The best way to plan for Denver weather is to dress in layers. Some recommendations would be to bring a light jacket or sweater for the evenings & a light rain jacket or umbrella for afternoon storms. There can be a difference of as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit between daytime temperatures & nighttime temperatures! The saying goes… “If you don’t like the weather in Denver… wait 10 minutes!”
It’s my favorite teacher training of the entire year – Science in the Rockies. It’s a three-day workshop held in the foothills just outside of Denver. The dates for this year’s workshop are July 8-10, 2009. The training typically attracts 150-200 elementary and middle school teachers who are looking for unique ways to make science more exciting and meaningful in their classrooms. At the core of the workshop is learning strategies and better practices for integrating science into an educator’s daily teaching routine.
What happens when you put 150 teachers from 23 states and three countries in the same room for three days with a team of instructors who are over-the-top excited about teaching science? Enthusiasm for making science fun spreads like a virus. Concerns about test scores, curriculum changes or the ever-changing pressures of being a teacher seem to vanish. For three days, these teachers put their worries aside and focus on ways to bring wonder, discovery and exploration back into their classrooms.
Not all of the participants who come to Science in the Rockies start out loving science. Hilary Vanderveen admits she was a student who didn’t like science all that much, but this experience taught her how to avoid that attitude in her classroom. Vanderveen believes the key is raising the “I wonder factor” in her students’ minds as they approach various scientific questions.
To the untrained eye, it might look like teaching science is all fun and games, but there’s a serious side to all of this fun. Many of the participants at this year’s event shared the same fears and concerns that were raised even three
Just look at these pictures from Science in the Rockies last year and you’ll see why we don’t consider this your typical summer science workshop for teachers. Do not plan to attend Science in the Rockies 2008 if you are motivated by PowerPoint presentation, like quiet reading time from an outdated science text, hate to get your hands dirty, or have a fear of flying potatoes. One teacher described Science in the Rockies as the science methods class she never had but really needed!
Science in the Rockies 2008 is scheduled for July 9-11 in Denver at the Sheraton Denver West conference center. Registration is still open, but as of this morning there are fewer than two dozen spots available. Years ago, teachers who took this workshop called it a “science boot camp” – an intensive experience designed to inspire, motivate and move you into action… and the concept stuck. This boot camp is for K-5 teachers who need creative science integration strategies… who are tired of trying to “squeeze” science into their already packed teaching schedule… and who want to make science even more
