Teachers in grades 3-8 may now apply for 2011 Science PLUS Institute in Greenville
October 25, 2010
GREENVILLE, SC – October 25, 2010 – Roper Mountain Science Center is now accepting applications from public school teachers in grades 3-8 interested in attending the 2011 Science PLUS Institute next summer.
The institute will offer six different one-week courses in life, space, human body and physical sciences in June. Participants receive free classroom materials to duplicate the lessons learned during their week’s study. By special arrangement with Furman University,teachers also can earn non-degree graduate credit at a reduced rate.
The program has four goals:
- Bring teachers from throughout the state together for an intensive one-week summer class. The institute offers a variety of courses based on a particular subject for a specific grade.
- Model hands-on, inquiry-based teaching techniques. Participants are active learners, not just listeners. Doing activities in class gives
teachers the confidence to use those activities in their own classrooms. - Incorporate enough course content to give participants a secure background in the subject. This also builds teacher confidence needed
to tackle difficult subject matter in the classroom. - Provide a significant quantity of materials for participants to take back to their classrooms. Hands-on learning cannot take place in
the science classroom without supplies and materials.
There is no application fee for the program and housing is provided free for teachers who live more than an hour’s drive away and have no
other housing options. Lunch is also provided for participants three days a week.
An application form and additional information is available on the Roper Mountain Web site at http://www.ropermountain.org/PLUS/plusinfo.shtml. The application deadline is February 1, 2011. Additional information is available by contacting coordinator Lucinda Jacobs by phone (864-355-8920) or via e-mail at [email protected].
The Science PLUS Institute has been providing experience with grade-specific, standard-based and hands-on lessons for the state’s public school science teachers every summer since 1993. To date, over 3,800 teachers from all of the state’s school districts have participated in one or more classes.
