Heres an interesting article
Keys shipwreck focus of national science lesson BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
KEY WEST â?" The research and science behind the discovery and conservation of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha shipwreck soon will be the basis for a national science curriculum taught by thousands of teachers throughout the country.
Educators at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum are working with the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and its Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education to develop online lesson plans for teachers that will incorporate various scientific aspects of the famous, treasure-laden shipwreck.
The Center for Innovation was founded in 1988 to improve K-12 science and mathematics education through the use of technology, helping teachers reach students more effectively, according to the center's Web site. Its programs have reached more than 20,000 teachers worldwide.
"The Atocha can be the basis for lessons involving hurricanes and climate and several other scientific topics," said Clarice Yentsch, director of the Key West museum's education department.
Additional topics could include marine archaeology and the methods used to recover and restore the centuries-old coins, gold and other artifacts. Teachers can use the true tale of a storm-tossed ship that gave up its riches more than 350 years ago to bring science to life and intrigue students at all grade levels.
Students will use the Internet for many of their lessons, and make regular checks of the shipwreck's sea and surface weather conditions, as well as monitor weather in various locations using other marine buoys that constantly record and transmit data from their surroundings to online databases.
Scientist Liesl Hotaling, assistant director of the Center for Innovation, has created several such lessons for teachers, each of them requiring students and teachers to use the Internet and its available scientific resources.
As a former science teacher, Hotaling said she understands the challenges teachers face when teaching science, but said the best part of her job is seeing someone's face light up as they say, "I get it."
"I really enjoy working with students and teachers to make that happen," she said.
Hotaling has developed courses about weather, the Gulf Stream, air pollution and marine navigation that have supplemented teachers' science instruction while still meeting the required goals of science education. She creates professional development courses for teachers, who then pass on the lessons, which are available online with student worksheets that can be printed.
The partnership among the Key West museum and the scientific institutes is a new one, debuting with Hotaling offering a free presentation to the public about the value of "Teaching and Learning Using Real Data and Real Artifacts." The lecture will be at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center at the Truman Waterfront on Wednesday.
After her presentation, participants may discuss it and brainstorm about the next steps in creating the shipwreck curriculum.
"It's great that this cutting-edge scientific program is happening here in Key West," Yentsch said. "And the museum will now have the opportunity to take its world-class collection and marine program to the rest of the world."
She described Hotaling's work as a way to combine the work of teachers and scientists, who in their professions face as many similarities as differences. Scientists sometimes struggle to teach scientific principles so the general public understands them, and teachers do not always have a complete understanding of the scientific material they have to teach. Hotaling is a scientist and teacher who designs her programs to professionals while teaching students in new ways.
Keys shipwreck focus of national science lesson BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
KEY WEST â?" The research and science behind the discovery and conservation of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha shipwreck soon will be the basis for a national science curriculum taught by thousands of teachers throughout the country.
Educators at the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum are working with the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and its Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education to develop online lesson plans for teachers that will incorporate various scientific aspects of the famous, treasure-laden shipwreck.
The Center for Innovation was founded in 1988 to improve K-12 science and mathematics education through the use of technology, helping teachers reach students more effectively, according to the center's Web site. Its programs have reached more than 20,000 teachers worldwide.
"The Atocha can be the basis for lessons involving hurricanes and climate and several other scientific topics," said Clarice Yentsch, director of the Key West museum's education department.
Additional topics could include marine archaeology and the methods used to recover and restore the centuries-old coins, gold and other artifacts. Teachers can use the true tale of a storm-tossed ship that gave up its riches more than 350 years ago to bring science to life and intrigue students at all grade levels.
Students will use the Internet for many of their lessons, and make regular checks of the shipwreck's sea and surface weather conditions, as well as monitor weather in various locations using other marine buoys that constantly record and transmit data from their surroundings to online databases.
Scientist Liesl Hotaling, assistant director of the Center for Innovation, has created several such lessons for teachers, each of them requiring students and teachers to use the Internet and its available scientific resources.
As a former science teacher, Hotaling said she understands the challenges teachers face when teaching science, but said the best part of her job is seeing someone's face light up as they say, "I get it."
"I really enjoy working with students and teachers to make that happen," she said.
Hotaling has developed courses about weather, the Gulf Stream, air pollution and marine navigation that have supplemented teachers' science instruction while still meeting the required goals of science education. She creates professional development courses for teachers, who then pass on the lessons, which are available online with student worksheets that can be printed.
The partnership among the Key West museum and the scientific institutes is a new one, debuting with Hotaling offering a free presentation to the public about the value of "Teaching and Learning Using Real Data and Real Artifacts." The lecture will be at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center at the Truman Waterfront on Wednesday.
After her presentation, participants may discuss it and brainstorm about the next steps in creating the shipwreck curriculum.
"It's great that this cutting-edge scientific program is happening here in Key West," Yentsch said. "And the museum will now have the opportunity to take its world-class collection and marine program to the rest of the world."
She described Hotaling's work as a way to combine the work of teachers and scientists, who in their professions face as many similarities as differences. Scientists sometimes struggle to teach scientific principles so the general public understands them, and teachers do not always have a complete understanding of the scientific material they have to teach. Hotaling is a scientist and teacher who designs her programs to professionals while teaching students in new ways.
