Kentucky Teacher

The Arts Education Partnership is announcing the release of ArtsEdSearch.org - the nation’s first online research and policy clearinghouse that documents the educational outcomes of arts learning for students and teachers.
ArtsEdSearch grew out of a need for high quality, centrally located and user-friendly information on the essential role the arts play in developing students’ creative thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration skills – attributes many education and business leaders identify as important in preparing young people for college and career success.
ArtsEdSearch’s easy-to-navigate design provides access to research summaries – written in everyday language – that examine the educational outcomes of arts learning and analyze the research for implications for education policy more broadly.
ArtsEdSearch has a unique focus on how education in the arts affects students’ cognitive, academic, personal, social and civic development. ArtsEdSearch also provides valuable information on how teaching strategies based in the arts influence educators’ instructional practice and engagement in the teaching profession.
Parents, school leaders, community members, and champions of arts education can use ArtsEdSearch to customize advocacy materials with the confidence that the information is backed by a significant body of high-quality research.

NASA’s DIY Podcast offers resources for educators and students to use to create podcasts using free NASA images, video footage and audio clips. Various topic modules are available on the site, including:

• space station
• microgravity (micro-g)
• fitness
• lab safety
• Newton’s laws
• robots
• rocket science
• solar arrays
• spacesuits
• sports demo (science of sports) Continue Reading

The planetarium at the University of Louisville will host camps for science enthusiasts this summer with activities ranging from astronaut training and rocket launching to kaleidoscope making.

Visit http://louisville.edu/planetarium/kids-programming/summer-camps.html for details and registration, or call the planetarium at (502) 852-6664.

“Everybody Dances!” is a two-woman show that packs 14 dances from Native American, Mexican, West African, Early American, Appalachian and European cultures into a 50-minute assembly presentation suitable for a gymnasium or auditorium.

Darla Jackson and Jennifer Rose are professional performing artists with extensive knowledge of world cultures and are veteran teaching artists with the Kentucky Arts Council.

Schools booking this show will receive a DVD with preparation, introduction and follow-up activities.

For more information, go to www.jenniferrose.com.

The fifth Annual “Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure” summer camp for gifted and talented learners will be June 18-29 at Eastern Kentucky University.

This summer’s camp will offer students an opportunity to explore current topics in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health in a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility.

The courses, collaboratively designed and implemented by Eastern Kentucky University STEM-H faculty and gifted/talented graduate students, are targeted to students entering grades 4-6 in the fall. The half-day program runs from 8 a.m. to noon daily with a tuition cost of $65 per student.

A brochure detailing the class offerings as well as special events for parents and students will be available soon. For more information, contact Debra Sparks.

Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) is a non-profit organization that runs summer professional development travel programs designed for teachers.

GEEO is offering 13 different travel programs for the summer of 2012: India/Nepal; Vietnam; Thailand/Laos/Cambodia; China; Russia/Mongolia/China; Turkey (eight days); Turkey (15 days); South Africa/Mozambique/Zimbabwe/Botswana; Morocco; Peru; Ecuador; and The Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica.

Space is limited.

Educators have the option to earn graduate school credit and professional development credit while seeing the world. The trips are eight to 24 days in length and are designed and discounted to be interesting and affordable for teachers. GEEO provides teachers educational materials and the structure to help them bring their experiences into the classroom. The trips are open to all nationalities of K-12 and university educators and administrators, as well as retired educators. Educators also are permitted to bring along a non-educator guest.

Detailed information about each trip, including itineraries, costs, travel dates and more can be found at www.geeo.org or by calling toll free (877) 600-0105.

During April, the Kentucky Arts Council has partnered with Kentucky poets to present Poem-A-Week.

These poems are available here. Teachers have permission to print, copy and distribute these poems.

Poem-A-Week is part of the celebration leading up to Kentucky Writers’ Day on April 24. The event begins at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda and will feature a recitation by this year’s Poetry Out Loud state champion, senior Curtlyn Kramer of The Gatton Academy, as well as readings by our current and past poets laureate. Teachers are invited to bring their classes to this celebration of Kentucky writers. For more information, contact Tamara Coffey at (888) 833-2787.

The University of Louisville is offering a Doctorate of Education in P-12 Administration for teachers seeking to secure administrative certification along with an EdD.

The program is led by expert faculty and begins in the fall. The deadline to apply is May 1. For more information, contact Molly Sullivan at (502) 852-1645.

Plenary session videos from the Council on Postsecondary Education’s national forum on the Common Core State Standards are now available via the Council’s channel on YouTube.

The videos highlight implementation successes, challenges and next steps by state and national speakers, and are accessible from the links below.

• Fireside Chat with Kentucky’s Education Leaders
• What Would Statewide Collaboration Look Like in a Perfect World?
• What Does It Mean to be College and Career Ready?
• Structures for Statewide Communication and Collaboration
• Gov. Steve Beshear’s Remarks
• Reflections from CRP State Representatives: Constituent Reactions to the Common Assessment Consortia (PARCC and Smarter Balanced) Proposals for Assessments of College Readiness Continue Reading

The Smithsonian’s Shout webinar series, which offers K-12 and higher-ed educators multi-dimensional resources to expand their environmental curriculum, features more than 20 sessions led by Smithsonian experts from both the arts and sciences, giving participants a global view of the issues associated with our most critical natural resource: water.

During the sessions, participants will have the opportunity to interact with Smithsonian experts and webinar participants. In addition, the Smithsonian offers comprehensive teacher lesson-planning materials and hands-on activities, including a new badging program to reward student participation.

The series kicked in February with “Water Questions: When We Want to Learn More,” and sessions are archived here.  The next sessions will be held March 26-27 and May 16-17. Teacher preview sessions are also scheduled to review the resources available through the Smithsonian. The webinars are open to anyone interested in environmental issues, and teachers may participate on their own or with their classes.

 To register and receive connection instructions, visit here.