Kentucky Teacher

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) offers museum skills workshops that help teachers turn a standard field trip into an experience of creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking for their students.

Field Trips 101 will focus on booking transportation, scheduling a visit and engaging students. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the many field trip options the Kentucky Historical Society has to offer. KHS offers field trips designed to support and enhance Common Core English Language Arts Standards and 21st-century skills. All programs encourage students to think critically, develop creative points of view and communicate their own understanding. Through these programs students will analyze primary source documents and artifacts while using evidence to support their interpretation.

Teachers will learn how to best tour the museum with students as well as various questioning strategies and activities that can be done both prior to and after the museum visit.

The next workshop will be Jan. 26 at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort. To register, contact Leslie McWhorter at (502) 564-1792, ext. 4424. Registration deadline is Jan. 25.

The Office of Career and Technical Education (OCTE) will be providing regional workshops for guidance counselors and administrators interested in learning more about career pathway options that lead to college and career readiness. 

The workshops will focus on career and technical education (CTE) career majors and emphasize best practices for scheduling students.  Other topics will include the Individual Learning Plan (ILP), CTE offerings and programs, Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards Assessment (KOSSA), and valid industry certifications available for students in Kentucky.

The registration form includes workshop dates, locations, and times. 

Please contact Laura Arnold at laura.arnold@education.ky.gov for questions.

The Kentucky National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Energy Development and Independence, is seeking site visit recommendations for the 2013 High-Performance Sustainable School Buildings Workshop.

Both new and renovated Kentucky K-12 school buildings that feature high-performance design criteria and innovative energy-efficient building technologies are eligible.

The workshop date has not been set; however, it is anticipated the date will be mid-March 2013.

A successful proposal will include how the school building(s) incorporates high-performance design criteria with emphasis on design, construction, operation and education opportunities for students.

The deadline for submission is Dec. 10. For more information, e-mail pproctor@need.org.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will offer the ACT Quality Core 5-Day Workshop for the 2012-13 school year.

The first three days of the training will be held in Frankfort July 25, 26 and 27, and the follow-up training will occur in the fall and winter.

Registrants will be committing to five days of training at a cost of $750 per attendee. Space is limited to 35 persons per session, and teachers and administrators in the five Excellence for All pilot districts will have preference. Subjects for training include mathematics, science, social studies and English. The registration deadline is June 21.

For register, click here.

The Buck Institute Project Based Learning for Administrators and Educational Leaders workshop is scheduled for July 10 in Corbin.

The free full-day workshop will engage principals, assistant principals and instructional leaders in exploring best practices in leading a school or district in the effective, sustainable implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL).

Through a combination of direct instruction, video analysis and hands-on individual and group work, participants have the opportunity to design and receive peer feedback on a PBL lead plan for their organization using the Buck Institute for Education model and tools.

Participants will engage in such protocols as Leadership Compass, SWOT Analysis, Gap Analysis and the Affinity Protocol.

Online registration is available here.

For more information, contact Sarah Evans at (859) 622-8488.

The Shakespeare Set Free Institute is a two-day intensive workshop on learning to teach with performance-based methods. This workshop will be held in Kentucky June 18-19.

Although the content is taken from Shakespeare’s most-taught plays, the instructional techniques can be adapted to a wide range of subjects. The Folger training philosophy is that teachers should experience the processes that they will model for their students.

The institute includes teachers working in small acting companies to self-direct and perform scenes. Much of the pedagogy of the Institute focuses on how to get students on their feet and engaged with the text. A theater artist adds to the teachers’ knowledge of and comfort with performance in the classroom. The Institute also integrates music of the Elizabethan period, visual art and dance into the dramatic component

To register, click here. For more information, e-mail jandyperry@earthlink.net or kbreen@insightbb.com.

A Hooked on Science workshop is set for June 11 in Paducah. Teachers will learn how to use classroom and home items to get students excited about science.

Teachers will learn how to provide opportunities for students to develop science skills while building fundamental literacy skills, teaching weather, putting together a family science night or setting up an after-school science club.

Each educator will receive a free bag of science materials and will have a chance to win many science door prizes.

For more information, contact Jason Lindsey at (573) 270-7539.

NASA blends science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) using education resources related to current and future missions in this conference, scheduled for June 20-21 in Richmond and June 26-27 in Corbin.

The summer workshops provided by NASA Aerospace Education Services Project and the Southeast/Southcentral Educational Cooperative (SESC) will explore engineering design challenges, problem-based learning activities, distance-learning modules, inquiry-based lessons, literacy across the curriculum and hands-on projects while targeting the Next Generation Standards.

Register online at https://coetech.eku.edu/registration/Online_PD_RegForm.php or call Sarah Evans at (859) 622-8488 for more information.

The workshop, “Navigating Wildcat Turf: Conducting Research at the University of Kentucky,” will be held this Saturday, March 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 1: 30 p.m. ET at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History in Frankfort.

The workshop will be led by Kentucky Historical Society senior librarian and reference specialist Cheri Daniels.

Daniels will review resources available to the public at UK. The morning session will explore the challenges involved in visiting the campus, using each library and navigating the usage and circulation policies. The afternoon session will highlight some specific collections of interest with a large emphasis on statewide newspaper holdings and evolving digital access.

Registration is required before noon on Friday, March 9 for this free workshop. A light lunch is available, if requested at time of registration, for $6, payable at the door. Contact the Reference Desk at KHSRefDesk@ky.gov or (502) 564-1792, ext. 4460.

Science teachers for grades 6-12 are invited to attend a free workshop focused on lunar science, exploration and how our understanding of the moon is evolving with the new data from current and recent lunar missions.

The free workshop — sponsored by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission —will be June 18-22 at Morehead State University.

Workshop participants will learn about recent discoveries, reinforce their understanding of lunar science concepts, gain tools to help address common student misconceptions about the moon, interact with lunar scientists and engineers, and work with LRO data. They also will learn how to bring data and information to their students using hands-on activities aligned with grade 6-12 National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour the 21-meter space tracking antenna facility at Morehead State University.

Some compensation for travel, lodging and meals may be available. See website for details. For more information and to register, visit here.

For more information, contact Katie K. Hessen at (301) 614-6892.