FHL AT NSTA

We enjoyed wonderful spring weather this year in New Orleans during NSTA’s National Conference. First Hand Learning presented a day-long Professional Development Institute (PDI) entitled “Outdoor Learning: A Path to Science and Inquiry” at the Audubon Zoo, among other workshops. The beautiful grounds offered a lovely backdrop to view the local and exotic wildlife, and to develop field guides to the indigenous species found there in Louisiana.

Participants were diverse; they came from across the country - Hawaii, Wyoming, and Florida, to name just a few home states – and represented teachers from kindergarten to high school, as well as science coordinators and curriculum designers. It was a great opportunity to learn from these thoughtful and engaged colleagues, as well as from First Hand Learning’s collaborators who co-facilitated along with FHL staff:

* Mark Baldwin, The Roger Tory Peterson Institute (www.rtpi.org)
* Dr. Wendy Saul, University of Missouri – St. Louis (http://www.umsl.edu/services/cis/facstaff/chair_shopmaker.html)
* Therese Arsenault, Lansing Middle School, Lansing, NY (http://lcsd.k12.ny.us/lms/site/default.asp?1847Nav=|86|&NodeID=86)

Thanks to all who participated in the First Hand Learning NSTA sessions this year. We were excited to meet so many who are committed to teaching from direct experience and using the outdoors to enhance their science inquiry and literacy. We hope to see you next spring in Philadelphia!

To learn more about Outdoor Inquiries® professional development workshops, visit: http://www.firsthandlearning.org/oi_products_overview.html