KTU March Educator Workshop - “Working Off the Shelf: Where design and innovation meet.”

Virginia 4-H is excited to offer Recertification Points in conjunction with the KTU program.  No cost to participate!  12 recertification points offered.  Funding for half-day substitutes available for the first ten (10) teachers to register.  Funding for travel provided for the first ten (10) 4-H Agents to register. Program is held on the Virginia Tech campus.

**Any educator who has a child enrolled in Kids’ Tech University and who is attending the teacher workshop will need to arrange for a chaperone to accompany their child during the program. Children are not permitted to attend the educator workshop (regardless of age).**

On Friday, March 21, 2014, 1:00-5:00 PM, educators will:

• receive coaching on the research topic and an introduction to activities   during teacher-training session.

On Saturday, March 22, 2014, 9:00-4:30 PM, educators will:

• participate with the children and researcher in an interactive discussion
• debrief morning discussion with researcher over lunch
• practice hands-on learning activities with children and their parents; researcher will serve as coach and mentor at this time
• modify activities based on educational setting
• develop plan for application in the learning environment (classroom/after-school/camp/etc.)

Educators will learn it, teach it, and take it back to the classroom.

          Interact with:
          Scientists
          Technology Experts
          Engineers
          Mathematicians

Educators will engage in an exciting, hands-on teaching experience, and then apply what you learned in a unique, first-hand teaching environment with 3rd-7th graders.  You will also be able to participate in ongoing community blogs and network with other teachers and education specialists.

This program is ideal for elementary and middle school teachers, out-of-school time educators and others interested in STEM education.

Virginia 4-H is helping teachers make STEM-learning engaging for students through hands-on, experiential workshops offered as part of Kids’ Tech University.

The workshop:

• provides opportunities to build STEM knowledge and skills in the area of interdisciplinary design
• encourages student interest in product definition and concept generation
• explores essential questions:  “How can we know if what we design meets what people need or want?”  “How can questioning be an answer when developing a product?”  “How can you turn good ideas into better products?”

For Registration see this website for a link to the registration application. 

Workshop leaders will deliver relevant and interesting activities using best-practice education strategies:

• Dr. Kathleen Jamison (4-H Youth Development Professor and Informal Educational Design Specialist)
   
• Dr. Tom Martin (Professor, the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computing Engineering; Co-director, Virginia Tech Electronic Textiles Lab; Director of Implement Studio, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology)

As a result of the workshop, young learners will have an opportunity for exposure to current and relevant research through their teacher/leader’s ability to connect research back to the content standards through hands-on activities in real-world applications.

Contact Information:

Dr. Kathleen Jamison
4-H Youth Dev. Curriculum & Learning
(540) 231-9411
jamisonk@vt.edu

Katie LaFon
Virginia 4-H State Events Coordinator
kapatter@vt.edu