Courses We Offer
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Nature Center Hours
VINS Nature Center
10 AM to 5 PM Daily
Wild Bird Rehab
802.359.5000 x212
8 AM to 4:30 PM Daily
Professional Development Courses
Our program immerses teachers in the best practices in science instruction. Upper Valley Educators may request scholarship funds by filling out our Scholarship Interest Form.
Upcoming
Climate Change Impacts on US Food Production
Climate Change Impacts on US Food Production
Teacher Continuing Education Workshop
VINS Nature Center, Quechee, VT
Tuesday, August 13 / 9 AM - 3 PM
This workshop will explore the impacts of climate change on food production in the Central United States, providing middle and high school teachers with tools and curriculum to address a range of topics related to climate, agriculture, and sustainability. Participants will first be provided with a brief introduction to climate change science, US agriculture, and the R programming language. Then, we will break into small groups to run simulations of corn production across the Central United States for the end of the century using a simple computer model. After creating our projections, we will discuss climate change adaptation (reducing the impacts of climate change) and mitigation (decreasing greenhouse gasses to prevent further climate change) strategies for the agricultural sector. With our understanding of US climate-agriculture interactions established, we will work through an exercise designed for an AP Environmental Studies class that uses a web map created with data from the simple crop model. Then, we will break into groups by grade level to develop curriculum for a range of students. Finally, we will conclude the workshop with presentations on the developed curriculum from each group and a discussion of strategies for implementation.
We request that participants share feedback, curriculum, and pictures as they use these materials in their classroom.
Tuition:
Lunch and admission to the VINS Nature Center are included, and the first 10 participants will each receive a stipend of $250 to attend.
Instructors:
The workshop will be taught by Jonathan Winter with graduate and undergraduate students from the Applied Hydroclimatology Group.
Jonathan Winter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Dartmouth College. Jonathan’s research broadly explores climate prediction and the impacts of climate variability and change on human health, water resources, and agriculture. Jonathan’s current projects include analyzing drivers of Lyme disease expansion; examining future water availability for irrigation and its potential effects on crop yields in the Central US; developing high-resolution, application-specific climate projections using global and regional climate models; and evaluating causes and predictability of climate extremes (droughts, floods, heat waves) across the Northeastern US.
Schedule:
8:30 AM - 9 AM
Registration, coffee, pastries
9 AM - 10 AM
Background in Climate Change, US Agriculture, and R
10 AM - 11 AM
Crop Modeling in R Exercise
11 AM - 11:15 AM
Break
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
AP Environmental Studies Climate Change and Agriculture Exercise
12:15 PM - 1 PM
Lunch
1 PM - 1:15 PM
Exercise Discussion and Form Breakout Groups
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Curriculum Development
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Report-Back Presentations
2:45 PM - 3 PM
Conclusions and Next Steps
Completed
NGSX: Becoming A Next Generation Science Teacher (Summer 2022)
Course Location: Virtual
Course Schedule: Monday August 8 - Friday August 12, 2022; 9:00-12:00, 1:00-3:00 each day
Course Description: Interested in shifting your instruction from a place where students are just “learning about” to one where they are “figuring out” the how and why? Join VINS for the Becoming a Next Generation Science Teacher professional development course. Participants will explore how to use phenomena (things that happen in the world) to drive instruction, motivate learning, and help learners drive where to go next. Participants will engage as adult learners using the same best instructional practices used with students - practices that help learners go public with their ideas, reason together, persist through challenging tasks, and revise thinking over time. Participants will develop indicators for student engagement in the core practices of modeling, argumentation, and explanation. These practices are central to all content areas and participants will dig into how to build a culture of public reasoning and experience, as well as use tools for implementing productive small and whole group discussions. This course is designed for teachers K-12.
Course Goals:
- Develop teacher capacity to apply the ideas in the Framework and NGSS to their own practice.
- Creatively and strategically use multiple web-based tools such as Google Jamboard, Driving Question Board, Summary Table, and Productive Talk Moves.
Course Objectives: In this course, we will focus on the following essential questions:
- Engage as learners in modeling and constructing explanations of complex phenomena.
- Learn how to use classroom tools such as productive talk and planning whole group discussions to help create a classroom culture in which all students are supported to go public with their reasoning and build on the ideas of their classmates.
For more information on NGSX, visit www.ngsx.org.
Tuition:
$945 Relicensing
$1,320 Graduate Credits
Instructors:
Hannah Gelroth, Director, School Programs & Teacher Professional Development, M. Ed.
Christine Depatie, 6th Grade STEM Teacher, Swanton School
Registration is now closed
*Required materials must be picked up at VINS in the first week of August, or you can elect to have them shipped to you at an additional cost.
NGSX: Becoming A Next Generation Science Teacher (Winter/Spring 2021)
Course Location: Virtual
Course Description:
Interested in shifting your instruction from a place where students are just “learning about” to one where they are “figuring out” the how and why? Join VINS for the Becoming a Next Generation Science Teacher professional development course. Participants will explore how to use phenomena (things that happen in the world) to drive instruction, motivate learning, and help learners drive where to go next. Participants will engage as adult learners using the same best instructional practices used with students - practices that help learners go public with their ideas, reason together, persist through challenging tasks, and revise thinking over time. Participants will develop indicators for student engagement in the core practices of modeling, argumentation, and explanation. These practices are central to all content areas and participants will dig into how to build a culture of public reasoning and experience, as well as use tools for implementing productive small and whole group discussions. This course is designed for teachers K-12.
Course Goals:
- Develop teacher capacity to apply the ideas in the Framework and NGSS to their own practice.
- Creatively and strategically use multiple web-based tools such as Google Draw, Google Jamboard, Driving Question Board, Summary Table, and Productive Talk Moves.
Course Objectives:
In this course we will focus on the following essential questions:
- Engage as learners in modeling and constructing explanations of complex phenomena.
- Learn how to use classroom tools such as productive talk and planning whole group discussions to help create a classroom culture in which all students are supported to go public with their reasoning and build on the ideas of their classmates.
For more information on NGSX, visit www.ngsx.org.
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | March 20 | 12:30 - 5:00 PM |
| Sunday | March 21 | 12:30 - 5:00 PM |
| Monday | March 22 | 4:00 - 8:00 PM |
| Saturday | March 27 | 12:30 - 5:00 PM |
| Wednesday | March 31 | 5:15 - 7:45 PM |
| Wednesday | April 7 | 5:15 - 7:45 PM |
| Wednesday | April 28 | 5:15 - 7:45 PM |
Tuition*:
$945 Relicensing
$1,320 Graduate Credits
*Scholarships are available for Vermont & New Hampshire teachers!
Instructors:
Hannah Gelroth, Director, VINS Center for Education, M. Ed.
Heather Morley, Science Teacher, Champlain Valley Union High School
Christine Depatie, 6th Grade STEM Teacher, Swanton School
Registration is now CLOSED.
National Geographic Educator Certification Phase 1 Virtual Workshop (December 2020)
National Geographic Educator Certification Phase 1 Virtual Workshop
3:30-4:30
Aligning your Curriculum to Community Problem Solving (August 2020)
This Professional Development course will be moving forward as planned with safety measures in place. Please contact education@vinsweb.org with questions.
Safety Measures
-
Masks are Required at all times for Staff and Course Participants
-
6+ feet of Social Distance Mandatory during the course
August 4, 2020; 9am-3pm
VINS Nature Center, Quechee, VT
In-Person
Course Description:
Are you looking for new ways for your students to engage in authentic, real-world science projects? Would you like your students to become more connected and help to solve real-world problems in their community? Come join us for a day to dig deep into National Geographic Learning Framework and discover how your students can solve problems in their community, all aligned to the NGSS!
Teachers will be introduced to the National Geographic Learning Framework, explore what it means to become a Nat Geo Certified Educator and dive into the Nat Geo Geo-Inquiry Process. This experience will provide teachers with a user-friendly process and take-aways that they can implement immediately in their classrooms.
The course will also include:
- A hands-on approach wearing both “teacher” and “student” hats as you explore the Geo-Inquiry Process
- Access and practice with National Geographic resources and how to use them for a project
- Citizen Science opportunities that can be taken back to their classrooms and support their students’ projects
- Time to brainstorm project ideas and how to align them to their current curriculum and state standards
Participating teachers will also be provided an opportunity for themselves and their students to attend the VINS National Geographic Science Symposium event in May 2021 at the VINS Nature Center to share their projects and action plans their students developed throughout the academic year.
- For Grade 4-8 Teachers
- Space is limited to 20 teachers
- Lunch will be provided
- Participating teachers will receive a stipend*
*Stipends will be provided after submitting their project and action plans (using the provided template) to the workshop facilitator. Stipend amounts may vary due to the number of participants enrolled in the course.
Instructor:
Michelle Amato, Science Educator, VINS Center for Education, M. Ed.
Bringing Science Inquiry & Investigation to Life
Each VINS Science Educator has a Master of Education degree, is a Highly Qualified Teacher, and holds a teaching license in Vermont and New Hampshire.