Shell-Texas Regional Collaboratives Partnership

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Shell-Texas Regional Collaboratives Partnership

• Joining Forces
• To Advance Educational Excellence
• For All Students
• Presented by
• Marsha Willis
• Special Projects Coordinator
• Texas Regional Collaboratives

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Shell-TRC Team Members
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Goals of Four Year Initiative

• Improve the teaching and learning of the
  geosciences and environmental science through
  high quality, intense, and sustained teacher
  professional development.
• Promote and encourage academic career paths and
  student experiences that prepare students for
  careers in the geosciences, engineering and
  environmental science.

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Key Components

• Information and strategies for replicating the
  Texas Regional Collaboratives statewide network
  in Louisiana.
• Service Learning Projects that involve students,
  teachers, and the community that promote teaching
  and learning about the environment and the
  geosciences.

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Key Components

• Field experiences for teachers focusing on the
  geology and ecology of Texas with special
  emphasis on earth science topics and careers.
• Support for students and teachers to establish
  and promote science fairs locally.
• Emphasis on program sustainability and content
  dissemination through the development of teacher
  leadership capacity.

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Key Components

• Teachers are expected to share their experiences
  in the program with other educators through
  mentoring, professional development workshops,
  and conference presentations.
• Approximately 2,000 teachers of science
  representing 20 Regional Collaboratives across
  the state of Texas will be trained through this
  partnership.

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Year One

• Professional development that is designed to
  improve earth and environmental science content
  knowledge will be delivered through programs such
  as
• Project WILD
• Service Learning
• Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS)

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March 3, 2005 Promotes neutrality on
controversial issues, treating such issues fairly
and honestly without advocating any particular
point of view. Recognizes that people need
information from a variety of sources to make
their own informed decisions.
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• Project WILD was honored at the White House in
  1991 as one of the first recipients of a Gold
  Medal for Education and Communications in the
  Presidents Environment and Conservation
  Challenge Award program. This award was bestowed
  for excellence in developing innovative
  solutions to the nations environmental
  challenges. 

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• Once children feel connected to nature and the
  environment, physically and emotionally, theyll
  be compelled to seek the hard facts, and theyll
  take a vested interest in healing the wounds of
  past generations while devising feasible,
  sustainable practices and policies for the future.

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• March 4, 2005
• Environmental projects that serve the community
  show students the relevance of the curriculum and
  give community organizations an injection of
  youthful energy.
• Emphasizing hands-on and real world learning
  experiences helps students develop stronger ties
  to their community, enhances students
  appreciation for the natural world, and creates a
  heightened commitment to serving as active,
  contributing citizens.

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• A well grounded learner understands that his/her
  actions matter that they affect the community
  beyond the school. It is out of this particular
  formulation that the student as a resource to
  the community takes shape. Students need this
  understanding to be thought of as productive
  assets to the health of their community.

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• June 6-8, 2005
• Lauded by the Department of Education's Expert
  Panel on Mathematics and Science Education, GEMS
  is a growing resource for the advancement of
  inquiry-based science education.

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• Program Evaluation indicates GEMS
• Makes a significant and measurable difference in
  and impact on student learning
• Improves student and teacher understanding and
  practice of inquiry

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• Has the demonstrated capability of reaching all
  students, including historically underrepresented
  groups, special education and gifted students, in
  a wide variety of settings and regions
• Fosters positive attitudes and motivation of
  students and teachers in science and mathematics
• Has considerable additional evidence of
  effectiveness and success.

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• GEMS Associate Training
• Geo-science Focus
• Global Warming The Greenhouse Effect
• Plate tectonics
• On Sandy Shores
• Mapping Fish Habitats
• River Cutters
• Stories in Stone

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Research

• The collaborative will research an array of
  experiences and resources related to TEKS/TAKS
  based earth science/environmental education that
  will enhance students science content knowledge.
  
• Tools and strategies will be identified for
  promoting careers in the geosciences,
  engineering, and environmental science throughout
  the following years of the partnership.

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Year Two-Year Four

• Provide additional professional development
  institutes in conjunction with two-three day
  field experiences focusing on the geology and
  ecology of Texas.
• Continue emphasis on science fair, service
  learning, and geo-science careers.

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Improvements In Science Instruction

• The students will benefit from greater exposure
  to rigorous and content-rich TEKS/TAKS based
  science experiences both in the classroom and
  through field experiences.
• Students will have the opportunity to explore
  and identify different geo-sciences and
  environmental careers that are available to them.

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In Conclusion

• Its good to have an end to journey toward but
  its the journey that matters in the end.
• -Ursula K. Le Guin
• Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of more than
  three dozen books. She was awarded a Newbery
  Honor for the second volume of the Earthsea
  Cycle, The Tombs of Atuan, and among her many
  other distinctions are the Margaret A. Edwards
  Award, a National Book Award, and five Nebula
  Awards. She lives in Portland, Oregon.