Teacher Education
Join the McCall Outdoor Science School for engaging professional development experiences designed to build your scientific literacy, connect you to colleagues and expose you to leading edge research.
This summer we are offering a Professional Development Workshop for High School Science Teachers addressing the science of climate change at the McCall Outdoor Science School. This workshop will be co-instructed by Dr. Tara Hudiburg, professor at the University of Idaho in Forest, Rangeland, and Fire Sciences and Kori Richards, graduate student in the College of Natural Resources and Society.
The focus of this workshop is to help practicing science teachers build a deeper understanding of climate change in relation to terrestrial ecosystems, specifically forest-climate interactions. We will relate the curriculum directly to issues prevalent in the Northwest forests, such as drought, fire, and beetle kill, all of which impact the ability of forests to sequester carbon.
Benefits: This course can be taken for one PD credit or for hours in the state of Washington. The NSF is sponsoring the cost of the credit, room and board, and a $500 stipend (half paid for coming to the workshop, and half paid after implementing the Citizen Science program at your school.)
Requirements: Teachers are expected to bring data collection activities back to their classrooms and
provide data to strengthen climate prediction models.
Dates: All day June 20 – 22, 2017. Arrival on the evening of June 19 by 5 PM. Departure on the evening of June 23 by 5 PM.
Location: McCall Outdoor Science School, University of Idaho Field Campus, McCall, Idaho.
To Apply: Please email Kori Richards at rich0169@vandals.uidaho.edu. She can answer any questions and then send you registration information.
Teaching Tomorrow's Scientists
Faculty and graduate students talk about the teaching experience at MOSS.
Teacher Education Programs
Pre-Service Program
The McCall Outdoor Science School partners with the University of Idaho's College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (EHHS) to offer a unique experience for pre-service teachers and MOSS graduate students. Undergraduates in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences pursuing their Education and Teaching Certificate come to MOSS for a one week immersion in outdoor teaching. EHHS students come to MOSS toward the end of their teacher training curriculum at the beginning of either the fall or spring semester. They participate in the MOSS program both as a learner and a teacher, creating a rich and unique experience that will diversify and add to their teacher training.
During the day, education students head out into the field with MOSS graduate student instructors to learn about the geology, ecosystems, water ecology, energy systems, and local plant and animal adaptations of Ponderosa State Park. They learn about the outdoor science topics and team building games that are used with the MOSS curriculum. As EHHS students are learning about teaching outdoor science to their future students, they are also participating in a conversation about teaching with the MOSS graduate students. This learning experience is mutually beneficial as they share ideas, content, and brainstorm new methods for teaching students.
These quotes from College of Education, Health and Human Sciences students demonstrate the positive impact this partnership provides:
"MOSS is what every educational experience should be, but isn’t. At MOSS you are immersed in the ultimate science lab, our natural world. I found I learned while on the way to learning, simply because when in such an environment one can’t help but wonder."
"My experience at MOSS showed me how place based education can really inspire students and get them thinking and questioning on their own. Growing up I never really looked forward to my STEM based classes but after going to MOSS and seeing how easy it is for me to integrate STEM into my classroom and get students excited and engaged, I feel much more confident that I will be able to break the stereotype of boring science and math classes and get my students outside and into the community and really seeing how STEM affects our daily lives and how fun it can be exploring new places, coming up with questions, experimenting with technology, and becoming true scientists. I think that my new passion for place based and inquiry based education will benefit my students greatly!"