Join the Vital Signs Community


Published:January 22, 2010



The following message is being sent on behalf of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Any questions on the Vital Signs program can be directed to vitalsigns@gmri.org.

 

Thank you

The MLTI Team

 

 

An invitation to join the Vital Signs community
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute seeks Maine teachers interested in transforming how students learn science in their grades 7 and 8 classrooms. We are looking for 60 teachers to join the 50 already participating in Vital Signs' statewide effort to engage, challenge, and mobilize students across the state to contribute to an authentic science research effort (See Program Overview below).


Details
This new cohort of Vital Signs teachers will be invited to attend one of our 3-day Teacher Institutes held in Summer 2010. Teachers will have firsthand experience with all components of the Vital Signs program from framing issues and research questions to data collection, peer review, data analysis, reflection, and final project creation. Each day offers a chance to work collaboratively with fellow educators from around the state, sharing time, energy, and ideas. Teachers will leave prepared for active participation in the Vital Signs online science community through the 2010 fall field season and beyond.


Vital Signs Teacher Institute

  • Who: Grades 7 & 8 science teachers
  • Where: Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland
  • When:
    • Session 1: June 23 - 25, 2010
    • Session 2: August 18 - 20, 2010

Highlights

  • Connect your students with the scientific community
  • Experience inquiry and other essential elements of scientific practice
  • Become familiar with Vital Signs technology, standards-aligned curriculum, and community resources
  • Do authentic field work in freshwater and coastal systems
  • Understand how to incorporate Vital Signs into your current curriculum
  • Opportunity to collaborate and network with similarly-inspired teachers throughout Maine, including 50 already using Vital Signs in their teaching
    Perks
  • Suite of Vital Signs field equipment
  • 30 Contact Hours awarded upon workshop completion
  • $150 stipend upon workshop completion
  • Lodging in Portland's Old Port provided for 2 nights for those travelling more than 100 miles
  • Mileage reimbursed for those traveling over 20 miles


Please express interest by February 14, 2010 by sending the following information to the Vital Signs Team at vitalsigns@gmri.org:

  1. Your name
  2. Your school or organization
  3. The grade(s) and subject(s) you teach
  4. A short and sweet statement about why Vital Signs interests you and how you think your students might benefit
  5. Indicate your preferred session (June or August)

We will follow up in late February with those who have expressed interest to confirm your selection for the limited number of openings.

Vital Signs Program Overview
Vital Signs is an authentic inquiry-based, field science education program that connects 7th and 8th grade students with a community of scientists in the rigorous collection and analysis of essential environmental data across freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Innovative technology, relevant content, and critical partnerships create an authentic science learning experience for students, a distributed data gathering network for scientists, and a statewide community of teachers, students, citizen scientists, and professional scientists collaborating to learn about and steward the Gulf of Maine watershed.
Please visit the Vital Signs website to find out more, or contact us via email with questions at vitalsigns@gmri.org.

 

Here’s what other teachers say about Vital Signs:
“I love that Vital Signs changes the focus of learning science from the study of answers to the process of discovery.”
- Franklin Sames, Teacher, Lincoln Middle School, Cumberland County
“I wish you could have been there to see my students' reactions while we were engaged in the field study. They were so excited. We watched as their observations came across the Vital Signs website and the ohhs and ahhs started rolling in.”
- Mena Irving, Washburn District Elementary, Aroostook County
“Vital Signs makes science real and applicable to my student's daily life. Nothing replaces the value of taking students out of the classroom to collect and then analyze their own data. Their work becomes even more meaningful because we share it with scientists and classrooms across the state!”
- Mike Denniston, Middle School of the Kennebunks, York County