NSF-GeoTeach

U.S. Satellite--Pending

STAGE--Short-courses to Transform and Advance Geoscience Education
The STAGE Program will provide a unique, highly cost-effective avenue for middle and high school educators to become highly qualified to teach geoscience. Using an innovative, proven, live, internet-based training model, pre- and in-service teachers will be introduced to exciting, compelling, and up-to-date already existing Earth and Space science content by choosing from a selection of almost thirty (30) Short-courses. Value-added, standards-based classroom materials are included.

Beginning with a needs assessment as a part of an online e-portfolio for pre-and in-service teachers, STAGE identifies the content and skills a teacher needs to achieve state certification. The Program consists of online, live classroom sessions with strong interpersonal dynamics between the participants in each class session. Participants respond to questions from instructors and other students, interpret geoscience visual data and evolve the connection to the educational material from session to session.

The Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Teaching will receive 1220 Short-course seats statewide. As participants earn certification in Earth science, they document their growth in the STAGE e-Portfolio, while learning about new areas of Earth science and research using a wide range of effective curricular materials they may instantly deliver to students, where change and student impact can flourish.