Workshop For Middle School Science Teachers
A two-day teacher professional development workshop for middle school science teachers was held on 8th and 9th February. Sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the workshop was facilitated by Dr. Stephanie Toro of Academic Independence Coaching, assisted by Bermuda Zoological Society [BZS] staff and materials from the BZS GASS programmes.
Professional Development participants on Zoom call
“The workshop activities provided teachers with numerous tools and ideas that they could share with their students. Teachers alternated from playing the role of teacher and that of a student,” a spokesperson said.
“The workshop provided demonstrations and examples, suggested protocols for evaluating their current practices, and held small break-out groups and full-group discussions. The workshop was extremely well received by teachers and BZS educators and left them wanting more of the same.
“Now that the workshop is complete, participants will now work on one or two of their identified objectives over the next few weeks. In approximately a month’s time, there will be BZS sponsored personalized integration feedback and brainstorming sessions comprising Dr. Toro and three teachers.
“Each teacher will present what they have achieved regarding completing their specific objective and the others will observe and provide valuable feedback. In this way, teachers will gain valuable assistance by implementing tools learned during the two-day workshop.”
“BZS is delighted to have been a partner with MOED in providing this PD opportunity for public middle school science teachers,” said Dr. Jamie Bacon, BZS Education Officer. “There is definitely the need and the desire for more workshops like these; we certainly have the teachers who want to expand their knowledge.”
The shared mission of BZS and BAMZ is to inspire appreciation and care of island environments, and as the support charity for BAMZ, the BZS is an example of a highly successful non-profit/public partnership.
Each year the BZS provide more than 8,000 free educational experiences through our Stempel Foundation BZS Schools Programme in addition to popular community programmes for all ages, development of BAMZ exhibits, and conservation and research programmes. Each year, BZS Volunteers contribute over 10,000 hours of valuable husbandry support to the Aquarium and Zoo with all programmes being accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
