Penn State's College Of Medicine
Hosts Governor's Institute For Life Science Educators

June 19, 2000
Hershey, Pa. -- Seventy-eight science educators from throughout the commonwealth will attend a program in life science funded by the Pennsylvania Governor's Institutes and Academies for Educators. The Governor's Institute for Life Science Educators will be hosted by the Penn State College of Medicine's Center for Science and Health Education from June 18-30.

The goal of the program is to immerse elementary, middle school and high school educators who teach biology in a life science program with topics ranging from gross anatomy to molecular biology. "During this week of integrated discovery and discussion, College of Medicine faculty work alongside elementary and secondary school teachers as they hone their knowledge and devise experiments they can bring back to their students," says Keith Verner, Ph.D., director of The Center for Science and Health Education and on-site director for the Governor's Institute for Life Science.

In describing the program, Verner says that the morning sessions, which participants attend as a group, are devoted to study of gross anatomy, organ systems and molecular biology, as well as a classroom applications of brain research. Break-out workshops in the afternoon are designed so educators work alongside colleagues who teach the same grade levels. Computer labs during the evening sessions encourage teachers to integrate technology into teaching. "We designed the curriculum so teachers can learn from each other, as well as from the faculty," he says.

Verner went on to say, "During this week, teachers become students. We look for every opportunity to create an atmosphere where they can recapture that excitement for learning. It's an energy we suspect will go back to their school districts and students."