UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The recent Authentic Plant Pollinator Landscape Research for Educators Workshop at Penn State attracted 13 kindergarten through 12th grade educators from across Pennsylvania and beyond (one educator is currently teaching in the Spangdahlem region in Germany), and it allowed educators to work closely with members of Penn State’s College of Education's Center for Science and the Schools and Center for Pollinator Research.
The week-long workshop was packed with information and activities related to pollinator biology, ecology and conservation. The participating educators conducted habitat assessments, evaluated the attractiveness of different flowering plants to pollinating insects, captured insects in the field and examined their pollen loads under microscopes, and worked with honeybee hives.
Teachers engaged in enthusiastic discussions of how these experiences and techniques could be used to teach a range of concepts from the elementary to high school level, including courses in biology, chemistry and physics. “These concepts are so useful to help guide understanding about our natural world,” one of the participating educators said.