Please make plans to join us for a Google Hangout discussion via our YouTube channel as we bring together four experts to discuss the what, why and how of the Next Generation Science Standards.
To participate tune in to our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ctlonline/live) Tuesday December 3rd at 3pm EST where you can watch, listen in and participate via the comment box. No registration is necessary although you will need to sign in to your YouTube account to add questions and comments. More details and RSVP to the event by visiting the Google+ Event page.
This event will be hosted and moderated by CTL’s Drew Perkins, you can follow him on Twitter at @dperkinsmsu.
Our panel will include:
Jennifer Childress Ph.D.
Jennifer Childress, Ph.D., joined Achieve in 2011 as Senior Advisor for Science, focusing on the development of the Next Generation Science Standards and working with states to support their implementation efforts. Jennifer joined Achieve from the National Science Resources Center, where she served as the Director of the Center for Building Awareness of Science Education. In this role, Jennifer developed and managed numerous partnerships to help implement science education research and best practices in school districts, states, and countries. A research geneticist by training, Jennifer began her education career as a volunteer science teacher at the Boys and Girls Club. She currently lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Steve Rich NBCT
Steve Rich – As a science teacher in elementary and middle schools, Steve Rich created two outdoor classrooms that were honored with NSTA awards—the Ciba Exemplary Science Teaching Award and the Ohaus Award for Innovations in Science Teaching. His professional experience includes writing books for students and teachers and serving as a science specialist for the Georgia Department of Education and as the coordinator of the Youth Science and Technology Center at the University of West Georgia. He is a frequent NSTA presenter, Science Scope contributor, and author of the NSTA Press book Outdoor Science: A Practical Guide.
Steve is a National Board Certified teacher and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. He was a district director of NSTA and president of the Georgia Science Teachers Association. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Georgia State University. More information about Steve is available at www.sarinkbooks.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @bflyguy
Sean Elkins
Sean Elkins is a regional science instructional specialist for the Kentucky Department of Education focused on facilitating Kentucky’s implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Elkins was formerly a science academic program consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education since 2005. He was a middle school science teacher for 12 years and has also served as a regional science consultant for the Kentucky Department of Education and an instructional coach for Shelby County (KY) Public Schools. He is a board member of the Council of State Science Supervisors and served as the state lead for Kentucky’s involvement in developing the Next Generation Science Standards.
Elkins has earned a BS in Geology with minors in Chemistry and Physics and a MA in Science Education from Eastern Kentucky University. You can follow Sean on Twitter at @ElkinsSciKy.
Denise Finley
Denise Finley is the resident Science Specialist at CTL. With 22 years as a science teacher for grades five to 12 in the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools (JCPS), and as science resource teacher for JCPS and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Denise never expected to leave the classroom. Then, as the first science teacher to participate in the Louisville Writing Project, she discovered that her own ability to reach students got even better with the support of a mentor coach, and she wanted to bring the same guidance and encouragement to other professionals.
At CTL, Denise is Project Manager for CTL’s partnership with GEAR UP Berea. She has also been a consultant to the Louisville Science Center, and received training at the Bronx Zoo in New York and the Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of California, Berkeley, where she participated in the design, field testing and analysis of student work for the Science Education for the Public Understanding Program (SEPUP). Denise has presented workshops for the Kentucky Science Teachers Association, the Kentucky Association for Gifted Children, the Kentucky Education Technology Conference, the Kentucky Teachers of English Conference, the National Middle School Association, and the Coalition of Essential Schools.