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Teacher Workshop A Success

Enriching lives of others is a common goal between educators and the Kentucky Climate Center. That’s why the Kentucky Climate Center is not just about collecting data. We’re also using the Kentucky Mesonet and other technologies to further education across the Commonwealth.

While weather may be an important part of our everyday life, it rarely appears in Kentucky’s classrooms. The shortage of science and math teachers across the country is affecting our state as well. Thus, in order to foster the development of enhanced, more specialized curriculum in these areas and others, the Kentucky Climate Center in conjunction with the Kentucky Geographic Alliance hosted a workshop for teachers from across Kentucky to educate the educators. The Kentucky Geographic Alliance received a $50,000 grant award from the National Geographic Society to sponsor the joint workshop.

“Our schools are not graduating enough students to meet growing opportunities in the scientific and technical job market,” said Dr. Stuart Foster, director of the Climate Center. “We hope that this workshop will help teachers find ways to get kids excited about science and math as they develop essential skills and concepts.”

The workshop, created and administered by education outreach specialist, Scott Dobler, ran the week of June 18-22. For these five days, eleven teachers were introduced to weather monitoring equipment used in the Kentucky Mesonet, methods of climatology, and were encouraged to develop lesson plans they could take back to use in the classroom.

Mesonet data is not only relevant to math and science; Mr. Dobler encouraged teachers to find relevance in many different fields. “Geography and the Mesonet data are able to integrate into many different subjects. During our workshop, we’ve encouraged teachers to consider lessons in all content areas, like math, social studies, language arts, and practical living,” said Dobler.

“This is a great asset to local teachers,” said Logan County teacher Vicky Mathis. “These are things we can actually use.” Mathis, an 8th grade science teacher, had been searching for a way to incorporate math and geography into her lessons. “This is a great resource. Everyone should get involved.”

The workshop is not just for teachers in Ms. Mathis’ grade level, however. All levels of Kentucky’s public school system were represented. “We have teachers from 1st grade to high school, and we’ve all found ways to adapt the information to our grade level and subject matter,” said Donna Howell, a teacher from McLean County.

The workshop also included a visit to the Western Kentucky University Farm for an up close look at the first of many Kentucky Mesonet stations. The participants were introduced to the program, and engaged in a Q & A session with Stephen Struebig, one of the Kentucky Mesonet’s meteorology technicians.

Dr. Foster is encouraged to see how teachers are using the Mesonet to develop lesson plans for K-12 students. “As teachers use the Mesonet to get children excited about learning, particularly in areas of science and math, Kentucky will benefit from the Mesonet for years to come.”