Top > Professional Development > ESTEP Earth Science PD for High School Teachers
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Do you know about the new legislative change to Minnesota Graduation Requirements? Here's a summary:
Students must complete one credit to satisfy all the earth and space science standards for grades 9-12, one credit to satisfy all the life science standards for grades 9-12, and one credit to satisfy all the chemistry or physics standards for grades 9-12. “Credit” means the determination by the local school district that a student has successfully completed an academic year of study or mastered the applicable subject matter. The most straightforward approach to meeting graduation requirements in science includes an Earth and Space Science course addressing all the benchmarks.
If you, or someone you know, is considering adding a 9-12 Earth and Space Science license, and are looking for high quality, Minnesota focused, professional development built around the 2019 high school Earth and Space Science standards and three dimensional pedagogy, look no further! ESTEP, (Earth Science Teacher Education Project), has you covered!
Funding for this project is provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). This means that our suite of professional development opportunities are offered at little to no cost to you! Graduate credit for all summer bootcamps and online courses are available to participants for FREE (there is a nominal registration fee for each course/camp; bootcamp lodging and other expenses are not covered by the grant). Our summer bootcamps and ongoing online, asynchronous* graduate courses offered through Minnesota State University Moorhead will prepare you to be knowledgeable and confident in the earth science content and pedagogy so that you can earn that additional licensure via the MTLE. We all know it's not enough just to pass a test - we want to feel qualified and secure in our preparation! ESTEP can get you there! Read on!
*there is a 4-6 hour synchronous meeting commitment for each course
Registration for summer bootcamps and spring and summer 2024 online courses opens on October 16, 2023!
ESTEP SUMMER BOOTCAMPS
ESTEP summer bootcamps are fast paced, one week, bootcamp style, regional workshops that focus on a specific set of earth and space science benchmarks AND the teaching strategies you will need to make the shift to science sense-making with your students.
- Deepen your understanding of earth science concepts through investigations!
- Utilize 3-dimensional strategies by DOING the science!
- Begin building confidence in your unit and lesson planning!
- Collaborate and discuss how phenomena and storylines relate to particular investigations!
ESTEP ONLINE COURSES
We offer all the content and pedagogy needed to prepare currently licensed high school science teachers to obtain an additional licensure in 9-12 Earth and Space Science through MTLE testing. These courses will help deepen your understanding of the key content areas and 3-dimensional pedagogy. Along with our summer bootcamps, these courses will help those of you working toward passing the required content MTLE exam to add additional licensure in 9-12 Earth and Space Science.
Want to know more? Check out our website for all things related to ESTEP! You can also reach out to Dana Smith, ESTEP Coordinator at dasmedu2018@gmail.com.
Minnesota science teachers should know about:
