| Zenner
attends training in New Jersey
Allason Zenner, an elementary teacher at Prairie Elementary in Cottonwood, had the opportunity to attend the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in Jersey City, New Jersey this summer. The Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy is for grades 3-5 teachers and is dedicated to increasing students’ learning and appreciation of math and science. The Academy is an intense all expense paid 6 day innovative professional development program designed to enhance math & science teaching skills. The classes were held at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. More than 1,200 teachers applied to participate in the program. The selections were based on teacher qualifications. A panel of educators from the National Council of teachers of Mathematics and the National Science Teachers Association selected the participants. Allason was one of just 5 teachers from Idaho selected to attend out of a group of 200 teachers from the United States. The Academy was developed in 2005 when ExxonMobil partnered with golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, to launch the program with the National Science Teachers Association and Math Solutions. To date, more than 3,000 teachers have been trained nationwide. The overall focus of the Academy is on enhancing teacher’s mathematics and science content knowledge; demonstrating the interrelationships between scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving; helping teachers use the tools of mathematics to build understanding and connections to science concepts; and modeling best practices in teaching and learning for teachers to use in their classrooms. Each day Allason was involved in large and small group activities, various types of learning situations using the 5E Model for math, many discussions about student learning, had opportunities to visit with engineers who work in the math or science field, listen to motivational speakers from ExxonMobil, NASA, National Science Teachers Association, and also Phil and Amy Mickelson, and later meet Phil Mickelson. Allason is beginning her 29th year at Prairie Elementary where she is currently teaching 4th grade. She is looking forward to another year of teaching and in being able to use the new skills she gained from the Academy in her classroom. |
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