Teaching Civic Engagement and the Politics of Democracy:
Environmental History, Land and Energy Stewardship, and Community in Oklahoma
Submit your application now. -- Due June 1st
Space is limited and participants will be selected following a review of applications.
Selman Living Laboratory (SLL) affiliated with UCO, near Freedom, Oklahoma.
Instructors:
Bill Caire, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Director of the Selman Living Laboratory, UCO
Susan Scott, Ed.D., Professor of Professional Teacher Education, UCO
Ken Kickham, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Central Oklahoma
Kevin Sweeney, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Wayland Baptist University
John Wood, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Rose State College
Historians, political scientists, biologists, and teacher education professionals from the University of Central Oklahoma and Rose State College invite 15 K-12 teachers to come together for a no-cost interdisciplinary four-day teacher institute sponsored by the Oklahoma Humanities Council, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, and the University of Central Oklahoma. Participants will discuss, reflect and implement in lesson plans the importance of placing civic skills and service-learning at the center of K-12 education in Oklahoma.
The teacher institute, centered on building teacher content and interpretation skills is at the Selman Living Laboratory (SLL)Selman Living Laboratory (SLL), located in northwestern Oklahoma outside of Freedom, to enrich humanities content around environmental and energy issues in Oklahoma. Informed by readings distributed in anticipation of the institute, teachers and scholars will observe, discuss, and debate the opportunities, challenges, and consequences of transforming this ranching region of Oklahoma into a generator of energy with the construction of large "environmentally-friendly" wind turbines.
By addressing an environmental issue through the teacher institute, we will provide an environmental case study, a service learning toolkit, and lesson plans that teachers can use to implement similar projects in their classrooms and help facilitate student-identified environmental issues in their own communities. The Oklahoma Humanities Council and university professors believe it is important to serve and support K-12 teachers as they incorporate service learning – a form of civic engagement – into the existing curriculum, using local environmental issues in Oklahoma.
Participating teachers receive a $100 stipend and certificate of participation. The program includes housing, meals and readings and is limited to 15 participants. Instructors will select participants following a review of all applications submitted. For more information, please contact John Wood, Professor of Political Science at (405) 733-7922 or jwood@rose.edu
The institute is sponsored by the University of Central Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Humanities Council and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.
