KnowAtom offers professional development workshops on:

1. The Scientific Method in the Elementary Classroom

Science is more than memorization. Real science is a process that begins with a question, produces data and leads to answers. Teaching science is teaching the critical thinking steps that yield the knowledge we have about the world. In this workshop, we define the role of the scientist in society and introduce a standardized scientific method that is age appropriate and consistent among different content areas.

Participants are led through a hands-on lab, related to the states of matter, to experience the scientific method like students in the classroom, troubleshooting the process along the way. By the end of the workshop, participants understand how to use each element of the scientific method to properly form data-based conclusions.

2. The Engineering Design Process in the Elementary Classroom

Engineering is the product of science. Scientists use the scientific method to describe the properties of atoms, the structure of our solar system and the processes of sight and hearing. Engineers use scientific knowledge and mathematics to create new technologies. These inventions usually fulfill some sort of societal need, from new modes of transportation to robotics.

Like the scientific method, the engineering design process is a standardized step-by-step procedure, except directed at creating better technologies. In this workshop, participants are led through each step as they design boats that float in both salt and fresh water, mimicking the process in the classroom. By the end, participants understand how to properly conduct engineering exercises with their elementary students.

3. Implementing Inquiry Methods and Developing Skills For the 21^st Century

An inquiry-based science program involves more than hands-on activities. In an inquiry-based classroom structure, the educator guides students to make their own detailed observations and form independent scientific questions. This workshop explains how to encourage critical thinking and make the most authentic science lessons.

To demonstrate, participants test sleds on different surfaces and are directed to use the scientific method to find problems and the engineering design process to create better sleds. By the end, participants understand how to set expectations and help students work independently.

4. Writing Successful Grants For Science

Teaching science requires the most hands-on resources of any of the core elementary subjects. Costs include everything from batteries to materials like microscopes or owl pellets. As state expectations for student science performance increases, so will the need for these necessary resources. Private grants are there to help close the gap.

In this workshop, participants receive hands-on training to find and write successful grants. We discuss how to present an argument by laying out the school’s need and describing how the proposed program is a solution, sustainable, has long term benefits, and assesses goals.

Our “Boot Camp” workshops simplify concepts from high school and college science classes to help educators translate biology or physics into a language that young students will understand. KnowAtom offers four workshops based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Strands.

5. Earth & Space Science Boot Camp

Science is a collection of simple questions with seemingly complex answers: Why does the Earth revolve around the Sun? What causes the seasons? How do rocks form? The answers require a firm understanding of the anatomy and movement of Earth. This workshop helps participants understand how rocks & minerals, density and the water cycle come together to form an environment that supports life on Earth and the elements of our solar system.

6. Life Science Boot Camp

Every living thing starts off as a single cell. That single cell can then become an organism whose journey from birth to death is shaped by gathering nutrients, consuming water and reproducing. This workshop engages participants in dialog about biology concepts that they can use in their classrooms, including DNA, how a tadpole turns into a frog and the ways animals and plants adapt to their environments.

7. Physical Sciences Boot Camp

Why should we teach atoms to elementary-aged students? Understanding atoms is essential to understanding why we have solids, liquids and gases as well as electricity. Many physical and chemical changes require students to think small, from energy conservation to the forces that keep us moving. This workshop explains how to transform abstract physical science concepts into engaging classroom dialog.

8. Technology/Engineering Boot Camp

Elementary students are expected to understand how materials, tools, and machines extend our ability to solve problems and invent. Innovation is the backbone of America’s economy and the practical product of science. This workshop will reinforce engineering design skills as participants recognize a need and brainstorm a new technology that can address the problem.