AFRE News & Views:
Summary of Contents

Spring 2006 Articles

Download Entire Issue PDF (564K)

Educators Must Learn Collaboration Skills to Advance Student Achievement
Arizona teachers and administrators are experiencing unprecedented change in the way students are taught and schools are evaluated. To make this challenging transition, they are taking a page from the business world and learning from AFRE how to use collaboration and task teams as tools for achieving their goals.

AFRE: A Unique Resource, Meeting K-12 Teachers' Needs
During her 30-year career as a national leader and expert in informal, hands-on science education, Sheila Grinell developed sharp insights into K-12 teacher's needs. She brings this professional expertise and experience to the AFRE Board of Directors, providing valuable input that has helped the organization position itself as a unique teacher development resource for the state.

Looking Back
During the 2005-06 academic year, AFRE introduced 20 new teacher development workshops created from scratch by AFRE's staff and faculty. Each one was crafted to include the best in teaching methodology as well as significant connections to the natural resources industries of our state.

Reaching Out: New Poster Proclaims "We are Our Children's Future"
"Teachers' tremendous influence cannot be overstated," AFRE Executive Director Larry McBiles said. "The fact is that their students depend on them to provide critical knowledge and skills so they can become well-informed and responsible citizens, employees and voters." A free poster recognizing the vital role of teachers is now available from AFRE.

Reaching Out: One-year Partnership with School to Yield Ongoing Benefits
In December, AFRE and the faculty and staff of Marc T. Atkinson Middle School in Phoenix celebrated the conclusion of a one-year joint commitment to enhance teachers' instructional planning skills, school-wide.

3 Big Ideas at the Heart of AFRE's Programming
As the AFRE staff and faculty conceptualize their workshops and study tours, there are always three big ideas that get carefully examined to ensure that scientific knowledge and skills from the natural and social sciences are targeted as well as their social, economic and historical implications.