Polar Educators meet at the International Polar Year 2012 Conference in Montreal
Teachers performing experiments in the workshop organised by the International Polar Foundation
© International Polar Foundation
Two members of the International Polar Foundation education team, Sandra Vanhove and Isabelle Du Four, recently participated in the final conference of the 4th International Polar Year (IPY), under the banner of “From Knowledge to Action”, in Montreal. In conjunction with this conference, the two also took part, along with 170 educators from 15 countries all over the world, in the IPY 2012 PolarEDUCATORS Workshop organized by Students on Ice.
The International Polar Year 2012 conference
In Montreal, Sandra and Isabelle took part in Area 4: Public Engagement, Education and Outreach; Sandra convened the session ‘Teaching polar science: IPY and beyond’ together with one of the leading Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) members Jennifer Provencher, while Isabelle gave a presentation on the Polar Quest project in the session ‘Inspiring the next generation’. Here is a short video summarizing what the Polar Quest was all about. To find out more more about the outcomes of the IPY conference read the news published on the Foundation website.
The PolarEDUCATORS workshop
Prior to the conference, the two-day professional development workshop, the PolarEDUCATORS workshop, took place. Participants heard presentations from polar scientists, educators, indigenous Arctic community leaders, and innovators working on some of the most critical issues facing Polar Regions today, and tried out new activities, experiments and lessons during the practical sessions.
The International Polar Foundation facilitated two workshops, presenting experiments related to the consequences of the melting of land and sea ice.
- For a short video summarizing what the PolarEDUCATORS workshop was all about click here.
- For an overview of the different speakers and workshops and their respective resources, click here.
- To have a look at the drawings that Kara Stonehouse made of the lectures and workshops click here.
- A picture gallery representing the PolarEDUCATORS workshop can be seen here.
International Network of Polar Educators
Building on the extensive International Polar Year education, outreach and communication initiatives and the successes of the IPY 2010 PolarTEACHERS Workshop, PolarEDUCATORS 2012 succeeded in contributing to the overall legacy of the IPY by establishing a new Polar Educators International - a global professional network for those that educate in, for, and about the Polar Regions.
Together with other education-focused organizations and schools worldwide, the International Polar Foundation joins forces to work “across national, disciplinary, and age group boundaries … to improve science education for the next generation of policy makers, entrepreneurs, explorers, citizen scientists, journalists, educators, and the general public”. In order to achieve this aim, we take part in this group of two hundred leading educators to develop and share “innovative teaching resources and practices designed to bring the importance of the Polar Regions closer to home”.
Membership is open to everyone in the polar science and science education communities. Please contact usif you would like to become a member: polareducators@gmail.com.
