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Teachers: Embark on an Ecosystems Expedition

Full Scholarships Available Now

 

Honeywell and the New Jersey Audubon Society Partner to Inspire Educators, Providing Hands-On Lessons Through Exploration in the Hackensack Watershed
 

MORRIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. – April 27, 2009 –  Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and the New Jersey Audubon Society (NJAS) announced today that scholarships are available for the second annual Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education for Hudson and Bergen County middle and high school science and social studies teachers. The Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education is a one-week (August 17 – 21) summer institute, which combines classroom instruction with diverse outdoor experiences at sites throughout the Hackensack watershed.

 

During the program, teachers will explore forested and field habitats, take an eco-cruise through the Hackensack River, and seine in freshwater streams and tidal salt marshes with environmental educators and naturalists. The experiences will help teachers transform textbook curriculum into hands-on lessons that offer students a “learning-by-doing” approach to geology, watershed dynamics, habitat health, land use and human-ecosystems dependencies. 

 

“With so much focus on climate change, green technologies and natural resource use, it is crucial to introduce teaching techniques that encourage students to take an active role in the world they will help shape. This program provides environment-based information as well as effective methods to engage students in building their own understanding of the world around them,” said Dale Rosselet, vice-president for Education, NJAS.

 

NJAS has a nearly 50-year history of teaching experience-based nature studies and conservation in the state. Teachers will gain practice using field study instruments and technologies, and discover creative methods to integrate natural system studies into their existing curriculum, among other things.

 

 “The program provides lots of information, tangible examples, and useful tools that will help inspire kids in the classroom,” said Bergen County High School Teacher Craig Post, who participated in the program last August. “Students can explore their own backyards and apply what we teach in school."

Honeywell’s corporate citizenship initiative, Honeywell Hometown Solutions, and the NJAS strive to provide teachers with the resources to actively engage their students in the learning process.

 

“We are proud to partner with the New Jersey Audubon Society to bring programs that create new learning opportunities for teachers and students,” said Tom Buckmaster, president, Honeywell Hometown Solutions. “As one of the leading technology innovators and with nearly 50 percent of Honeywell’s product portfolio company-wide linked to energy efficiency, Honeywell is committed to inspiring the next-generation of innovators in careers in science, math, engineering, and environmental studies.”

 

Twenty-eight teachers will receive free tuition for the summer institute, classroom resource materials, a monetary stipend for program completion and 30 hours of professional development credit. The program is aligned with New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in Science and Social Studies.

 

Registrations are due by June 5, 2009.  Teachers who are interested in applying can visit www.njaudubon.com/Education/Summerinstitute.html or call (609) 861-0700 x13.

Honeywell Institute for Ecosystems Education is part of Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the company’s corporate citizenship initiative, which focuses on several areas of vital importance: Family Safety & Security, Housing & Shelter, Science & Math Education, Habitat & Conservation, and Humanitarian Relief.  More information on Honeywell Hometown Solutions can be found at:  www.honeywell.com/hhs.

Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell’s shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges.  For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.

  

Media Contacts:

Tamisha Hallman, Winning Strategies                            Kirsten Roth, Honeywell

973-286-8298                                                                   973-455-3450

Tamisha.hallman@winningstrat.com                              Kirsten.Roth@honeywell.com

 

 

NJDOE
Academic and Professional Standards
Standards for Required Professional Development for Teachers
Core Curriculum Content Standards
Abbott Implementation
Improving Learning and Literacy in Abbott Classrooms,
A Guidance Document 2006 (PDF)  - (WORD)   
Closing the Achievement Gap:
Two-Year Plan on Instructional Priorities (PDF)

NJPEP (New Jersey Professional Education Port)
Online professional development Web site of the NJ DOE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

What You Need to Know
Any professional improvement plan should be related and subject to your job description.  Your PIP should be expressed positively in terms of specific suggested activities.  It should not simply make non-specific recommendations for “correction” of alleged weaknesses and deficiencies.

BE CAREFUL You are not required to identify and/or agree to any deficiencies or the need for additional professional growth.  Your plan must be arrived at jointly – if you do not agree – DO NOT SIGN – Consult your association.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT  to be represented at any stage of professional improvement plan development where the result of the professional improvement plan may have an adverse effect on the individual’s continued employment or salary status. 
UNDERSTAND  The plan should specify district responsibilities, i.e., how it will fund any activities included in an individual's professional improvement plan.  How, when, and why professional development opportunities were denied. 
WHAT YOU MAY WANT TO INCLUDE:
  • in-service programs
  • school visitations
  • attendance at conferences/workshops
  • attendance at conventions
  • department/faculty meetings
  • demonstration lessons by supervisors and/or coaches
  • other assistance by supervisors and/or district resource personnel
  • instruction support system-instructional materials
  • summer travel work-related experience
  • membership in professional associations
  • subscriptions to professional periodicals