Assisting K-12 Teachers in their Classrooms

Created by Jennifer L. B. Anderson, Ph.D., SERC, Carleton College

Participate in Outreach to K-12 Schools

Individual faculty members can become involved in local K-12 schools simply by volunteering their time to speak with the students. For example, you can visit a classroom and talk to the students about what a geoscientist does and is (and looks like), you could help judge a science fair, or you could participate in a careers day presentation. Often these commitments take only a small amount of time and preparation, are a lot of fun, and expose the students to what a scientist really is – a human being who is curious about their world, just like the students!

Develop School Programs

A step beyond working with individual teachers for a short period of time is to create a long-term partnership between yourself and a specific teacher, school or school district. You can be a resource for practicing science teachers by offering to answer teacher emails or emails from their students. You can also work individually with teachers in their classrooms, providing longer-term outreach activities, and support as a partner/mentor.