Fair provides educational value for teachers

September 28, 2006

Innovation, creativity and sharing with the education community is what the annual Education Fair, sponsored by ASU's School of Educational Innovation and Teacher Preparation, is all about. ASU wants K-12 educators to get on the bus for its annual fair from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Oct. 7, at ASU's Polytechnic campus.<separator></separator>The fair, which takes place in the Student Union ballrooms and the Agribusiness Center classrooms, provides opportunities for K-12 educators to enhance educational innovation through networking and resource sharing among community partners, educators and university students.<separator></separator>The fair is for teachers of all experience levels.<separator></separator>Donetta Van Haren, a veteran teacher of 26 years, finds the fairs informative.<separator></separator>“I feel like you can always learn more about teaching and experience other ways of doing things to expand your teaching skills and approaches to the many types of learners,” she says.<separator></separator>Fair attendees will have many opportunities throughout the day to gather new ideas, information and free items. Workshops and breakout sessions are available, and more than 30 community partners will participate in the fall event, including the Desert Botanical Garden , the American Red Cross, the Arizona Museum for Youth, Leapfrog School House, Riparian Institute, Science is Fun and many more.<separator></separator>SRP and Arizona Foundation for Resource Education are the primary sponsors of the event.<separator></separator>Local teachers and students will demonstrate their creative ideas in “Make 'n' Take” activities, and topics for sessions will include:<separator></separator>• K-12 classroom management and techniques.<separator></separator>• Curriculum content.<separator></separator>• Cross-curriculum strategies to increase student achievement.<separator></separator>• Curriculum-based field trip information.<separator></separator>• Grant writing.<separator></separator>• Creating partnership and funding opportunities.<separator></separator>The breakout sessions presented by local educators can be used to meet the professional development requirements for many local districts. These sessions will range from 45-90 minutes and will cover a wide range of content, including science, math, reading, social studies, art, educational games and more. Each session emphasizes the use of community resources in the classroom and content is aligned with state academic standards.<separator></separator>“The workshops and session are presented in a way that addresses current issues and teaching styles that add to my current knowledge of teaching skills,” says Van Haren, who works for the Miami Unified District in Arizona . “It's also very valuable to network with other teachers and professionals in education.”<separator></separator>Registration for the entire day is $25 before the event and $35 at the door. Full-time education students at ASU, Central Arizona College or in the Maricopa Community College system can attend for free with a current student identification card.<separator></separator>Check-in will be from 7:30-9 a.m. in the Student Union. To register, visit the Web page (<a href="http://www.poly.asu.edu/edfair">www.poly.asu.edu/edfair</a>). For more information, contact Debi Molina-Walters at (480) 727-1510 or (drmo@asu.edu).<separator></separator> <a href="mailto:lambrakis@asu.edu">Christine Lambrakis</a>, <a href="mailto:lambrakis@asu.edu">lambrakis@asu.edu</a> (480) 727-1173<separator></separator>