Learning About Where We Live

The National Science Foundation’s Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) Program connects universities with local schools. With NSF funding from 2004-2011, OIMB’s GK-12 program brought a marine science curriculum to kindergarten through sixth grade students along the southern Oregon coast.

• The students benefited from hands-on science learning and interactions with university student role models.
• OIMB’s GK-12 graduate fellows improved their teaching and communication skills and gained an understanding of the K-12 education system.
• Classroom teachers received professional development in and out of the classroom, and gained experience with inquiry-rich science lessons.
• OIMB and the participating school districts gained from strengthened partnerships.

The GK12 legacy goes on as teachers continue to utilize the GK12 curriculum to engage their students in active, inquiry-based coastal explorations.

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Gaining an Appreciation of Our Coastal Backyard