Imagine a different kind of in-service day…

Call (412) 622-3288 to register.

Imagine contributing to thought-provoking discussions in front of fascinating exhibits, participating in hands-on lessons that you’ll be able to use in your classroom, and planning teaching strategies with your colleagues away from the workday distractions of your school building. Carnegie Museum of Natural History can help you and your colleagues fulfill Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements with approved teacher workshops. Four Act 48 hours are received for each session.

If you are responsible for planning your school’s or district’s in-service days, we’d like to hear from you. Full-day programs, which count toward Act 48 Hour totals, can be designed to introduce the museum’s teaching resources, develop strategies to better address many of Pennsylvania’s academic standards, or plan a school-wide, cross-curriculum unit on topics ranging from biodiversity to rocks and minerals.

Darwin Bicentennial Series
Saturdays, January 31, February 28, March 28

Join us for one, two, or three sessions on evolution. Each lecture will cover a different aspect of how life has changed over time, featuring experts who are participating in the Duquesne University/Carnegie Museum of Natural History Darwin 2009 lecture series. Each session includes the day’s lecture and lunch. These workshops will be of particular interest to middle and high school teachers.

Session 1:
Shuhai Xiao, Professor of Geobiology, Virginia Tech
Saturday, January 31, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Dr. Xiao will discuss the earliest evidence of life on Earth, including the Duoshantuo fossils from 549-635 million years ago. These early Chinese embryos shed light on the puzzling Ediacara fauna.

Session 2:
Ted Daeschler, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Saturday, February 28, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
One of the most puzzling questions in evolution is how terrestrial life evolved from fish. Join Dr. Daeschler for a fascinating exploration of this topic and look at the evolution of tetrapod limbs from lobe-finned fish.

Session 3:
Sandra Olsen, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Saturday March 28, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
How can artificial selection drive evolution? Dr. Olsen will discuss animal and plant domestication as a factor in evolution.

Fee
One session: $40 per participant
Two sessions: $70 per participant (savings of $10)
Three sessions: $100 per participant (savings of $20)

Fee includes lunch. Preregistration is required.

In-service Training via Distance Learning

Experience Distance Learning in a 30-minute introductory program, or participate with your colleagues in a series of 90-minute interactive videoconferences on a variety of natural history topics. Schools with IP and ISDN-based videoconferencing systems can utilize the Museum's Distance Learning program as part of ongoing teacher training. Contact Pat McShea at (412) 622-3292 or McSheaP@CarnegieMNH.org for more information.

Teen Volunteer Program

Teen Docents explain touchable natural history objects to visitors at various stations throughout the museum. Volunteers must be teenagers who enjoy interacting with visitors of all ages and be available one Saturday per month during the school year and one day a week during the summer. Applications are due by January 15, 2009. Selected teens will participate in seven training sessions by museum staff during the spring. You can learn more about the program by contacting Marie Pocasangre at (412) 578-2456 or TeenDocent@CarnegieMNH.org, or by visiting the informative program Web site at http://www.CarnegieMNH.org/doe/teendocents.