Resources for prospective instructors

Guiding philosophy

The Sky School is designed around several key principles that focus our teaching.

• Place-based. Our teaching integrates our local environment closely into all aspects of the curriculum, in order to build students' understandings of their homes. We use local examples and local resources to centerpiece general concepts. For more information, read Sobel's Place-based education [1] or wikipedia [2]. Building a sense of place is a key goal. More resources are available through Leslie's Into the Field [3].
• Inquiry-based. Our curriculum invites exploration and student-led synthesis of ideas through authentic research experiences. We believe that inquiry builds engagement.
• Outdoor. Our classrooms include all of the public land in the Catalina Mountains. We believe that outdoor experiences and exposure to nature are key parts of a healthy childhood and a full education. For more information, read Louv's Last Child in the Woods [4] or NPR [5].
• Scientific. We are primarily interested in providing students with an authentic research experience with the guidance of professional scientists. We do science education in the outdoors, which often also is environmental education. We are not a nature center or a camp, nor are we environmental activists.

You can learn about other content we teach and see program schedules at our wiki main page.

Program types

We offer two types of programs on Mt. Lemmon. The primary audience for both is 5th-12th grade, with older students generally coming for weeklong programs.

• Overnight programs. We run many two-day, one-night programs which focus on guided inquiry. We begin by taking students on a series of stops 'up the mountain', working on building sense of place and making observations of biotic and abiotic changes. When we reach the top of the mountain we go on a hike around the summit area and work through a set of rotation activities focusing on geology, water, plant diversity, predators, etc. After dinner we use the university's telescopes for an astronomy program and go through a range of other activities if skies are cloudy. The next day we close the program and return to Tucson after breakfast.
• Weeklong programs. We run a smaller number of weeklong flagship programs. Students begin with a first day very similar to the overnight program. The next two days they work with their graduate mentor to design and carry out an original research project of interest to all which can be done either within walking distance of the Mt Lemmon summit or (if needed) via shuttle to a nearby site, e.g. Marshall Gulch. The graduate instructor acts as facilitator, content expert, and logistical coordinator, with students expected to design the overall project, do fieldwork, and subsequent analyses. On the night of the third day, each inquiry group presents its research findings via poster and oral presentation in an on-campus capstone symposium. Evening programs each night focus on astronomy or special topics of interest to the school group. The final day includes a closing circle and a return to Tucson before lunch.

Instructor expectations

• Maintain the safety and comfort of students during instructional periods
• Teach content in small group settings during first-day and evening programs
• Facilitate inquiry projects in outdoor settings within and outside area of research expertise
• Pitch in for community tasks (e.g. dinner setup, post-program cleanup)
• Participate in pre-service trainings and other mentoring activities during the fellowship year
• Develop any novel content into lesson plans available for future instructors