July 01, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Teachers from across Kentucky gathered at Natural Bridge State Park the week of June 22-27 to attend a professional training to become a teacher consultant for the Kentucky Geographic Alliance (KGA).
State alliances have been training teacher consultants under the direction of the National Geographic Society Education Foundation since the 1980s. Teachers are inundated with geography content, exemplary presentation skills and quality lesson ideas, and are in turn required to develop at least two professional workshops or conference presentations for their colleagues. Free geographic education materials from Nystrom, Geography Alive, the Kentucky Geographic Alliance and the National Geographic Society were provided to participants.
Participants included Deanese Harkins of Bowling Green, Greenwood High School; Bruce Blanton of Bagdad and Terry Petree of Campbellsburg, Henry County Middle School; Michelle Gambill of Hazard, A.B. Combs Elementary School; Angie Penix of Mount Sterling, McNabb Middle School; Pamela Hetzell of Georgetown, Royal Spring Middle School; Joy Hicks of Richmond and Teresa Foster of Richmond, E. J. Hayes Middle School; Jennie Watkins of Corbin, South Elementary School; Asha Coltrane of Florence and Jason Gay of Taylor Mills, Tichenor Middle School; and Angela Woodward of Shepherdsville, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.
The summer institute was led by Kentucky teacher consultant Tom Wilson and Louisiana teacher consultants Susan Keith and Sandra Goldich. A blend of Kentucky and Louisiana culture peppered the institute, as participants learned about such topics as Life After Katrina, Kentucky Coal Mining, Mardi Gras and the Influence of Rivers on Settlement.
Bill Bowker, director in the Division of Fossil Fuels and Utility Services in the Governor’s Office of Energy Policy, spoke to participants about coal energy in Kentucky.
KGA coordinators Scott Dobler in Western Kentucky University’s Department of Geography and Geology and Kay Gandy in WKU’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction were on hand to lead participants in activities and present award certificates.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Kay Gandy at (270) 745-2991.
-WKU-
"A leading American university with international reach"
Office of Media Relations
Western Kentucky University
1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576
Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu