Teacher Workshops
Mote Marine Laboratory is excited to offer a series of professional development workshops for Florida formal classroom teachers. Our workshops utilize Mote's breakthrough marine science research and engaging aquarium exhibits to provide marine science content, Mote specific resources and NGSS standards based lesson plans for teachers to implement in their classrooms. Using the fun backdrop of Mote Marine Laboratory and ocean themed curricula, the core concepts of lessons provided are life science and the nature of science with marine conservation and scientific inquiry and application as crosscutting concepts throughout. These workshops are broken into two grade levels that run simultaneously and are offered at no cost to local teachers. Pre-registration is required as space is limited.
Teachers of Grades 3rd–5th
These workshops target 3rd through 5th grade educators with limited experience teaching science or those educators that may need additional support with marine science content and/or implementing standards into lesson plans. Lessons are typically STEM and/or inquiry based and focus on student collaboration and problem solving. Participants receive lunch and lesson plans and materials to replicate hands-on activities in the classroom.
Teachers of Grades 6th-12th
These workshops target middle and high school teachers that are interested in incorporating current scientific research into their curricula. Lessons provided are aligned to the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and focus on student collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking. Participants will receive Mote scientific papers specific to each topic and will work through lessons provided as a student with time to reflect as a teacher. Participants will receive a stipend to replicate hands-on activities in the classroom.
There are no scheduled onsite Mote Teacher Workshops at this time. Please email educate@mote.org if you are interested in scheduling a PD for your organization.
Aquatic Species Collection Workshop
Mote Marine Laboratory hosts a FMSEA/FWC Aquatic Species Collection Workshop twice each year, in the fall and in the spring. The workshops are organized by the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA) and allow educators to earn a three-year collecting certificate from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) upon successful completion of the program.
For a list of current workshops, visit the FMSEA/FWC ASCW page or contact jrshaw@mote.org if you are interested in this program.
Program Overview
The purpose of the workshop is to educate teachers/educators regarding responsible collecting and to widen the restrictions imposed by recreational fishing regulations (size, numbers, areal closures, etc). Topics include: rationale for collecting, alternatives to collecting, methods of collecting, minimizing environmental impact, minimizing loss of specimens, regulatory concerns, health concerns, related resources and support. The certificate does not supersede any state or federal regulations, but it does allow the collection of specified numbers of certain species for educational purposes, some undersized, and to use certain types of collecting gear that would not be allowed under recreational fishing guidelines.
The workshop is available to certified Florida teachers and/or employees of educational centers. To be eligible, you must be:
- An instructor employed by, or under sponsorship of, an elementary or secondary school.
- An instructor employed by, or under sponsorship of, another educational institution or organization with courses of biological or aquatic studies.
- An individual who teaches in a home education program maintained in accordance with Section 1002.41, F.S.
- A representative of a home education program association.
- Visit fmsea.org/ascw for full eligibility details.
After successful completion of the two-to-three-hour workshop, a certificate will be mailed to each recipient within six to eight weeks by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This Educator Certification is valid for three years, and renewal workshops are available.
This registration fee includes training, collection certificate processing, a free membership to FMSEA and digital access to workshop materials and resources.
