A unique urban-rural teaching partnership has resulted. The theme, The Diverse And Ever-Changing Coast of California, has two major focuses. Topics include energy sources, transformations, and associated environmental issues. Energy issues associated with weather and weather reporting on the california coast are also addressed. An evening star party is the culminating activity for the first week.
Presenters help teachers explore the coast's kelp forest and the estuary's watershed.
Fieldtrips include visits to the Morro Bay mudflats and Pacific Gas and Electric's Diablo Canyon Marine Biology Lab. During the two week institute, content-based activities are supplemented with presentations on learning styles, sheltered instruction for bilingual classrooms, and assessment. New knowledge gained is reinforced by the opportunity for the associates to work directly with a local school district with a significant bilingual student body. This allows the teachers to immediately assess and evaluate how the activities will work in their own classrooms. The teachers will come together for 3 reunions during the academic year.