Faculty from Armstrong State University and educators from Stone Mountain Memorial Association recently led a group of K-12 teachers on a hands-on study of the geology, ecology and history of Georgia’s barrier islands. The state grant program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, was part of a professional learning workshop funded by Improving Teacher Quality.  

Eighteen participants collected and analyzed data on Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, Sapelo Island and Blackbeard Island while building ideas, discussing teaching strategies and developing lessons that will engage their students.

“This workshop offered an incredible opportunity to gain hands-on knowledge in the field,” said Donna Mullenax, a senior lecturer of Astronomy and Physics at Armstrong State University. “These teachers will be able to share the lessons they learned with students across the state.”

The aim of the Improving Teacher Quality grant program is to increase educators’ knowledge in core academic content areas, such as science and history, in order to facilitate student learning. One of the trip’s highlights involved the opportunity to watch a loggerhead sea turtle nest on Sapelo Island, where it laid and covered over 100 eggs before returning to the ocean.