2016 Nominations for HGS Teacher of the Year Award
The HGS Teacher of the Year has been established to honor individuals whose extraordinary efforts or unique contributions are in earth science education. The selected Teacher is given a $500 cash award along with a plaque presented at a HGS Event. The HGS Teacher of the Year will be encouraged to apply to the GCAGS and AAPG Teacher of the Year Programs which offer greater cash bonuses ($1500 and $5000 respectfully) . Below are the requirements and procedures for applying for the award. All application materials should be mailed to the HGS Office at Houston Geological Society, Attn: Awards Chairman, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77079-2916. Questions can be sent to Mike Deming HGS Awards Chairman at mike.deming.HGS@gmail.com.
Requirements
All applicants must adhere to the following requirements in order to be considered for the Houston Geological Society Teach of the Year Award:
- Minimum of 3 years full-time U.S. teaching experience at any K-12 level.
- Teaching at least one unit per year on natural resources. Natural resources are defined as earth materials used by civilizations past and present such as:
- Organic materials such as petroleum, natural gas, coal and oil shale.
- Inorganic substances found in the Earth such as mineral ores, building stone and aggregate.
- Energy resources from the Earth such as fossil fuels, geothermal energy.
- Teaching should include the scientific study of these resources, their origin, discovery, extraction, and historic and present use. It should also include the preservation of the environment, reclamation, the conservation of resources, and the use of earth science knowledge in decision-making.
The unit will be evaluated on depth and breadth of concepts (resource origin, discovery, processing, usage, and reclamation), creativity of presentation and balanced treatment of information regarding societal need and environmental issues. Please include the length of the unit.
Materials:
You will need four documents to complete this application.
1. Your teaching philosophy and methods of the teaching of natural resources (both content and pedagogy). (1-2 pages)
2. Description of the unit you teach. (1-2 pages)
3. Letter(s) of recommendation from a colleague
4. Letter(s) of recommendation from a administrator.
Submission
- All Documents must be submitted to the Houston Geological Society by April 15, 2016. This will assure processing and publication of the selected HGS Teacher of the Year in the June Issue of the HGS Bulletin. Documents can be submitted as hardcopy or electronically. Hardcopies should be mailed to the Houston Geological Society, Attn: Awards Committee, 14811 St. Mary’s Lane, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77079-2916. Electronic documents can be sent to the Award Chairman at mike.deming.HGS@gmail.com.