2021 Peaks and Potentials Instructor Application |
Information for Prospective Peaks and Potentials Instructors
The goals of Peaks & Potentials (P&P): Peaks and Potentials provides upper elementary and middle school students with one week (five days) of academic enrichment and immersion. P&P provides youth with an opportunity to explore a topic of interest in great detail & work with experts from MSU and the Bozeman community. P&P also provides unique social and recreational opportunities and immerses students in a campus environment.
Who Participates: Up to 40 (this is less than half of what we have had in the past) “high potential” 5th-7th grade students from Montana or visiting Montana attend P&P. This year all students will commute back and forth from home each day. Typically, kids come from all over Montana to participate in this highly successful, immersive campus experience but this year I expect it to be mostly local area students.
How it will work: P&P2021 will be a little different this year as we plan to have four tracks of three classes each. Each track will have the maximum of 10 students each. Each track will have their own staff member to escort them to workshops and spend lunch and free time with them. These students will stay together throughout the day, attending workshops, eating lunch and spending free time together. We will have little to no intermingling of tracks with each other.
Following CDC guidelines, participants will be required to wear masks each day, all-day except when actively eating or drinking. Temperatures and a symptoms check will be taken each morning when participants arrive on campus. If temperature is high or symptoms are felt, participant will be asked to go home. Staff and instructors will also be required to wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be provided to each participant and available to all instructors to have on hand during classes. Cleaning supplies (bacterial wipes, paper towels, disinfectant spray, etc.) can also be provided to instructors, if needed.
P&P Classes: Each Peaks class is offered Monday - Friday, June 21-25, for 1.5 hours/day. Each class will have a maximum of 10 students. Classes are offered in the morning and the afternoon; instructors may generally select a time slot that works best with their schedules.
Class offerings and structure: We aim to offer a variety of academic enriching courses for the participants—from anatomy to music, computer science, business, physics, chemistry, and art. Each daily class may include a short lecture or guest presenter, but most of the class time should be focused on hands-on projects and activities. There may be independent daily projects, or there may be one project the students develop through the week and complete on Friday. Time for student presentations, research, and journaling may be included in the class time. P&P is not just an instructional “show and tell.” The participants should actively investigate, experiment, discover, and create during each class. It’s helpful to have one primary instructor who meets the students each day and maintains a thread of continuity throughout the week. This year we will have a total of 12 classes, 3 classes per track.
Instructor Qualifications: Instructors ideally will have Bachelors or equivalent in the field of instruction. The co-instructor may be a student who is currently enrolled in college. Please contact me if you are interested but do not meet these qualifications. Instructors are welcome to teach more than one workshop throughout the day. The workshop can be repeated or a different one.
Please consider having a back-up or co-instructor lined up, in case your plans change during this uncertain time.
Who Participates: Up to 40 (this is less than half of what we have had in the past) “high potential” 5th-7th grade students from Montana or visiting Montana attend P&P. This year all students will commute back and forth from home each day. Typically, kids come from all over Montana to participate in this highly successful, immersive campus experience but this year I expect it to be mostly local area students.
How it will work: P&P2021 will be a little different this year as we plan to have four tracks of three classes each. Each track will have the maximum of 10 students each. Each track will have their own staff member to escort them to workshops and spend lunch and free time with them. These students will stay together throughout the day, attending workshops, eating lunch and spending free time together. We will have little to no intermingling of tracks with each other.
Following CDC guidelines, participants will be required to wear masks each day, all-day except when actively eating or drinking. Temperatures and a symptoms check will be taken each morning when participants arrive on campus. If temperature is high or symptoms are felt, participant will be asked to go home. Staff and instructors will also be required to wear masks. Hand sanitizer will be provided to each participant and available to all instructors to have on hand during classes. Cleaning supplies (bacterial wipes, paper towels, disinfectant spray, etc.) can also be provided to instructors, if needed.
P&P Classes: Each Peaks class is offered Monday - Friday, June 21-25, for 1.5 hours/day. Each class will have a maximum of 10 students. Classes are offered in the morning and the afternoon; instructors may generally select a time slot that works best with their schedules.
Class offerings and structure: We aim to offer a variety of academic enriching courses for the participants—from anatomy to music, computer science, business, physics, chemistry, and art. Each daily class may include a short lecture or guest presenter, but most of the class time should be focused on hands-on projects and activities. There may be independent daily projects, or there may be one project the students develop through the week and complete on Friday. Time for student presentations, research, and journaling may be included in the class time. P&P is not just an instructional “show and tell.” The participants should actively investigate, experiment, discover, and create during each class. It’s helpful to have one primary instructor who meets the students each day and maintains a thread of continuity throughout the week. This year we will have a total of 12 classes, 3 classes per track.
Instructor Qualifications: Instructors ideally will have Bachelors or equivalent in the field of instruction. The co-instructor may be a student who is currently enrolled in college. Please contact me if you are interested but do not meet these qualifications. Instructors are welcome to teach more than one workshop throughout the day. The workshop can be repeated or a different one.
Please consider having a back-up or co-instructor lined up, in case your plans change during this uncertain time.