Teacher Resources
Introducing ExploraVision / Motivating Your Team / ExploraVision Ambassador ProgramClassroom tips: Elementary / Middle and Junior High / High School
ExploraVision Ambassador Program
The ExploraVision Ambassador program honors exemplary ExploraVision coaches, provides them with professional development opportunities, and leverages their first-hand experiences with coaching successful teams to inspire and inform a network of peers about the benefits of ExploraVision. Designed to enhance the ExploraVision experience for teachers, the program fosters a community of educators, facilitating the exchange of ideas that will help make the competition an even more dynamic, effective and fun educational tool.
Featuring a series of best-practice Web seminars, the ExploraVision Ambassador program offers enriching peer networking opportunities, as well as tools for teachers to use to help their students as they create and submit their science projects.
The Ambassador program includes a registry of past-winning teachers, a diverse and motivated group that is keen to share its experiences from a variety of winning projects. By sharing these successes and highlighting their students' accomplishments, these teachers strengthen the participation of all entrants while allowing others to recognize them for their outstanding contributions.
Web Seminars
With the entry deadline approaching, this Web Seminar will focus on how to avoid disqualification in this year's ExploraVision competition. Past winning coaches will address the rules and required entry components of ExploraVision and how to avoid the most common mistakes that get up to 25% of teams disqualified every year. Please join us at one of our upcoming web seminars taught by the ExploraVision Ambassadors.
- Learn How to Avoid Disqualification in ExploraVision: January 13, 2010 from 6:30 to 8:00pm EST
Missed a Web seminar?
The NSTA's Learning Center website has archived them for you. Click the link to view the seminar you wish to see.
Series 1: Getting Your Class Started in ExploraVision
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Presenters: Deborah Kennedy, Diane Pollitt
See this Web seminar's archive
Series 2: How to Submit Quality ExploraVision Entries
ExploraVision's head judge provided insight into what judges look for when selecting top entries.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Presenters: Mary Harris, Nancy Carter
See this Web seminar's archive
Series 3: How to Avoid Disqualification
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Presenter: Diana Celle
See this web seminar's archive
Series 4: How to Incorporate ExploraVision into the Curriculum
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
See this web seminar's archive
Series 5: ExploraVision's Educational Value - Teacher Spotlight
To learn more about the ExploraVision 2009 winning teacher, please join the ExploraVision Ambassadors in this Web seminar.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
See this web seminar's archive
Series 6: Getting Your Class Started in ExploraVision
To learn more about getting started on ExploraVision projects, join us for this web seminar!
Presenters: Brian Short, Michael Lampert
See this Web seminar's archive
Meet the Ambassadors
Congratulations to the 2009 ExploraVision Ambassadors!
Ambassadors are listed in alphabetical order.
Nancy Carter
Mediapolis Community Schools, Mediapolis, IA
Nancy (second from right)
"I have been coordinating the program for gifted and talented students at Mediapolis Community Schools in Mediapolis, Iowa since 1993. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in biology and chemistry and am endorsed to teach gifted and talented students in grades K – 12. My students have participated in ExploraVision for a number of years and the experience has been quite rewarding."
Diana Celle
Diana (left) with her 2005 team
Holmes Elementary School, San Diego, CA
"I teach third grade at Holmes Elementary School in San Diego, California. ExploraVision has challenged many of my students over the years. I was fortunate to coach four national winning teams. All of my young ExploraVision participants enjoyed the fun learning process as they came up with their futuristic inventions. I've seen many changes in the contest over the years, but one thing remains the same: ExploraVision challenges students to be scientific and innovative team players."
Mary Harris
Mary (right) with her 2007 winning team
John Burroughs School, St Louis, MO
"I teach physical science at the middle-school level and chemistry to high school students at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri. I am also a Polymer Ambassador, so I write and present activities/laboratories for any grade level to help teachers incorporate polymers into their existing curriculums. I won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2002 and I have published various journal articles — the most recent is in the Journal of Chemical Education, October 2008, entitled "Polymers in the Field and Track." I have had students compete in ExploraVision since 1997. I coach one or two teams each year, from the eighth or ninth grades, and our school has won seven national awards. I really enjoy coaching small groups of students, as we all learn interesting science topics together!"
Deborah Kennedy
Deborah (left) with her 2007 ExploraVision winning team
Wando High School, Mt. Pleasant, SC
"I teach mathematics and pre-engineering at Wando High School, a public high school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I began teaching 10 years ago after working as a structural engineer for several years. I am a national board-certified teacher in mathematics, a Project Lead the Way master teacher in Civil Engineering and Architecture and a registered professional engineer. Last year I was awarded the Barbara H. James Award for Outstanding Career and Technology Educator in South Carolina. Two years ago, while searching the Internet for a group project idea for my design class, I discovered the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards competition, a multi-disciplinary, research-based, open-ended problem-solving opportunity. Of the four groups I coached, three submitted entries. Two of the groups were awarded honorable mentions in our region. The third group eventually became the Grades 10 – 12 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision national winners in 2007."
Diane Pollitt
Diane (left) with her 2006 winning team
Heatherstone Elementary School, Olathe, KS
"I've been teaching elementary school gifted and talented students for almost two decades, and currently teach in Olathe, Kansas. I've been involved with ExploraVision for 16 of the program's 17 years. Over the years I have coached regional winning teams in second, third, fifth and sixth grade. One fifth grade team won the ExploraVision national award in 2006 and numerous teams have earned honorable mention recognitions. I feel that through the use of a variety of hands-on, project-based learning experiences and a process of questioning, exploration and discovery, students acquire learning skills they'll use their entire lives."
Meet our Ambassadors and learn more about ExploraVision
2009 Area Conferences
- Minneapolis, MN - October 29 – 31
- Ft. Lauderdale, FL - November 12 – 14
- Phoenix, AZ - December 3 – 5
- Philadelphia, PA - March 18 – 21
2010 National Conference
- New Orleans, LA - March 19-22
