26 May 2004

SF Teachers Conference Debuts At Panda*monium
by Diane Silver

Diane Silver is the editor of The Broadsheet.

Panda*monium 2004 (Nov. 19-21 in Norman, Okla.) will host a mini-conference for teachers on the Friday of the con. The mini-con is designed to promote science fiction readership and help teachers by providing classroom material and time for discussion.

Tentative plans call for a group session on Friday morning to discuss science fiction in the classroom. At that session, participants will receive a copy of a workbook, which is expected to include book lists for different age groups, lesson plans and other resources..

Friday afternoon is tentatively scheduled to revolve around breakout sessions focusing on different disciplines. This would provide teachers in language arts/reading, math/science, history/social sciences, for example, to meet and swap lesson plans and discuss problems.

Details of the fee structure have not yet been determined, but current plans include allowing mini-con participants to attend both the teacher's event and the rest of Panda*monium. The cost of the workbook and other materials would also be included in the teachers mini-con fee.

"We are looking to put this together to use not only at Panda*monium, but to take to other conventions," said Bev Hale, one of the organizers. "The entire idea is to promote reading and to promote SF. Since SF is graying, we need to grow a new crop of fans. What better way than to get them while they are very young and to make it easy for the teachers to introduce good stories to them in school?"

Hale said SF could be useful in any classroom. A history class, for example, could be enlivened by using an alternate history book to discuss the Middle Ages. Comics could be used to assist low-level readers. Study guides produced by authors and publishers would also be welcomed.

Organizers are still accepting material for the workbook. Among other things, organizers are seeking book lists, possible assignments, and ideas on how to use SF in English, reading, math, science, history and social studies.

"If anyone has material we could use, suggested assignments we could include, reading lists for different age levels, I know the con could use them," Hale said.

At this time, the con can't pay for the use of this material, she said. Each contributor to the workbook, though, will get a brief biography and bibliography.

Materials can be emailed to Bev at bevhale2002 (at) yahoo.com or directly to the con through the Panda*monium web site.