They used artichokes and sunflowers to understand spirals and Fibonacci numbers. They learned how movement can be used to explain math concepts and how Google Earth and the Finger Lakes landscape can teach earth science. These were among the topics in 110 workshops offered to area pre K through high school teachers visiting Cornell March 20 for Educator Professional Development Day .

A bout 1,200 teachers from the Ithaca, Dryden and Lansing school districts participated. The fifth annual event offered more computer-related workshops than ever before, and for the first time, a miniconference; about 140 teachers attended the miniconference on diversity and equity in education with keynote speaker Pedro Noguera, an urban sociologist and author of " The Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education."

Cornell made classrooms and laboratories available, and about half the workshops were led by Cornell staff.

"The workshops were designed to enhance educators' knowledge of the subjects they teach, provide engaging materials and activities for the classroom, give educators a deeper understanding of how their students learn, and increase educators' organizational and personal effectiveness," said Stephen Hamilton, associate provost for outreach.

"Every workshop offered by Cornell was the result of voluntary contributions made by staff and faculty," said Chris Westling of Hamilton's office, which organized the event with Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services and the Ithaca City School District.

Robin Rosoff, an eighth grade English teacher at Ithaca's Dewitt Middle School, said that she and several fellow teachers at DeWitt happened to be in the midst of reading Noguera's book for a book group discussion.

"The talk was very relevant," Rosoff said. "He addressed the importance of needing to understand each child and what they need and what they are not getting, especially with all the budget issues now. And it felt good to spend a day outside of our own institutions. I like that Cornell reaches out to the Ithaca community to provide space for educators to have exchanges outside our classrooms."