Professional Learning Opportunities

IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Whether you are a first year or a seasoned teacher, this workshop is geared for educators to reflect and reset for the second semester. By using the Museum’s exhibits and dioramas, participants will engage in sketching, perspective taking and practice using the model of emotion to support interactions with students and colleagues.

Museum facilitator: Cristina Trowbridge

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Join us for a 2-Day professional development session digging into the three new NYSSLS Earth Science investigations. After experiencing the investigations first-hand, participants will workshop implementation strategies with fellow teachers. Facilitators will provide key insights and takeaways generated by a dedicated working group of Earth Science educators that collaborated over the summer to deepen their understanding of these investigations.
Connect with fellow Earth Science teachers, share your own insights and experiences, and come away feeling confident to effectively execute these investigations in your own classroom.

Museum facilitator: Maya Pincus
Teacher facilitators: Kristina Coker and Liza Backman

*Due to the cost of staffing and materials for this two-day workshop, a $50 admission fee is required to register. This workshop includes breakfast and lunch on both days, as well as instructional materials related to the Earth science lab investigations for all participants.

$50 per Teacher

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**This workshop is specifically targeted to Earth Science teachers**

IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

The Museum has many digital resources, especially games, that teachers can use in they classrooms. There is OLogy, the American Museum of Natural History's science website (and iPad app) for kids ages 7 and up. There are also games and interactives at the Museum main halls that teachers can use with their students when they are onsite for field trips. Participants in this session will be introduced to the dynamic learning opportunities that come with using games and gaming principles in their own teaching practice. There is even a possibility for participants to give feedback on some prototypes that the Museum is currently working on.

Museum facilitators: John Sapida  and Eojin Chae

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In this session, field trip support staff will guide participants in designing a field trip that is accessible, engaging, and fun. We will explore the Museum's iconic animal diorama halls using open-ended and flexible resources, providing an opportunity for collaborative planning.

Museum facilitators: Ben Taylor, Jake Sienko, and Margaret Hoffman

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

The rapid pace of change to Earth’s climate, and constant presence of climate emergencies and worrisome projections in news and social media, make the climate subject important for students, and for educators in science and adjacent subjects. Climate is important for its concepts, and for developing students’ sense of social justice, and supporting healthier social-emotional outcomes and providing space for students to initiate and cultivate a healthy sense of agency. The complexity of climate content supports multi-year learning with existing units modified to highlight connections to larger climate themes. This course explores diverse topics that aid in planning strong learning sequences.

Museum facilitators: Hudson Roditi and Conor Odell

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In a multicultural society, it is important for educators to foster understanding and build connections between different people and their respective cultures (i.e. cultural exchange); however, particularly when an educator is speaking on a people/culture that is not their own, there are barriers that inhibit their ability to fully honor and respect them in the curriculum. Through the exploration of existing cultural halls/exhibits, reflective activities/discussions based on the self (within and without the classroom), and engaging in art practices, educators will dissect their personal relationship to culture(s) and how they navigate teaching, honoring and respecting them within the classroom.

Museum facilitators: Briana Harlan, Jonathan Milard and fefe yamaguchi

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

During this session, we will explore different artistic forms that have helped scientists convey their findings throughout time. We will visit the museum exhibits, view examples of scientific art, and learn about activities and resources that you can bring back to your classroom.

Museum facilitator: Bridget Hidalgo

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Visual and material culture are so present in our lives that we often forget to slow down and carefully examine how they shape the world around us. Come to the Museum and explore different science and cultural halls to find examples of visual culture (videos, artwork, photographs, interactives, and etc.) and examples of material culture (physical objects like tools, clothing, toys, and more). Participants will also be introduced to helpful teaching strategies that museum educators employ to engage with learners of all ages. We will practice these strategies with each other and discuss how you might be able to use these strategies in your own classrooms and when you go on field trips to the museum. Strategies we cover may include: visual thinking strategies, inquiry-based learning, artifact study, diorama study, talk strategies, and more!

Museum facilitators: John Sapida and Jonathan Milard

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In this 3-hour in-person session, we will review the data that shows the incredible impact humans have had on our earth. In considering the explosive growth of the human population and the energy used to support such growth, we will talk a walk through time in the Museum. Starting first in the classroom, we will investigate tools and practices of the pre-industrial people of this nation. We will then move to NY State Environment, looking at the way our land was used, the way food was produced and moved, and consider what life was like then. We’ll then move through the Hall of Biodiversity and the Climate Wall in the Hall of Planet Earth, collecting data and understanding the scale of change. While noting that the Industrial Revolution certainly had some advantages, we will end with planning for a sustainable future.

Museum facilitator: Lauren Tecosky

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Every spring, over 350 species of birds migrate through New York City! Some of them fly all the way from South America to Canada. Why do some bird species migrate? How are birds adapted to live in different habitats? Why do scientists consider birds to be living dinosaurs? How are they affected by climate change and urbanization? Join Museum educators for an in-person workshop to investigate these questions about the evolution, ecology, and natural history of birds. We will visit several iconic halls and go on a birding walk in Central Park. This will be complemented by a hands-on activity to visualize where birds fit into the tree of life.

Museum facilitators: Adriana Aquino and Conor Odell

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OFFSITE: HAMILTON HEIGHTS

Ecosystems are everywhere, ecosystem interactions happen all around us. There are a variety of green spaces in our city, and we will visit three in Hamilton Heights: some tree beds that are part of the NYC Parks’ Street Tree Habitats community science project, Maggie's Garden - a community garden, and the Broadway Mall Association's Pollinator Habitat between 150th and 151st Streets in the Broadway Mall. We will explore ecosystem concepts, community and place-based science and its student engagement potential, and ideas of habitat stewardship in our city.

Museum facilitator: Jay Holmes

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Museum visits in the early years are deeply impactful. But, how do you make it meaningful? During this session, we will test a variety of techniques for early childhood engagement in a museum. Participants will walk away with a toolkit for bringing preschool - 2nd grade learners on inquiry-based museum visits. 

Museum facilitators: Margaret Hoffman, Bridget Hidalgo, and Sonia Bueno

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