Professional Learning Opportunities

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 Museums's iconic animal diorama Halls using open-ended and flexible resources, providing an opportunity for collaborative planning.

Museum Facilitators: Ben Taylor and Jake Sienko

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In this session, teachers will learn about a new field trip experience for 4th grade school groups and explore traditional and contemporary foodways of the Haudenosaunee, whose homelands include much of New York State. Please note that this workshop is geared towards 4th-grade teachers. 

Museum Facilitator: Jonathan Milard

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OFFSITE - HAMILTON HEIGHTS

Ecosystems are everywhere in New York, ecosystem interactions happen all around us. Using local habitats can bring science alive in our students’ world. We can apply our science practices and science understandings to make sense of these phenomena and systems around us. There are a variety of kinds of green spaces in our city, and we will visit three in Hamilton Heights: starting in Maggie's Garden - a community garden on 149th Street where we will have some seating and a place to chat to get started, then we will visit the Broadway Mall Association's Pollinator Habitat between 150th and 151st Streets in the Broadway Mall, and some tree beds that are part of the NYC Parks’ Street Tree Habitats community science project. We will return to Maggie’s Garden for a wrap-up conversation about what habitats might be ripe for observation in your neighborhoods. Participants will use a variety of strategies to support observation, organism identification, question generation and habitat stewardship to explore ecosystem concepts, community and place-based science and the student engagement potential in our green spaces.
We will meet “in the field,” at 145th Street and Broadway in Manhattan (outside the uptown1 train stop, Northeast corner of the intersection). Wear comfortable walking shoes, we will be walking about 10 blocks total. Registrants will get the full logistics via email in advance, including the facilitator’s phone number for communication on the day of the workshop.
Bring water and a trail bar if you would like a snack.

Museum Facilitator: Jay Holmes

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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 Murray

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Ants and humans are social animals, yet they evolved social behavior in extraordinarily different ways. Participants will join a Museum educator in collaboration with a neuroscientist to make connections between the Solomon Family Insectarium and Spitzer Hall of Human Origins. Together, we will explore the question, "How do the different roles of social organisms support the survival of the species and the individual?"

Museum Facilitator: Ben Taylor

Teacher Facilitator: Maia Pujara (Sarah Lawrence College)

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In this workshop, participants will build their capacity to integrate various aspects of Hip Hop culture into their curriculum. Participants will engage in activities to build their understanding of mineral evolution and element formation and consider the connections to Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry. This workshop is open to K-12 teachers and is guided by NYS Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. Materials will be provided.

Museum Facilitator: Cristina Trowbridge

Teacher Facilitator: Kashema Hutchinson, Ph.D (City University of New York)

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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 Murray, and Sonia Bueno

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ONLINE

The Museum produces digital learning resources and technologies to expand the museum's reach as demanded by our increasingly digital world. This session will introduce participants to the unique affordances of digital media and technologies in museums by exploring resources produced by the Museum’s Education and Library departments. Participants will go over materials and resources available online that can be used for pre and post museum visit learning.

Museum Facilitator: John Sapida

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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

How can strontium isotopes in mammoth tusks reveal migration patterns of these ancient creatures? How can the atomic makeup of minerals reveal the properties used to design some of the world's most expensive gemstones? In this workshop, we will delve into the three-dimensional approach to New York State’s P-12 Physical Science Learning Standards and Assessments and explore unique phenomena, designed to bring Chemistry to life at the American Museum of Natural History.

Museum Facilitator: Jake Sienko

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

In this special workshop, join Dr. Denise Su from the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University to learn how we became human. What were the major steps humanity took to become the dominant species on earth? What can we see in our bodies and in the things we do that reflect this history? We will hear directly from an expert in human evolution, visit the newly updated Hall of Human Origins, and have an open discussion on incorporating this understanding in your classroom to promote an integrated worldview in your students.

Museum Facilitators: Alison Sheehan and Ben Taylor

Teacher Facilitator: Dr. Denise Su (Arizona State University)

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ONLINE

OLogy is the American Museum of Natural History's science website (and iPad app) for kids ages 7 and up. OLogy is also a rich online resource filled with videos, readings, hands-on activities, and online games based on the research of Museum scientists and co-developed with educators. In this session, participants will take time to explore digital resources and applications (such as OLogy) and discuss how they might be able to integrate online games thoughtfully in their own lessons or to bookend field trip experiences. Participants will also be introduced to the dynamic learning opportunities that come with using games and gaming principles in their own teaching practice.

Museum Facilitator: John Sapida

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IN PERSON AT THE MUSEUM

Field trips are an important part of the New York City school experience, but planning for them can be stressful! Enter… the Museum and its digital resources! This session is designed to introduce participants to the wealth of digital resources the Museum produces and how they can be utilized for planning and facilitating memorable field trip experiences. We will also discuss place-based learning and reflect on the dos and don’ts of field trips and field trip planning. Finally, we will put both topics together by 1) discussing how to find and use digital resources to enhance pre-visit and post-visit learning and 2) going on a "mini-field trip" around the Museum to demo how participants may use different digital interactives during field trips to the Museum.

Museum Facilitator: John Sapida

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