Professional Learning Opportunities

This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

Field trips to the Museum create opportunities for students to explore real objects and connect classroom curriculum to the world outside the school. In this session, field trip support staff will guide participants in designing a field trip that is accessible, engaging, and centered on school standards and student curiosity.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

Bird nests have attracted human interest throughout history, both for their beauty and for their importance to birds' life cycles. Although we may know more about birds than any other group of animals, there is still a lot to discover about these wonders of animal architecture, such as the extent to which nest building is based on instinct or reason. In this workshop, participants will engage with the remarkably realistic dioramas and the nest collection in the Education Collection to learn about the diversity of nests through the lens of ecology and evolution.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

Wonder is lurking right in our backyard. We will explore the new Pollinator Garden on the Museum's terrace and use the iNaturalist tool to identify and document urban biodiversity. Back in the classroom, we'll generate ideas on how to support pollinators in our own school yard habitats. Along our journey we will learn a little about the history of science and ecology and dive into the complex food webs that connect the world around us.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

An often overlooked and excluded tenet of the Nature of Science (NOS) is how creativity and imagination are integral to its practice and development of knowledge. However, the psychological safety and well-being required for accessing these cognitive gifts can sometimes be lost amongst the noise and distractions of the classroom. Until we, as educators, emphasize wellbeing and introspection in our own lives, we cannot curate an environment of creativity and contemplation in our classrooms.  In this workshop, teachers will experience firsthand how grounding exercises and mindfulness can enhance inclusivity & creativity. Through guided meditation in the Museum Halls, exploration of scientific artifacts and reflection, teachers will learn grounding exercises to enhance inclusivity & creativity.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

Students bring rich knowledge from home-family stories, traditions, and lived experience with the natural world- into the science classroom. This session moves beyond using that knowledge as a mere engagement hook, exploring how teachers can authentically build on it to shape instruction, deepen learning, and affirm students as knowledge holders in their own right.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

We sing “This land is my land,” but do our students actually know what this entails? In this session, teachers will identify ways in which Indigenous funds of knowledge can be used to inform students’ relationship to land and practices in their own environments. We will explore the Hall of North American Forests with a critical eye toward the language used to describe Indigenous agriculture and forestry, and ways of connecting our students to their urban ecosystems. We will then reimagine classroom-based strategies around how we teach/talk about agriculture and forestry and encourage a sense of ownership and accountability over our lands.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

Research indicates that on average, museum visitors spend 30 seconds in front of an exhibit. In this session, teachers will participate in an immersive experience in the Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation focused on helping learners slow down on Museum field trips as a means of building descriptive language, practicing empathy, and connecting with themselves and their peers.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

This session will discuss how we interact with accessibility on a daily basis and how the Museum addresses its commitment to accessibility. The session aims to introduce educators to the Museum’s resources and reasonable accommodations that educators can access especially when needed during field trips and pre-field trip planning, including, but not limited to: sensory resources, social narratives, audio descriptions, captioning, tactile objects, and more.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.
 

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

The natural world is full of examples of things that reflect our lived experiences and identities. We will showcase and explore the gender and sexuality spectrum within our biodiverse world and histories. Teachers will engage with museum resources, conversation, and reflection to inform their classroom practices.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.
 

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This session will be held onsite at the American Museum of Natural History.

During this session, participants will explore the usage of literacy strategies and storytelling in an elementary science classroom and beyond. With a mix of picture books and museum dioramas, participants will engage in the stories of science and nature while considering how to apply this to their classrooms. Participants will have opportunities to build connections between science, engineering practices and literacy skills.

Please note: This session includes collaborative learning activities in small groups.  We ask that attendees come prepared to participate actively in these activities to the best of their ability.
 

Apply Here  »