Professional Development in EE

AMNH Seminars on Science
Seminars on Science are online courses from the American Museum of Natural History co-taught by an experienced classroom teacher and a research scientist. Courses are offered in sessions and include a range of topics, including The Ocean System, Earth: Inside and Out, Water and more. Courses are $465 plus a $25 one-time registration fee. Graduate credit is available at an additional cost. A $50 discount is offered for early registration.

A&WMA's Teacher Training Resources
The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) believes that environmental education needs to be a continuous process that is both lifelong and forward-looking. At the heart of our teacher-training program are our Environmental Education Resource Guides which provide Air Quality and Nonpoint Source Pollution prevention for grades K-12. View their website for a sample of the presenters manual, free lesson plans, and fact sheets.

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program
Are you ready to share your passion for STEM education on a broader level? Bring that passion to Washington, DC in your role as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow. This prestigious fellowship program brings outstanding K-12 science, technology, engineering and math educators to Washington, DC for a school year to share their practical insights and real world perspectives in offices of Federal Agencies (such as NOAA, NASA and NSF) or on Capitol Hill. As an Einstein Fellow you will receive a monthly stipend, a moving allowance and a travel budget. This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Energy and is managed by Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education.

America Walks Webinars
For teachers and community organizers looking to encourage students to walk and bike to school, the Safe Routes Coaching Action Network is a way for you to learn from people who know how to make things happen. Attend FREE monthly presentations from experts across the country. Get FREE coaching from America Walks organizers with experience in your region.

ARMADA Project
The University of Rhode Island's Office of Marine Programs conducts ARMADA Project-Research and Mentoring Experiences for Teachers.  The ARMADA Project, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides K-12 teachers an opportunity to actively participate in ocean, polar, and environmental science research and peer mentoring. 

Astronomy from the Ground Up
Astronomy from the Ground Up hosts free online workshops for informal science, nature center, and museum educators to provide them with new and innovative ways to communicate astronomy content to their visitors. Thanks to support from the National Science Foundation, the workshops are completely free for participating educators. Training is online or on-site.

Chesapeake Classrooms
This high-quality professional development program from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation equips educators with the knowledge, tools, skills, and confidence to use the local environment in their curriculum.  You'll examine the connections between land use and water quality through hands-on investigations, standards-based activities and assessments, and action projects.  Our on-site instruction takes place at schoolyards, local tributaries, and oftentimes at one of CBF's island educational centers.  Educators can receive recertification or graduate credit for participating. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) BWET Program and the National Geographic Education Foundation.

Earth Expeditions
Earth Expeditions is a global conservation and education program supporting university courses, degree programs, and collaborative projects in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Through Field and Zoo Expedition courses, our mission is to build an alliance of individuals with firsthand knowledge of inquiry-driven, community-based learning for the benefit of ecological communities, student achievement, and global understanding. Earth Expeditions university courses are open to educators from all disciplines and settings.

Earth Gauge Online Weather and Environment Courses
Earth Gauge® is a free environmental information service for broadcast meteorologists in major US media markets, based on the 3-5 day forecast. In partnership with the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education & Training (COMET), Earth Gauge provides a series of free, online courses and training materials that address the connections between weather and environment. Appropriate for adult learners, the courses cover topics including Climate Change, Weather and Health, Weather and the Built Environment and Watersheds.

Earthwatch Education Fellowships
Leave the four walls of your classroom behind and embark upon a unique journey that is sure to transform your life and energize the classroom. As a fellow, you will work side by side with a scientist conducting field research. You will contribute to our understanding of the environment, have a direct impact on urgent challenges, and will ultimately inspire your students and community.

Environmental Concern
Environmental Concern's team of highly qualified wetland educators travel extensively teaching teachers how to bring wetlands alive and into their classrooms. All of their workshops are full of hands-on, inquiry-based cross-curricular activities that can be brought back to the classroom.

Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP)
EETAP is a national leader in the delivery of environmental education training for education professionals.  Their website offers educators information, resources, and links for promoting academic achievement and environmental literacy.  EETAP also offers online professional development courses in environmental education through the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.

GLOBE Program
GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based education and science program. GLOBE promotes and supports students, teachers, and scientists to collaborate on inquiry-based investigations of the environment.

Global Youth Leadership Institute
The mission of the Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI) is to nurture collaborative leadership for global communities and to assist schools in their missions to inspire socially responsible young people. GYLI offers dynamic programs for students and teachers on the topics of global pluarlaism and diversity, native american traditions, environmental awareness, school community partnerships, and the inner calls of teaching and learning.

The Habitable Planet
The Habitable Planet is a multimedia course for high school teachers and adult learners interested in studying environmental science. The site provides access to course content and activities developed by leading scientists and researchers in the field. Videos, interactive online labs, and an online textbook are available.

Introductory Topics in Oceanography
Introductory Topics in Oceanography is a distance learning course designed to equip ocean forecasters and other learners with a solid foundation for more advanced study in oceanography. The course is comprised of three modules, including Introduction to Ocean Tides, Introduction to Ocean Currents and Introduction to Ocean Models. Educators wishing to take the course must register with the COMET program from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Registration is free and can be used to take various COMET modules.

IslandWood Graduate Residency in Education, Environment, and Community
The graduate program at IslandWood, located in Bainbridge Island, WA, is based on the principle that a more sustainable future demands knowledgeable, committed and reflective educators. Each year, IslandWood graduate students live, learn, teach in a spectacular natural setting. Together they explore the meaning and power of education, environment, and community. Students share their knowledge with culturally diverse communities through hands-on teaching experiences.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Ocean Exploration Program Professional Development for Teachers
The NOAA Ocean Exploration Program provides both onsite and online professional development for teachers, including workshops at sites around the country as well as online workshops offered in partnership with the College of Exploration. In addition to workshops, the Ocean Exploration Program provides resources and information about alliances with local aquariums and science centers which offer professional development to teachers.

NOAA Ocean Service Education Professional Development
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Service Education provides teachers with professional development on Corals; Estuaries; Oceans, Weather and Climate; Living in the Weather; Climate; and Problem Based Learning. These resources include lesson plans, background information, resource links, tutorials, archived professional development seminars, media galleries and interactive tools. These resources are designed for teachers of grades 5-12. Many of the resources were created in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

NOAA's Teacher at Sea Program
The mission of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Teacher at Sea (TAS) program is to give teachers a clearer insight into our ocean planet, a greater understanding of maritime work and studies, and to increase their level of environmental literacy by fostering an interdisciplinary research experience. The program provides a unique environment for learning and teaching by sending kindergarten through college-level teachers to sea aboard NOAA research and survey ships to work under the tutelage of scientists and crew. Then, armed with new understanding and experience, teachers bring this knowledge back to their classrooms.

National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats Program
The National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats®Program has assisted over 2800 schools and outdoor education providers nationwide in the development of outdoor habitat areas designed to protect wildlife and enhance the educational experiences of students, teachers and community members.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association Workshops for Educators
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NSEA) offers workshops for K-12 teachers, non-formal educators, school administrators and community mentors on the topics of sustainable energy and green schools. Many of the workshops compliment curricular activities offered by NSEA, including Clean Green Power, Energy Thinking, Green Schools Healthy Schools and Wisdom is in the Wind.

NSTA Science Objects
Science Objects are two hour on-line interactive inquiry-based content modules, developed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), that help teachers better understand the science content they teach. The Science Objects are free online and include such topics as Coral Reef Ecosystems and Ocean's Effect on Weather and Climate.

NSTA Web Seminars
NSTA Web Seminars are 90-minute, live professional development experiences that use online learning technologies to allow participants to interact with nationally acclaimed experts, NSTA Press authors, and scientists, engineers, and education specialists from NSTA partner organizations. Educators use online tools that allow them to mark-up and annotate presenter's slides or share desktop applications in addition to engaging in chat with others online and answering quizzes and poll questions. Seminars may be archived and available for viewing after the live event has occurred.

Ocean's Effect on Climate and Weather: Global Circulation Patterns
This online, interactive, inquiry-based module is designed to help teachers better understand the science behind ocean circulation patterns and the effect oceans have on climate. The module provides a structured set of learning experiences through simulations and practice assessments. The module is appropriate for elementary and middle school teachers and is based on the science literacy goals in the national standards and tied to state standards.

Polar TREC
PolarTREC is an educational research experience, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., in which K-12 teachers participate in polar research, working closely with scientists as a pathway to improving science education.

Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree® is an award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education program for educators and students in Pre K-12. PLT, a program of the American Forest Foundation, is one of the most widely used environmental education programs in the United States and abroad. 

Project WET
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is an award-winning, nonprofit water education program and publisher. The program facilitates and promotes awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom-ready teaching aids and the establishment of internationally sponsored Project WET programs.

Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
The mission of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History is to continue the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson by promoting the teaching and study of nature, thereby creating appreciation and responsibility for the natural world.  Their online Nature Journal course offers educators the opportunity to learn more about nature journaling and how to bring it into the classroom.  Click here to learn more about how to register for one of their classes, or read a few of their Nature Journal Tips right now.

ROLE Model Webinars - Online
COSEE-Ocean Systems offers a Fall series of Research-Based Online Learning Event (ROLE) Model webinars featuring ocean scientists and educators from across the country. Join scientists as they present marine science content through concept-map presentations of their research and hear from educators who've used concept mapping in ther work in innovative ways. The hour-long webinars are free and offer direct access to scientists as well as customizable, take-home resources. 

Seminars on Science
The American Museum of Natural History developed Seminars on Science, its online teacher professional development program, in order to connect teachers across the United States and around the world to cutting-edge research and to provide them with powerful classroom resources. The program consists of eight online graduate courses in the life, Earth, and physical sciences.

Siemens STEM Academy Webinars
The Siemens STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Academy offers a series of webinars on topics such as integrating STEM into everyday classroom learning, using technology as a teaching tool and how to prepare students for science and technology jobs of the 21st century. STEM Academy webinars are free and educators can register online.

Smithsonian Education Online Conferences
Smithsonian Education offers free online conferences for educators on a variety of science and history topics. Access archived versions of past conferences and learn more about upcoming events on the Web site. 

Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program
The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program links National Park units with teachers from low income school districts. Under this program, selected teachers spend the summer working as park rangers, often living in the park. They perform various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special projects.

Teton Science Schools
The Teacher Learning Center of the Teton Science Schools engages teachers, administrators, and life-long learners in professional development opportunities that integrate educational excellence, innovation, leadership and place. Programming opportunities include summer workshops, school consulting in science and place-based education from their expert faculty and individualized programs developed for groups of educators at the Jackson Campus in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Toyota International Teacher Program
The Toyota International Teacher Program is a fully-funded professional development travel program for full-time classroom teachers and teacher-librarians of all subjects in grades 6-12.  The program offers country-specific themes to help educators expand their professional skills, increase cultural awareness, and enhance their understanding of environmental topics.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Online Environmental Education Courses
EETAP and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point offer four online courses for students and professionals in the field of environmental education. Courses aim to improve the planning, implementation, and content of environmental education.