Teacher Professional Development

The Towson University Center for STEM Excellence is committed to supporting in-service science teachers in Maryland with high-quality professional development experiences. We offer a variety of workshops that help teachers build content knowledge, increase technical skills and explore learner-centered, inquiry-based pedagogy.

Professional Learning Opportunities

elementary Teachers

Harbor Scholars

The Harbor Scholars workshop is designed exclusively for Baltimore City grades 3–5 teachers to explore how to effectively engage their students in action projects as part of the Save the Bay! science unit. Educators learn about critical issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay as well as best practices around engaging students in MWEEs (Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences). Support for Harbor Scholars is provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

For more information about the workshop and to apply, visit Harbor Scholars. 

For questions, email Annemarie McDonald, .

 

secondary science teachers

B′More Secure GenCyber Professional Learning Community

Applications for the 2024–2025 cohort are now open!

Visit GenCyber Train the Trainer to apply!  

The B’More Secure GenCyber program is open to middle and high school Maryland teachers (from any discipline) interested in infusing cybersecurity lessons in their teaching.

The program is designed for teachers with little to no cybersecurity content knowledge. However, teachers with existing cybersecurity content knowledge and teaching experience are welcome to apply, as a focus on the pedagogy of teaching cyber, career connections, and social justice issues related to cybersecurity benefit all teachers.

The program begins with an intensive, in-person Summer Camp at Towson University (June 24–28). During the 2024–2025 school year, participants will implement at least two cybersecurity lessons in their classrooms, participate in virtual meetings and attend a final in-person session in May, 2024.

Funding for this workshop is made possible by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Science in Sync Professional Learning Experience

Open to Maryland STEM teachers of grades 6–12

This workshop has been filled.

The world around us is in constant flux: trees grow new leaves in spring and shed them in autumn, flowers bloom and wither, and our neighborhoods fill with the sounds of birds returning in spring. Phenology is the study of the timing and patterns of events like these in nature, and data collected by volunteer observers (often called citizen science) is essential to phenological research.

The program begins with an in-person summer workshop (July 1–3) where participants will learn from researchers using citizen science data to study animal and plant phenology and understand how human activity is shifting seasonal patterns. We will discuss the biases in citizen science data and explore how identity affects how we all do science, from the questions we ask to our experiences of safety and belonging in the field.

Download the Science in Sync Info Sheet (PDF) for more information about the program.

This program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).