Teacher Professional Development

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, amcdonald AT_TOWSON.

B'More Codes HiTech Loaner Lab

The B’More Codes HiTech Loaner Lab provides middle and high school STEM teachers with the opportunity to borrow free class sets of programmable robots. Teachers must complete a professional development workshop in order to be eligible to borrow the kits.

The professional development program includes two in-person sessions and a follow up virtual session. During the workshop, participating teachers will have the opportunity to learn about computational thinking concepts, practice using programmable robots, and collaborate with other STEM teachers. 

Learn more about the HiTech Loaner Lab and sign up.

Email with questions.

B′More Secure GenCyber Professional Learning Community

The application period is now closed. 

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

Maryland Loaner Lab Training Workshop

Our Maryland Loaner Lab (MDLL) program offers secondary science teachers kits of materials that include equipment, reagents and lessons. We ship the materials directly to your classroom; you send them back to us when you’re done.  

In order to borrow MDLL kits, teachers must attend a one-time training workshop. Complete an interest form to receive information about the next MDLL training workshop. 

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).