EDUCATOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Courses are open to all educators and other professionals. Students enrolled in the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) Master’s degree or other students taking the courses for credit will be given priority enrollment. If there is space in the course, Washington state-approved clock hours will be available to those participants not taking the course for credit. The April course is presented with support from National Geographic. The courses are held at Woodland Park Zoo (unless otherwise noted) and include presentations by guest speakers, tours of zoo grounds, group discussions and hands-on activities.
All courses, except the March course, are offered as part of the Advanced Inquiry Program Master's degree.
Perspectives in Environment & Culture: Birds
Global Biomes: Biomes of Asia
Earth Expedition - Borneo: Primate Conservation
Foundations of Inquiry
Engaging Communities in Conservation Solutions
Northwest Wildlife Conservation
Perspectives in Environment & Culture: Birds
Saturday, April 27, 2013 (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Woodland Park Zoo) and Monday, April 29, 2013 (7:00 – 9:30 p.m. for the National Geographic Live presentation “Birds of Paradise” with Tim Laman and Ed Scholes at Benaroya Hall, Seattle www.nglive.org/seattle)
Credit: 1 graduate semester credit
Cost:
Course fee for credit: $100 Woodland Park Zoo course fee + $185 Miami University course fee covers the cost of credit and course administration for 1 graduate semester credit, including zoo admission, access to National Geographic Live programs and resources, materials and snacks.
Course fee for clock hours/audit: $100 Woodland Park Zoo course fee. Zoo fees cover zoo admission, access to National Geographic Live program and resources, materials, snacks and clock hours.
Clock hours: 9.5 clock hours will be available
Registration: Online registration opens Monday, October 1, 2012
Registration due dates: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 (for those taking the course for credit). Monday, April 15, 2013 (for all others).
This course will examine the ecological and cultural connections between people and birds. In addition to exploring connections between birds and people in the Pacific Northwest, we will examine birds of paradise and cultures of New Guinea as case studies. This course includes the National Geographic Live evening presentation, “Birds of Paradise” with Tim Laman, photographer, and Ed Scholes, ornithologist. Laman and Scholes will share stories from their countless hours spent high in the treetops of New Guinea forests documenting the extravagant plumage, dazzling courtship dances and bizarre behaviors of birds of paradise. We will also explore the connections between birds of paradise and indigenous customs in New Guinea as well as how these birds were impacted by global wildlife trade. These case studies will shed light on the importance of wildlife in human culture and the relevance of these relationships for wildlife study and conservation. Those participants taking the course for credit will complete web-based coursework from mid-January through mid-May.
back to top
Global Biomes: Biomes of Asia
Saturday, May 11, 2013 (8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Woodland Park Zoo)
Credit: 1 graduate semester credit
Cost:
Course fee for credit: $100 Woodland Park Zoo course fee + $185 Miami University course fee covers the cost of credit and course administration for 1 graduate semester credit, including zoo admission, materials and snacks.
Course fee for clock hours/audit: $70 Woodland Park Zoo course fee. Zoo fees cover zoo admission, materials, snacks and clock hours.
Clock hours: 7 clock hours will be available
Registration: Online registration opens Monday, October 1, 2013
Registration due dates: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 (for those taking the course for credit). Monday, May 6, 2013 (for all others)
The biomes of Asia—montane habitats, tropical rain forests and tropical dry forests, grasslands and wetlands—host a great diversity of wildlife, including some of the most charismatic and endangered animals on earth, such as elephants, cranes, otters, snow leopards and tigers. This course explores the diversity of Asian biomes, with a focus on the roles of key species in different ecosystems and conservation efforts to ensure their continued survival. Participants will learn about current conservation issues in Asia as well as strategies for empowering students to help ensure the persistence of the diverse wildlife and habitats of Asia. Those participants taking the course for credit will complete web-based coursework from mid- January through late May.
back to top
Earth Expedition - Borneo: Primate Conservation
Section I: June 10-June 20, 2013
Section II: June 21-July 1, 2013
Join Woodland Park Zoo and Project Dragonfly at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for an Earth Expedition to Borneo in Southeast Asia! This program is focused on primate conservation with an emphasis on building an alliance of individuals with firsthand knowledge of inquiry-driven, community-based learning for the benefit of ecological communities, student achievement, and global understanding. The course will be available for 7 graduate credits through Miami University at a substantially reduced course fee.
back to top
Foundations of Inquiry
Online registration opens Monday, April 1, 2013
Monday, July 15 to Friday, July 19, 2013 (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each day)
Credit: 3 graduate semester credits
Cost: $330 Woodland Park Zoo course fee + $500 Miami University course fee covers the cost of credit and course administration for 3 graduate semester credits. Zoo fees cover zoo admission, materials, snacks and clock hours.
Clock hours: 30 clock hours will be available
Registration due dates: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (for those taking the course for credit). Friday, July 5, 2013 (for all others)
This course will engage participants in exploring the foundations of inquiry-based teaching and learning while gaining a new familiarity with Woodland Park Zoo as an informal science education setting. Through making observations on zoo grounds, developing comparative questions, devising investigations to answer those questions and communicating results, participants will experience the full process of inquiry and will learn how to guide this process with students. This type of first-hand, experiential learning encourages independent and critical thinking, increasing students’ awareness and concern for the local environment and its inhabitants. We will engage in activities that demonstrate the applications of inquiry in the classroom, on zoo grounds, in the schoolyard and other outdoor settings. We will discuss case studies that illustrate the use of inquiry to improve student learning and engage students as leaders in their communities. Participants will come away with information and techniques for applying inquiry in classroom and informal education settings, developing inquiry skills in students and assessing inquiry-based learning. Those participants taking the course for credit will complete web-based coursework from early June through mid-August.
back to top
Engaging Communities in Conservation Solutions
Online registration opens Monday, April 1, 2013
Monday, July 29 to Friday, August 2, 2013 (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. each day)
Credit: 3 graduate semester credits
Cost: $330 Woodland Park Zoo course fee + $500 Miami University course fee covers the cost of credit and course administration for 3 graduate semester credits. Zoo fees cover zoo admission, materials, snacks and clock hours.
Clock hours: 30 clock hours will be available
Registration due date: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (for those taking the course for credit). Friday, July 5, 2013 (for all others)
Get involved in conservation solutions in your own community and around the world! In this course participants will consider local and global conservation issues affecting wildlife, and then focus in on three major opportunities for educators and students to take action: 1) reducing our carbon footprints to slow the impacts of global climate change, 2) making sustainable consumer choices to conserve resources and support wildlife conservation, and 3) engaging in place-based education to understand and care for the natural world in our own backyards. Participants will come away with a solid understanding of current issues facing wildlife and strategies for empowering communities to generate solutions and take action. Those participants taking the course for credit will complete web-based coursework from early June through mid-August.
back to top
Northwest Wildlife Conservation
Online registration opens Monday, April 1, 2013
Monday, August 12 to Friday, August 16, 2013
(8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. August 12 at Woodland Park Zoo, all day/overnight August 13, 14 and 15 in the field, return to Seattle by 5 p.m. August 16)
Credit: 3 graduate semester credits
Cost: $630 Woodland Park Zoo course fee + $500 Miami University course fee covers the cost of credit and course administration for 3 graduate semester credits. Zoo fees cover zoo admission, materials, most meals (three lunches are on your own), transportation, lodging and clock hours.
Clock hours: 35 clock hours will be available
Registration due date: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (for those taking the course for credit). Monday, July 15, 2013 (for all others)
Through both zoo-based and field-based experiences, this course will explore wildlife conservation issues in the Pacific Northwest as well as field investigation techniques that scientists and citizens alike can use to study and conserve our local ecoregions and wildlife. During a day at Woodland Park Zoo, we will explore the fascinating animals and plants of Washington’s Columbia Plateau ecoregion through presentations, activities and observations of animals on zoo grounds. Over the next three and a half days (three nights), we will explore the Columbia Plateau in the field, focusing on case studies of wildlife conservation efforts, including pygmy rabbit recovery, raptor research and conservation, and ecological monitoring. Participants will practice three types of field investigations that provide rigorous, engaging inquiry experiences: descriptive studies, comparative studies and correlative studies. Field investigations contribute to scientific knowledge by describing natural systems, noting differences in habitats and identifying environmental trends and issues. These methods align the broader range of contemporary field science practices with national and state science standards. Those participants taking the course for credit will complete web-based coursework from early June through early November.
back to top