Teacher Institute
Our Mission
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute (TI) has been the professional development home for middle school and high school science teachers since 1984.
TI offers a rich mix of hands-on activities based on Exploratorium exhibits, content-based discussions, classroom materials, Web-based teaching resources, and machine shop experiences.
We offer summer institutes and district-wide in-service programs for both new and experienced teachers. Our growing family of alumni may also attend a variety of Saturday workshops. All program participants are provided with stipends for attending our institutes and workshops.
For more information, see our Teacher Institute brochure [PDF].
If you are a middle school or high school science or mathematics teacher, we have something for you: Immerse yourself in the Exploratorium’s philosophy of inquiry-based, hands-on teaching by attending one of our Summer Institutes.
Now accepting applications for 2012 Summer Institutes.
Apply Online >> All applications are due on March 1, 2012.
Alumni Workshops
Summer Alumni Institutes and Saturday workshops are available to alumni of the Teacher Institute. Spring Workshops for 2012 are now available. Go to the Alumni page for more details and to sign up online for institutes and workshops.
Spring 2012 Workshops for Middle School and High School Science Teachers
This series is funded by the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
To sign up for a workshop, please e-mail Lexie at lwaite@exploratorium.edu
2/18/12: Delta Discovery Voyage (1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.)
Join the Teacher Institute and Marine Science Institute (www.sfbaymsi.org) on MSI’s Delta Discovery Voyage. Come explore this vital part of California’s watershed through hands-on experiences while cruising on the Marine Science Institute’s 90-foot research vessel. In addition to collecting and studying water samples, plankton, sediments, and fish, we will focus on understanding the importance of the Delta’s important freshwater ecosystem, current threats to the Delta, and California's many water use issues. This workshop meets in Contra Costa County. Details will be sent to those who sign up.
3/17/12: Tides and Currents and Sediments, Oh My! (8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute teams up with Literacy for Environmental Justice (www.lej.org) for a Saturday morning at Heron’s Head Park. We’ll explore the park’s wetlands to observe the tides, and make models of Paul Doherty’s Tide-o-Matic to help explain two of the two hundred factors affecting tidal motion. Learn how bay geology affects our tides and currents, and how tides and currents affect the transport and deposition of sediments and pollutants. Discover the toxic legacy of various parts of San Francisco Bay, including the Bayview/Hunter'sPoint area. This workshop meets at the EcoCenter in Heron’s Head Park in southeast San Francisco. Details will be sent to those that sign up.
4/21/12: What’s the Water Say about What’s Happening in the Bay? (8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)
Join the Exploratorium Teacher Institute and our partners from the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) and Romberg Tiburon Center (RTC) for a morning exploring water quality in the bay. We’ll collect our own water quality data using specialized science equipment and learn how to supplement these data with NERR’s online data. NERR’s estuary-related curriculum resources will also be introduced. RTC is San Francisco State University’s estuarine and marine research center. We’ll get a bigger picture of what’s happening in our bay by collecting data, using hands-on activities, and using free online data and other resources! This workshop meets at the RTC research site in Tiburon. Directions will be sent to those who sign up.
Teacher Induction Program
The Teacher Induction Program consists of a two-year Beginning Teacher Program for novice science teachers, and a two-year Leadership Program that trains experienced teachers to be mentors and coaches of the new teachers.
Beginning Teacher Program
Enhance your knowledge of science while learning how to bring the Exploratorium’s inquiry-based, hands-on philosophy of teaching into your classroom by participating in our Beginning Teacher Program.
Leadership Program
Are you interested in mentoring or coaching new teachers? Find out about our Leadership Program. The Teacher Induction Program Overview describes our experience with the Beginning Teacher Program and the Leadership Program in detail, with an emphasis on the Leadership Program, in the hope that it will be useful to other programs that train and support mentors.
The Teacher Institute currently has three podcast series for science teachers that will inform and entertain you.
Teacher Institute Teaching Tips
A series of almost 70 five-minute episodes that include activities, science history, pedagogy tips, and “first year” teaching stories.TI’s Summer Institutes
Hear about the Summer Institute experience from the directors of TI and from participating teachers.SmallTalk
SmallTalk is a series of five episodes about nanotechnology featuring leading scientists, writers, and visionaries. Each episode is about 20–30 minutes long.
Science Snacks
Our popular Science Snacks provide instructions for building classroom versions of Exploratorium exhibits.
Exploratorium Science Snackbook
This new edition offers instructions for building more than 100 classroom-sized science exhibits from everyday materials.
Meet the Staff
Find out more about the staff at the Teacher Institute and their interests.
For general inquiries, E-mail us at teacherinstitute@exploratorium.edu
