The Teacher Institute (TI) supports teachers to incorporate the hands-on, inquiry-rich experiences of the Exploratorium into their classrooms. TI’s staff of PhD scientists and veteran science educators focus on increasing teacher content knowledge and enhancing their pedagogical skills for facilitating student investigations. TI programs are designed to provide support for teachers wherever they are on the professional learning continuum.
Programs
TI’s Summer Institute is our foundational program that helps teachers develop their skills as facilitators of inquiry-rich, authentic student learning experiences. The Teacher Induction Program supports novice science teachers during the critical first two years in the profession. TI’s Teacher Leadership Program trains experienced science teachers to serve as mentors and coaches for novice teachers. These three intentionally overlapping programs serve an educator community of practice that is supported through weekend workshops, advanced summer institutes, digital resources, and online support. Ongoing research on TI’s work informs the development of programs and contributes to the field’s understanding of teacher learning.
In 2016, the Exploratorium launched an initiative to support teachers across California with NGSS implementation. Learn more about how we support teacher leaders across the state.
Activities
TI has developed more than a thousand classroom activities that encourage both teachers and students to build tabletop versions of Exploratorium exhibits and other hands-on investigations of science. These activities are designed to demonstrate unexpected phenomena, spark curiosity, generate questions, and serve as the starting points for deeper classroom explorations.
Partnerships
TI also disseminates its knowledge and expertise by supporting the needs of individual schools and districts locally and throughout the country. TI supports international efforts to improve science education by providing professional development in formal and informal educational settings around the world. Some of TI’s current partnerships include:
Find out what's behind the Exploratorium's renowned Teacher Institute.