Professional Development Opportunities/Workshops

Throughout the school year, the Saint Louis Zoo Education Department can provide tailor-made professional development opportunities to enhance your science curriculum and help you meet your students' needs. Perhaps you are using a textbook and wish to find additional hands-on or inquiry-based activities, or you need supplemental information to properly address Missouri Grade Level Expectations. Maybe you have a kit-based curriculum and need professional development on kit use. The Zoo staff will work with your school or district to provide materials, programs, and training to meet your specific needs.

The Zoo Education Department staff is experienced in providing programs that blend content, methods, and student activities into cross-curricular activities that connect literacy, math, art and social sciences to science topics. Each workshop is designed to improve teacher confidence and raise comfort levels. Groups requesting workshops will need to provide detailed information about their needs in order to properly focus the professional development. All teacher workshops address applicable Missouri Grade Level Expectations.

Available Topics
Adaptations
Animal Behavior
Animal Groups
Biodiversity
Biomes, Ecosystems, & Communities
Classification
Conservation
Ecology
Evolution & Natural Selection
Food Chains & Food Webs
Habitat & Niche
Inquiry
Life Cycles
Organisms & Populations
Others possible upon request

Frameworks Addressed
III. Living Systems
IV. Ecology
VII. Scientific Inquiry

Professional Development Fees

These professional development opportunities range in cost from $50 to $100 dollars per contact hour (plus travel costs-if applicable). The fee for these programs depends on materials, participant numbers, and presentation methods. Sessions can run from 2 to 6 hours in length, depending on the need. Multiple day sessions can also be arranged for a more in-depth experience. Please call (314) 646-4561 for more information.