Teaching Strategies

Moving students beyond rote memorization and fostering genuine inquiry and sense-making can be challenging. Our course supports educators in this journey, guiding them to become facilitators of student-driven exploration. Throughout the course, participants engage in hands-on explorations of phenomena, learning how to guide students in constructing, evaluating, and refining ideas. Participants learn to critically assess and redesign curricular materials to maximize student proficiency in science and math practices. Participants emerge with a newfound perspective on science and math education, equipped with tools and strategies to redefine their classrooms as vibrant hubs of exploration. They leave with a deepened appreciation for the transformative power of student-led inquiry and a renewed commitment to cultivating critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

Facilitating successful collaborative groupwork in science and math education can be challenging due to difficulties in crafting collaboration-dependent tasks, ensuring focused productivity, and addressing workload and participation imbalances among students. Our course, designed for educators dedicated to enhancing math and science engagement, introduces Complex Instruction (CI) as a research-backed instructional strategy. Participants will delve into strategies to improve collaboration through groupwork, learning how to address common pitfalls while engaging students with challenging content. By the end of the course, teachers will possess a toolkit of strategies to improve group dynamics, foster participation, and deepen student engagement in collaborative settings. Armed with these skills, participants will be equipped to create collaborative learning environments where every student can thrive, ultimately shaping the next generation of scientists and mathematicians who value and excel in teamwork.

Are you excited to help students explore real-world connections between math, science, and engineering, but worried that you already have too much content to cover? Engineering doesn’t need to be an “extra” in STEM -- instead it can be embedded into your current content teaching to promote relevance, engagement, and 21st century skills. Learn how to plan and facilitate engineering design challenges that inspire your students to learn and apply math and science concepts as they solve real-world problems. Participants will engage as learners in engineering design challenges that span STEM subject areas, and will develop skills for teaching engineering in your classroom. Using tools for developing your own design challenges, participants will build an NGSS-aligned framework for using the engineering design process in your classroom.

In this workshop, teachers will explore a life science phenomenon to develop an understanding of how the practices of questioning, modeling, and data analysis support students in building content knowledge. Together teachers will consider places in their curriculum where phenomena and science practices can support students in building content knowledge.

Understanding math and science enables citizens to make critical, informed decisions that support individual wellbeing and civic participation. We see project-based learning (PBL) as a highly effective way to address these challenges. In order to harness the potential of these courses to improve the lives of all students, teachers need specialized support in leveraging PBL in math and science. Come learn with us about some of the basics of PBL, such as entry events, end products, checkpoints, and other core components. Walk away with the next steps to begin implementing PBL in your class.

Designing and modifying engaging learning experiences for students that are accessible, rigorous, and effective in strengthening students’ conceptual understanding can be challenging. Our course is designed for educators and equips participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to modify and implement learning experiences that cater to all students’ needs while promoting a deeper conceptual understanding of the content. Participants will learn strategies to orchestrate productive classroom discussions, ensuring that all students actively participate in authentic mathematics and science practices. By the end of the course, participants will apply a framework that will support them in creating engaging learning environments where every student sees themselves as capable “doers” of math and science.

Wednesdays, September 24 – October 29, 2025

What was groupwork like for you when you were a student? Do you want it to look similar or different? Are you enthusiastic about the idea of your students working in groups? In this workshop, teachers will learn how to leverage groupwork to provide students with more learning opportunities. Teachers will gain insights into productive groupwork while reflecting on their current groupwork practices. Facilitated by experienced teachers, participants will leave with small, practical changes that can be implemented to make groupwork structures more productive for all students.

In this workshop, teachers will learn how high cognitive demand tasks increase opportunities for students to access learning. Teachers will explore ways of modifying tasks to increase students' abilities to engage in sensemaking. This workshop will assist teachers in gaining the knowledge and confidence needed to design and modify tasks for their math classrooms to engage more learners.

Discover how AI can enhance your teaching practice.  In this workshop, you’ll explore practical applications of AI tools that can support both classroom instruction and behind-the-scenes tasks like lesson planning. We'll provide hands-on opportunities to engage with AI and consider how it can be adapted to your specific teaching context. Whether you're just starting out or looking to deepen your AI literacy, you'll leave equipped with tools and strategies to confidently incorporate AI into your teaching.