Teacher Professional Development
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education offers a variety of STEM opportunities to equip educators with valuable STEM skills and learning experiences. Our K-12 teacher programs allow educators to research alongside our nation’s leading scientists, explore STEM curriculum resources, and strengthen their classroom instruction.
ORISE provides professional development for teachers who will educate the next generation of STEM leaders. STEM teachers from kindergarten through high school, and others interested in the STEM fields, can choose from a number of professional development opportunities that aim to help educators engage their students across a number of STEM disciplines.
ORISE workshops equip teachers with innovations to inspire STEM learning.
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Design Thinking Basics (Virtual Session)
Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers
In this session, you will learn the basics of the Design Thinking Process and how to apply it in your classroom instruction. Design Thinking teaches innovative problem solving through questioning, feedback, and multiple iterations.
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Give Artificial Intelligence a Try (Virtual Session)
Target Audience: 4th-12th Grade Teachers
Most of us, including our students, interact daily with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology without recognizing it. From Netflix recommendations and targeted ads to email filters and Google navigation, AI has become an integral part of our lives. In this professional development, we will explore fun, interactive ways to introduce and define AI technology with students. No experience or knowledge of AI is necessary for this training.
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Digital Breakouts (Virtual Session)
Target Audience: STEM/Technology K-12th Grade Teachers
Digital Breakouts are a fun way to gamify learning! In this session you will learn how to create easy and engaging digital breakouts using Google Forms and Genially that you can use in your in-person or virtual classes for review, practice, and remediation.
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ORISE Competitions (Virtual Session)
Target audience: K-12th Grade Teachers
This session will serve as an introduction to the ORISE student and teacher competitions that are available free on the website. Student competitions can be utilized as a class activity or extension opportunity. Join me to learn how to maximize this resource to your benefit. You'll walk away with tips and tricks for helping yourself and your students win amazing prizes!
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Intro to Coding and STEM Kits (In-person session)
Target Audience: K-8th Grade Teachers
Don’t be intimidated… no prior experience needed! What is artificial Intelligence? Get your feet wet with Code.org. Learn what resources are available to educators from Civil Air Patrol. Aerospace Education members of Civil Air Patrol are eligible to receive STEM kits and online curriculum resources at no cost. End the day with hands on activities with Bee Bots and Probots.
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Joint Science and Technology Institute East
Target Audience: 9-12th Grade Teachers
The Joint Science and Technology Institute for High School Teachers (JSTI East-T) is a two-week residential STEM research program for current high school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers in the United States and Department of Defense schools around the world. JSTI provides teachers with world–class laboratory research experiences with research scientists. The purpose of this program is to provide opportunities for teachers to learn new skills and conduct STEM research, to learn about new and emerging careers in STEM, and to equip teachers to take the research and innovations in STEM fields back to their classrooms to inspire and encourage the ways in which they teach and their students’ career paths.
Learn more about JSTI East -
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship
Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program provides a unique opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend 11 months working in federal agencies or in U.S. Congressional offices, applying their extensive knowledge and classroom experiences to national education program and/or education policy efforts.
Learn more about Albert Einstein Fellowship
Online professional development courses
These courses are self-guided, autonomous, asynchronous, and designed to take up to four hours to complete. There are no discussion boards, presenter to ask questions, or anyone actively monitoring your progress. Everyone has a different combination of content, context, and student needs that will determine what you take away from these courses. Upon completion of all requirements, you will be able to download a certificate that certifies your completion of the professional development.
Applying Real-World Data in the Classroom with CEDR provides middle and high school teachers with the skills and knowledge to utilize data sets from the Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource (CEDR) in their classrooms. CEDR is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) electronic database comprised of health studies of DOE contract workers and environmental studies of areas surrounding DOE facilities. The data are free to use in your classroom! The lesson plan provided in the course integrates math, biology, American history, and English while using health data from actual workers in Oak Ridge, TN to teach the standards.
Developing Your Students’ Data Literacy Skills helps you identify and incorporate opportunities for your students to practice and hone their data skills. Collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data are key scientific practices that also translate easily into the real world. This course offers methods of data incorporation, outside of actual investigations, that can be utilized quickly and consistently.
Incorporating Inquiry into Your Classroom is supporting and equipping teachers to be able to provide authentic exploration to their students. The purpose of this course is to help you incorporate inquiry into your classroom without rewriting your entire curriculum.