The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) annually hosts a Summer Teacher Institute where groups of dedicated educators spend six days at the Detroit Zoo, revitalizing their teaching methods and building a diverse professional network at the wildest place in town.

The DZS education team will once again be joined this summer by Rebecca Dyasi, a national expert in inquiry-based learning and a master of science concepts and content, to co-facilitate the two-week workshop. Rebecca challenges workshop participants to ask questions, make observations and verbalize their learning experience before helping them connect what they’re doing to state-mandated curriculum. The teachers have an opportunity to be learners, novices, experts and mentors all during the same workshop.

Last year, workshop participants planned and conducted investigations on plants, pollinators, animal behavior, the properties of water and more. Each discovery led to more questions and excitement as participants explored the Zoo’s 125 acres and collected data. Small groups of teachers worked together to analyze their data and share results through short presentations, reinforcing what they learned and experienced.

After the workshop, the network of educators can stay in contact through webinars and in-person gatherings. Having a community of professionals to support each other through the challenges of transitioning from a traditional classroom model to one that is more student-driven greatly increases the success rate. Last year, many of the teachers continued to work with the DZS education team and brought their students to the Zoo for a Learning Lab and Zoo experience in the fall and winter, capitalizing on a time when crowds are lower and animals are often more active.

The 2018 institute will be held July 24-26 and July 31-August 2. Space is limited; for more information or to register, click here.

– Claire Lannoye-Hall is a curator of education for the Detroit Zoological Society.