Teacher Professional Development Courses

The Education Department at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden offers several professional development courses to teachers in Miami-Dade county.  The classes focus on botany, ecology and South Florida natural history, and are designed to increase teachers' knowledge and understanding of the importance of plants, plant uses, and habitat conservation. Workshops are conducted using a combination of discussion and hands-on activities, and teachers are provided with materials, resources and curriculum activities to implement in their classrooms. Fairchild works closely with the Miami-Dade County Public School system to make these professional development courses available.

To register, please visit http://calendar.dadeschools.net/.

For more information, contact Alison Walker at awalker@fairchildgarden.org or 305.667.1651 ext. 3440.

2009-2010 Course Schedule

Fairchild Challenge Environmental Action Workshop -  This one-day workshop, offered bi-annually, specifically addresses the Environmental Action option of the Fairchild Challenge. Limited to registered Fairchild Challenge teachers, this workshop will cover the topics of energy usage, water conservation and quality, and urban tree canopy cover, providing hands-on activities and ideas that can be implemented at school, home and in the community. Sept. 26, Oct. 17

School Garden Workshop -  A one-day workshop, offered bi-annually, for teachers creating school gardens. Teachers will learn the basics of planning, designing, and implementing a school garden, as well as how to integrate garden activities into the curriculum. Oct. 3, Dec. 12

South Florida Plants and Ecosystems -  A one-day workshop exploring our local ecology outside of the classroom. This workshop will provide a hands-on approach to understanding Florida native plants and ecosystems, as well as local conservation issues. Nov. 7

Ethnobotany -  A one-day workshop offering a hands-on approach to understanding the cultural and economic value of plants and their importance in our lives. Feb. 6

Basic Botany -  This one-day workshop for elementary school teachers will teach the basics of roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit, emphasizing easy strategies to teach students about plant parts and functions. Mar. 6

Gymnosperm Tree of Life - A one-day workshop designed to build bridges between student knowledge of evolution gained in the classroom and an understanding of the environment around us as a product of evolution.  Instructors from Harvard University, the New York Botanical Garden, the University of Texas, and the University of Maine, will come together to share their knowledge of the evolutionary and ecological events that explain the geographic distribution of a diverse, ancient, and useful group of organisms: the gymnosperms. May 1

Tropical Botany -  A two-week intensive immersion course for K-12 teachers, affectionately known as 'Botany Bootcamp'. June 14-25.

Downloadable Teaching Modules

Tropical Garden article, Winter 2007
Professional Development Annual Report 2008-2009

last updated 2/11/10