Miami Universitty (Hefner Zoology Museum)

Purpose: Expanding Educational Services The GREEN Teachers Institute (GTI) is a series of professional development programs conducted through the Hefner Zoology Museum. GTI's newest offering, Museum Resources for Teachers, will use the Hefner Zoology Museum exhibits and collections to help elementary school teachers develop lesson plans and activities. At a two-week summer workshop, teachers will increase their knowledge of biological, ecological, and environmental concepts and gain skills outside of the traditional classroom. Students will later benefit as teachers implement lesson plans and activities based on the museum's exhibits are brought back to the formal classroom. During the school year, teachers will bring students to the museum to take part in activities. Two follow-up sessions will be scheduled for participants to discuss student reaction and make revisions to the plans. At the Program's end, the participants will assemble the activities in a teacher's resource guide for non-formal settings. The guide will be published online and in print.