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Professional Development Programs for K-12 Teachers

Promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education among K-12 students is vital to meeting the nation’s needs for workers in the STEM fields. The need for students to be inspired to pursue careers in the STEM fields continues to grow, and ORAU is committed to providing the support necessary to improve education, research and innovation.

Stay tuned for 2024 summer teacher workshops

STEM teachers from Kindergarten through high school, and others interested in the STEM fields, can choose from a number of professional development opportunities provided by ORAU. These summer workshops for teachers are ideal for strengthening lesson plans, learning new tips for student engagement, as well as learning about new technologies for K-12 classrooms.

If you're a teacher looking for information about Extreme Classroom Makeover, please visit the Extreme Classroom Makeover page to learn more about this exciting opportunity to outfit your classroom with the latest tech!

In-person sessions will take place at ORAU in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Virtual sessions will take place via Zoom.

List of Educator Programs

  • ARC Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge

    Target Audience: 9th-12th Grade Teachers

    The ARC Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge is a two-week, residential, hands-on institute sponsored by ARC and ORNL. Teachers participate in research projects with and under the supervision of ORNL scientists.

    image for ARC Appalachian STEM Academy at Oak Ridge educator program
  • Adaptation Exploration

    Target Audience: K-8th Grade Teachers

    Join the team from Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont to get away from your seat and explore outside while encouraging observation, conversation, and reflection. During this session, we’ll put on the learner hat and explore a hands-on, plug-and-play lesson to use in your schoolyard aligned to standards on patterns and adaptations.

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  • Advanced Minecraft in Education New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    The Advanced Minecraft in Education session is an extension of the Minecraft Education - Introduction for Beginners course. In this workshop, we will delve a bit deeper on how to create and host worlds where students can collaborate on projects or work independently.

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  • CODAP and Google Forms New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    In the CODAP and Google Forms workshop, teachers will learn the basics of how to use the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) program and Google Sheets to manipulate data with your students.

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  • Design Thinking Basics New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    In the Design Thinking Basics workshop, teachers 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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  • Digital Breakouts New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    Digital Breakouts are a fun way to gamify learning! In this session, teachers 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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  • Digital Tools for Reflection and Feedback New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    In this session you will learn how to use Seesaw and Flipgrid to facilitate communication, reflection and feedback in your in-person and virtual classrooms.

    image for Digital Tools for Reflection and Feedback  educator program
  • Google Suite Tips and Tricks New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    In the Google Suite Tips and Tricks workshop, you will learn tips and tricks to make your docs, sheets, and slides work better for you and your students. Participants will also look at Canva and how it can be used to make your products look more professional with little effort.

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  • Hands-On Math with Desmos New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    The Desmos activity builder is a fantastic online tool for teachers to create formative assessments and exploratory activities. This workshop will equip teachers with the knowledge of how to access and edit existing activities, as well as how to build new ones from scratch.

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  • Introduction to Coding: Middle School Learning Blade Course

    Target Audience: 5th-9th Grade Teachers

    Explore the new "Intro to Coding" resource in Learning Blade, which is designed to provide an easy way to introduce 5th and 9th grade students to coding. The course contains 20 hours of online and offline student learning including robust teacher lesson plans.

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  • Introduction to Minecraft in Education New

    Target Audience: K-12 Grade Teachers

    The Introduction to Minecraft in Education workshop will introduce the basics of Minecraft Education and how it can be used in nearly any subject and at any grade level.

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  • Learning Blade: Hundreds of Ready-To-Use STEM Lessons for Grades 5-9

    Target Audience: 5th-9th Grade Teachers

    Learning Blade and Career Blade highlight how STEM principles are used to solve real-world problems. In this workshop, you will learn how to navigate the online lessons and offline resources, set up classes, and make a unique plan for implementation in your classroom

    image for Learning Blade: Hundreds of Ready-To-Use STEM Lessons for Grades 5-9 educator program
  • Math & Movement

    Target Audience: K-5th Grade Teachers

    Math & Movement is designed to keep kids feeling good about math. Math & Movement stations use kinesthetic strategies to enhance learning specifically connected to the Common Core math standards.

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  • Minecraft for STEM Education New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    The Minecraft for STEM Education workshop will focus on how students can use Minecraft Education as a STEM tool and how it can easily be used for PBL opportunities. Teachers will learn the successes and roadblocks of piloting Minecraft Education.

    image for Minecraft for STEM Education  educator program
  • More than a Field TripNew

    Target Audience: K-4th Grade Teachers

    Classroom educators know about museums and other places of informal learning as field trip destinations, but these organizations offer so much more for K-12 educators. In this workshop, teachers will learn about examples of services and resources provided by museums, zoos, aquariums, planetariums, and more.

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  • Ready for Industry: Bridge The Gap Between Standard Education and Industry Success New

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    The Tennessee Chamber provide FREE access to Ready for Industry, an online resource that creates a bridge between standard education and the knowledge needed for success in the most in-demand industries. In this workshop, you will learn how to navigate the online lessons, set up classes, and make a unique plan for implementation in your classroom.

    image for Ready for Industry: Bridge The Gap Between Standard Education and Industry Success  educator program
  • Vectors: Concepts and Technologies to Improve Comprehension by Appealing to Vectors' Geometrical Nature

    Target Audience: 6th-12th Grade Physics, Math, and Physical Science Teachers

    This workshop proposes a novel and unified teaching approach by relating a vector’s abstract nature of magnitude and direction to its geometric nature as length and unit vector.

    image for Vectors: Concepts and Technologies to Improve Comprehension by Appealing to Vectors' Geometrical Nature  educator program
  • Wishes Granted: Finding Grants for Your Classroom

    Target Audience: K-12th Grade Teachers

    Have you ever wondered how to write a grant? Whether private or public, there is money out there waiting for you! This workshop will share tips, tricks, and how to spend just one weekend a year on grant writing.

    image for Wishes Granted: Finding Grants for Your Classroom educator program

Impact Areas

Contact us

For more information about K-12 educator professional development, please contact K12@orau.org.