Teacher Professional Development Workshops

Teacher Workshops at the Denver Zoo help you connect your classroom to the wonder of animals, life science, and the natural world.

All workshop participants receive graduate-level relicensure credit through the Colorado School of Mines.  Registration for all teacher workshops are processed online through the Denver Zoo. 

Course Title: Consciousness and Cognition: Exploring Animal Intelligence (NEW!)
Grades: PreK-12
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2010
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Tuition:  $90 (includes CSM fee for 0.5 credit)
Denver Zoo takes you inside the animal mind to explore the fascinating question of animal intelligence. Can animals actually apply insight to problem-solving? Do they reflect on the past and worry about the future? Are they capable of recognizing their own mortality? This workshop uses Zoo tours, live animal demonstrations and the latest in scientific research to explore the intriguing subject of animal intelligence, emotion, and self-awareness.

Course Title: Reptiles Revealed
Grades: Teachers PreK-Grade 12
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Tuition:  $90 (includes CSM fee for 0.5 credit and curriculum resource CD)
Come bask in the warmth of the Zoo’s Tropical Discovery as you explore the scaly secrets of reptiles! In this workshop, you will explore themes of diversity, interdependence of life, and natural selection. You’ll also meet amazing live animals, discover why reptiles have fascinated us throughout human history, and learn how we all can help protect reptiles and their habitat.

Course Title: Global Connections: Forests of the World (with Project Learning Tree)
Grades: Teachers Grades 6-12, and/or Science & Social Studies Specialists
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Tuition:  $90 (includes CSM fee for 0.5 credit and PLT curriculum module)
Explore the world’s diverse forests, and help your students apply higher order thinking skills while as they investigate world forestry issues and conduct service learning action projects. Set at Denver Zoo, this session of Project Learning Tree’s Forests of the World includes live animal experiences that bring the biodiversity of forest ecosystems to life.

Course Title: APE-ril for Educators: All About Primates
Grades: Teachers PreK-Grade 12
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Tuition:  $90 (includes CSM fee for 0.5 credit and curriculum resource CD)
Come discover the unique intelligence and astounding adaptations of primates. This workshop will include an up-close & personal look at the zoo’s great ape exhibit, enhanced by the expertise of our primate specialists. These amazing monkeys and apes will be our window into the fascinating world of animal behavior, social organization, and global conservation.

Course Title: Our Colorado Story: the Intersection of Nature and Culture
Grades: Teachers Grades 4-8, and/or Science & Social Studies Specialists
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010
Time: 8 am – 4 pm
Tuition:  $100 (includes CSM fee for 0.5 credit and curriculum resource CD)
Denver Zoo and the Museum of Nature and Science unite to offer you an unforgettable learning experience!  Bring home innovative ways to teach students to appreciate our state’s amazing biodiversity and landscape. Guided tours of both the Museum and the Zoo, along with live animal experiences, round out the day.

Register here for one of our Teacher Workshops.

For assistance or more information, please call 303-376-4808.