Exploring the world around us

Jamie Tucker “loves the art of teaching,” an art she has practiced for over 10 years. It’s that love for teaching that brings her back year after year for teacher professional development (PD) at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF).

“It gives me a chance to collaborate with other teachers, to hear ideas and just share my ideas,” Tucker said. “[Teacher professional development] really is your foundation. If you don't have a good foundation, nothing you do above that is going to matter.”

Tucker, along with 24 other teachers across South Dakota, spent five days at SURF exploring STEM teaching strategies and how to incorporate them into the classroom. A second teacher professional development workshop, focused on the underpinnings of effective science teaching, was held virtually, with another 25 teachers participating. The workshops provide educators with tools to enhance their teaching methods, learn by doing, and create networks with colleagues, all with the goal of meeting South Dakota education standards.

“We are passionate about science,” said Ashley Armstrong, an education specialist at SURF. “Teachers can go many places to receive information about science content, but don’t always know how to implement that content into the classroom. Our program allows teachers to practice science content with new pedagogy skills.”

SURF’s professional development workshops incorporate three-dimensional teaching and learning, an approach to science teaching that focuses on disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. Using this approach turns students into scientists, allowing them to gain critical thinking skills, design solutions to real-world problems, and make sense of natural phenomena.

“Teachers often see the word ‘phenomena’ as this wild, grandiose thing,” Armstrong said. “We emphasize that it doesn’t have to be grand—it needs to be something students are interested in, something that relates to their world, and gives them a sense of belonging. Phenomena are things they see and find in their everyday world.”

This year’s in-person workshop focused on core engagement—curiosity, originality, relationships, engagement. The E&O team added a fifth letter—'s'—for success.

“We really want teachers to think about what lies at the core of engagement for kids,” said Nicol Reiner, director of Education and Outreach. “We want kids to have a STEM identity that helps them relate healthily to their peers, their teacher, and the content. That begins with getting teachers to embrace the philosophy of 3-D learning—figuring things out versus learning about.”

Sadia Rissi teaches STEM at Bennet County Middle School in Martin, South Dakota. As a first-time attendee, she found the workshop exciting and engaging.

“There's not a lot of professional development for teachers based on STEM,” Rissi said. “I liked the hands-on aspects and getting to experience the curriculum as a student and as a teacher. I think it's going to be really beneficial for my students. I'm excited.”

And that’s the whole purpose of the three-dimensional approach to education. “This approach can be a hard transition for teachers—it’s the opposite of the way they learned and the way they were taught to teach,” Armstrong said. “So, throughout the week, we try to provide teachers with experiences that allow them to be the learner, and then reflect on it as the educator. They tell us, ‘We loved being the student today!’ and ‘It was fun to experience this unit when we didn't have to know everything about it.’”

Like Jamie Tucker, Jesus Garcia has been to several professional developments offered by SURF. An educator in the Rapid City School District, he comes back every year because “it allows you to sharpen your skills and talk to other teachers.

“It's a chance to just go over what you learned over the prior year, to other teachers and say, ‘Hey, here are some ideas.’ ‘Try this.’ ‘Here's another thing.’ ‘Try this.’ ‘Oh, did you try this before?’ ‘No, I haven't, but I'll give her a shot.’ You talk to the groups you're in and refine what you're teaching,” Garcia said. “It's really nice.”

Incorporating new things into the classroom takes time, energy, and resources. “And teachers are already strapped for time,” Armstrong said. “There’s a lot of stuff out there. But when they realize they just need to find something their students can relate to, it’s less intimidating. We always say, ‘Start with one step. You can change one lesson, then later change one more.’ They don’t have to change everything all at once.”

SURF’s E&O team spends hundreds of hours every year planning and implementing Teacher Professional Development. Over the past year, they worked with 400 teachers both at SURF and in conjunction with other organizations, including South Dakota EPSCoR, Black Hills State University, South Dakota State University, Technology & Innovation in Education (TIE), and other groups.

“In every teacher PD there is an incredible number of years of expertise sitting in the room—from across the state. These are folks who love to learn. We want them to know they are important, and they should be supported,” Reiner said.

“We love what we do because teachers are so amazing,” she added. “Our world wouldn't have a future if we didn't have people who were willing to go into the classroom and do the hard things every day. And teaching is hard, but also amazing. I see our work as a service to teachers. They inspire our children—and they inspire us.”

SURF offers many resources for educators. To learn more, visit our K-12 STEM education and teacher professional development pages.

SURF’s Teacher professional development programs are funded in part by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation.