Upcoming Professional Development

Contact Thea Keppel at keppeltm01@buffalostate.edu with any questions or concerns regarding event registration

Buffalo Math Collaborative
Dr. Kara Imm

A professional learning community of K- 9 teachers and leaders, across grand bands, schools, and districts who come together to:

  • Design learning experiences for kids, study them in real time, and reflect on what and how mathematical learning is happening
  • Deepen the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge needed for teaching (our own mathematics + how children make sense of mathematics)
  • Share ideas in a space designed to build on teachers’ love of kids and math (#lovekidslovemath)
  • Provide a model for empowering our students mathematically through cognitively demanding tasks and routines that feature equitable access and that foster student agency, ownership, and identity. 
BMC meeting locations:
  • Willow Ridge Elementary
  • Union East Elementary
  • Maryvale Middle School
  • Amherst Middle School
  • Sweet Home Middle School
  • Cleveland Hill Middle School
Dates: Weeks of 10/27, 1/26, 3/16, and 5/18

Buffalo Math Collaborative Flyer

Chautauqua Math Collaborative
Dr. Kara Imm

A professional learning community of teachers and leaders, across grade bands, schools, and districts who come together to:

  • Design learning experiences for kids, study them in real time, and reflect on what and how mathematical learning is happening
  • Deepen the mathematical pedagogical content knowledge needed for teaching (our own mathematics + how children make sense of mathematics)
  • Share ideas in a space designed to build on teachers’ love of kids and math (#lovekidslovemath)
  • Provide a model for empowering our students mathematically through cognitively demanding tasks and routines that feature equitable access and  foster student agency, ownership, and identity. 
Location: Falconer Central School District
Dates: Thursdays, October 30th, January 29th, March 19th, and May 21st

Chautauqua Math Collaborative Flyer

Global Change Ecology: Species Invasion, Climate Change, and Habitat Loss 
Dr. Robert Warren

This minicourse investigates how global change drivers—including species invasions, climate change and habitat degradation—reshape the ecological interactions that underpin biodiversity. Attention is given to both mutualisms and antagonisms, highlighting examples such as disrupted pollination synchrony, altered herbivore–plant associations, novel allelopathic competition and cascading trophic effects of invasive species. Emphasis is placed on identifying the resilience and vulnerability of these relationships under shifting environmental conditions, and on exploring the broader consequences for community structure, ecosystem function and evolutionary trajectories.

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 169
Dates: Thursdays, October 23rd and November 6th, 5pm - 8pm

Global Change Ecology Minicourse Registration

Global Change Ecology Minicourse Flyer

Streamline Your Teacher Life with AI Tools!
Mary Howard

Reclaim your time and reduce your workload by Streamlining Your Teacher Life with AI Tools!    This mini-course provides hands-on, practical examples designed specifically for educators. Across three engaging sessions, you’ll learn how to integrate artificial intelligence tools to save time, spark creativity, and supercharge your classroom.

Whether you’re creating lesson plans, grading, communicating with families, or designing student activities, AI can help you work smarter, not harder.

What You'll Learn:
✅ How to use AI for planning, differentiation, and content creation
✅ Time-saving hacks for grading, feedback, and classroom communication
✅ Tools for designing visuals, assessments, and engaging student materials
✅ Responsible and ethical AI use in education

Walk away with ready-to-use examples, templates, and confidence to put AI to work for you. Perfect for teachers of all grade levels and content areas with no tech expertise required!

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259
Dates: Wednesdays October 29th, November 5th, November 12th; 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

AI Tools Minicourse Registration

AI Tools Minicourse Flyer

Physics Teacher Outreach

Explore the science and safety engineering behind automotive airbags while experiencing a range of engaging physics demonstrations created by students. Participants will examine real airbag components, learn how accelerometers and onboard computers trigger deployment, and connect these systems to physics concepts such as momentum and impulse. The session includes observing live airbag deployments, analyzing venting and energy transfer, and discussing real-world safety implications for drivers and first responders.
In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to see a selection of creative physics demos developed by students, originally showcased to the public during a two-week exhibit at the Buffalo Science Museum. These demonstrations highlight exciting physics phenomena and provide inspiration for hands-on classroom activities. 
 

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 357
Date: Saturday, November 8th; 9am - 12:00pm 

Physics Teacher Outreach Registration

Physics Teacher Outreach Flyer

November Cohort Meeting

Location: Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Ave, Buffalo, NY 14211
Date: Saturday, November 15th; 9:00am - 12:00pm 

November Cohort Meeting Registration

Exploring Electricity with WhyMaker and NYPA

As science educators in the Buffalo Master Teachers Program, you’ll dive into a rich, standards-aligned session designed to meet the three-dimensional framework of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the New York State P‑12 Science Learning Standards. We’ll explore how electricity is generated, used, and wasted, then engage your students with a hands-on dark-detecting circuit activity that embodies both disciplinary core ideas and engineering design practices. You’ll leave equipped with classroom-ready materials, meaningful real-world connections (including green-energy careers), and strategies to support all learners in making sense of energy systems, efficiency, and sustainability.
 

Location: Northland Workforce Training Center, 683 Northland Ave, Buffalo, NY 14211
Date: Saturday, November 15th; 12:30pm - 1:30pm 

Exploring Electricity Workshop Registration

Exploring Electricity Workshop Flyer

Happy Classroom Workshop
Facilitated by Ariana Ausiano

The science is there - happiness and success go hand in hand, but our classrooms and public schools generally do not prioritize student happiness. How can teachers make their classrooms feel less like a prison and more like a safe place where happiness is allowed?  Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. Evidence shows that happy people are more productive, more creative, and better problem solvers than their unhappy peers. We can apply this information to helping schools become a better place to be for all... a place students are excited to be and where their minds can flourish because their hearts are happy. Come along and explore the importance of happiness, the neuroscience behind emotion, learning and memory and walk away ready to implement more joyful practices into your teaching and daily life.
 

Date: Saturday, November 22nd, 9am-12pm 
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 266

Happy Classroom Workshop Registration

Happy Classroom Workshop Flyer

Authentic Science Inquiry for Every Learner Workshop
Facilitated by Pamela Patterson

Research Isn’t Just for Scientists! Are you interested in bringing place-based, community-connected, hands-on/minds-on research into your classroom? Look no further! Over the past decade, Citizen Science has exploded, offering countless opportunities for students to participate in authentic scientific research—right from school. In this interactive session, we’ll explore a model classroom where every lab experience—from September to June—contributes to real-world science. You’ll discover a variety of online Citizen Science platforms and leave with ready-to-use resources, classroom ideas, and cross-curricular connections (yes, even math!). From kindergarten to high school, educators at every level can empower students to become true scientists in their own communities.
 

Date: Saturday, November 22nd, 9am-11am 
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 257

Authentic Science Inquiry Workshop Registration

Authentic Science Inquiry Workshop Flyer

Manifest Math Stories: Boost Math Engagement with Simple, Ready-to-Use Story Slides Workshop
Facilitated by Harry O'Malley

What if your next math lesson felt like storytime? Manifest Math Stories turn everyday math practice into engaging adventures—complete with narration, visuals, and printable worksheets that connect story events to math problems. In this hands-on session, teachers will explore how to launch and control story slideshows, use join codes flexibly, and teach with just a projector (no student devices required). We’ll also workshop ways to integrate stories into morning routines, math blocks, or end-of-day engagement. Please bring a laptop if you have one. Best for: K–6 math teachers.
 

Date: Saturday, November 22nd, 9am-12pm 
Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259

Manifest Math Stories Workshop Registration

Manifest Math Stories Workshop Flyer

Past Professional Development for WNY Master Teachers

See our database of past professional development offered to WNY Master Teachers