Upcoming Professional Development

Contact Sarah Ptak at ptaks01@buffalostate.edu with any questions or concerns regarding event registration

Green World II: Plants and the Big Picture Minicourse - REGISTRATION CLOSED
Robert Warren, Ph.D.

In this minicourse, we will explore how plant traits have influenced, and been influenced, by humans and other organisms, including how Native American's capitalized on tree traits that co-evolved with now-extinct megafauna and, in turn, shaped a puny little wild grass (teosinte) into a global superpower (corn). We also will cover how humans perceive plants, including projecting cooperation and consciousness onto the plant world. The course will include applied activities such as scarifying, stratifying, planting (seeds and cuttings) and transplanting that will transfer easily to any classroom. No prerequisites required.

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 161 (as well as the herbarium & greenhouse)
Dates: Thursdays, November 14th & 21st; 5:00 - 7:30 pm

There is a registration cap of 24 people for this minicourse

Green World II Minicourse Flyer

WNYPTA (WNY Physics Teacher Alliance) Workshop Series: December 2024 Meeting

Join us for a share session from WNY Physics Teachers, featuring discussions and demonstrations by members. Feel free to bring your own demo to share with the group!

The Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance (WNYPTA) is an active community of physics and physical science teachers in the Buffalo Niagara Region.  We are teachers sharing ideas, learning together, and creating a professional community of physics and physical science teachers. All meetings are open to physics,  physical science, and other interested teachers – free of charge. Upon request CTLE credit for three hours of professional development will be issued to all attendees. 

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 357
Date: Saturday, December 14; 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

WNYPTA December Meeting RSVP

Tentative future meeting dates are: January 25th, February 22nd, March 22nd, April 26th, and May 24th

Mathematical Landscapes in Practice: Pedagogical Moves to Create a Learning Community in Grades K-8 Minicourse(Number Sense, Addition & Subtraction)
Denea Czapla & Rachael Burke

The Western Region of the New York State Master Teacher Program is excited to offer an extension of our mathematical landscapes of learning series that focuses on the pedagogical moves teachers make to nurture a community of mathematicians across the elementary and middle school grades.  The mathematical content will be situated within Cathy Fosnot’s landscape of learning framework and will explore the coherent development of topics along the K – 8 spectrum.   Video case studies across the grade levels of classroom practice will be analyzed and discussed using the TRU Framework, from Dr. Alan Shoenfeld at the University of California, Berkeley.  These video cases provide opportunities for participants to share their grade level expertise and to enhance our understanding of the content connections across the landscape.  

January’s sessions will highlight building a welcoming math community for learners to take risks, gain confidence, and take charge of their learning with a focus on the landscape of number sense, addition and subtraction throughout grades K-8.  Sessions will feature mathematical models and tools for thinking, including number bonds, number lines, Building Thinking Classroom principles, number strings, and more.  Real world contexts and situations will be used as we consider how to best develop students’ conceptual understanding, mathematical identity, and a supportive, nurturing classroom community.

Location: Buffalo State University, SAMC 259
Dates: January 7th, 9th, 14th, & 16th; 5:00 - 8:00 pm

Mathematical Landscapes in Practice Flyer

Mathematical Landscapes in Practice Minicourse Registration

Buffalo & Chautauqua Math Collaboratives (BMC & CMC) January Meeting Dates

See the flyers below for dates and locations of this year's BMC and CMC meetings and click the link to register for January's meeting dates.

BMC Flyer BMC January Registration

CMC Flyer CMC January Registration

MfA Speaker Series Workshops

See the flyer linked below for specific courses offered this year.

The MƒA Equity Webinars Series invites nationally recognized educators to share ideas that support equity within STEM. Following an interactive presentation by the speaker, Master Teachers have the opportunity to discuss how these ideas might be applied in their own school environments in small groups. 

The MƒA Thursday Think Speaker Series brings accomplished speakers who dive into cutting-edge topics in STEM education to MƒA. These talks, held once a month throughout the school year, invite MƒA teachers and the general public to learn and engage with these thought leaders and professionals in mathematics, science, and education.

Upcoming Workshops:

  • Tuesday, November 19th / Pondering Playfulness: How to Unveil the Mathematics that Matters
  • Thursday, December 12th / MT^2: Master Teachers on Teaching - Be the Change: Think Global, Teach Local
  • Thursday, January 9th / Addressing Race, Health, and Equity in the Science Classroom
  • Thursday, January 30th / Eliminating "Forever Chemicals" From the World's Water

MfA Speaker Series Flyer & Registration Link

Past Professional Development for WNY Master Teachers

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