The Indiana Natural Resources Teacher Institute is a multi-day professional development workshop that will bring 18 teachers from across the state to Morgan-Monroe State Forest to see firsthand how forestry works in Indiana. Sessions include tours of public and private forest lands, forest industry facilities, and forestry research in Indiana.

The goal of the institute is to provide Indiana teachers with knowledge, skills and tools to effectively teach their students about forest ecology and forest management practices. The forest environment becomes the basis for integrating the learning of many subject areas, including environmental science, biology, natural resources, and social science. STEM concepts and principles will be incorporated throughout the sessions. The program empowers teachers to foster conceptual learning, critical thinking and decision-making skills in their classrooms.

Learning the importance of trees

Attendees are prepared for outdoor activities

BENEFITS: The Natural Resources Teacher Institute emphasizes the importance of conservation of natural resources with special attention given to Indiana’s forests and forest products. The project-based approach integrates hands-on study of the natural and cultural resources of the local community, addresses concepts in ecology, sense of place, civics, economics and forest land management and stewardship. Participants will develop a curriculum project about forests or forestry for their classrooms. Participants will earn 30+ Professional Growth Points and receive a stipend upon documentation of implementing curriculum project. We link the concepts to the Indiana Learning Standards and provide training in Project Learning Tree materials.

WHEN AND WHERE: The Institute will begin on Monday, June 22 at 4:00 pm and conclude on Friday, June 26, 2015 at 12:00 pm. Our base of operation will be the Forestry Training Center at Morgan-Monroe State Forest near Martinsville. Teachers will stay in the Training Center, sharing one of the 10 sleeping rooms. Meals will be provided.

Carrie Tauscher, Acting Community and Urban Forestry State Coordinator

Please see link below to download additional information.

NRTI Course Information PDF

To RSVP, please email Project Learning Tree: plt@dnr.in.gov