Professional Development
We offer standard and custom-designed professional development trainings. Focus is on strengthening content knowledge and teaching methods in earth, life, and physical sciences, while incorporating the best practices of environmental education in your classroom.
The 2025 Massachusetts STEM Week Design Challenge
H2Whoa! Hydroengineers at Work
A STEM Week Design Challenge for Grades 5-8 Educators
with The Wade Institute and Hitchcock Center
Cost: FREE
In-Person Challenge Workshop for Teachers: Saturday, November 22nd, 2025 (8:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET), Hitchcock Center for the Environment, Amherst, MA
Virtual Challenge Workshop for Teachers: Tuesday, November 11th, 2025 (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET)
Challenge Collaborating Partner: Hitchcock Center for the Environment
The Hitchcock Center is thrilled to be offering, along with the Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences, two upcoming design challenge workshops for grade 3-8 teachers. Thanks to a generous STEM Week grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education, tuition is free and teachers will receive a kit containing supplies needed to conduct the lessons in their classrooms. Teachers can choose between an all-day virtual workshop on Tuesday, November 11, or an all-day in-person workshop on Saturday, November 22. Please note that while the flyer says it’s for 5-8th grader teachers, it is appropriate for grade 3 and 4 teachers as well. We’d love to see your district represented! You can reach out to Katie, our education director with any questions at katie@hitchcockcenter.org.
This fall, bring real-world problem-solving into your classroom! In this Challenge, students will step into the role of engineers, tackling the global challenge of access to clean water. Using nature as their innovation inspiration, limited materials, and a set budget, they’ll design, test, and refine prototype systems to capture and filter water as they build their engineering skills. While the materials are designed for grades 5-8, this Challenge is adaptable for all grades.
Participating educators will receive everything needed to bring the challenge to life:
- A Challenge workshop for teachers (choose from an in-person session at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment or a virtual Zoom session).
- A classroom materials kit, available at multiple pick-up locations across Massachusetts (North Adams, Amherst, Quincy, and Plymouth).
- A curriculum packet with unit introductions, material lists, lead-up investigations, design challenge guides, and multimedia resources to support the implementation of the Challenge.
- Access to activities and extension resources, such as the STEM Challenge Virtual Showcase, to share your students’ work.
The Challenge allows teachers to utilize grade-level-appropriate science and technology concepts that address the MA STE Standards while giving you tools to integrate inquiry-based, project-driven learning into your classroom. You’ll gain new strategies, deepen your content knowledge, and experience the challenge firsthand before using your skills to guide your own students through it.
This Challenge is easily adapted to a variety of classroom cultures across the state. The target audience is middle school students, but the Challenge will be open to any school interested within Massachusetts.
Opportunity for Teachers at Low Income Schools:
In support of the H2Whoa! STEM Challenge, there are a limited number of free field trips to the Hitchcock Center for the Environment available to teachers at low income schools! If you are interested in this program, be sure to designate that your school is eligible when you register.
Registration and Questions
For more information on trainings, please contact Dan Butterworth, Education Program Manager via email or 413-256-6006.
Free online curriculum units
Hitchcock Center education staff have developed the following comprehensive curriculum units to teach environmental concepts to young people:
The Pond Ecosystem – Grade 3
Energy is Electrifying!! – Grade 4
Hydroshphere, Water and How We Use It – Grade 5
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