Neuroscience and Society: Teaching the Teachers
In a philanthropy-backed program, a team at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute preps middle school teachers to bring the everyday relevance of neuroethics to their classrooms
Thank you for your interest in the Teacher Institute for Neuroscience and Society. Applications for our Winter 2025 cohort have closed.
Are you a middle school educator in New York City who...
...is looking to incorporate more neuroscience into your classroom?
...often finds your students seeking scientific evidence as they discuss current events?
If so, join a cohort of 12 educators this winter to deepen your neuroscience knowledge and co-create curricula to help your middle school students tackle big questions at the intersection of science and society! Plus, earn a stipend of $1,000 and up to 24 CTLE credit hours.
During a 4-day series of workshops February 18-21, 2025, participants will:
• Strengthen their knowledge on neuroscience research
• Explore strategies for teaching controversial topics at the intersection of neuroscience, ethics, and society
• Design interactive, evidence-based curricula for their own classrooms to promote critical thinking and the application of neuroscience principles in real-world contexts
• Create a community of practice with educators from middle schools across New York City
In this workshop, teachers will explore one neuroscience and society topic a day for the first three days, and participate in interactive exercises to dissect and digest the topic. The final day will be devoted to lesson plan development and include opportunities for teachers to share their ideas, feedback, and potential activities to engage future classes of students. Participants will be dedicated time, space, and access to experts in order to prepare themselves and their students for informed and thoughtful discourse.
The Teacher Institute for Neuroscience and Society is free, and participants who complete all four days of the workshop will earn a stipend of $1,000 and up to 24 CTLE credit hours.
Program Details - Winter 2025
When: February 18-21, 2025 (Tuesday - Friday; during NYC DOE Mid-Winter Break) 10am - 4pm. Lunch will be provided.
• Tuesday, February 18: Addressing neurodiversity with classroom design (Capstone: Science-based redesign of the classroom)
• Wednesday, February 19: The role of generative AI in schools (Capstone: Stakeholder role-play debate)
• Thursday, February 20: Screen time and the developing adolescent brain (Capstone: School PSA (zine, video, comic, etc.))
• Friday, February 21: Bringing these topics into your classroom (Capstone: Participants create custom lesson plans for their students inspired by the content and approaches explored in the previous workshop days)
• Summit: Cohort to reconvene for a 1-day summit on May 31, 2025 after the workshop week to share experiences and insights from classroom implementation
Where: This program will take place at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute (Jerome L. Greene Science Center, 3227 Broadway, New York, NY 10027).
Facilitators:
• Dr. Diana Li, Associate Director of Education & Training Initiatives, Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute
• Verithia Hood, Special Education Science Teacher, NYC DOE
• Various guest experts who are Columbia University faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students
Additional Information
This professional development opportunity is open to all classroom educational staff who work directly with middle school students (ie. grades 6-8) in New York City. This includes middle school teachers and teaching assistants/paraprofessionals. We seek to admit a cohort of 12 educators for the 2025 Winter Teacher Institute for Neuroscience and Society.
Due to Zuckerman’s Institute commitment to achieving the goal of helping to reduce socioeconomic disparities in the STEM, preference will be given to individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Title 1 Eligible School
• Upper Manhattan/South Bronx schools
• Teachers in STEM subjects and/or STEM-focused schools
• Teachers who see themselves directly using this material in their classroom
Selection for the program will be determined first by these preference criteria. Because of limited workshop capacity, our team will let you know by December 1, 2024 if you have secured a spot in the Winter 2025 program.
If you have any questions, you can email: [email protected]
Summer 2024 Cohort
"I enjoyed the workshop for the 4 days. The topics were relevant and applicable to my work in my classroom."
"Learning about these topics can empower my students to think more critically about how technology and their environment are shaping their brain development, how they feel about that, and what they can do to learn more about it or advocate for change."
"I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!"
Want to know more about what it's like to participate in the program and the impact it can have on your teaching?
Read news features from the Zuckerman Institute here and from the Dana Foundation here!
This program was formerly known as the Neuroethics Teacher Institute.
We thank the Dana Foundation for their generous support through a grant that makes this program possible.
In a philanthropy-backed program, a team at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute preps middle school teachers to bring the everyday relevance of neuroethics to their classrooms