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The Chicago Zoological Society provides many opportunities
for professional development and training in science and
conservation education. “We’re helping teachers learn how to
teach science,” said Breen Bartecki. “The instructor happens
to be technologically fluent, so we’re also helping them learn
how to teach in the virtual world.” Jennifer Noncek-Eastman
is the instructor and training coordinator of the Chicago
Zoological Society’s Institute for Science Teaching Excellence.
The Chicago Zoological Society is an Illinois state-approved
professional development provider. Teachers who complete our
classes earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs), required by
the state to keep licenses current. Also, through an arrangement
with Dominican University in River Forest, teachers can earn
graduate credit toward a master of arts degree in education.
Mary Schmit, who teaches at Komarek School in North
Riverside, is working toward an M.A. degree at Dominican. Last
summer she was preparing to teach middle school science classes
for the first time in the fall. She completed six courses, including
Climate Change, Online Collaborative Experience in NGSS
Storylining, STEAM in Nature, and ISTE Standards in the Zoo.
“Jenn did an amazing job figuring out how to transfer what
she had planned for in-person classes into the digital world,” said
Schmit. “She’s an established educator. She changed lessons based
on our needs. She built in technology for remote teaching, which
was huge for me. I’m much more comfortable with it now.”
Noncek-Eastman taught for seven years and has an M.A.
in Teacher and Community Leadership from Northeastern
Illinois University. She has been working with the Illinois Digital
Educators Alliance to receive her personal ISTE (International
Society for Technology in Education) certification.
“I’ve learned about a lot of technology options—what’s out
there, what works best for teachers, and the formats that work
best for teaching remotely,” said Noncek-Eastman. “For example,
smaller chunks are best.” During a summer course
lasting three days, she breaks up each day into
two 90-minute Zoom videoconferencing
sessions—one in the morning and
one in the afternoon—with
a long break in between.
“I am much more comfortable with
remote teaching.”
— Mary Schmit, a middle school
science teacher who completed
six CZS professional development
classes last summer
34 GATEWAYS | FROM ZOO TO ZOOM
“We hope everybody
stays safe and healthy
and that we have
the strength to move
forward together, and
as a community. Some
of the things we like to do
is spend time in nature.”
—Franco, 8, and his father
shared this "Message of
Hope" with their Zoo Family.
Furthermore, each 90-minute session includes equal
parts instruction, a virtual breakout session for small-group
work, and time for sharing and reflection. The long, midday
break gives teachers time away from their computers to eat
lunch, work on group projects, or tend to children and other
responsibilities. “Teachers collaborate, get to know each
other, and make connections,” said Noncek-Eastman.
For more information about upcoming classes, go to
page 41 of this issue, or visit CZS.org/TeacherClasses.
More than 200 families in under-resourced communities in
Pilsen, West Belmont, Back of the Yards, Fuller Park, Melrose
Park, and Cicero have had the opportunity to participate
in a series of science and nature programs. The programs
are offered through the Chicago Zoological Society’s King
Conservation Leadership Academy. King Academy programs
reach children, age 0 to grade 12, at no cost to their families.
An outreach team from CET has regularly met with
groups of children at neighborhood libraries and community
organizations. Over the years, bonds of affection, respect, and
trust grew between the King Academy families and the team.
Although face-to-face meetings ended in March, the team
has kept the children engaged with wildlife and nature in their
neighborhoods, in their yards, and through their windows.
They created a series of educational videos—subtitled in
Spanish—about local wildlife, sustainability, and fun at-home
activities. Each Friday, a video is posted on YouTube.
The first videos focused on local birds—
how to identify them, what they eat,
and how some birds migrate.
In connected activities, children were asked
to build a bird and build a bird feeder from
everyday items in their homes. They were
encouraged to send in photos, drawings,
and descriptions of animals, insects,
and plants. Several “Wildlife Sightings”
videos were created using many of the
170 images the children submitted.