Academic Experience

Academic Summary
The academic component of the Graduate Program provides content knowledge, education theory and practice as applied to environmental education and natural history interpretation. The courses are generally two-week intensives that interweave lectures, fieldwork, classroom presentations and independent projects. Assessment of student performance is through written work, presentations, projects and faculty observation.

Fall Semester

Field Science Teaching and Principles of Interpretation
(2 semester credits)
The first two weeks of this four-week intensive provides an introduction to local natural history, naturalist tools, backcountry travel skills, field teaching techniques, elementary-level curriculum design, student/group management and safety. During the second two weeks, students track into one of two different practicum opportunities:

• Residential school programming

• Outreach teaching in public school classrooms

Community Ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Geoecosystem
(3 semester credits)
This course introduces the composition, structure and organization of ecological communities in the Greater Yellowstone region. The culminating experience is a small team based research project.

Principles of Place-Based Education
(3 semester credits)
Place-based education is concerned with sense of place: understanding how people connect with, understand and come to protect natural and human-made spaces. These principles are interwoven in academic coursework and practicum throughout the year.

Institutional Management/Outdoor Leadership
(non-credited)
This seminar-based course explores executive elements of not-for-profit institutional management including: boards, budgets, marketing, development and fundraising. Teton Science Schools' leadership team provides the instruction for this course.

Teaching Practicum
(2 semester credits)
The fall semester includes 120 hours of mentored teaching practicum under the supervision and guidance of Teton Science Schools Graduate Program faculty in one of the following tracks:

• Residential school programming

• Outreach teaching in public school classrooms

[Back to Top]

Winter/Spring Semester

Teaching in a Winter Environment
(2 semester credits)
This course provides an introduction to winter ecology, snow science, tracking, research, seasonal risk management and avalanche awareness.

Advanced Instructional Strategies
(3 semester credits)
This course explores the principles of environmental education, curriculum design and instructional theory. This includes an introduction to and hands-on experience with qualitative research and program assessment design.

Ecological Inquiry
(3 semester credits)
This course uses ecological concepts to study the impacts of natural resource management policies in the Greater Yellowstone region. An extensive team-based project explores the multiple perspectives of these issues.

Advanced Elements of Field Ecology
(5 semester credits)
This course begins with a two-week intensive on spring field natural history. The primary elements of study include ornithology, botany and entomology. There are several evaluative tools involved in the first portion of the course, including development of an herbarium and field and lab-based assessment. The second part of this course explores the design of extended field courses that become the culminating project in the summer semester. The primary aim of the last three weeks of this course includes a focus on outdoor leadership, scientific research as an educational tool and integrated natural history education.

Teaching Practicum
(4 semester credits)
There are 240 hours of teaching under the supervision and guidance of faculty during the winter/spring semester. Practicum includes field science teaching and classroom experiences through outreach and the Journeys School, a PreK - 12 grade independent school in Jackson, WY. A small number of students (5-6) are able to participate in the Journeys School teaching practicum. Students maintain teaching journals throughout all practicum:

• Residential school programming

• Outreach teaching in public school classrooms

• Journeys School of Teton Science Schools teaching

[Back to Top]

Summer Session

Environmental Education Professional Residency
(4 semester credits)
This experience is the culmination of the planning component of the Advanced Elements of Field Ecology course. There are 320 hours of field science teaching under the supervision and guidance of faculty, making this a true capstone experience in which students are challenged to design, run and assess a summer program.

Authentic Assessment Strategies
(1 semester credit)
Students learn to use a variety of methods and media as evaluative tools to assess student learning, job performance and demonstration of skills and knowledge. Students create and present a final project for this course.

Research
Most educational programs at Teton Science Schools include a field research component. Graduate residents participate in field research projects as part of their academic courses and directly engage students in the scientific process. The Robin Lange Field Station, located two miles from campus in Bridger-Teton National Forest , is used throughout the summer as a base camp for ecological research projects.

The intensity of the graduate program at Teton Science Schools does not allow for extended independent research projects. Motivated graduate residents however, can identify potential research ideas that may later be developed into a Master's thesis project at a university. Faculty projects include coyote ecology, pronghorn migration, bird population studies, water quality and assessment strategies for environmental education experiences.

[Back to Top]