Applicant Information
Who are the Dow Innovation Teacher Fellows?
Fifteen to twenty K-12 teachers from Arenac, Bay, Gratiot, Isabella, Midland, or Saginaw counties will be selected as fellows each year. Interdisciplinary teaching teams of 2-3 are strongly encouraged to apply to carry out their proposed work together. To read more about eligibility, click here.
What is the Fellowship experience?
Participate in 24 hours of professional development and curriculum design on project and place-based learning.
Connect with a community partner (e.g., a business, non-profit, government agency, neighbors, etc.) around a local sustainability challenge. Topics could include: plastic waste, circular economy, water quality, food waste/composting, climate change etc.
Design and implement a learning unit of at least one week in length on a sustainability problem with support from content and pedagogy experts from Dow, the University of Michigan, and Delta College.
What are the expectations of the Dow Innovation Teacher Fellowship?
Participate in all professional development sessions. This includes 16 hours of virtual asynchronous professional development over the course of 3 weeks, as well as up to 12 hours of in-person workshops and events.
For the 2022-2023 Cohort, the dates for these sessions are:
June 15th will be an in-person onboarding session for incoming Fellows as well as the Sharing Celebration for our 2021-2022 cohort, which incoming Fellows should plan on attending as well.
June 20th - July 8th is when our 3-week asynchronous virtual learning module will be in session. This course will have an expected time commitment of 5-6 hours per week.
August 10th & 11th will be dedicated to in-person workshops and networking events.
Fellows will be expected to commit to being periodically engaged throughout the school year via virtual and in-person formats (as public health guidelines allow).
Develop, implement, and share a project and place-based instructional unit during the 2022-23 school year around a local sustainability issue. This unit can vary in length but should engage students for at least one week's worth of lessons, connect them with a local partner, engage them in spaces outside the classroom, and result in a publicly shared presentation of an action project to help address the sustainability issue.
Document the implementation of the unit, collect artifacts (video, photos, student work) with appropriate student consents and releases, and share with other teachers and project participants.
Participate in check-in meetings scheduled with University of Michigan project staff to provide updates on progress and to request support as needed.
What will Dow Innovation Teacher Fellows receive?
Professional development and design support from a curriculum developer to aid in the development of instructional materials
A stipend of $2,000
Up to $1,000 for project related expenses (transportation, classroom materials, etc.)
SCECHs for participation in professional development
Connection to potential local partners
Opportunities to showcase your students, school, and connect to your community
Opportunities to network with teacher colleagues in the region and community and university experts in sustainability issues
Access to curated online resources for sustainability education
Support for Dow Innovation Teacher Fellows will continue after their initial year. Ongoing benefits will include:
Access to professional development opportunities
Subscription to DITF Newsletter: Teaching Towards Sustainability, which highlights grant opportunities and teaching resources on a monthly basis
Mentorship and networking opportunities with other Fellows
Eligibility for additional funding to continue place-based sustainability work in your classrooms
Opportunities to pilot new programs and resources