Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute

The Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute is an intensive four day long residential place-based field studies program for teachers from throughout Oregon.

Teach Rural Oregon, in partnership with the Rural Engagement and Vitality Center at Eastern Oregon University is pleased to announce the Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute. The Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute (CCTI) is an intensive four day long residential place-based field studies program for teachers from throughout Oregon. Participants choose from three course options where they learn about locally significant cultural or natural resources. Projects are led by EOU faculty and other regional professionals. The Institute will be held at Cottonwood Canyon State Park located along the John Day River near Wasco on June 19-22, 2022. This institute is based on the highly successful Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute (CCSI).

For those teachers interested in participating in the Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute, there are four spaces available allowing one teacher per project team. The Student Institute will be held at Cottonwood Canyon State Park during the week prior to CCTI from June 12-17, 2022. The Teacher Institute (CCTI) is strictly for and geared towards teachers.

Teachers who choose to attend during the week of CCSI will observe students as they learn current field research techniques from professionals, collect and analyze data, and apply their learning to real projects. They will see first-hand how students respond to the high-level challenges presented in CCSI courses and have time to collaborate with other teachers to develop project-based lessons for their own classroom that meet Oregon education standards. See the “What do Students Do?” Section at Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute | A week-long residential field studies program (eou.edu) to get an idea of the research and projects that will be happening this year. Limited spaces are available. 30 hours of PDU are available for participants as well as a $500 stipend.

Teachers who choose to attend the CCTI will engage in hands-on learning through three projects – engineering design, water quality studies, and storytelling. Our program is focused on technical skills and projects that you can use with your students and also encourages collaborative time with your colleagues to identify and problem-solve challenges you’ll face in the classroom during implementation. 20 hours of PDU are available for participants as well as a $500 stipend.

For either program option, use the application found at - Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute | Teach Rural Oregon at EOU. You will select the week you are interested in at the end of the application.

Cottonwood Canyon Teacher Institute is a partnership between the Eastern Oregon University College of Education, the Region 18 Wallowa ESD, Teach Rural Oregon and the EOU Rural Engagement & Vitality Center with grant support from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) based on grant initiative and funding recommendation from the Educator Advancement Council.

For more information on either the Student or Teacher Institute please contact Julie Keniry, the director of both programs at jkeniry@eou.edu.