Consulting & Professional Development

Ongoing and workshop-based professional development for education organizations.

Cottonwood Institute collaborates with schools and youth organizations along the Colorado Front Range—primarily for middle and high school students—to provide high quality, high impact environmental education and service-learning programs.

We work with schools and other organizations to develop their own toolkits for facilitating student challenge and meaningful reflection. Through our workshops, participants reflect on their own teaching practice and explore the basic foundations of experiential learning pedagogy.

Cottonwood Institute is on a mission to connect middle and high school students to the outdoors and inspire them to become leaders, problem-solvers, and changemakers in their communities.

During Cottonwood Institute professional development programs, participants:

• Gain tools & strategies for facilitating experiential learning and understand their efficacy
• Build connection and community as a department or school
• Explore the relevance of experiential learning to their classroom and curriculum

For more information or to book a program, contact Teagan Papke, Program Relationships Manager, at 303.447.1076 x701 or via Email.

Overnight Workshop

Cottonwood Institute facilitates overnight experiences for school staff at one of our partner locations across the Front Range. To build investment in the power of place-based teaching and learning, staff members are immersed in a full-on trip experience that mirrors those that we run with students. We will build group identity through team builders and shared responsibilities like cooking and camp set-up. Staff will engage in activities that develop their toolkits for facilitating meaningful reflection and engage in discussion to explore experiential learning pedagogy. Lastly, we work with school and district leaders to move from abstract to actionable by identifying key takeaways for the first day, quarter, and year.

Time commitment: 2-3 days, with overnight in tents or cabins
We provide: Logistics, gear, and facilitation

School or Site-Based Workshops

Cottonwood Institute works to integrate full-day workshops into existing professional development schedules in outdoor spaces near campus. Staff will engage in outdoor activities and reflections to explore the basic foundations of experiential learning pedagogy and work through how to develop their own toolkits for meaningful facilitation. We work with school and district leaders to move from the abstract to the actionable by identifying key takeaways for the first day, quarter, and year.

Time commitment: 2-3 full-day workshops on or near campus
We provide: Logistics, gear, and facilitation