CATALYZING Teacher Professional Development: Uncovering the Life History of the Black Tailed Prairie Dog (BTPD)

Program Overview

On Saturday March 24, 2025, CATALYST faculty, TTU, and MoTTU colleagues engaged 10 local area life science and biology teachers in a half-day PD event that explored the importance of science communication, the life history of the black-tailed prairie dog in West Texas, best practices in place-based curriculum development, and how to use a professional camera to conduct photographic essays that enhance student learning.

Participants took their own photos on location (at Prairie Dog Town in Mackenzie Park) and began devising their ideas for interdisciplinary lesson plans that focus on the rich opportunities for place-based learning (a key thrust of CATALYST) in the region.

• Four lesson plans developed by participating teachers, including 5E Teacher Guides are accessible via this folder.

We are creating a gallery of photos (taken by and credited to those science teachers) to be displayed at the Museum of Texas Tech University before the end of 2025.  

• Gallery photos are accessible via this folder.

Key Accomplishments:

1. Half-day PD for 10 middle school life science and high school biology teachers.
2. Creation of Place-Based Lesson Plans, by teachers for teachers in West Texas.
3. A gallery event to amplify and uplift the professional contributions of our local science teachers and to highlight science within the community.

Funding:

This professional development session was graciously supported by the Helen Jones Foundation. Learn more about Mrs. Jones and her foundation here.

Collaborators:

Research:

TTU IRB2024-1167 “Studying the Impacts of Outreach and Engagement on The Black Tailed Prairie Dog.” 

• Hite, R., & Childers, G. (Submitted, 2026, January 14-17). From Vermin to Valuable: Secondary Science Teachers’ Shifting Cognitive-Affective Perceptions of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog [Poster Presentation]. Association of Science Teacher Educators (ASTE), Chicago, IL, United States.
• Hite, R., & Childers, G. (Submitted, July 30, 2025). Empathy in Action: Place-Based Activities for Teaching Controversial Species Using Outdoor Inquiry and Claim-Evidence-Reasoning. The Science Teacher. Special Call: Outdoor & Place-Based Science

Faculty Contacts: