Story of Implementation

The first time I led NSI: Nature Scene Investigators, it was a total flop.

How Jill and Becca of YMCA Camp Seymour took their time and to effectively work towards student and nature-centered teaching and curriculum design.

Kirsten Franklin, a classroom teacher, makes a case for why environmental literacy should be essential to classroom instruction.

Claire Maguire shares some common challenges of engaging students in investigations, and how “letting the messy in” can lead to meaningful teaching moments.

David Gardner describes how he got staff excited to develop new activities that made better use of the plants and animals on their site.

A summary of how changing pre-program classroom visits to emphasize observation instead of memorizing facts led students to be excited to engage with nature.

At Shady Creek Outdoor School, it is not uncommon to have a kid screaming with delight when they identify a bird.

When Jamee Puccio and Paige Marley returned to their organization after participating in the BEETLES August 2017 Leadership Institute, they got right to work.

Two examples of organization leaders changing policies to support learner-centered instruction.

Sarah Johnson of Wild Rose Education and Sara Monson of Walking Mountains Science Center worked together to plan and lead a workshop for 11 elementary school teachers.

Xander Tartter shares how key concepts in the BEETLES Guide to Engaging and Managing Students in Outdoor Science apply to his work in youth leadership development.

The Ocean Institute reflects on how BEETLES approaches apply across disciplines, describing how student and nature-centered teaching strengthened their history programming.

Luana Rivera Palacio shares how she implemented BEETLES in a day program and their approach to hiring instructors that reflect the communities they serve.

Paul Raia reflects on the value of moving slowly and intentionally when implementing organizational changes.

Sarah Johnson writes about introducing several foundational BEETLES student activities and Exploration Routines.

This is an example of how the Islandwood Graduate Program structures their post-program debrief meeting to maximize reflection and learning.

How Santa Cruz Outdoor Science School shifted program policies and approaches to generate instructor buy-in and support for student and nature-centered teaching.

Tara Fuad shares how BEETLES materials and approaches transformed teaching and learning at her site– and how changing program policies helped make it happen.

A story of using BEETLES approaches and resources to transform an organization’s curriculum and approach to teaching and learning.

An interview with Arthur Pearson about how three organizations used their experiences with BEETLES as a way to approach facilitating Social Emotional Learning in a conference presentation.

Organization leaders from Expedition Yellowstone and Yellowstone Forever describe how conducting shared professional learning among their instructors supported collaboration and reduced competition.

Seth Weinberg of Westminster Woods describes how changing daily “tone-sets” led students to be more excited and prepared to proactively engage in their education.

Gregory Bahr of San Joaquin Outdoor Education shared how he used BEETLES approaches and resources to shift organizational practices to support student-centered and nature-centered teaching.

Jenny McGuigan of Tremont shares how BEETLES professional learning sessions helped reveal where their organization wanted to be, and how student activities offered ways to get there.

Sometimes program policies or structure unintentionally hinder high quality student experiences. Learn how San Mateo Outdoor Education changed policies to better support high-quality teaching/learning.

James Taborda-Whitt of Camp Bovey describes intersections between student and nature-centered teaching practices, and trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches

Mass Audubon, a nonprofit with 20 nature centers throughout Massachusetts, shares how they built a professional learning system to support high-quality teaching and learning across their state.

A summary of some of the opportunities and value of cultivating partnerships outdoor science education programs and school districts.

Arvolyn Hill of the New York Botanical Garden describes a program she designed on the influence of the African diaspora on the plant world.

In 2019, Waskowitz Outdoor Education Center hired BEETLES to develop a curriculum for their 4-day residential outdoor school program focused on ecosystems, science practices, sense of place, and connection to nature.

An educator describes using I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me of to support stress relief and Social Emotional Learning with classroom students.

Meredith von Trapp of Waskowitz Outdoor Education Center describes a 4-day residential outdoor school curriculum focused on ecosystems, sense of place, and connection to nature.

Joe Walewski of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center describes a partnership to offer outdoor, in-person education during the pandemic.

The North Cascades Institute describes how they partnered with several organizations to offer in-person outdoor learning for elementary students in three school districts during the pandemic.

Sean Hill shares about Sierra Nevada Journeys’s approach to establishing a partnership and weekly outdoor education program with a local elementary school.

Brooke Teller of Portland Public Schools shares how she leveraged CARES funding and support from local businesses to implement district-wide outdoor teaching during the pandemic.

McCall Outdoor Science School describes how their existing partnerships K-12 school district led to the creation of an in-person outdoor learning program during the pandemic.

Heather Molloy describes a program that offered childcare and outdoor learning to children of Santa Cruz County school district employees during the pandemic.

Korena David of Foothill Horizons Outdoor School shares tips and techniques for engaging groups of 30+ students in student and nature-centered learning.

A regional network in Philadelphia brought informal educators and school administrators together for professional learning and reflection on equity within the field of environmental education.

The AEES shares how convening statewide and regional summits strengthened relationships and the quality of teaching among organizations in Alabama.

How 12 environmental education nonprofits and two school districts in San Diego built a network focused on professional learning and relationship building.

A description of the Native Voices Project, a regional collaborative in the Upper Feather River Watershed between local educators and leaders from the Mountain Maidu community.

The River Cities Environmental Education Learning Community shares what they learned as a regional cohort, and how this can advance justice and equity in environmental education.

A series of implementation stories about how subnational networks in Sierra Valley, San Diego, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Alabama, and Minnesota worked together to strengthen regional collaboration among environmental education organizations.

Five residential environmental learning centers in Minnesota describe working together to evaluate their capacity for equity and prioritized collaboration over competition among their organizations.

Ray Cramer describes how Islandwood has developed a culture of learning and reflection among their instructional staff.

In this series of blogs, written in 2021, the BEETLES team heard many stories about how the environmental education community is adapting to the Covid pandemic.