Lead Professional Learning &/or Support Educator Growth

Prepare future scientists (undergraduate & graduate students) to communicate their science knowledge more effectively to the public and other diverse audiences

The ACLIPSE university course instructional materials, and associated grades 6-12 teacher professional learning opportunities and materials, engage participants in climate science activities while using data in authentic and locally-relevant ways.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

This Guide is a planning tool to support leaders to successfully implement change in their organizations and programs.

This paper examines the role and value of professional learning and organizational capacity building in outdoor science education.

There is a large amount of research on how people learn. This session breaks that information down and shows instructors how they can apply that knowledge to their teaching.

This session focuses on developing adult-level understanding of the concepts of matter and energy and how it relates to ecosystems.

This session focuses on developing adult-level understanding of the concepts of adaptation and evolution for instructors.

Discussion is an essential part of learning. This session provides valuable knowledge, strategies, and discussion practice to help instructors develop their discussion-leading skills.

This session explores how any activity that provides evidence of student thinking can be used to inform instruction and promote further learning.

Learning is an active, social process. This session focuses on the Learning Cycle, an approach to sequencing phases of activities based on how people learn.

This session focuses on how to use questions to encourage student exploration and learning, and how instructors’ behaviors may encourage or discourage student exploration and learning.

This session explores 3 questions: “What is science?,” “How do scientists actually do science?,” and “How can we help young people think like scientists to answer questions about the natural world?”

How we can help learners make careful observations while encouraging wonder and curiosity? The session explores methods and activities to strengthen learners’ skills in making observations.

Field journaling is a powerful practice that supports observation, thinking, and learning. This session explores how field journaling can be used to support learner engagement and science learning.

Teaching outdoor science as a process of discovering mysteries ignites students’ wonder and curiosity about interacting with nature. Those strategies are modeled throughout the session.

A set of tools to support organization leaders in creating a reflective learning culture on staff, and in coaching instructors to improve their practice.

This activity is a routine that can help develop such a reflective learning culture on your staff.

This series of video offers ideas on building a culture of discussion, responding to students, engaging students in argument, and supporting language learners.

This series of short videos of BEETLES student activities is meant to be used with the Guide to Using Videos for Reflective Process.

Establishing reflective structures, like watching instructional videos together and discussing them, can help nurture a culture of reflection and growth among staff.