Note: Since the time this article was written, the world has focused on facing the COVID-19 global pandemic. As governments and citizens shift rapidly to save lives, we can see opportunities to build connections and innovate solutions that will also serve us in addressing climate change. Scientific and environmental literacy are more important than ever, […]
The excitement was palpable after the self-introductions at the Water, Energy, and Education Alliance (WEEA) leadership roundtable, with each person keenly aware that they were looking at new faces and hearing new voices expressing interest in achieving the same goal: To offer hope to high school students that they can earn a family-sustaining wage in […]
As an educator for over 20 years, I have started questioning the goal of education. With an overemphasis on grades and testing, sometimes the things that matter the most—such as learning about climate change—get put on the back burner. To bring environmental literacy and advocacy to the forefront, and educate high school students about climate […]
Even though our classroom at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) sat adjacent to a parking lot in the midst of an extensive construction zone, the three-day teacher institute was punctuated multiple times with cries from a hawk perched in one of the few eucalyptus trees nearby. It was a ripe opportunity to think about […]
In September 2007, I enrolled my son in kindergarten at our local elementary school. I have a clear memory of a parent-teacher association meeting where I spontaneously asked about the potential for installing a garden on school grounds. “We don’t have a hose bib,” they answered, “so it won’t work.” End of story. By my […]
Teaching robust Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) lessons can be challenging, so asking teachers to center instruction on local environmental phenomena can make the task feel overwhelming. For the last six years, we’ve been introducing teachers in San Diego to local environmental phenomena that can be used as a focus for instruction both in and […]
As teaching science moved into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), teachers needed background in these exciting new standards, yet some were struggling with the complexity of the three dimensions. Some teachers resisted, stating time concerns. Some felt they did not have the science capacity to teach science in elementary school. There was a need […]
“For the love of God, not one more thing!” This was my first thought when hearing about the Environmental Principles & Concepts (EP&Cs) roughly three years into my Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) journey. After much struggle and frustration I was by no means an expert, but was just beginning to feel like I had […]
UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science recently released “A Field at Risk: The Impact of COVID-19 on Environmental and Outdoor Science Education.”