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AEOE 2006 Statewide Spring Conference:Environmental
Education:
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Click here for workshop and other conference resources, such as hand-outs, materials, files, etc.
Several last minute cancellations and a few additions are reflected here - updated December 13, 2006 11:31 AM
NEW! To see the workshops by session, click here! Shows times and locations for workshops below
Workshop Location Map - click here
LOOK: Workshops at a glance - click here (one page summary of all workshops by session with locations)
NOTE: All workshops scheduled for the Library have been moved to "Apartment A," which is behind Gildred Hall.
Workshops subject to change, last minute cancellations, revisions and additions
Workshop Strands: Speaker Workshops | Words to Action in Sustainability | Words to Action in Education Research and Pedagogy | Words to Action in Teaching | Words to Action in Diversity | Words to Action in the Classroom (indoors or out)
Download PDF of Workshop Descriptions from the Registration Packet
Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder – Meet the Author! Join renowned author Richard Louv in a seminar/discussion about his intriguing and insightful book, "Last Child in the Woods; Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder." (Fee workshop - sign up with registration) - NOTE: workshop is FULL as of 4/15/06.
Basket Weaving – Jacque
Nuñez – Journeys
to the Past. Jacque, a Southern Californian Indian from the Acjachemen
Nation (Juaneno/Mission Indians) from San Juan Capistrano, will share about
the indigenous plants used for ancient baskets and what they were used for. Using
some of those materials, participants will have fun learning how to make a
round reed basket. (Fee workshop
- NOTE: workshop is FULL as of 4/15/06.) NOTE: due
to the sudden death of a loved one, Jacque Nunez will not be able to make it
to the conference. Look for her in future AEOE conferences, as she very much
wants to work with us! AEOE sends condolences to Ms. Nunez and looks forward
to working with her in the future.
Spreading the Message of Sustainable Living: A Bicycle Outreach Tour – Nicole Brisebois & Carrie Gasser – Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. In the fall of 2005, the Catalina Environmental Leadership Program sent a team of 10 naturalists on a bike outreach tour across southern California and into Arizona. Riding bicycles from Los Angeles to San Diego to Phoenix, the team visited schools along the way giving presentations and workshops on sustainable living, organic gardening and composting, environmental related career opportunities, and conscious consumerism. Presenters Nicole and Carrie will share stories and photos of the bike trip while leading participants in a discussion on turning ideas into action, highlighting the dreaming, planning, challenges and ultimate rewards that await those who embark on their own sustainable outreach tour.
Cancelled: Walk the Walk: Greening Your
Property – Kate Eyler-Walker – Camp
Highland Outdoor Science School. As Environmental Educators we talk
a good talk on conservation and sustainable enterprise, but do we walk the
walk? This
workshop will teach you how to conduct a site assessment of your property to
find out how much money you spend on energy, water, chemicals, and material
waste. We will discuss methods of reducing spending and waste, ranging
from cheap and easy to big time investments. You'll also receive a list
of common camp and school products that meet sustainability standards, including
effective cleaning supplies, paints, paper products, and appliances. We
will conclude with a roundtable discussion in which workshop participants will
trade suggestions and ideas for creating a greener camp.
Hands-on Solar Electricity – Hal Aronson – Solar Schoolhouse-Rahus Institute. Learn about solar energy through working hands-on with solar electricity to power a number of loads including music, motors, and water pumps. You will get to try out a variety of solar electric kits that are available for you to use to teach your students with. We will also share with you teaching ideas including activities developed by AEOE teachers.
Cancelled: Beyond Garbology: Bringing the Lessons Home – Jane
Hildreth Newman – Tualatin
Hills Nature Park. Sure we all weigh food waste
and talk about reducing garbology and saving energy, but what
do the kids remember besides the daily graphing and perhaps a skit or lecture? Come
and explore ways to help kids think about and learn where their food comes
from, the journey it takes from farm to table and some of the environmental
impacts of packaging. A relay race to create a No Waste
Lunch will top off the workshop.
The Howland's Landing Garden Project: Enriching our communities on Santa Catalina Island – Travis Langen & Courntey Howard – Catalina Environmental Leadership Program. We will present an interactive case study of The Howland's Landing Garden Project highlighting the challenges and successes of an all camp inclusive garden and composting program. We will focus on 3 major areas of success for our program; all visitors composting, using natural resources (diverting waste) and the synergistic effects of our garden on the various layers of our community. We will hold small discussion points throughout the hour on how we can transfer the core competencies of our program to other programs. Participants will also be able to sample some of our garden delights and treats that we have made from our program.
Making your Solar Dreams Come True: Powering your Outdoor School with the Sun! – Tor Allen, Rahus Institute/Solar Schoolhouse & Peter Leinau, Jack L. Boyd Outdoor School/Merced County Office of Education. Learn about how to incorporate solar energy into your curriculum AND power your outdoor school. Resources now online!
Wrigglin' With Worms-An Exploration in Teaching the Soil Cycle – Katie Miller – Cuyamaca Outdoor School. Participants will get some hands on time with the Cyuamaca Outdoor School's portable worm bins. Come see how we have incorporated cooperative learning and hands-on discovery in lessons about the nutrient cycle, interrelationships, and composting. Short lessons will be presented, as well as instructions for starting your own worm composting program. Perfect for both traditional classroom settings as well as an outdoor school program. Resources now online!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Teaching Ecological Responsibility – Constellation Kelly Fischer & Cricket Cristina Mastrangelo – Whiskeytown Environmental School. WAIT! Don't throw that can in the trash, Johnny! RECYCLE it! There are many things kids can do to reduce their impact on the earth's resources. We'll give you some experiential methods of teaching students that it is cool to care and that they can make a difference now. Learn clever new ways to incorporate ecological responsibility into your lessons. Join us to sing songs, play games and tell stories pertaining the four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Responsibility.
Activities on Population and Sustainability – Helen de la Maza – Inside the Outdoors, Orange County Dept. of Ed. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore innovative ways to teach students about population dynamics among humans and non-human species, especially as they relate to natural resource use and impacts on ecosystems. Participants will engage in inquiry-based activities that build understanding of carrying capacity and sustainability in nature. They will then explore the relationships between population growth, economics, resource consumption and environmental and public health. Presented strategies include cooperative group problem solving and role-playing simulations that can enhance teachers' and environmental educators' ability to explain the connections between people, resources and society. The concepts and learner outcomes in these activities support state Science Content Standards, but also integrate interdisciplinary content. Participants will receive activity instructions, data charts and background reading on a user-friendly CD-Rom.
Water and the California Dream ... or, Too Much Was Not Enough – David Carle – Author, University of California Press. Choices made about water through California's history shaped environmental change and the patterns of human population growth in the state. Today's choices, from daily water conservation to voting in elections for water bonds, will similarly shape our future. Environment, agriculture and urban "thirsts" compete for limited water supplies--the ultimate resource for everything that lives in California. Resources now online!
Cancelled: A New Approach to Environmental
Education: Exploring the Synergy
between Dance/Movement and the Natural Environment – Dianne
Eno – Fusion
Danceworks. Through a variety of inter-related dance/movements (group
and individual activities), workshop participants (no prior dance experience
necessary) will make profound discoveries about themselves as well as the natural
environment, allowing for the opportunity for new learning while deepening
a sense of the "place explored" and one's personal relationship to
it. All activities are site-specific (outdoors!) and will engage the
whole person (body, mind and spirit) in a comprehensive sampler of exploratory
activities based on creative problem-solving and individual creative/artistic
expression of the vital human connection and relationship to the natural world.
High School Cabin Leader Forum: How to Develop and Support Leadership – Kathleen Utter – San Mateo Outdoor Education. Kathleen Utter, SMOE high school coordinator and senior Naturalist will conduct a forum to discuss how to share effective ideas and strategies for successful high school cabin leader programs. Handouts/Material will be available
Cancelled: From Outside the Walls: Bringing Experiential Education
into the Mainstream Classroom – Joanna Paul – Environmental
Charter High School. This
workshop will present a new paradigm for understanding experiential education
and explore the ways that experiential practice can be incorporated in mainstream
public schools. Examples of best practice at two sites (The Eagle Rock
School in Colorado and the Tihoi Venture School in New Zealand) will be used
to explore the series of learning relationships that occur in an experiential
learning environment. Pathways will then be explored for incorporating
these learning relationships in the mainstream classroom.
Cancelled: Transforming Lives and
the Land through Restoration-Based Education Programs – Dan
Leroy & Nina Suzuki – The
Center for Land-Based Learning. If used effectively, habitat restoration
projects can provide young people with rich transformative learning experiences
in nature. This
workshop will compile many of the lessons learned over six years of connecting
high school students to real restoration projects through a program called
SLEWS, based in Winters, CA. Participants will explore the various ways
the program integrates habitat restoration experiences with leadership development,
community building, reflection and educational activities to create a well-rounded,
service-learning experience. It will also provide examples of how we
have modified traditional outdoor education activities to relate more directly
to restoration-related concepts and themes. Finally, the workshop will
present effective strategies for how to partner with resource professionals,
agencies, secondary schools, colleges and universities to implement restoration
projects that leave real and lasting impacts on the ground.
California's Education and the Environment Intitiative (EEI) – Christy Porter Humpert – California Integrated Waste Management Board, Office of Education & the Environment. Would you like to see environmental education integrated throughout K-12 classroom curricula that teaches standards in multiple subject areas? Or more simply: do you dream of EE being taught in schools? Come learn about the Education and the Environment Initiative's Environmental Principals and Concepts, its future Model Curriculum, how this will affect you as an environmental educator, teacher, or naturalist---and how you can help make this dream a reality. Resources now online!
Dewey It Up: Experiential Education 101 – Timothy J. Parker – Sierra Outdoor School. John Dewey, the father of experiential education who lived from 1859 to 1952, will be gracing the conference with his presence in order to share his educational beliefs. Through role-playing, discussion, and quite a bit of silliness, participants will explore the realm of the working mind as well as ethical issues inherent to education. Through a critique of current practices in Outdoor Education, this workshop will emphasize practical implementation of discussed ideas. Come join this back-from-the-dead philosopher on his quest to make meaning out of experiences and words into action. Resources now online!
Empower & Inspire: Using Service-Learning to Extend the Impact of EE & OE – Joe Petrick – Pathfinder Ranch Science & Outdoor Education School. Discover how STUDENT-DIRECTED SERVICE-LEARNING projects inspire and empower students to make educated and positive changes in their community. These STUDENT-DIRECTED projects also provide educators with a bridge to connect the OE/EE experience with the classroom curriculum and the students’ lives. We will explore curriculum used by EE/OE and classroom teachers centers to successfully link the OE/EE experience to the classroom and students’ lives prior to their arrival at the OE/EE center, during their OE/EE experience, and culminating with a STUDENT-DIRECTED SERVICE-LEARNING project in the school’s community. Participants will participate in activities, explore successful curriculum, and share ideas.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Environmental Education Program – Julie Heinz – Southern Oregon University and North Mountain Park Nature Center. An introduction into evaluation, especially in the context of environmental education will be presented. Using an example from current Master’s thesis research and worksheets for participants, we will discuss the steps of planning an evaluation of an EE program. The results and recommendations from the Master's research, available print and internet resources will also be presented.
It Can Be Mainstream! – Sara Laimon – Environmental Charter High School. If you feel that outdoor education needs to have a place in mainstream education, then come join us at our presentation. This workshop will give you a chance to connect with educators who use to be only in the field and transferred their practices into the classroom. We will present a model of turning words into actions by looking at one of the most innovative charter schools in Los Angeles: Environmental Charter High School (ECHS). You will see how ECHS is a school set up to teach sustainability, to a diverse demographics through hands-on service learning and real research projects. Please bring your business cards, ideas and projects in order to make this not only a workshop, but a great networking opportunity. Resources now online!
Using the Environment as an Integrating Context (EIC): Changing Brownfields to Greenfields – Dennis Pilien – Environmental Science Academy, Los Angeles Unified School District. Learning based on the EIC Model? is about using a school’s surroundings and community as a framework within which students can construct their own learning, guided by teachers and administrators using proven educational practices. The EIC Model? will be used to frame learning with an actual project of the Plant Restoration Project on Wilson High School’s Hillside #1 & #2. It will include ideas for implementation of your own projects to increase project success.
Languages of California -- Traci Fesko – Sierra Outdoor School. In this workshop, participants will learn the basic structure of the various languages spoken in California through small group discussions/presentations. During the last quarter of the workshop, I will present some literature about best practices to use in EE with English learners. Resources now online!
"Intelligent Design": Not Ready for Outdoor School – Pete Devine – Yosemite Association. This workshop will review the concept of intelligent design, why it’s been in the news lately, and why it does not rate inclusion in outdoor school curriculum. Evolution is a fact (and a theory) and a key part of the science standards. We’ll explore how to teach evolution via lecture, discussion, and some fun activities that fit diverse students and settings. Resources now online!
Multiple Intelligences In Action – Sara Schwartz Kendall – Coloma Outdoor Discovery School. As much as we’ve heard about multiple intelligences, it is easy to fall back to teaching in the one or two ways that we’ve been taught ourselves or learn best personally. In this interactive workshop, we will create lesson plans that take us outside of our normal approaches, so we can better reach more types of learners. We will base the lessons on our own programs and curricula so as to be able to immediately implement them back at the job. Depending on the interest of seminar members, we may spend a few moments taking a multiple intelligences test ourselves to better learn our own strengths and areas of growth.
New! Gardener's Forum: Sharing Gardening Activities that Teach Sustainability - Mark Kudrav - San Mateo Outdoor Education. Does your school have a garden? How do you utilize it? This workshop is designed for any gardener, teacher, or naturalist who uses a garden as a teaching location at their school. Participants will be able to share their favorite gardening activities that teach about sustainability with other gardeners in an open forum. Come ready to lead, participate, or simply explain activities you do in your school.
New! Something to Crow About: Birds and Multiple Intelligences - Sarah Lemley - Yosemite Institute. Tap into all of your multiple intelligences while participating in activities that you can use to teach your students about birds and conservation. Expect to play, sing, calculate, compete, critically think, and find a mate during this workshop. Leave feeling empowered to share the world of birds with your students of all ages. Resources now online!
Cancelled: Art as a Tool in Environmental
Education – Lesley McClintock – Rosa
Parks Environmental Science Magnet Elementary School, Berkeley Unified
School District. As requested after last year's conference, the art workshop
will be offered once again! We will explore visual perception as a tool for
observing nature, and practice some basic principles of art: composition, line,
color, texture, value, etc. We will also do hands-on projects and prints that
you may take home to do with your students using easy-to-find and/or recycled
materials! Learn ways to incorporate art into EE and outdoor school settings.
Cancelled: Mixing in Some Yoga – Paul (Pablo)
Satzinger – Headlands
Institute. In this workshop, teachers and educators will learn the
benefits of incorporating yoga into their teaching day. Yoga can be a great
way to start the day, end the day and also provide a moment of rest and reflection
in the middle of the day. The workshop will provide hands on demonstration
and practice of simple yoga exercises that one can use in the field to supplement
your day and lessons.
Abra Cadabra, We'll Reach Out and Grab Ya – Sue Vosik, Boojum Institute & Jonathan Mueller, Great Basin Outdoor School. Anyone can teach. It’s not all about what we teach, but how we teach. How can you make your lessons shine with fun activities and fillers? What will catch their interest? What will want to keep them coming back for more? This workshop will allow educators to share songs, activities and games that grab participants’ attention. As an educator, what can help your lessons become more effective and memorable?
Frisbee as A Teaching Tool – Jordan Swank – San Mateo Outdoor Education. Ever wonder what you could do with the blank side of a Frisbee? Sure we all have, this workshop will concentrate on specific educational games and activities using frisbees. Almost anybody can throw a Frisbee and it's a super ice breaker with almost unlimited teaching potential. A simple diagram on the back of a Frisbee and your food chain lesson turns into an interactive and fun game. Come learn and share ideas in a hands-on setting and be prepared to toss the disc. No experience necessary, just bring your smile and a good attitude.
Geology Rocks! – Nicole "Kestrel" Larson, Melissa "Sky" Neufer, & Rachel "Maple" Bowen – The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre. This workshop is all about making your geology hike rock! We will present geology-themed games and activities, show fun props and discuss ways to spice up your geology lesson. This workshop will be great for new naturalists – you will walk away with a better understanding of the earth and some creative ways to teach about it. Seasoned naturalists will learn some new tricks to keep their hikes fresh. There will be lots of bad geology jokes...watch out. Resources now online!
Cancelled: Sensory Science Skits: Incorporating
Song, Movement, and Play – Marisa
Nordstrom – Headlands Institute. Do
you ever feel that words are not enough? Do you wonder what your students
will remember next week? Here
is a great opportunity to practice kinesthetic teaching skills which will incorporate
science, movement, song, and play. Each participant will learn 5 different
activities to take home and share with their students. The goal of this
workshop is to provide teachers with creative tools to more fully engage their
students.
Beyond Dirt Made My Lunch: Integrating Music into Environmental Education Lessons – Emily Harris – San Mateo Outdoor Education. At SMOE the music of Steve Van Zandt and the Banana Slug String Band is an integral part of our environmental education lessons. In this workshop we will share some of our best techniques for incorporating music into lessons including: using songs to introduce concepts and set up lessons, using music to tie lessons together, and using music to reinforce concepts. We will talk about various methods for teaching songs. At the end we will facilitate an open sharing of songs that are education oriented and inspirational for students.
Words to Get Them Back in the Action: Counseling the Homesick Child – Kerry McClay – San Mateo Outdoor Education. Have you ever had your aspirations for a learning-filled day on trail spoiled by one or two desperately homesick children? Regardless of what your answer to that question was, this workshop is for you! If you said "yes" then come learn techniques like the carrot-on-a-stick, the golden rule, and pacifier pass to get that homesick kiddo back outside and enjoying your lesson. If you said "no," we want to hear your ideas on the subject. Come share and discuss your techniques and philosophy.
Insects in Action – Brett Tillman & Charlotte Melson – Camp Highland Outdoor Science School & Children’s Forest Association. Learn about the importance and impact of insects in the world around us. We will play some games and try to get hands-on down-n-dirty!
The Ecology of California Butterflies – Paul Grafton – Rancho Alegre Outdoor School. In this workshop, we will take a closer look at the butterflies around us. A short power point presentation will be followed by a jaunt around Hess Kraemer to search out local butterflies. We will explore tricks, gimmicks, and games to turn children on to our flying friends. Resources now online!
Habitat Restoration: Hands On, Minds On – Michele Palmer – Youth Stewardship Program of San Francisco. In this workshop I will present the benefits of habitat restoration as a tool for learning and youth stewardship. Through hands-on habitat restoration projects in local parks, youth can not only better understand ecological concepts, but also learn the important lesson that they can make a positive difference to the environment. This workshop will detail the possibilities for student development using habitat restoration, using examples from groups who have participated. We will do some standards-based activities that work well in a park setting to supplement the project.
Celebrating the Sun – Larry Kawano – Astrocamp. Partake in a "solar" day, with a sun dial to wake up to, a solar-heated water source, a solar oven to cook that morning food, and then off to solar school to learn about the dynamics of the Sun. Afterwards, steal at peak at the Sun through a 10-inch Meade telescope (and see sunspots and prominences if we are lucky), and have fun with various solar-related and solar-powered toys and gizmos. Encounter tools for sustainable living as well as learn about the marvelous star that makes everything on Earth possible. Resources now online!
Vocabulary that Will Change Your Life – Sacha Charny – Pathfinder Ranch Outdoor Science School. This challenge and teambuilding based workshop is a vocabulary lesson for anyone who works with children. Learn how to word directions and encouragement to create positive outcomes for participants within your programs. Vocabulary lists as well as examples will be presented along with some hands on activities to get workshop attendees up and moving. Methods to create a true challenge by choice atmosphere will be addressed. This workshop is a must for anyone who challenges participants to step outside their everyday patterns. Resources now online!
Keeping the Magic Alive – Steve Van Zandt – San Mateo Outdoor Ed. From stories of inspiration and magic to teaching ideas that you can use tomorrow, this workshop is designed to renew your love for the art of teaching. We will look at outdoor ed. guiding principles each with hands on examples to explain, planning a flow using Into, Through and Beyond, ways to infuse a theme, Framing, Kinesthetic Focusers and an understanding of the classics. Join Steve Van Zandt, Principal of San Mateo Outdoor Ed. (& member of the Banana Slug String Band) for a thought provoking and active session. Handouts Provided.
Raccoon Circles – Keith Evans – Cuyamaca Outdoor School, San Diego Co. Office of Ed. Want to learn some fun and engaging teamwork activities that don't rely heavily on props? I will be sharing some activities created by Jim Cain, Ph.D. All you need are a couple of 16 foot long pieces of one inch tubular webbing (will be provided for seminar use). I will be also sharing some ideas on how to use teamwork challenges to introduce ecological concepts.
Ambulators: Activities on the Go – Julie Tosten – Camp Highland Outdoor Science School. An ambulator is an activity designed to keep students engaged while hiking on the trail or just moving from one area to another. Ambulators in this workshop range from just fun to science and observation lessons. This workshop is recommended for educators new to the outdoor field or for those looking for some new ideas. Participants will walk away from this workshop with a new bag of tricks for keeping their students focused during transition times.
Cancelled: Wonders of Wetlands – Myriam
Weber – CSU
Monterey Bay. Want to learn more about wetlands? What are
they? Why are they important? Why should we care? Wonders of Wetlands
will cover basic wetland classification criteria and explore several hands
on activities around wetlands. The importance of wetlands has never
been more important especially in light of the devastation of New Orleans
by flood waters. Let's get our hands wet and dirty!
Demystifying Plants: Creating Enthusiasm for Our Wild, Green Friends! – Anne Marie Casper & Jason Blair – Camp Highland Outdoor Science School. Are you excited about plants? Do you get frustrated when your students don’t share your enthusiasm? Do you dread whenever plants show up on your syllabus for the week? Come join Anne Marie and Jason as they provide an exciting new angle on our overlooked green friends. In this workshop we strive to help others build tools to integrate plants into exciting outdoor lessons. Focusing on the difficulty in moving past the boring stereotype and hefty terminology when teaching about plants, we will discuss teaching methods and game creation. To avoiding sitting still too long we will play some games that Anne Marie and Jason have invented, teaching about exciting topics such as evapotranspiration; C3, C4, and CAM photosynthesis, and pollination.
Words to Inaction: No Child Left Awake – Dan "Dirty" D Pascucci – San Mateo Outdoor Education. Prepare yourself for a journey to Dreamland. Focusing on techniques for bedtime or campfire, this could very well be the most difficult workshop in which to stay awake. Whether you currently work at an organization that puts children to sleep, or you just need some tricks to calm down a rowdy group, come join a demonstration and discussion of the art of mellow. Participants will learn techniques ranging from storytelling to breathing exercises, plus have the secrets of the "sleepytime" chord progressions revealed. You don't have to be a professional musician or storyteller to come join in the fun!
Springboarding from Live Animal Contact into Science as a Way of Thinking – Chris Giorni – Tree Frog Treks. This workshop will demonstrate how to handle and care for live rescued reptiles and amphibians and use them as a natural hook to grab and focus students’ attention. Using the concept that students will experience Biophilia (an instinctive bond between human beings and other species), which will encourage students to ask questions about the native ecosystem at hand and the larger picture of conservation issues. The workshop will demonstrate how to use the captive reptiles and amphibians that live in classrooms, at outdoor schools, or in museum/nature center settings, and how they can lead your students to see science as a way of thinking. Chris will encourage discussion of how, as naturalists, we can create life-long learners that ask great questions and become critical thinkers and stewards of nature!
Sandy Science and Intertidal Inquiry – Steve Wood – Katherine Delmar Burke School. This workshop will begin with an introduction to California sandy beach ecology, mentioning the major plant, animal, and algal players. We will proceed to the beach, where we will find and identify as many of these players as we can. Then we will follow the National Marine Sanctuaries LiMPETS protocol for sampling sand crabs. Finally, we will wrap up with a discussion of resources available to educators, ways to communicate the significance of sandy beach activities to students and teachers, and suggested follow-up activities.
Questioning Techniques for the Trail Naturalist – Dan Webster – Foothill Horizons Outdoor School. Questions, both instructor and participant generated, are the backbone of science education. Learn research=based strategies for asking the right questions and providing stimulating responses that generate more thought. Relevant handouts will be provided at no cost.
Overcoming Astrono-phobia – Hilary Hobbs – Sierra Outdoor School. Does the thought of teaching about Nebulae and Galaxies make you want to crawl into a Black Hole? Add to (or begin) your bag of tricks for teaching about the night sky. We’ll practice student-centered, fun activities to help you teach about the basics, including the Solar System, constellations, Light Years, and Nebulae. Learn the basics of navigating the sky using star maps and celestial landmarks. You’ll come away with an arsenal of new ideas for using creative writing, drawing, and story telling to foster historical and cultural connections to the night sky.
Mother Earth is Rockin' – Shelley 'Shasta' Tennyson & Shelley Oeverndiek – Sierra Outdoor School. Geology science standards come to life through a variety of easily taught hands-on activities, stories, and songs. Learn how to creatively teach your students the earth science standards including plate tectonics, topography, erosion, and the rock cycle. Geology will be transformed from a dry subject to an exciting experience for all. Resources now online!
Meteorology: How to Weather It – Jason Mandly – OCDE Outdoor Science School, Cedar Crest. Is weather a cloudy subject for you or your students? This workshop is for you! In this workshop, you will learn ways to demonstrate how weather works to your students. Easy weather experiments will be demonstrated and each will have its own lesson. Topics will include humidity, convection, vortex mechanics, and pressure. This workshop will also explain more advanced weather concepts that are important to California. Topics will include Santa Ana Winds, the Marine Layer, the Rain Shadow/Desert Effect, and El Nino. The next time an inquisitive student wonders why they're getting the weather they're getting, you'll know the answer.
A Window in Time – Kristina Darbari & Deanna Miller – Los Angeles Natural History Museum. Through lively interaction, role play and hands-on activities, we will reveal interrelationships between the living and non-living components of our world. By blending science and California history, participants will travel through time to discover how native Californian’s interacted with the environment in their daily lives. In contrast, we will also examine present day human interactions with the environment and the resulting impacts. By comparing past and present behaviors, we will then explore possible models of conduct for the future. Participants will receive free standards based curriculum and activities on ecology and the Chumash Native Americans.
New: Inclusivity, Emily Wang: Find out how AEOE is taking an active role in addressing issues of diversity in environmental education, and be part of the process of change. We'll give a brief history of AEOE's Inclusivity Committee and past actions leading to this point, and look at what one environmental organization is trying to do in the area of inclusivity and diversity. Since diversity work is unique to each workplace, participants will have an opportunity to brainstorm what it would look like at their organizations.
How to Convert Christians to Environmentalism – Scott Smithson – Mission Springs Outdoor Education. As environmental educators in California, we serve a population diverse in religious backgrounds. It is therefore important for us to understand how some beliefs can affect one’s view of the environment. Many conservative Christians do not align themselves with the environmental movement. However, when they learn about biblical passages that show the importance of stewardship, it can lead to constructive dialogue and lifestyle changes. This workshop will give you insight into some of the most important stewardship passages in the Old and New Testaments, so that you can use them as you converse with students, parents, or teachers and gently persuade them to reevaluate some of the their biblical interpretations. Resources now online!
From Theory to Practice: The Journey Towards Multicultural Environmental Education – Aaron Rich – Headlands Institute. How does an environmental education organization move from good intentions towards multicultural education to real improvements? The Headlands Institute has dedicated its spring semester to exploring this question. During this session we’ll share our plan for moving from words to actions with multicultural education and give an update on our progress so far. Come hear about our successes and lessons learned as we share our best training tools, student tested techniques, and assessment strategies.
Making Diverse Paths in Nature – Charles Thomas & Meghan Shearer – Outward Bound Adventures. The interactive workshop will challenge and question our understanding and beliefs about working with inner-city, low income, youth of color. Participants will be introduced to the Outward Bound Adventures program, an environmental education youth development organization that has successfully introduced inner-city youth of color to the natural environment for 48 years. The workshop will conclude with practical measures organizations/individuals can employ to make working with diverse populations a greater success.
CANCELLED English Language Learners & Environmental Education:
Effective Teaching Strategies for the Outdoor Classroom – Ethan
Ohs – Headlands
Institute. This is a hands-on, practical skills based workshop where
participants will learn about strategies for working with English language
learners in the context of environmental education. We will use a combination
of film and practice-based scenarios to help illustrate key teaching strategies. These
are strategies that can be implemented immediately.
The Middle School Mind: Techniques for Engaging Young Teens in Outdoor Education – Erik Kellner – Headlands Institute. Teenagers make you nervous? Help reduce your anxiety over teaching "the big kids on campus". Come with us as we look at the research on how the middle school mind works. Learn how to model and use democracy in your teaching day to break through to teens. Join us in practicing concrete techniques to engage your middle school students that you can use on Monday.
Los Pescadores/Agua Pura Salmon/Steelhead Curriculum: Exploring Salmon and Steelhead in California Communities – Michael Marzolla – University of California Cooperative Extension. Through the activities in this unit, participants will explore relationships between the people and the salmon and steelhead that live, or once lived, within their community’s watershed. The workshop will introduce participants to this new experiential, place-based curriculum. The curriculum is directed towards engaging youth from under-served communities with a concentration on engaging Latino youth and families. It is available as a 6th grade standards-based curriculum, and is also geared towards non-formal settings, such as camps and after-school programs as well as youth-serving organizations.
Diverse Eco-heroes for a Changing California – Duffy Ross – Headlands Institute. In order to make environmental education relevant to an increasingly diverse student population, educators must go beyond John Muir and Rachel Carson to represent the diverse voices of the environmental movement today. This workshop will expose participants to inspiring and often untold stories of real people making real change for the environment. We will explore a variety of strategies for introducing and interweaving eco-heroes into your curriculum and will examine what the research literature tells us about teaching through role models. Finally, we will examine how falling back on "traditional" eco-heroes, so often associated with the traditional environmental movement, is selling our youth short. Hand-outs and follow-up resources will be provided. Resources now online!
ELL, ELD & PLT? Teaching English Language Learners is easy as ABC! – Sandi Funke – Golden State Environmental Education Consortium (GSEEC). What are the California English Language Development standards? What type of teaching is appropriate for English Language Learners? Through lively discussion and fun activities learn how some of what you are already doing is working and learn a few more tricks!
Introduction to Diversity for Environmental Educators- Diversity 101 – Jack K. Shu – GSEEC. A two and half hour workshop for practitioners who have had little or no formal training on diversity as it applies to environmental education. Participants will become familiar with current diversity issues and concepts. The workshop will involve participants in developing some skills in addressing conflicts resulting from cultural differences and a tool to assess diversity for a program or an organization.
Make the Connection! – Rosa Bautista – TreePeople. Join TreePeople Education Manager Rosa Bautista to learn about and explore the successes and challenges of how she took words to action through TreePeople’s pilot program, Natural Connections. This unique program provides urban families the opportunity to not only learn about the natural environment, but also through a restoration project, make the connection between their local environment and the mountains surrounding Los Angeles.
Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners – Celeste Royer – CREEC Network. Learn SDAIE strategies for linguistically diverse students and see examples of EE programs that already incorporate these strategies. A lesson will be presented to demonstrate the effective use of these strategies. Participants will be given helpful materials in handouts. A Q&A period will enable participants to gather additional information from the presenters and other participants.
Cancelled: Using Science, Education and Adventure to Explore the
Marine Environment and to Inspire Youth to Remain in the Science ‘Pipeline’ – Tracey
Weiss & Maile Sullivan – Camp
S.E.A. Lab. This workshop will
expose educators to Camp S.E.A. Lab and how this young nonprofit is utilizing
innovative programming, dynamic partnerships and experiential opportunities
to keep underserved youth in the science pipeline.
Reaching Out to Urban Youth – Antonio Solorio, Cathie Dunkel, & John Blankenship – Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, National Park Service. Mediterranean biological diversity, vegetation maps, urban interface, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, lizards, streams, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, abalone, willows, acorns, GPS units, sweep nets, climate, sling-psychrometers, compasses, restoration, plants, shovels... these are only a few of the topics that local Southern California urban students learn about in the National Park Service’s education programs and other events in the Santa Monica Mountains! This workshop combines indoor presentations and outdoor activities to teach participants about the natural and cultural history of the Santa Monica Mountains, including current issues (e.g., fire management, land-use conflicts), research projects (e.g., carnivore studies, threatened flora), and public outreach efforts. Workshop participants will also learn about the curriculum-based education programs available to elementary, middle, and high school students, and other events for the public and special groups. The workshop will conclude with a terrific informative video, produced by Discovery Channel.
Science in the Schoolyard and the Backyard: Observing Nature in Any Setting – David Edwards – Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Think you have to take a field trip to introduce children to nature? Think again! In this workshop, we’ll learn fun hands-on activities that will help your students enhance their observational skills and appreciation for local wildlife. We’ll practice some innovative lessons that can be used in the classroom, and will also learn how to conduct authentic ecological fieldwork without leaving the schoolyard. This workshop is appropriate for both classroom teachers and informal educators.
Cancelled: Relevance! Relevance! Relevance! Establishing
the Urban/Wilderness Connection – Dwain Wilson – The
Wildwoods Foundation. This
session will seek to empower outdoor educators to connect with their audience’s
everyday lives by examining the techniques employed by the Los Angeles-based
Wildwoods Foundation.
Key to the Sea – Nick Fash – Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Key to the Sea is an environmental K-5 educational program that provides hands-on learning activities relating to the watershed, urban runoff, ocean pollution, impacts on marine life, and how you can become part of the solution. You will receive a free standard aligned curriculum guide and a tote bag filled with the supplies you will need to complete your activities. Come Heal the Bay through education!
Discovering Nature's Alphabet – Krystina Castella & Brian Boyl – Authors, Heyday Press. The authors will speak about the evolution of their book Discovering Nature's Alphabet and how their exploration hikes inspired children, teens and adults to see nature. They will discuss How nature inspires creativity, why letterforms are found in nature, and you can't see a leaf at 50 MPH. Curriculum and activities for all ages will be presented and explored hand's on.
Effective Storytelling in the Outdoors – Jay Bishop – The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre. Storytelling has been at the heart of culture for thousands of years. Without formal training many educators use stories for teaching, because as we all know, they work. Come to learn etiquette, set-up, wrap-up and common pitfalls in storytelling with children in an outdoor setting. Practice your timing and maybe learn a new story that fits into your teaching framework.
Word of the Day: Incorporating Vocabulary into Nature Programs – Eve Brown & Kelley Reetz – City of Anaheim’s Oak Canyon Nature Center. Participants will hear a brief synopsis of a successfully executed Word of the Day’ program at a southern California nature center and discover how they might successfully implement such a program at their own location. Through discussion groups and hands-on activities, this workshop will coach environmental educators on how to incorporate vocabulary into nature lessons and activities. We will learn how to determine what vocabulary is age appropriate, how to use the California State Science Standards as a guide and how to make vocabulary lessons and exciting and entertaining experience. Participants will brainstorm to create word lists for their own programs, learn some new ‘big kid’ vocabulary, create an art piece that reinforces word-learning and make some ‘word of the day’ prop cards to take home.
Mad Props for No Props – Scott Reis – Sierra Outdoor School. Come play and learn as you do it! Participants in this workshop will learn some very quick and easy initiatives that utilize little to no props for use with a trail group or team class. These initiatives are designed to address different issues such as group communication, focus, respect, planning, critical thinking, etc. A handout with a list of activities will be provided. Some discussion time at the end will allow workshop participants to share activities that have worked for them. Resources now online!
Weaving the Web of Strategies to Increase the Effectiveness of Resident Outdoor School – Darleen K. Stoner, PhD. – California State University, San Bernardino. If you are looking for effective pre- and post-outdoor school activities to develop students’ skills before and to apply learning after resident outdoor school, this workshop is packed with ideas. A rationale for outdoor education will be reviewed as well as curriculum applications for all subject areas. Receive a free copy of the California Outdoor School Curriculum Guide by Darleen Stoner, Olga Clymire, and Lars Helgeson, developed several years ago in association with California Outdoor School Administrators (COSA), with funding from the CA Dept. of Education.
Three Sisters Gardening – Tonya Mandl – LAUSD Nutrition Network & Rhymin’ Reason. Learn the legends, activities, recipes and nutritional benefits of an ancient gardening tradition. The Three Sisters: corn, beans and squash have been an integral part of Native agriculture throughout North and South America. In this workshop you will try this method of companion planting, practice activities that can be used at your school site, and even taste a Three Sisters recipe. Free supplies and books will be provided.
Using Wordcraft to Inspire Action; Storytelling for Environmental Education – Dean Thompson – KEEP Ocean. Storytelling was the original form for teaching humans, transmitting culture, and imparting morals. This is no less true today. Come learn how to become a more effective storyteller and gain ideas for using stories in the educational setting. A brief instructional period will be followed by a story swap. Be prepared to share stories used to inspire action, educate and entertain.
Hot Air Balloons – Bryan Snyder – The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre. This session will introduce a successive series of experiments involving fire, ice, and the manipulation of air pressure, demonstrating how invisible forces drive many of the mechanical and biological processes on our planet. This program is perfect for the science classroom, grades 4-8, or within residential outdoor education as a special activity. The training in air pressure manipulation will culminate in the rescue of a former United States president and the launching of miniature hot air balloons. Join the mission! Hand-out now online!
Cancelled: Activating Green Power Heroes! Turning Sustainability into
Art and Animation – Susan Cox – Environmental Education
Services. This
workshop will share the journey of Green
Power Girl and the Green
Power Heroes from idea to school assembly presentation to animation/classroom
play. Turn
your creative ideas and passion for the earth into fun, reverent play for the
children you teach!
Introducing Inquiry and the Scientific Method: M&Mology – Sam Drucker – Headlands Institute. Upon leaving this workshop you will have a complete and easy FUN activity that will allow you to introduce the scientific method to your students. The scientific method is the perfect base from which to launch any number of inquiry-based learning projects. If time allows, we will discuss ways to adapt lessons you already teach to inquiry-based learning. Resources now online!
GLOBE science program – Scott Riddick – San Diego County of Ed./San Diego Outdoor Education Foundation. This workshop is designed to introduce educators to the GLOBE science program. GLOBE is a worldwide, hands-on, school based Earth Science and education program. Students using GLOBE learn, by taking scientifically valid environmental measurements, reporting their data, and then using their data to collaborate with students and scientists around the world. The best part is that the learning activities and teacher support materials are all free. This workshop will include a brief overview of the program with some hands-on GLOBE activities.
Rocket Science 101 – Bart Kowalski – Tree Frog Treks. Have you been wondering how to get those boys that are not into 'meet a tree' excited about photosynthesis? How about making an oxygen gas flame thrower, or launching off a rocket powered by CO2! In this very hands-on workshop we will conduct the scientific process of observation, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion and knowledge (OHECK), as we discover the properties of gases, study pressure, and learn what makes rockets and submarines work! We will use and re-use common household items and things from your recycling bin and turn them into rockets capable of reaching even the most distant of your 'stars'. So strap on your goggles, put your space suit on, and get ready for Blast Off!!! Resources now online!
How to Teach So Kids Can Learn: Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Strategies– Adrienne Webster – Columbia College. Have you ever wondered why your students really respond to some activities and are lost in space at other times? A little knowledge about child development may be the key. Understanding how children develop cognition, language, social and emotional, and motor skills will assist you in planning more effective lessons. Join us for an interactive workshop! Resources now online!
Science Process Skills: Turning Students into Independent Scientists – Stuart Miles – Pathfinder Ranch Science and Outdoor Education School. Science Process Skills are a powerful set of abilities broadly applicable to all science disciplines, which reflect the behavior of scientists. In this workshop, participants will be given an overview of basic and integrated science process skills. They will participate in a model experiment illustrating the differences between a science process approach and a traditional scientific method approach. Participants will be given examples of activities to build science process skills. They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other participants to integrate science process skills into their individual curriculum. This workshop will offer examples primarily from a classroom setting, but will also include ideas for naturalists and curriculum designers.
Debriefing Techniques and Questioning Strategies – Emily Wang – Headlands Institute. Brainstorm, share, and learn techniques for debriefing that go beyond the "ping-pong" style (teacher question - student answer - teacher question - student answer). We'll talk about scaffolding questions to deepen assessment and techniques to draw out student involvement in debriefs. Participants will have the opportunity to share best practices and try out new methods. Resources now online!
Tools for Teaching with Respect and Empathy in the Field – Jen Raymond & Jana Kiser – Headlands Institute. This workshop will focus on how to transform conflict into opportunities to connect empathically with your students, with a brief introduction to the theory behind Nonviolent Communication, based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg and the Center for Nonviolent Communication, followed by small- group practice with field-ready activities. Tired of hearing yourself give the you’re being disrespectful talk or explaining why a behavior is inappropriate? Play a few hands of Empathy Poker, a game that shines a light on what your students are feeling and needing and how to help them meet those needs effectively. Explore what behaviors really push your buttons. Learn how to affirm your students’ efforts without limiting them with judgment-based affirmations like good job. This workshop may turn your notion of positive discipline on its head.
Cancelled: Where We Learn = What We Learn – Hillary
Gross & Walker
Wells – Global Green USA. School
districts across the country are creating green building programs for K-12
schools. The next frontier
is to better incorporate the green building principals into the school curriculum. Our
hope is by educating teachers about green design principles and showing examples
of some curriculum integration, we can help spur further strategies.
Teach Core Subjects through the Garden – Nancy Gutierrez – California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. In this workshop participants will be actively engaged in learning while realizing how to teach agriculture and the environment in classroom situations. Receive convenient resource materials, learn about California’s Curriculum Guidelines for Agricultural Literacy Awareness. Receive training on how to use the guidelines and where to find free resources for students.
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