Educator Professional Development

Educator Professional Development

Connecting the global with the local: Strengthening environmental education in urban communities

Working with a team of experienced Ohio environmental educators, the Great Lakes Urban Environmental Education (GLUee) Fellowship will establish an urban environmental education professional development program and Community of Practice peer network that build on the best practices identified in our previous case study.  We will examine the impacts of an immersive professional development program on urban educators’ understanding of Great Lakes issues and environmental education practices. We will also explore how the conditions within a Community of Practice support urban educators in the design and implementation of urban watershed-focused environmental education activities.

Interested in applying to be part of this program? More information here.

Comparative case study of environmental education professional development programs

Environmental education interventions often focus on how students are being taught, missing an essential precursor – how are educators being taught? This project explores the impact of the structure and delivery of two environmental education professional development programs on educator relationships with one another and the environment. For this research-practice partnership with The Ohio State University’s Stone Lab and the ODNR/NERRP Old Woman Creek, we conducted a qualitative comparative case study and employed interaction analysis to explore effective strategies for educator learning.

Our work to expand and improve environmental education professional development for educators is funded by Ohio Sea Grant/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.