by editor | Aug 20, 2026 | Environmental Literacy, Integrating EE in the Curriculum, Interviews with Educators & Leaders, Outdoor education and Outdoor School, Outstanding Programs in EE
Colin Harris is the founder and executive director of Take Me Outside, and initiated the organization by running across Canada, going into 80 schools across the country and engaging 20,000 students in conversations around their time spent in front of screens compared to their time spent outside, being active and connecting to nature. Take Me Outside, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to ensuring that every students’ day includes time spent outside, is a leading national organization helping advance the work of outdoor learning. Colin is also a PhD Candidate in Educational Research at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
Tell us a little about yourself? Do you remember your first experience in nature as a child?
I grew up in various parts of Canada during the late 70s and early 80s, so the default setting then was to have consistent outdoor experiences. For the most part, my family lived in cities, but there were always outdoor spaces nearby that shaped me and who I’ve become.
Did any events in your youth play a role in your development as an environmental educator?
I don’t have any definitive experiences from childhood that led to my work in this field. In large part, I think it was simply a cumulation of my time spent outside that helped grow my desire to feel more connected to the land and the environment. Numerous experiences shaped this, but as I worked in the outdoor and environmental education field in my twenties, I wanted to find a way to marry my work and my personal dream.
And what was that dream?
When I was about 16 years old, I started developing a dream of wanting to run across Canada. I had been inspired by Terry Fox, as well as the Olympic torch relay when the winter Olympics were held in Calgary, Alberta in 1988. I was by no means a great runner, and yet this dream persisted.
Wow. So how did you manage to bring them together?
There was emerging research about the impacts of excessive screen time affecting physical health, and so I decided to run 7600 km across Canada, going into schools and helping to raise awareness about the importance of spending less time in front of screens, and more time outside. [And] this run across the country launched Take Me Outside – the non-profit I founded.
How long did it take you to complete the run?
The run took 9 months total – I ran approximately 40-50 kilometres a day for 5 days a week. And on the other days, I would go into schools and connect with students. Over those 9 months, I ran 181 marathons to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
What did you see and learn as you visited classrooms and teachers along the way?
I saw that students were well aware of the negative impacts too much time in front of screens have. I also saw inspiring examples of students and teachers who were committed to learning that happened outside. I saw a commitment from teachers who saw the potential of learning that could happen outside of the four walls of the classroom.
So you founded a non-profit. What is the status of Take Me Outside today?
Take Me Outside continues to evolve in our work. On that front, we’re really trying to sink our teeth into systems level-change. So much of the work in this field can often be a bottom up approach – connecting with frontline teachers and educators who care about these issues. But we need to address more systemic change within the education system, and so we’re working with school system leaders to try and make that happen. On a personal level, I’m also trying to finish a PhD in Educational Research at the University of Calgary exploring teacher relationships with digital technologies and outdoor learning.
What was a particularly memorable moment in your career?
It would be tough to pick out one moment. I think what stands out in reflecting on nearly 25 years in this work, are the relationships I’ve been fortunate to build and the amazing people I’ve met. After 9 months of running across Canada, dipping my toe into the Pacific Ocean to finish my run across the country was a highlight. But getting to share that with so many people, and the relationships that have grown and been developed since that moment, definitely stick out.
What have you learned in your years of being an outdoor/environmental educator?
While I think the term “outdoor and environmental educator” has been used quite commonly in the past, I think a shift is needed. I view myself as an educator – broadly speaking – that cares deeply about the environment and the outdoors. I think all educators can (and should) embed the environment into their pedagogical approach so that OEE doesn’t feel like a specialization. Our goal should be to have all educators be environmental educators.
What changes have you seen in EE during your career?
As mentioned, I think I’ve seen a shift away from the perceived specialization of being an outdoor and/or environmental educator. As David Sobel indicates, good education is in essence environmental education. While I think issues like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss are extremely important, I think the pathway to addressing these issues are students spending more time outside – developing and nurturing their own relationship with the land and the outdoors. I think we need to ensure that amidst all the bad news that seems to drive some of these issues, that there is a sense of hope for the future. And for me, that sense of hope comes from simply spending more time outside.
What’s the future of EE?
It’s really hard to say. So many people claim to have insights on what the future will hold in various areas, yet there are too many factors that make it hard to predict. It definitely feels like we are in some volatile and polarizing times politically. We are entering this new age of AI and all the promises of its potential. In all of this, I think we need to continue to ask “What is the purpose of education?”
If you were to ask 100 people immersed in education this question, I’d bet you get at least 70 different answers. From my vantage point, education that focuses on our connection with the outdoors and the environment, can help us flourish, and can help the planet flourish.
What keeps you motivated?
The more time I spend outside, the more motivated I get. The more time I spend scrolling social media, reels, and the news – it’s tough to stay motivated. For my own health, I know where my priorities need to lie. It’s not pitting one against the other – it’s just ensuring that I have good balance in my life, and for me, that means trying to spend as much time outside as possible.
What inspires you now? What people have inspired you?
Honestly, while there are some people that inspire me (I think of my parents), it’s non-humans that are inspiring me the most these days. Trees inspire me, rivers inspire me, learning about whales or sea turtles or coyotes or birds inspire me. I know it sounds like a cheesy or hippie answer, but I’m finding the natural environment way more inspiring these days than humanity.
Who are your environmental heroes?
Rachel Carson and David Suzuki.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
The Digital Delusion by Dr. Jared Horvath
Capitalism by Sven Beckert
The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen
You undoubtedly were familiar with the recently discontinued Green Teacher Magazine. What is your view regarding the value of publications like GT and CLEARING as resources for teachers?
Both of these publications have been extremely valuable, providing rich and useful resources for educators interested in outdoor and environmental learning. In an educational landscape that is increasingly being promised transformation through AI and other digital tech, I still believe that human-centred approaches to learning are and will be crucial. Publications like CLEARING contribute to this and provide a solid foundation for building the kind of learning blocks that will result in good education.
And finally, do you have favorite places to go when you need to connect with nature?
I struggle a bit with the phrase “connecting with nature” as I think it’s easy to have different interpretations of what “nature” is. If we equate nature to these wilderness experiences or vast landscapes, that it really makes nature inaccessible to a lot of people. I was in downtown Toronto for a conference a few weeks ago, surrounded by skyscrapers. But the simple act of going for a walk outside was enough. In an ideal world, we’re fortunate to pursue experiences that get us on the water or hiking through a forest. But simply going for a walk and getting some fresh air outside, is what I need most often.
Are you hopeful about the future?
I feel there’s no other choice. I have recently been reading How To Be Hopeful by elin Kelsey, and while we live in a world that focuses on doom and gloom, there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful – to have evidence-based hope. They’re a little bit harder to find in this sea of doomism, but they’re out there.
by editor | Dec 29, 2025 | Environmental Literacy, Marine/Aquatic Education, Outstanding Programs in EE, Student research
From Alaska to Oregon: Students Experience the 2025 NAME Conference
reprinted from NW Compass, the newsletter of the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME)
The Ketchikan National Ocean Sciences Bowl team, also known as the Saber-Toothed Salmon, is a competition based high school group that focuses on ocean related knowledge in Alaska and beyond. While we are always directly preparing our students for our competition, we are also looking for creative and unique opportunities to immerse our students in, to prepare them for life after high school. Our coaches stumbled upon the NMEA entity in the summer of 2024 when we were invited to the National Conference in Boston, MA. We were immediately hooked with NMEA and wanted to get involved more. During this conference, we found that various regional groups were formed and convened on an annual basis as well, with NAME being in our jurisdiction. With the regional conference being located in Newport, OR our coaching staff thought it would be prudent to get our students involved as well. With support from Fawn Custer and Jennifer Magnusson, we were able to bring eight of our students from our little island community in Alaska to Oregon for the NAME conference in 2025.
One of our primary objectives for making the trip down was to spread awareness of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl competition. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, school participation across the country in our competition plummeted. Our team found it prudent that we support the competition by recruiting new schools into our competition so we can continue competing in the future. So in partnership with Lindsey Carroll from Oregon State University, we put together a joint presentation on the benefits of having a National Ocean Sciences Bowl team at local high schools. Lindsey put together a slideshow on what it takes to get a team started, I put together some slides on what my experience has been as a coach, and my students did a mock quiz bowl in front of a live audience to give an idea of what we do for our competition. Our presentation was well attended and the audience asked my students questions about their experiences. An overall success in my opinion.
During our time at the NAME conference, our students also took in other presentations from other educators. While this conference is primarily for us adults, our students learned a lot from these presentations. Some of our students are considering a year in education down the road, so those students especially took advantage of this opportunity. The NAME conference also provided our students with the opportunity to learn about Oregon Coast Marine Science. We toured the Otter Rock Marine Reserve, Yaquina Head Lighthouse & Museum, the Sea Lion Caves, the Hatfield Marine Science Center, and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. All of these learning opportunities had a profound impact on our students. For many of our students, this was their first time in Oregon and it opened their eyes to the world outside of Alaska. One other amazing opportunity that we were able to take advantage of during our free time in Oregon was touring the campuses of Oregon State University in Corvallis and the University of Oregon in Eugene. Our students on this trip were juniors and seniors, all with aspirations of going to college after high school. Some of these students had these two universities on their list of potential schools they were interested in going to, so being able to tour the campuses was very valuable for our group.
Overall, our group had an amazing time at the NAME conference. Our students made memories that are going to last them a lifetime, so we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to attend. However, none of this would have been possible without the support from NAME and the Bill “Sean” Hastie Conference Scholarship for providing funds to support travel expenses for our group. Travel from Alaska to Oregon in the middle of the summer is expensive, and for a public school such as ourselves, fundraising opportunities are limited. This scholarship allowed this trip to happen for us without having to ask students’ families to pay out of pocket. So, from our coaching staff and team, we would like to thank those involved with the scholarship committee for selecting our group to receive those funds!
by editor | Sep 8, 2025 | Outstanding Programs in EE
Planting Seeds of Community
Sunnyside Environmental School, Portland, Oregon
“This school makes you more confident and you get to try more things. The mixed classrooms in the middle school work really well. It is pretty fun actually because then the middle school is a bit like a family.” (Eric 12)
The riot of colour and activity that is Sunnyside Environmental School, a mainstream school of around 550 five to fourteen year-olds from a range of backgrounds, makes it hard to believe that the warm red brick building set amongst neat vegetable and flower plots, bright murals and mosaics, is a only few blocks from Portland city centre. Inside, the atmosphere is happy, buoyant and relaxed, with a strong sense of a supportive community of confident individuals.
The principal, Sarah Taylor, started this “ordinary” state school in 1995 to provide an education that…
“…brings the beauty and magic of the natural world into the lives of children through an integrated, developmentally appropriate, art infused education. Creativity, love of learning, personal responsibility and family are the cornerstones of an education that celebrates the many overlapping environments of Portland. The city’s wild and urban areas become sites for inquiry, exploration and understanding as children acquire personal and academic skills that lead to a satisfying life as thoughtful, active members of the larger community.”
Literacy, numeracy and “traditional” subjects are not taught in isolation, but integrated using Storyline3 into learning about the local area under the curriculum themes of rivers, mountains and forests. In a “river” year, for example, students might choose an Oregon river and write its story through time, monitor pollution and water life at a local wetland for the Local Authority and organize a River Festival. Pupils grow, harvest and prepare all the food eaten in the school with the help of the school garden and a small nearby urban “farm.” Food is used to strengthen the school community and to learn about food sustainability, seasonal cycles and the rituals of other cultures. Students learn at first hand about social issues by identifying and tackling problems in the local community, from visiting and fundraising for the elderly to growing vegetables for the homeless.
Unstructured play, singing, dancing, visual arts and a large amount of time outdoors in familiar “Places” are considered vital for children’s sense of “Place” and belonging, as well as for their cognitive and social development.
The result is a school where care and respect for others underpin an exciting learning experience. One teacher, comparing Sunnyside with more “traditional” schools says, “It’s not more work it’s just different. At other schools itís a lot about lesson plans and tests, correcting and scoring…here the activities are much more interactive and student-focused, the students lead on many issues and take a lot of responsibility. I think it’s more interesting for the students, and more stimulating and fun for the teachers. The great thing is so many of the projects here are cross-disciplinary. It makes it much more interesting to 
teach.’ The students show great maturity and confidence ñ from a nursery level “poetry slam” to extremely thought- provoking presentations by fourteen year-olds. At all levels the school seems to be succeeding in shaping individuals whose character, confidence, maturity and happiness owe much to a strong sense of “their Place”, what they belong to and the difference they make to it.
Taylor firmly believes that this transformation of school culture is possible on the state allowance for mainstream schools, although an active Parent Teachers Students Association raises funds for “extras” like a part-time Sustainability Co-ordinator and two staff, who manage the school gardens.
by editor | Jun 19, 2024 | Critical Thinking, Environmental Literacy, Experiential Learning, Features on Outstanding Programs, Marine/Aquatic Education, Outdoor education and Outdoor School, Outstanding Programs in EE, Place-based Education, Teaching Science
How to Design Field-based Research Experiences
By Molly L. Sultany, msultany@nwacademy.org
High School Teacher, Northwest Academy, Portland, Oregon
Navigating Unchartered Waters
How can educators help students feel more connected to the outdoors while engaging with the work of research scientists? Scientific research may feel elusive to high school students, an unknown world hidden behind a technical paper, a puzzling chi-square analysis, or a p-value waiting to be deciphered. Yet, participating in field-based research may improve students’ intrinsic motivation, build resiliency, and enhance their sense of personal agency and responsibility (Marley et. al, 2022). I believe that teaching students outdoors introduces novelty and authentic learning opportunities into an existing science curriculum (Behrendt & Franklin, 2014). In addition, field-based research experiences provide a compelling alternative to a digitally dominated learning environment, often inundated with electronic media. Benefits to students’ well-being may include a longer attention span, multi-sensory experiences, deeper context for learning, a sense of comradery and feelings of community belonging, as well as reduced stress and fewer signs of ADHD (Grimshaw et. al, 2016). Overall, introducing a fieldwork component to existing curriculum may enhance student engagement, improve critical thinking, and foster positive interpersonal skills.
At our field site in Cannon Beach, Ofregon, students measured 3,807 ochre sea stars with 54 total search hours.
How to Engage Students in Field-based Research Projects?
· Build Your Professional Network: Connect with other educators at your school, district, or area interested in developing student-led research projects. Attend professional development opportunities for science education.
· Partner with Local Non-Profit Organizations: Become a member of regional and national non-profit groups dedicated to environmental conservation. This may provide opportunities for volunteering where you can meet like-minded individuals and build lasting community connections to enhance your understanding of local environmental issues.
· Lead with Student Interests: Brainstorm ideas for research projects with students. Start with a field trip to a nearby park, green space, or natural habitat. Find ways to discuss local conservation issues as part of your curriculum. Be inspired by students’ own personal interests, curiosity, and inquiry.
· Create a Science Lunch & Learn Program: Invite STEM professionals from your school community or region to give a presentation during the lunch hour for students about science career pathways, current research, or ways to become involved with the larger scientific community.
· Video Chat with a Scientist: Get inspired by programs offered through NASA, NOAA, and the Nautilus Live: Ocean Exploration Trust to connect students virtually to scientists to learn more about their research.
Wearing hip waders and waterproof gloves, Northwest Academy students measured ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) size classes, and observed signs of sea star wasting syndrome.
Local Spotlight: Diack Ecology Education Program
After attending an Oregon Science Teachers’ Association (OSTA) meeting, I learned about the inspiring work of the Diack Ecology Education Program. This unique program provides Oregon educators with financial support and pedagogical resources through grants, workshops, and programming. Their goal is to provide guidance for teachers to develop effective student-centered, field-based science inquiry experiences. I admire the program’s values: commitment to local stewardship, opportunities for student leadership and decision-making, and an emphasis on outdoor experiential learning. Through their website (https://www.diackecology.org/), teachers can apply to attend bi-annual workshops taught by experienced science educators, where they learn how to construct a science inquiry project centered on local field work. The Diack program strives to help teachers develop greater scientific literacy and build civic engagement on themes related to local ecology, natural history, and environmental science.
Over the past ten years, the Diack Ecology Education Program has funded multiple student research projects at Northwest Academy, an independent high school in Portland, Oregon. Participation in this program has connected my high school students to the larger scientific community, including The Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Portland State University, U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize Conference, and the Oregon Environmental Science Summit where students had the opportunity to present their research in person to Dr. Jane Goodall. These experiences have transformed our high school science research program, and introduced students to the wonder, joy, and complexity of the natural world. Past projects have included a study of local stream health (2014), the role of diatoms as indicators of water quality (2015), and microplastics in beach sand (2017). Our most recent project (2022) had a dual focus on how marine biota respond to environmental change by studying the prevalence of sea-star wasting syndrome in ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) and documenting nesting success of cormorants during the summer breeding season.
Benefits to Students
After our field research at the Oregon Coast in 2022, I learned that participating in field research has many direct benefits to adolescents, with transformative effects on socio-emotional learning, scientific literacy, and the development of a civic identity. By taking part in challenging field tasks in an unpredictable outdoor environment, students may develop an improved positive self-concept and increased self-esteem, seeing themselves as capable learners. One of my students reflected: “I learned that I have much more patience that I give myself credit for, and that I am also good at paying attention to details when I am observing.” In addition to these changes in self-perception, I believe there is value in helping students see science in action beyond textbook learning. This may, in turn, deepen students’ respect for the natural world. The student leader of our field team shared: “I learned about the shocking effects of sea star wasting syndrome, and what this damage for the sea star population could mean for the rocky intertidal ecosystem. With little prior knowledge of the effects of climate change or any practical interactions with climate change, seeing the effects of sea star wasting syndrome on the sea stars was immediately eye-opening.”
Lastly, participating in a science project with relevance to a region may strengthen students’ civic identity and build meaningful connections with their local community. It may also help students cultivate a personal connection with the natural world. While exploring the tidepools, each field day brought novel discoveries, keen observations, and many more scientific questions. By the end of our project, my students had become fiercely protective of our beach field site, which hosted incredibly diverse rocky intertidal habitat home to invertebrates, from crabs to chitons. One of my students shared: “walking through the sea cave at the tidepools and seeing all the biodiversity, from sea stars to isopods, was my favorite part of fieldwork. I want people to treat the world around us with respect. Interacting with the public and teaching them about this small part of marine conservation was meaningful and important to me.” This newfound sense of stewardship for the natural world was accompanied by their desire to teach others, share what they had learned, and reinforce proper tidepool etiquette at the beach.
Fostering Teacher Professional Learning Goals
Immersing students in dynamic environmental field research may also benefit educators in terms of curriculum design, pedagogy, and improved content knowledge. Inspired by field experiences with my students, I decided to incorporate themes related to marine biodiversity, ocean conservation, and anthropogenic global climate change into my high school science classes. Fieldwork reinforced the value of fostering creative and critical thinking with a flexible mindset in my approach to science teaching. It emphasized an inquiry model of the scientific method, fostering science process skills from observation to questioning. For many students who participated in fieldwork, this experience led to other opportunities to share their research findings at local science fairs, conferences, and school events. All in all, I believe that participating in field-based research projects will remain a valued tradition for our science program at Northwest Academy.
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to Mike Weddle, from the Diack Ecology Education Program, & Jesse Jones, CoastWatch Program Manager.
Works Cited
• Behrendt M & Franklin T. A review of research on school field trips and their value in education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education. 2014 9 (10).
• Grimshaw M, Curwen L, Morgan J, Shallcross N, Franklin S, Shallcross D. The benefits of outdoor learning on science teaching. Journal of Emergent Science 2019, 16 (40).
• Marley SA, Siani A, Sims S. Real-life research projects improve student engagement and provide reliable data for academics. Ecol Evol. 2022, 8 (12).
by editor | Jun 18, 2021 | Features on Outstanding Programs, Marine/Aquatic Education, Outstanding Programs in EE, Place-based Education, STEM
A Year in the Watershed
There is no doubt that if you want to get students truly excited about what they are learning, ask them to tackle a real-world question or problem — ask them to solve something that is relevant to their lives.
by Jean M. Wallace
It is no surprise that children learn best by doing. And, when they seamlessly integrate across subjects and spend ample time working to find solutions to real problems that will improve lives, fulfill needs, and make our world a better place, their learning reaches a much deeper level. During my 20 years in a leadership role in experiential education, establishing partnerships and supporting hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in authentic learning, I witnessed this success first hand. There is also no doubt that if you want to get students truly excited about what they are learning, ask them to tackle a real-world question or problem — ask them to solve something that is relevant to their lives. In using this approach, students come to realize that what they are doing in school really does have meaning.
Whether describing this learning process with terminology such as STEM, STEAM, Project-Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning, or EIC (Environment as an Integrating Context — the process used by my former team as outlined below), it is the alignment of the content (the “what”) and the process (the “how”) that drives these successful learning models. Integration is critical, as it is the bonding of content and process that strengthens the structure of learning for students. Rather than teach in isolation, teachers and schools should model the 21st century skills we want our students to acquire by collaborating, cooperating, and communicating across disciplines to make learning more meaningful in all subjects. The effectiveness of using the environment as the foundation for interdisciplinary learning is not new to education and is supported by research.
Founded in 1995, the State Environment and Education Roundtable (SEER) worked with 16 state departments of education to develop Environment-Based Education (EBE) as a standards-based instructional strategy to engage students in “real-world” learning experiences. Over 40 schools took part in this national study, which resulted in the 1998 publication of Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998). As was the case with the national EIC research study, our own EIC program was extremely successful and proven to close the achievement gap.
Environment = Authentic Learning
Moving from teaching in isolation to teaching across disciplines can be challenging, but my firm belief was (and still is) that a powerful and deep understanding of content coupled with a meaningful and authentic process of student engagement results in deeper learning for children.
Therefore, when building an curriculum focused on authentic learning, it made perfect sense to use Pennsylvania Environment & Ecology (E&E) Standards as a foundation on which to build an integrated and student-centered curriculum: one that would shape the framework for active, authentic, community-based science teaching and learning. Along with cross-curricular, real-world, rigorous content, an E&E-based program offers students the opportunity to engage in service learning and civic action, creating responsible and caring global citizens. This is evidenced in the introduction to the E&E standards, which reads as follows:
“Environment and Ecology is grounded in the complexity of the world we live in and our impact on its sustainability. The human interactions with the ecosystem and the results of human decisions are the main components of this academic area. Environment and Ecology examines the world with respect to the economic, cultural, political, and social structure as well as natural processes and systems. This integration across systems is what sets this academic area apart from all others.” (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2001)
Starting in Kindergarten, content outlined in the E&E standards also became the foundation for literacy acquisition and was used to generate enthusiasm in our youngest readers. As they were learning how to read, they were connecting what they were reading to the real world around them. The content outlined in these standards formulated a rich vocabulary upon which students could build as they progressed through the curriculum. One example that comes to mind is the topic of Agriculture, which was introduced in Kindergarten and then reinforced in 3rd grade in a multi-disciplinary, multi-week unit of study. Classroom libraries were stocked with vocabulary-rich books, and learning was enriched by field studies to area farms, nature centers, streams, rivers, and museums.
The June 2014 Progress of Education Reform Report issued by the Education Commission of the States, reaffirms the success of applying this early science literacy approach in an authentic learning environment: “Science interactions support vocabulary development by exposing children to new words in meaningful context. Exposure to rich vocabulary words predicts vocabulary development, which predicts reading achievement.” The importance of early science literacy acquisition is summed up nicely in this same publication: “Education leaders should turn a critical eye on the science teaching and learning expected for early education in their school, district or state, then determine whether there is any evidence that children and their teachers are receiving the instructional opportunities they need and deserve.”
Creating the EIC Curriculum
But how and where do you begin when creating an integrated curriculum? For our team, utilizing the E&E standards for content; the interdisciplinary, student-centered process of the EIC Model; a strong emphasis on 21st century skills; and backwards mapping became the perfect collective starting point. Our guide was Dr. Patricia Vathis of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, who is an expert in standards, interdisciplinary learning, and Understanding by Design. As a K–8 team, we began the curriculum-building process by going through each E&E standard statement and unpacking and understanding its content. After completing this, we moved on to Science and Technology, and then to Social Studies, which included History, Geography, and Civics and Government. We identified the content that “anchored” each standard statement and how each grade would be responsible for either introducing that content (I), reinforcing it (R), or bringing the content to proficiency (P).
As we were completing each matrix and assigning a color code to each grade, we were also looking for opportunities to connect content across disciplines to create big ideas for comprehensive, interdisciplinary units of study. Once our team completed a matrix for each of the content area standards, time was allocated for teachers to meet and plan with their grade level partners and teachers from different grade levels and disciplines. Everyone worked from the matrices they, themselves, created. Schedules were designed so that team-teaching could occur several times each week, allowing teachers to see and hear how each overarching topic was being presented through the lens of another discipline.
EIC in Middle School
In some ways, the 5–8 team had a more difficult challenge than the K–4 team, since our middle school students in 5–8 rotated through different teachers and subjects. The teachers effectively met this challenge by working together to design units of study that spanned several months, with each content area well represented. For example, one unit was titled “Disease and its Impact on Philadelphia,” and was taught over a three-month period. In Science class, students investigated how vector species transmit diseases, while in Language Arts the students were reading the book Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson (2000), a historical fiction novel documenting the 1793 yellow fever epidemic that plagued Philadelphia. In Social Studies, the students were mapping out historic Philadelphia and reading and writing about a time in local history when this epidemic took many lives. In Technology, students created their own newspaper and documented the impact of the disease outbreak by writing obituaries and providing information to their imaginary community. Finally, in Art, students designed a 2-D protist from which they created a 3-D model. As students were learning across disciplines, teachers were actively teaching across disciplines. Amazing!
EIC in Elementary School
Just one example of authentic, interdisciplinary learning that was so successful during my years in school leadership was “A Watershed Year,” when each year our 4th grade students were immersed in a year-long, interdisciplinary study of the Delaware River Watershed. Students were challenged to answer the overarching question: Where does your drinking water come from and where does your wastewater go? They began by investigating the history, geography, geology, science, chemistry, and ecology of our local freshwater streams and the surrounding watershed. During their downstream journey, students interacted with experts in local history, drafted a “Water Bill of Rights,” debated ecology versus economy, conducted field studies with the Philadelphia Water Department, mapped out their local watershed, and learned from the Army Corp of Engineers how to effectively engineer a dam.
Students also documented their journey and presented their findings to various audiences. Utilizing digital technology, they even created an interactive, informational walking tour for visitors along the trails at the local historical society. The students’ Watershed Year ended with an exploration of the Delaware Estuary and Atlantic Ocean ecosystems where they discovered the ecological diversity of aquatic life in these brackish and saltwater environments. Their final real-life adventure in learning was a three-hour voyage aboard a trawling vessel out of Cape May, New Jersey where they cast nets into the ocean and hauled in their catch, while working side-by-side with a team of marine ecologists.
Ongoing Improvements and Growth
Professional development for teachers was meaningful, focused, and ongoing. In-service days during the school year were dedicated to curriculum development, and each summer our teachers would attend the Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for Environment and Ecology. This Institute offered a week-long, residential learning experience that took place both indoors and outdoors. Enhancing the knowledge and skills of teachers through deep-rooted learning experiences inspired our teachers to become even better at creating and implementing authentic learning experiences for their students.
While standards dictated “what” would be taught, the process of learning was designed and reinforced by our teachers. They used content — E&E standards-based content — and the EIC practices to drive instruction. These experiences not only resulted in strong academic achievement, but they ensured outcomes of global citizenship through student empowerment and environmental civic action. Our K–8 EIC framework became the solid academic foundation on which we grew our program from 150 students to over 700 allowing us the financial and community support to build a 20 million dollar school and campus designed for outdoor learning. An amazing accomplishment that many said could never be done!
Positive Impacts
In the end, our state standardized test scores reflected the success of our EIC Model and its interdisciplinary framework. More importantly, these scores represented how immersing students in deep-dive, long-term, interdisciplinary research projects can be a successful approach for all students. As just one example, 90%–96% of our 4th Grade students achieved, on average, the highest level in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Science test. Our special education students and historically underperforming students thrived in this atmosphere of real-world, interdisciplinary learning. Our school was rated as a top performing school locally and state-wide, and ranked internationally with schools in Finland.
Throughout my years working with an incredible team, our EIC curriculum continued to evolve and was revised by our teachers. Success was contagious! Teachers were motivated and students were energized as we immersed ourselves in the study of the environment. We came to realize that doing meaningful work in an authentic environment to conserve our basic needs — the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we eat — was a bond that we shared and something that is relevant to us all.
___________________________
Jean Wallace was the CEO of the award-winning Green Woods Charter School, a K–8 public charter school in Philadelphia, PA. During her tenure as CEO, Green Woods was recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally for its innovative approach to learning as well as its academic achievement. She is now consulting for schools and organizations who want to take learning outside.
Prior to her work at Green Woods, Jean served as the regional Director of Education for Earth Force, Inc. (www.earthforce.org). As the Director of Education for Earth Force, Jean supported hundreds of teachers and thousands of students in service learning and civic action projects focusing on local and regional environmental issues.
Education is a second career for Jean. As a parent, Jean was an active volunteer in her daughter’s private school setting and came to recognize the vast differences between some public and private school learning environments. She sought out a second career in education to offer public school students authentic, real-world learning opportunities similar to those her own daughter experienced.
This article is dedicated with gratitude to Dr. Patricia Vathis, retired Environment and Ecology Coordinator for the PA Department of Education, and the incredible teachers and staff who made the impossible, possible.
References
Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2000). Fever, 1793. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Education Commission of the States (June, 2014). Progress Report for Education 18 (2). Denver, CO: ECS.
Lieberman, G., & Hoody, L. (1998). Closing the achievement gap. State Education and Environment Roundtable Report. Poway, CA: Science Wizards.
Pennsylvania Department of Education (2001). Introduction to the Pennsylvania academic Standards for environment and ecology. Retrieval from URL www.education.pa.gov
by editor | Nov 18, 2018 | Outstanding Programs in EE
NatureBridge Takes the Classroom Outdoors: Inspires Teachers and Students Through Discovery
by Karen West
for NatureBridge
“The future will belong to the nature smart… the more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”
– Richard Louv, author of “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder’’
Jeff Glaser stood at the base of Madison Creek Falls in Olympic National Park, taking in the beauty of the water cascading 76 feet. As he hiked back toward the Elwha River, he recalled his nature-filled childhood, packed with camping, hiking and fishing trips throughout the Pacific Northwest.
He couldn’t help comparing the wilderness adventures of his youth to experiences of today’s generation, many of whom are growing up in an over-scheduled, technology bubble. “I love getting my students off their devices and into the natural environment where they can breathe, stretch and grow,’’ says Glaser, who teaches sixth grade math, science and religion at St. Louise School in Bellevue, Wa.
Glaser was one of more than a dozen teachers participating in a four-day professional development summer workshop at NatureBridge, an environmental education nonprofit with a campus in Olympic National Park on the shores of Lake Crescent. With environmental science at its core, the workshop was an example of how NatureBridge provides educators with training, resources and curriculum to help prepare their students to be the next-generation of environmental stewards.
The teachers from Washington, Oregon, California and New Jersey spent the week exploring marine and lowland forest ecosystems in Olympic National Park including the lower Elwha River watershed. NatureBridge educators, Olympic National Park assistant superintendent and rangers, and data driven scientists provided insight into how science, technology, engineering, and math skills inform decision making and management of this one million acre park.
In final projects, teachers in the workshop collaborated with their grade-level peers to submit classroom content for publication on the National Park Service’s K – 12 education site. Inspired by his visit to Rialto Beach, Glaser created a lesson plan focused on marine plastics – Where does the debris come from? What happens to it? And how much is generated?
“Many kids today don’t have these experiences – some don’t know their trees or their national parks,’’ says Glaser, whose parents integrated nature into his life-long learning. “It’s not just kids who are missing out on nature experiences. As teachers, we need to step it up and show our students these things.’’
The educational workshop is just one way NatureBridge collaborates with the national park to inspire teachers and students through critical-thinking skills, hands-on scientific research and inquiry-based learning.
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Letting Kids Get Their Hands Dirty
Founded in 1971 as Yosemite Institute, NatureBridge serves over 30,000 young people from more than 700 schools each year at its six national park campuses: the valleys of Yosemite, the watersheds of Washington’s Olympic National Park, the peaks of the Santa Monica Mountains, the marine sanctuary of the Channel Islands, the coastal hills of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the piedmont forest of Washington, D.C.’s Prince William Forest.
No matter what grade level or type of school, many of the teachers who go through a NatureBridge program all leave with the same discovery: Kids get excited about environmental science when they are immersed in a living, outdoor laboratory where they can become scientists in the field – and not worry about making mistakes.
“It’s all about discovery,’’ says NatureBridge educator Josh McLean, during a recent Elwha Exploration Day event. He says it’s more important for kids to think about and create questions than answering them correctly, adding that the most rewarding experiences often come when students are feeling out of their comfort zone.
“The struggles build our ability to persevere and find new knowledge,’’ McLean says, throwing in his favorite quote from poet William Blake who once said, “it’s the crooked paths that are the paths of genius.’’
NatureBridge offers three- to five-day residential programs primarily targeting students in grades 4–12. Olympic National Park is a place where kids and adults aren’t afraid to step in the mud. Students get to hold slimy salamanders, hike in an old growth forest or even touch snow for the first time. They walk across the bottom of what used to be a 60-foot deep lake conducting experiments like real-world scientists, touch springboard notches on tree stumps that were cut down 100 years ago and stand on a 210-foot slab of concrete that once was a dam.
“I can’t think of a better way to teach kids about nature,’’ says Stephen Streufert, vice president of education and Pacific Northwest director at NatureBridge. “By letting kids get their hands and feet dirty in outdoor classrooms, students acquire a deeper understanding of their environment and often begin a lifelong interest in science.’’
NatureBridge Changes Lives
Just ask high school senior Marisa Granados, NatureBridge’s 2018 Student of the Year. Before I had the opportunity to travel to Olympic National Park, I had begun to feel discouraged about the impact I really could make in the world.’’
Inspired by her first school trip to NatureBridge, Granados embarked on a 14-day NatureBridge Summer Backpacking program in 2017 that gave her renewed confidence in her ability to thrive and make a difference: “I was able to gain the confidence to speak up about what I wanted to do with my life. By gaining a stronger relationship with nature and discovering a deeper part of myself, I now see the influence of my actions and the amount of power that I have in creating change.’’
With the support of the U.S. Forest Service, she developed a handbook and curriculum for middle school students to learn and apply environmental stewardship effectively in her home state of New Mexico. She hopes to pursue a career in environmental engineering and outdoor education.
Granados is just one of thousands of students who has worked like a true scientist collecting and analyzing data in the Olympic National Park.
“There’s a mysticism around here that makes everything magical,’’ says Ingraham High School senior Jonathan Mignon on a recent scientific exploration in the Olympic National Park. “This is a place where you get sense of wild, untamed nature that speaks to me. It makes everything more tangible. You’re not only learning it but you’re feeling it.’’
When students hike in the Elwha River watershed, they don’t just hear that obstructions to river passage has changed, they see first-hand that salmon are now able to swim upriver and spawn in cobbled pools miles upriver from where the dams used to be. Students become part of the dam restoration story practicing scientific inquiry and critical thinking to understand complex issues associated with engineered environmental change.
“They think like scientists testing the quality of water, then transform into politicians, activists and concerned citizens engaging in debates about how the river and its salmon are managed,’’ says Streufert.
Students also get first-hand lessons in stewardship. “They learn that, for the Elwha dam removal to be successful, people had to listen, to engage with those they did not always agree with and to ultimately act, with multiple stakeholders and multiple outcomes in mind,’’ says Katie Draude, NatureBridge summer backpacking manager.
Bringing Back the Elwha
The Elwha Valley, where two dams were removed between 2011 and 2014, is a fertile learning environment for educators and students. The Elwha River Restoration Project – to date the largest dam removal in U.S. history – is one of the key areas of study for students visiting NatureBridge’s Olympic National Park campus. The $325 million National Park Service project entailed tearing down the 108-foot Elwha Dam and the nearby, 210-foot Glines Canyon Dam and restoring the river watershed.
Over the last several years, NatureBridge students have literally watched the river be reborn, recording its long and storied history.
The dams, the first of which was built in 1911, served their purpose of fueling regional growth by supplying much-needed electricity for the local timber and fishing industries. Though state laws required that construction of any kind allow for fish passage, both dams were built without it. But in 1992, after years of protest by many local tribes, lobbying and citizen outcry, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Restoration Act, which authorized dam removals. It took nearly two decades of bureaucratic wrangling before deconstruction began in 2011.
Meanwhile, the damage had already been done. The dams put a 100-year chokehold on migration of salmon just five miles upstream along the 46 mile river, disrupted the flow of sediment and wood downstream, and flooded the historic homelands and cultural sites of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
In its heyday, the Elwha River was home to one of the largest year-round salmon and steelhead runs of any river on the Olympic Peninsula and supported all five species of Pacific salmon. “People who were riding their horses up the trail just upstream from the river couldn’t cross,’’ Pat Crane, a longtime biologist for the Olympic National Park, told the professional development workshop teachers as they sat on what used to be the bottom of Lake Aldwell. “The horses refused to cross the creek because there were so many pink salmon in the creek.’’
That was in the late 1800s and 1900s, before there was electricity in Port Angeles and when steamboats were the region’s primary means of transportation – and before the dams were built. Back then, Crane estimates an average of 120,000 salmon came back to the river every year to spawn. “But by the time we go around to dam removal, we had between 100 and 200.’’
Today, the river, which flows from its headwaters in the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, is the largest ecosystem restoration project in the National Park Service history – unleashing more than 70 miles of salmon habitat.
In September 2014, the first reported sighting of Chinook in the Elwha River above where the Glines Canyon Dam came down was confirmed, and they have slowly been returning ever since. In fact, as Crane was talking with the teachers during their workshop, he noticed a small stream near the river where dozens of baby salmon were gathering. “The fish are gambling they will be safe here,’’ Crane told the group. “They are safe for now but if the water dries up or a heron comes by, they could die.”
To kickstart the river’s recovery and help manage a century of accumulated sediment, Forest Service crews are planting 400,000 native plants and more than 5,000 pounds of native seed in the reservoir basins. But biologists say it could take a generation or more to heal.
What if We Taught Baseball the Way We Teach Science
Research shows that environmental outdoor education sparks student interest, helps improve academic performance and builds confidence. A Stanford University study measuring the impacts of environmental education for K-12 students showed that environmental education helps students enhance critical thinking skills, develop personal growth and increase civic engagement.
An educator in the Stanford study commented: “In my 20 years of teaching before using the environment-based approach, I heard, ‘Why are we learning this? When are we going to finish?’ And now when we are out in the field and sorting macroinvertebrates, for example, I have to make them stop after four hours for lunch. And then they say, ‘We don’t want to!’”
A recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average eight to 18-year-old American now spends more than 53 hours a week using “entertainment media”, up from 44 hours five years ago.
“When you think about the pressures of youth today and the kinds of things they are dealing with their families and teachers, their primary interface is screens,’’ Streufert recently told a group of educators, donors and community leaders.“We know that the average time of kids outside on any given day is about seven minutes – that includes structured play (soccer practice) and unstructured play (playing out in the woods).’’
To illustrate the importance of hands-on learning, NatureBridge educator McLean recalls the writings of UC Berkeley professor Alison Gopnik, who believes “children are designed to be messy and unpredictable, playful and imaginative.” In her book, The Gardner and the Carpenter, Gopnik asks, “imagine if we taught baseball the way we teach science.”
McLean says it would go something like this: “In kindergarten or first grade we might bring a baseball into the classroom. You could look at it but not touch it—it might be dangerous… And if you got to the sixth or seventh grade level, now you can roll the ball across the room or perhaps swing a bat as long as you are well away from everyone else. In high school, with close, coach supervision, maybe you have an interview with a famous baseball player or maybe re-enact a play from some famous game. And it’s not until undergraduate level in college that you play a game of baseball. If we taught baseball that way, we would expect to see the same level of success in Little League that we currently see in our science classrooms – it’s not high.’’
In her book, Gopnik answers her question by saying: “learning to play baseball doesn’t prepare you to be a baseball player—it makes you a baseball player.’’
The same is true in environmental education—if you want kids to learn, to be scientists, to be stewards, you must involve them in the process. Take them into the woods, show them the rivers, let them experience the outdoors. These are the moments that will transform them into scientists. These are the moments that will inspire them to care for the natural world—not one day, but now.
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