Get Connected: How Can I Find Classroom Ready Tools & Partners for Environmental Literacy Learning that Support NGSS Learning?

Every teacher can support outdoor and environmental learning with their classes. In fact, this strategy is highlighted in California’s Science Framework. However, often it is nice to have a program to use and partners to support teacher capacity building! In this session, environmental learning leaders will connect you to three networks that will, in turn, support your efforts to get outside and do culturally relevant 3D learning in the field. Additionally, we shall look at the prominence that outdoor learning has in California education policy, before concluding with a brief review of the health and academic benefits of outdoor learning experiences.

Presenters: Brian Brown, Project WET; Jedda Foreman, Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley; Amity Sandage, Santa Cruz COE
Moderator: Kurt Holland

Brian Brown
Before joining the California Project WET program at the Water Education Foundation, Brian taught students at residential outdoor science schools around the state for 14 years, after a brief stint as an Eighth Grade U.S. History teacher. His tenure teaching outdoor science included 10 years preparing college students as environmental educators and teacher credential program candidates and involved wearing a number of hats that included wildlife wrangler, forest fuel reduction and trail engineering crew leader (i.e., camp logger) and compost pyromaniac.

Brian has also worked with the Society of American Foresters as an education specialist for the past 25 years and is a Facilitator for the Project WET sister programs - Project Learning Tree and Project WILD.He holds California Professional Clear K-12 credentials in Multiple Subjects, Single Subjects Life Science and Single Subjects Social Sciences, a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Humboldt State University.

Jedda Foreman
Jedda Foreman is the Director of Environmental Literacy Projects at the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley, which includes co-leading the Working Towards Equitable Organizations workshop series, liaisoning with school districts to support science and environmental literacy with the BaySci project, and co-leading the BEETLES project. In these roles, Jedda works with school and county superintendents and administrators, executive directors, teachers, principals, communities of practice, and researchers and evaluators, across a variety of formal and informal environmental education contexts.

Amity Sandage
Amity Sandage is Environmental Literacy Coordinator for Santa Cruz County Office of Education, leading a countywide effort to build environmental literacy of all students in the community. Amity works to increase K-12 student access to experiential, field-based environmental education and to support teachers in using local environmental connections that add civic engagement and relevance to core instruction.