Northland College TENFEE Environmental Literacy Plan

Teaching Context:

Academic Year 2020-2021

Audience: Undergraduate education students and teacher candidates

Abstract:

Institution: Northland College

Author(s):

Dani O’Brien

Current Status of Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Preparation:

We require that all education students take EDU 210: Teaching Environmentally, a course that prepares students to use the environment as an integrating context for learning as they plan for teaching K-12 students. In this one course, education students explore environmental education resources and analyze the Wisconsin ELS standards, using them to create lessons that they teach to local K-12 students.

As a result of changes to PI 34, we are in the process of redesigning our program to meet the new statutory requirements from August 2018 and gain program approval from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).  As a result of this process, we have decided to include Environmental Sustainability in our department’s conceptual framework as one of our core values/commitments for all teacher candidates.

Evidence of Need:

We have found that our teacher candidates are not using the ELS standards nor the environment as an integrating context for teaching and learning when they are in their classroom placements.

This may be due to the current program approach of teaching about the ELS standards in one course instead of embedding the standards throughout multiple courses/contexts in the program.

Evidence of Success:

Students are able to develop lesson plans and curricular units that incorporate the ELS standards in many content area subjects

Graduates of the Northland EPP program use the ELS standards in their classrooms

Action plan to revise, improve, or integrate inquiry-based environmental education: 

Summer 2020

●      Clarify how Environmental Sustainability fits within our new EDU program conceptual framework.

●      Map out how ELS standards can be integrated/modeled into our courses.

●      Revise education program lesson plan template and appendix commentary prompts to include ELS (and other conceptual framework elements).

●      Revise classroom observation/evaluation tools to include ELS (and other conceptual framework elements).

Fall 2020/Winter 2021

●      Teach EDU courses with ELS standards/topics.

●      Use revised lesson plan template and appendix commentary prompts with ELS.

●      Use revised classroom observation/evaluation tools that include ELS.

●      Student teachers use ELS (and other conceptual framework elements) as a focus in at least one observed lesson.

●      Reflect upon and assess the integration of the ELS standards/topics across our courses and in student teacher observations to evaluate efficacy at the end of the semester and academic year.

May/Summer 2021

●      Revisit action plan to evaluate progress and determine next steps for supporting further integration into EDU program during the 2021-2022 academic year.

●      Analyze student teacher use of ELS standards in their teaching and explore avenues for potential research.

In what ways will you address Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Standards Addressed (Full Document or searchable spreadsheet)?

We will model and have our teacher candidates use the entire set of ELS standards throughout multiple courses in our program and in their classroom experiences.

Consider the following items and incorporate those that are appropriate to address the actions above:

• A syllabus or course outline that integrates environmental education

• Lesson plans and assessments;

• Steps to implement and evaluate their plan;

• Networks and resources available to help implement their plan;

• Potential grants and funding sources;

• Local and statewide resources;

• Local outdoor learning sites;

• Professional development resources; and

• Policies that reinforce and support plan implementation.