Linking Research and Practice to Increase Impact

Conference:

2018 Conference: Spokane, Washington

Using research to inform how we design, develop, refine, and promote environmental education programs for maximum effectiveness, and using practice to inform research

Sessions appropriate to this strand address such topics as:

  • Cutting-edge research that is important and relevant to all environmental educators
  • Connecting research and practice: applying what we know to what we do
  • Strategies for evaluating and improving environmental education programs
  • Using research results to influence decision makers and demonstrate the value of EE
  • Developing shared outcomes that allow us to better measure our collective impact
  • Research and case studies about the benefits and challenges of learning and teaching in outdoor settings and in a culturally relevant context

Strand Leader

Sessions

Comp Hydro: Water Science Through Physical, Conceptual, and Computational Modeling

We’ll introduce the NSF-funded Comp Hydro project and demonstrate activities that develop hydrologic and computational knowledge as well as practice through NGSS-aligned instruction. Using the East Helena Superfund Site as a context, students become groundwater scientists, through connected experiences with phenomena, data, and modeling, then develop a plan for remediation of groundwater contamination.

Experiential Climate Change Education: How and Why

Preparing the next generation of decision-makers to advance climate change solutions is a new imperative of U.S. public education. Delivering effective instruction is a challenge highlighted in recent evaluations of U.S. climate change education. This roundtable highlights experiential climate change curriculum and seeks to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners.

International Collaboration Matters: Studying EE Researchers Across Nations

Is it worth surveying EE researchers across nations? While introducing the results of our pilot test, a group of Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean researchers is going to discuss the potential of such an international study toward not only increasing research capacities but also promoting communication with practitioners.

Stewardship Education: A Big Task for a Short Program

Environmental Volunteers’ Educate 4 Action project is improving stewardship education in our curriculum and incorporating best practices for English language learners. Learn more about our journey, the evaluation and research that guide us, our results, and how you can do this too.

Using an Inventory of Current Practices to Improve Environmental Education

Come learn about Rhode Island’s statewide survey of K-12 educators and the successful partnerships that were informed by the results. Development and implementation of the tool will be shared. Consider how to conduct a similar inventory of current practices and leave with access to the survey for your own organization.

What Makes an Effective Environmental Educator: A Values-Based Assessment

As our field evolves and develops amidst a challenging world, rethinking the qualities that educators embody is a meaningful effort. This poster presentation explores a values-based assessment conducted by emerging educators and their instructors, to determine the abilities that are most important to meaningful environmental education.