Looking Back: The 2022 Teacher Institute
The California Environmental Education Foundation (CEEF) Teacher Institute is an annual professional development program designed to empower teachers with the knowledge and skills to incorporate environmental education into their classroom curriculum.
The 2022 CEEF Teacher Institute, titled “Best Practices in Environmental Education and Stewardship,” was held virtually and proved to be a huge success. The institute includes presentations from leading experts in the education and natural resources fields in order to support environmental stewardship projects from each class of participating teachers.
The 2022 CEEF Teacher Institute empowered a total of 45 teachers to participate, 35 of whom successfully completed environmental stewardship projects. Participating teachers provided final project presentations and engaged 3,370 students in high quality environmental education. Each stewardship project is student-initiated, student-led, and student-centered, resulting in deep and meaningful impact that students will carry with them for years to come.
Perhaps the most impressive outcome of the 2022 CEEF Teacher Institute was the indirect impact it had on over 40,000 students. This was due to the fact that teachers were required to share their projects with their entire school and greater educational community. As a result, students all across California were exposed to the benefits of environmental education, even if their own teachers did not participate in the program.
One of the keys to the success of the 2022 CEEF Teacher Institute was the use of a variety of technologies to design innovative, self-guided, modular environmental education opportunities. Participants Engaged in live synchronous sessions combined with previously asynchronous opportunities. This incorporated CEEF branded high-quality video production engaging 21st century skills that teachers enjoyed attending. The modular approach or the teacher leadership institute is easily scalable, with content that can be used for educational audiences across California.
The distance learning format of the 2022 CEEF Teacher Institute also proved to be highly effective. Busy, highly skilled professionals, like teachers, were able to design their own schedules and attend sessions at their convenience. This allowed them to fully engage with the content and apply what they learned in their classrooms.
If you are a teacher in California looking to incorporate environmental education into your curriculum, the California Environmental Education Foundation’s Teacher Institute is an excellent opportunity to improve practices in environmental education across California. Designed to be flexible and accessible, the teacher institute allows you to participate in a way that works best for you and your greater educational community. By doing so, you can help make a positive impact on the environment while also enhancing your students’ education.
Look for signup information at the beginning of each calendar year. The institute usually runs during the spring.
