Talking with Green Teachers

Episode 43: Regenerative education, incl. learning session

With Annie Roth of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

What is a RELC? How can schoolyards be used in place-based learning? Why is it sometimes important for educators to become co-learners with their students? In this episode, we first hear about Tremont’s RELC as well as the Institute’s approach to supporting learners (educators included) before partaking in a virtual learning session that includes a grounding exercise and an activity called My New Best Friend. We also get into regenerative education: what it is and how it manifests.

Guest:

Annie Roth has been called to connect with the land since she was young. Growing up in Michigan, she trounced in the Little Manistee River finding frogs, getting messy, and always wondering. Her curiosity led her to pursue a career in education, sharing in the wonders of the world around her with others. After college, life brought her to Nashville where she worked within project-based learning schools and earned her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. She is excited to now bridge her two loves — teaching and the outdoors — working to connect people with nature alongside the Tremont team. In her spare time, you can find Annie obsessing over a newly found fungi, hiking in the backcountry with her husband and their pup, Maple, or enjoying the water by kayak or paddle board.

*Natural sounds recorded by Tara Shumate

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

Episode 42: Food forest gardening

With Wendy Nadherny Fachon of Story Walking Radio Hour

What is food forest gardening? How can educators leverage it for impactful learning? What does corporative learning have to do with this? Wendy Fachon has her own food forest garden, and she sees great potential for food forest gardening in environmental education. She also shares her insights about nature drawing as a powerful pedagogical tool and tells a story about a serendipitous discovery of Red Mulberry trees.  

Guest:

Wendy Nadherny Fachon hosts the Story Walking Radio Hour, which focuses on environmental education and sustainable living content. She is Rhode Island's regional editor for Green Teacher and writes articles for Natural Awakenings Magazine's Boston edition and D7RN's Sustainable Living News. Wendy is also an Abundance Ambassador for Food Forest Abundance. As an environmental educator, she currently develops and teaches Nature Drawing curriculum for The Empowerment Factory, based in Pawtucket, RI. She is solutions-oriented, which requires acknowledging the problems, understanding the underlying causes, and identifying solutions that are based on sound science. Access her podcasts at www.storywalking.com.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

Episode 41: Farm to school

With Jen Cirillo and Betsy Rosenbluth of Shelburne Farms

What is farm to school? Are there any common misconceptions about it? Why is farm to school such an essential part of the educational journey? In this lively discussion, Jen and Betsy walk us through the three Cs of farm to school, how educators can better incorporate it into their teaching (without taking up too much extra time!), the core values underlying the practice, and the ways our current food system reinforces injustice and inequity. There’s also talk of salamanders, overcoming barriers, forging meaningful relationships, and the importance of throwing a party! (A bad plant pun might have found its way into the mix, too…)

Guests:

Jen Cirillo serves as Director of Professional Learning at Shelburne Farms. She brings 20 years of experience in Education for Sustainability (EFS) from co-developing and teaching a teen program integrating art, science, and sustainability to her most recent work leading professional learning programs around the world. Jen has a strong background in standards-based curriculum development, facilitation, and evaluation, plus a wealth of experience engaging schools and communities in creating a vision for a just and healthy future. Jen holds a B.S. from the University of Vermont and an M.S. from the Audubon Expedition Institute/Lesley University.

Betsy Rosenbluth is Project Director of Vermont FEED, a nationally recognized farm-to-school partnership program of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and Shelburne Farms.  Betsy also helped to establish the Burlington School Food Project and Education for Sustainability programs in Burlington schools. Prior to joining Shelburne Farms, Betsy was Director of Projects at the Orton Family Foundation.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

Episode 40: Placed-based education and life cycles

With Todd Ormiston of North Country School and Camp Treetops

How do students benefit from place-based learning? In what ways does it foster ruggedness, resourcefulness, and resilience? Why is it helpful for adolescents to bear witness to life cycles of fellow living things? While many educators and learners in public education systems are constrained by standardized tests and fixed learning outcomes, those at the North Country School in Lake Placid, New York, USA, have the freedom to adjust their teaching and learning journeys as they evolve. Todd Ormiston discusses the inner working of the North Country School, including high-impact experiences like their farm-to-school program.

Guest:

Todd Ormiston’s 20+ year career in independent schools is marked by a commitment to exceptional programming. Having held a variety of roles from educator to head of school at numerous institutions including Vermont Academy, Stratton Mountain School, Gould Academy, Mount Snow Academy, and Sun Valley Community School, Todd is committed to an experiential learning approach, diversity and inclusion, the power of community in shaping the lives of children, and the essential benefits of outdoor education and recreation. Todd holds a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont. He, his wife Elizabeth, and daughters Maddox and Chase are outdoor enthusiasts who love the Adirondacks.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

Episode 39: Managing eco-anxiety and ecological grief

With Day Sanchez of 2e Minds

How do eco-anxiety and ecological grief differ? What can educators do to address them with their learners? Why is solarpunk such an effective counter-narrative? Day Sanchez does extensive work in the realm of eco-emotions, so she has many important insights about how to navigate these often-turbulent waters. We know that doom-and-gloom framing leads to apathy in most people, and though it is essential to tell the truth, we must balance difficult truths with active hope grounded in realistic alternatives for the near and far future. This is where solarpunk comes into play.

Guest:

Day Sanchez is a School Psychologist, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) coach, and the founder of 2e Minds. She is dedicated to supporting the emotional, creative, and mental health of neurodivergent and Highly Sensitive children and youth. Day has over a decade of experience working with hundreds of children struggling with learning, psychological, and social-emotional challenges. She provides psycho-education on eco-emotions and helps families build inner resources, resilience, and tools to create active hope and agency. Day gives workshops on how to talk to children about the ecological crisis and offers individual and group support to children and young adults experiencing eco-anxiety.

*Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

Episode 38: Gamification for EE

With Jane Ji of Springbay Studio and Grace Sadler of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario

How can gamification be used to connect young learners with nature? In what ways do the virtual world and real world overlap? Why is competition such an impactful tool in education? What does this all have to do with managing eco-anxiety? Jane Ji of Springbay discusses the conceptual underpinnings of her iBiome and League for Green Leaders before teacher Grace Sadler shares her and her students’ experiences with Springbay’s apps. They key is using virtual games as a bridge to the natural world, not a replacement for direct contact with it. There’s lots to unpack and we do our best in the two discussions featured in this episode.

Guests:

Jane Ji is an educational game designer, naturalist, and facilitator for learning-by-doing through play. As a co-founder of Springbay Studio, she works with her team, focusing exclusively on climate education. She has created the award-winning educational game series iBiome and League for Green Leaders, the latter a one-of-its-kind online climate action platform for children around the world to compete to reduce their carbon footprints. Jane invites children to build virtual habitats, learn about how humans impact the environment, and empowers them to reduce their eco-footprint by making sustainable real-life choices. She delivers state-wide PD for teachers in Washington State and supports teachers from Toronto District School Board and various parts of the US with workshops on adding engagement and empowerment to inquiry-based learning.

Graziella (Grace) Sadler has been teaching for 15 years, and this has included seven years in a primary/junior science and technology position. She is the Vice President of The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (STAO) and Judging Coordinator for the York Region Science and Technology Fair. She currently teaches Grade 10 Science with the Toronto Catholic District School Board at Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School. 

Episode 37: Student-powered learning and mentorship

With Jane Hiller of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and South Carolina Green Step Schools

What is student-powered learning? Why is it so impactful? In what ways can mentorship be most effective? How can mentors help teach in-service teachers? What is the key to sustaining environmental projects year after year? The Green Step Schools program in South Carolina, USA has been running for almost two decades, allowing students and teachers to experience such projects as vermicomposting, math gardens, and bluebird trail monitoring. The program’s coordinator Jane Hiller joined us to share her insights, while sharing stories of some of the most innovative green projects happening in the realms of conservation, protection, and restoration. 

Guest:

Jane Hiller is the coordinator of SC Green Steps Schools, a program designed to help South Carolina schools earn awards for establishing sustainability projects where students learn, do, and teach others. A former classroom teacher, Hiller understands the challenges teachers face as they seek to provide meaningful learning experiences about environmental stewardship within their schools. She recently retired as education director for Sonoco Recycling, where she was responsible for educating local governments, agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, and citizens about the importance of waste reduction, resource conservation, reuse, and recycling. She is a recipient of South Carolina's Environmental Awareness Award, an honor established by South Carolina's General Assembly to recognize outstanding contributions to the protection, conservation, and improvement of the state’s natural resources. Hiller currently serves as a board member and central section director for the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina.

Episode 36: Nature-based healing

With Susanne Heaton of Motivated By Nature

Why are an increasing number of doctors prescribing national park passes to patients? How does stress impact our bodies? What evidence supports the practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku)? Why is the “happy gardener” more than a stereotype? Drawing on copious amounts of sound research, Susanne Heaton discusses the healing benefits of direct, multi-sensory interactions with nature, while offering suggestions for how environmental educators can better connect their learners with the natural world. She also speaks to the importance of having an accountability partner during our individual journeys of nature-based healing.     

Guest:

After having some life-changing wake-up calls, Susanne Heaton took the leap of faith from the corporate world to start her own business to help others live a healthier lifestyle. She uses science-backed research on natural modalities as well as the benefits of connecting with nature in her Monthly Online Wild About Nature Challenges, Inspirational Speaking, Workshops, and Award-Winning Children’s book. Susanne is Motivated by Nature: https://learning.motivatedbynature.com/.

HEARTcare Educators: https://heartcareeducators.ca/

Episode 35: Watershed education

With David Ramsay of BC Tomorrow

What is watershed education? Why is it a critical component of place-based learning? How can we engage students of all ages in learning through a watershed lens? David Ramsay is well versed in using watersheds as an integrating context for learning, and he joined us to share both his tips for best practices as well as the ins and outs of BC Tomorrow’s new watershed simulator, with which students can look into the past, project the future, and take action. Water is a remarkable storyteller. All we have to do is listen to what it has to tell us.

Guest:

David Ramsay is an experienced educator in the province of BC. In 2014, while implementing watershed sustainability curricula, and alongside cofounder Barry Wilson, he began developing BC Tomorrow. With its cutting-edge technology and holistic approach, BC Tomorrow’s innovative learning tools provide opportunities to authentically investigate watershed sustainability. The student-centered, engaging platform connects learning to the students’ own world as they examine interconnections and consider some of the real-life trade-offs that go with making choices aimed at a sustainable future.

Episode 34: Inside New Jersey’s climate change ed. breakthrough

With Lauren Madden of The College of New Jersey

How did New Jersey become the first state in the US to include climate change standards across the K–12 spectrum? In what ways has teacher feedback contributed to this achievement? Why is community-based climate change education so critical? What are some high-impact individual actions and choices that can lead to systemic changes? How does this connect to systems thinking? Lauren Madden has been heavily involved with New Jersey’s innovative work on climate change education (CCed), and she shares her insights about the value of CCed, its contributions to decarbonization, and how other jurisdictions could replicate New Jersey's success.     

Guest:

Lauren Madden, Ph.D. is a Professor of Elementary Science Education in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at The College of New Jersey, where she also coordinates the Environmental Sustainability Education minor for preservice teachers and graduate certificate in Environmental Sustainability Education for practicing teachers. Her research and teaching advocate for scientific literacy and the health of our planet. She is Green Teacher’s Regional Editor for New Jersey.