| | Professional Development Workshops
 Project Learning Tree environmental education materials are available by participating in a professional development workshop. There are two basic levels of PLT workshops:
Facilitator workshops: train key educators and resource specialists to conduct PLT educator workshops. At these 2-3 day trainings participants:
- Learn about the history, network, and curricula of PLT
- Receive training in implementing the PLT program
- Model many of the PLT activities
- Network with other environmental educators and resource specialists
Educator workshops: introduce teachers, non-formal educators, and other natural resource professionals to PLT’s PreK-8 materials and/or secondary modules and teach them how to use these materials in their own setting, both indoors and outdoors, with their own students and curricula. These workshops are typically one day in length, and many are offered for college and university credit.
"As a teacher who loves to integrate and is passionate about the environment, this training and program is perfect. The fact that these activities are pre-packaged and ready to go make it realistic so that a busy teacher will leave a training and actually use this knowledge in the classroom." - Middle School Science Teacher, Ashland, Maine
"Best use of a staff development day in years!" - Middle School Teacher, Horry County, South Carolina
"This was the most interesting science workshop I have ever attended. PLT keeps the audience's attention and made science fun." - Third Grade Teacher, Cherryvale Elementary School, South Carolina
Contact your state coordinator to find out about upcoming facilitator and educator workshops in your area.
Training Pre-Service Educators
 College level courses across the country train pre-service educators, or teachers in training, in using Project Learning Tree environmental education materials. Professors may choose to integrate the elements of a PLT workshop into appropriate classes, such as teaching methods or graduate level classes for in-service teachers. Alternatively, the workshop may be conducted as a 6-hour workshop unit during the class.
As a result of the workshop, pre-service students: - Become familiar with and comfortable using PLT’s activity guides
- Develop a solid understanding of environmental education: its definition, teaching unbiased lessons, effective classroom use, and incorporating outdoor areas into classroom lessons
- Create an action plan to incorporate PLT activities into their curriculum
“I must admit that as a 30 year educator, I have come to expect less than excellence from professional development workshops/seminars. I was more than pleasantly surprised at every aspect of this PLT/WET workshop- from the design to the organization to the variety of opportunities to learn to the time-keeping, etc. etc.
I also enjoyed the company. One of the things I noticed that made this experience particularly exciting and invigorating for me was the amount of educational memory that was represented. It has been a very long time since I sat with so many diverse, yet like-minded souls who carry with them the experiential memory of all the educational programs that have come and gone over the past few decades. I think that shared memory inspired conversation that quickly touched upon the "real" issues for our collective group- the deeper, more meaningful ones. Those issues that are human and spiritual and essential to children and adults alike. They cannot be defined and would lose meaning if so done. But these issues are the stronghold of educators who know no way to teach, but to the essence of life as we know it, at the same time acknowledging that life is an ever-changing force. Thank goodness.” - Dr. Lisa Spradley, Assistant Professor Childhood Studies, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, New Hampshire
Contact your state coordinator to find out about pre-service trainings in your area. |
