Science and Teaching for Field Instructors
Read the blog posts below to find out what’s new with BEETLES. We regularly feature new resources, promote upcoming events and news, and share “Tales from the Field”–stories of folks like you using BEETLES materials in interesting ways. If you’d like to contribute, just be in touch!
October 5, 2022: Tales from the Field
From Drew Dumsch, Executive Director at The Ecology School, Saco, Maine. The five programs in Maine that do outdoor science school year programs (The Ecology School, Chewonki Outdoor Classroom, University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond, and the University of Maine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Tanglewood, and the Schoodic Institute […]
Read More »August 30, 2022: Tales from the Field
From Ray Cramer, Senior Faculty for Teaching Practicum at Islandwood, Bainbridge Island, Washington. As a graduate program, Islandwood has been focused on developing a culture of learning within their instructional staff for many years. Here’s a brief synopsis of how they do it. Challenge people’s ideas of what science looks like and how we talk […]
Read More »August 30, 2022: Tales from the Field
Minnesota is home to five accredited residential environmental learning centers (RELCs) that host overnight field trips for students from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and more. Our centers are independent entities that have no financial ties to one another. But despite this, we’ve long had a collaborative approach to projects, grants, fundraising, and reaching broader audiences. Therefore, […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
In January, 2020, the BEETLES team sent out a request for proposals for a new funding opportunity designed to strengthen the field of environmental and outdoor science through regional capacity building. With the support of the National Science Foundation, BEETLES offered six small grants for region-building efforts among environmental and outdoor science organizations. In part, […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
By Jen Schnakenberg, Amanda Schuster, Camila Rivera-Tinsley, Heather Berenson, Eva Barinas, and Kim Smith-Woodford How does a group of 20 near-strangers in a Zoom room become a community of learners? How does a diverse group of practitioners in environmental education and allied fields begin to confront bias and center racial equity in their work? In […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
From Rob Wade, Plumas County Office of Education, Quincy, CA. The Native Voices Project is a regional collaborative in the Upper Feather River Watershed between local educators and leaders from the Mountain Maidu community. The Mountain Maidu, the native inhabitants of this landscape, have suffered centuries of devastation due to American Colonialism. This project is […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
In San Diego, there are over 50 environmental education nonprofits that work with school districts to provide outdoor science programming. As most of the organizations are non-profits, staff are busy managing their programs and often have limited opportunities for interactions with peers from other organizations despite sharing similar goals and challenges. Although there are a […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
Alabama Environmental Education Summits (AEES) – Building bridges and breaking down barriers in Alabama In our effort to strengthen the quality and quantity of environmental education in Alabama, AEES convened 1 statewide and 3 regional summits. Our initial thoughts were that leaders of informal environmental education were our primary audience, and our goal was to […]
Read More »December 9, 2021: Tales from the Field
By Erin McCool Philadelphia is home to a complex tapestry of neighborhoods, each with its own challenges and strengths. Philadelphia students represent some of the most diverse in the region. While we are surrounded by nature, with 400 community gardens, 80 neighborhood parks and acres of federally protected open space, there is still great need […]
Read More »December 1, 2021: News
The Lawrence Hall of Science and Justice Outside (formerly Youth Outside) are proud to launch a new 2-year series, Working Toward Racial Equity, which will support environmental and outdoor science organizations to build capacity to foster equitable, inclusive, and culturally relevant work environments and organizations. Participating organizations will engage in a 4-month series of intensive […]
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