UPCOMING PLT WORKSHOPS

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2013 Fire Ecology Institute For Educators

2013 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators was a great success!  Click here for more details! View 2013 participant reflections and lesson plans.

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For Elementary and Secondary workshops
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Project Learning Tree is the K-12 education and outreach program of the Colorado State Forest Service. Click here to visit the CSFS website.

Common Core Standards

and STEM

Taken separately, the four STEM subjects are defined by the National Research Council as:

1. Science is the study of the natural world, including the laws of nature associated with
physics, chemistry, and biology and the treatment or application of facts, principles, concepts, or
conventions associated with these disciplines.

2. Technology comprises the entire system of people and organizations, knowledge, processes, and devices that go into creating and operating technological artifacts, as well as the artifacts themselves (the creation, adaption and use of everything from a crow bar to a hand lens to the space station, computer software technology is the creation and use of tools)

3. Engineering is a body of knowledge about the design and creation of products and a process for solving problems. Engineering utilizes concepts in science and mathematics and technological tools (e.g. often focused on applying science and technology to make our lives better, easier or more efficient, and might include artifacts ranging from paperclips to robotic systems designed to build cars)

Scientists study the world as it is;
engineers create the world that has never been.
-Theodore von Kármán

4. Mathematics is the study of patterns and relationships among quantities, numbers, and shapes. Mathematics includes theoretical mathematics and applied mathematics

For more information about Project Learning Tree activities that support STE(engineering)M!

Why the Emphasis on STEM?

There is a great deal of concern that if the United States does not do a better job
of preparing and encouraging all students for STEM related careers that we will lose our ability to compete globally. This emphasis is most currently reflected in the Obama administration’s “Change the Equation” initiative.
(see http://www.changetheequation.org/ ). This push toward improving STEM education at the K‐12 level is being largely driven by international and national tests in science and math. Educators will often refer to TIMSS or NAEP scores. TIMSS stands for Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and NAEP refers to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Data suggests while students in the United States score above international average, we are falling behind in math and science education when compared to countries like Russia, China, England, Singapore and the gap between US students and top achievers is more pronounced at 8th grade than at 4th grade (summary below or see all current data at: http://nces.ed.gov/timss/results07.asp)

Moreover, women and minorities are extremely underrepresented in STEM related career fields. Two strategies that are successful with these learners include using real opbjects and relevant topics, and working in groups. Project Learning Tree activities utilize both.

For more information about Project Learning Tree and STEM

2012 and 2011 Fire Ecology Institute Participant Reflections and Lesson Plans.

Read the reflections and lesson plans of 30 educators from CO and NM following our 2012 Fire Ecology Institute held in the beautiful Colorado and Roaring Fork River valleys.

Fire in the Classroom webpage created by one participant to share information. (Always a Work in Progress!)

Clck here to see reflections from the 2011 FEI, held in Durango 

These beautiful Leopold Benches, crafted out of blue-stained Colorado wood, were created to thank and honor some special PLT partners, as well as Colorado's first PLT School, Red Feathers Lakes Elementary School.   Read more....

2012 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators
Click here for details. CLOSED

Lu Boren Selected as PLT National Outstanding Educator

Lu Boren, Colorado PLT Facilitator, shown here at the 2011 Fire Ecology Intitute for Educators, has been selected as one of PLT's 2012 National Outstanding Educators. She joins the ranks for PLT's most exemplary educators and will be recognized at the 26th annual PLT International Coordinator's Conference in Deadwood, South Dakota from May 14-17.

Congratulations, Lu!

The 2012 Fire Ecology Insitute for Educators is July 15-20 in Carbondale.
 Information and registration here.

 

Early Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale

NEW Early Childhood Environmental Education tool - based on the Guidelines for Excellence - published by NAAEE:
http://eelinked.naaee.net/n/guidelines/posts/Early-Childhood-Environmental-Education-Rating-Scale

Early Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale
The Early Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale (NAAEE 2011), authored by Yash Bhagwanji, provides a collaborative tool for educators and others to discuss their early childhood environmental education program goals, consider strengths and areas of needed improvement, and chart a future direction for development. The Early Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale is easy to use while also encouraging deep discussions about program philosophy, design and implementation. Building off of NAAEE’s Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence, it is a much welcomed addition to the early childhood environmental education tool kit.
The Early Childhood Environmental Education Rating Scale (ECEERS) is a formative evaluation tool designed to assist programs in improving their environmental education curriculum.
Whether you work with a center-based child development or family day care center, this tool can help you make needed improvements in the quality of activities, experiences, interactions, and instruction concerning the world of nature and its value in society. Environmental education centers, too, may benefit through improvements in curriculum that better respond to the abilities, interests, learning styles, and motivations for learning of young children.
Based on six key characteristics of high quality early childhood environmental education programs (North American Association for Environmental Education, 2010), the procedures for using the rating scale emphasize a collaborative approach in evaluation, through the sharing of differing perspectives (as represented by program board members, administrative officials, teaching staff, family members of the children participating in the program, and community partners), and the development of consensus in the rating of each specific guideline or recommendation. The rating scale is designed as a self-assessment tool requiring open and honest conversations. The process can be personally satisfying for the individual team members involved and, with ongoing evaluation utilizing the rating scale, can lead to program success over time. Download your copy of the PDF.

Click on the Holiday Greeting to enlarge!

The Colorado Project Learning Tree Office is moving! Please save the new contact information:

Address: 15240 S. Golden Rd, Golden, CO.

Phone: 303-278-8822 (office) and 303-877-7585 (cell).