Professional Development
In the ever-changing world and field of environmental education, we understand how valuable continuing education is to our members. This is why PAEE is excited and proud to announce our newly formed Professional Development Committee. This committee is devoted to bringing PAEE members meaningful, engaging and relevant monthly professional development sessions at no cost to PAEE members. Topics will vary by month and will be aligned to the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence for Professional Development of Environmental Educators.
The PAEE Professional Development Annual Themes are: Best Practices in Teaching, Assessment and Evaluation, Promoting Inclusivity, Research in an Evolving EE Field, and Best Business Practices. They are an adaptation of the NAAEE professional development framework themes for environmental educators and were chosen to collectively represent significant realms of environmental education.
We hope this Committee’s work helps you to expand your knowledge, make connections and reflect and assess your practices. Check this page for updates as information on speakers and registration becomes available.
Upcoming Opportunities
Walking Softer Education: Empower Youth, Activate Change (virtual)
Wednesday, January 15 from noon - 1:00 PM
Walking Softer Education teaches high school-aged youth about environmental solutions, and empowers them to implement community-based environmental projects with up to $2,000 of funding. Educators who take their students through the program will receive a $1,000 teacher stipend, and participating juniors and seniors can apply for a scholarship of up to $20,000 to support further education. In this webinar, we will walk through everything you need to know about signing up, participating in the program, and helping your students through their sustainability journey!
Free for PAEE Members, $5 for nonmembers
Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania (virtual)
Wednesday, February 12 from 2 - 3:00 PM
A long-term goal of the PA Conservation Heritage Project has come to fruition with the publication of a new comprehensive study of Pennsylvania’s environmental history.
The story starts with forester Ralph Brock at the dawn of the conservation era and continues through the eras of energy production using coal, oil, natural gas, and other resources. Allen Dieterich-Ward also investigates how the non-human world shapes the history of the commonwealth and examines the impact of pollution.
Cradle of Conservation moves across time and place, from the Haudenosaunee people of the Susquehanna Valley to the iron furnaces of nineteenth-century Pittsburgh, to the diesel trucks on the twentieth-century Pennsylvania Turnpike. In addition, Dieterich-Ward explores the history of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River and the state’s anthracite region and traces the environmental movements and crises that have led to public policy changes in the face of climate change.
Cradle of Conservation deepens our understanding of how Pennsylvanians have conserved and consumed. This book is part of the Pennsylvania History series, edited by David Witwer, designed to make high-quality scholarship accessible for students, and advances the mission of the Pennsylvania Historical Association by engaging with key social, political, and cultural issues in the history of the state and region.
Purchase of the book through the PA Conservation Heritage Project website supports the Conservation Heritage Project website, storytelling, and continued work.
Free for PAEE Members, $5 for NonMembers
Dr. Allen Dieterich-Ward, co-chair of the PA Conservation Heritage Project, is a professor of history and director of The Graduate School at Shippensburg University. His first book, Beyond Rust: Metropolitan Pittsburgh and the Fate of Industrial America won the 2016 Arline Custer Memorial Award from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference. His second book, Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania is now available through the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation website. He is the past president of the Pennsylvania Historical Association, the former editor of the Pennsylvania History Series, and serves as a board member of PA Humanities.
** In Person SW Region Event! **
Experiencing Hydroponics: How Indoor Agriculture is Paving the Way for a Better Future
Tuesday, April 1 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
401 Greentree Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence (virtual)
Friday, April 18 from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Through the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, NAAEE is taking the lead in establishing guidelines for the development of balanced, scientifically accurate, and comprehensive environmental education programs and materials. Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence comprises a set of recommendations designed to assist educators in developing and implementing effective programs that focus on climate change, address injustice, and ignite action. With this set of guidelines, we offer suggestions for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments that support learners as they make informed decisions and take collective actions to address our changing global climate.
1.5 hours of ACT 48 available
Do you have an idea or an opportunity for our Professional Development Series? Contact us!
