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EGLE's EnviroSchool for educators is back for the school year
September 20, 2023
EnviroSchool, EGLE Classroom’s webinar series for educators, is back for the 2023-2024 school year with a series of webinars covering community science, climate change, environmental justice, and Great Lakes issues. Register now for Fall 2023 sessions and save the date for winter and spring sessions in 2024.
The EnviroSchool webinar series is geared toward teachers, interpreters, and non-formal environmental educators who want to enhance their teaching with Michigan-based resources. Last year’s sessions focused on the work of each of EGLE’s program divisions to advance EGLE’s mission of protecting human health and the environment through managing air, land, water, and energy resources. This school year’s sessions will focus on EGLE’s efforts to engage the community in our work and to advance environmental policy through the department’s major Offices.
“The EnviroSchool series has given Michigan educators a chance to learn more about the work that EGLE is doing to protect our state’s environment and public health through environmental management,” said Eileen Boekestein, EGLE’s environmental education coordinator. “This helps educators ground student learning in the most important environmental issues facing their own communities and start to see how they can come alongside EGLE to work for environmental sustainability.”
Each webinar in the 2023-2024 series will take place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. and includes presentations from EGLE experts and partner organizations, curriculum connections, and career highlights.
To learn about other environmental education resources and events, subscribe to the EGLE Classroom newsletter and follow #EGLEClassroom on social media.
Registration is open for 2023 EnviroSchool events:
October 10, 2023: Empowering youth through citizen and community science
Join EGLE Classroom as we explore how to empower young people as environmental stewards through the exciting world of citizen science. Learn how 'doing science' in the community both fosters deep understanding of the environment and actively contributes to real-world scientific research. Discover Michigan programs that your classroom, nature center, or youth program can participate in, and gain insights and tips for success from some of EGLE's scientific experts in air, water, and invasive species programs.
Teaching about global issues like climate change can be hard, but taking a place-based approach can make even the biggest global challenges feel relevant. This EnviroSchool session will highlight some of the biggest climate challenges facing the Great Lakes region, as well as updates regarding some of the major solutions being implemented through EGLE’s Office of Climate and Energy. Educators will learn about statewide efforts to support teaching of climate change education from EGLE, the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education, and other statewide partners. You’ll also get access to some curated Michigan-specific climate change education resources including a newly updated MEECS Climate Change unit.
Save the date! Registration for 2024 sessions will open in December:
February 8, 2024: Mapping for Justice – Using MiEJScreen to facilitate place-based, problem-based, project-based learning
Basing environmental education on justice-centered phenomena can be a powerful way to support science and engineering learning. Join EGLE Classroom and the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate as we explore how Michigan’s Environmental Justice Screening tool (MiEJScreen) can be used to identify opportunities for place-based learning and youth-led environmental action projects in environmental justice communities.
May 7, 2024: Helping students become stewards with education for Great Lakes literacy
Office of the Great Lakes has worked closely with the MiSTEM Network and Michigan Department of Education to promote the institutionalization of freshwater place-based education in K-12 classrooms across the state over the past three years. Join us to learn about the culmination of this work in the Freshwater Literacy and Stewardship Playbook developed using case studies from this partnership. Learn how to build authentic relationships with community partners that lead to opportunities for action projects that will help your students become stewards of the Great Lakes.