Professional Development for Educators
Four Winds offers a wide range of professional development support for educators
-- K-12 classroom teachers, early childhood professionals, preservice teachers, camp staff, afterschool program providers, and others. Four Winds staff members are dedicated to improving science education and increasing environmental literacy in communities. Over the years, we have worked with individual teachers, curriculum coordinators, and whole supervisory unions to improve science instruction.
Contact Lisa Purcell for more information.
Upper Valley Linkages for Environmental Literacy
With the generous support of the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Four Winds coordinates the Upper Valley Linkages for Environmental Literacy (UVLEL) project. UVLEL supports teacher-directed, needs-based environmental science professional development for K-12 teachers in the Upper Valley area of Vermont and New Hampshire.
The goals of this project are to improve teacher and student environmental literacy, build sustainable collaborative professional partnerships, and cultivate awareness of place-based environmental citizenship in the Upper Valley. The UVLEL model of place-based teacher-directed professional development is the product of an ongoing partnership between Four Winds and Judy Filkins, math and science curriculum coordinator in Lebanon, NH.
UVLEL supports teachers in curriculum development and implementation by connecting them to a vast network of environmental educators, scientists and researchers who can serve as content specialists for educators and administrators. Rather than promoting a single program or curriculum, UVLEL is place-based teacher professional development that helps teachers identify and meet their curriculum goals.
Some teaching units developed by UVLEL teachers:
Janis Boulbol, Sharon, VT. Let's Get Wet!
Karen Gaudette, Bradford, VT. Travels with Trees.
Jenny Hewitt, Pomfret,VT. Rot On! Composting and Worms.
Jessica Loeffler, Bradford,VT. Circuits, Cycles, Circles.
Elizabeth Dutton, Tunbridge, VT. The Forest As A Sustainable Resource.
Jill Kurash and Cindy Siegler, Woodstock, VT. The Forest Tells A Story.
Stephanie Loeffler, Tunbridge, VT. Paper Footprint.
AnneMarie Stout, Lebanon, NH. Lewis and Clark and My Backyard.
Christine Baker, Newport, NH. The Three R's.
Ongoing Workshops for Educators
Four Winds also has developed a set of different three-hour workshops designed for adults working with a group of students. The goal of these workshops is to incorporate more outdoor learning time and outdoor exploration into children's daily lives. The workshops are available for groups of from 10-25 educators and are held in your community. We are currently offering: Nature-based Science Journals, Drawing and Writing in Nature, and Nature Games. Each of these workshops provides guidance on how to include natural science instruction in your program, how to work with students outside, and a sampling of activities to help you do so.
Call Four Winds at (802) 353-9440 for more information about our professional development support services.