How COE Environmental Literacy Coordinators can Develop

Customized Professional Development or Learning for Districts and Schools

Training Video

CAELI County Office of Education (COE) Innovation Hub

Last Updated September 2022

Slide Deck: www.tinyurl.com/CAELI-COE-CustomizedPD

CAELI COE Innovation Hub

Build COE staff capacity for developing and implementing county-wide high impact environmental literacy and sustainability initiatives.

​

High Impact Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiatives Use a Whole Systems Approach

Customized Environmental Literacy Professional Development and Learning for Districts and Schools

​

Customized PD Programs for Teachers

Benefits of Customized PD Programs

• Requested by district or site level leaders and usually means they consider environmental literacy a priority
• Is designed to meet the specific needs of those school communities and to work with their existing materials and resources
• Catalyzes efforts and builds buy-in and leadership within a school or district
• Supports connections to local environmental education providers

Customized PD is a type of technical assistance requested by a district or school that is developed to serve the specific needs of that district or site.

Customized PD Programs for Teachers

Common Purposes

• Systems integration of environmental literacy to achieve equitable access for all students
• Systemic integration through a topical or thematic scope and sequence
• Interdisciplinary PBL
• Outdoor Learning

​

Different Audiences

• Individual Teachers
• Grade Levels
• Subject Area Departments

Customized PD is a type of technical assistance requested by a district or school that is developed to serve the specific needs of that district or site.

Link to: Examples and Resources

Customized PD Programs for Teachers

Important Considerations

• Environmental literacy can stand alone AND/OR it can be paired with PD for other subject areas
• Environmental literacy works well with PBL, SEL, Trauma Informed Practices, etc.

Customized PD is a type of technical assistance requested by a district or school that is developed to serve the specific needs of that district or site.

Link to: Examples and Resources

Work in partnership with other COE Coordinators! It is a rare day that people request environmental literacy directly…

Leverage your county-wide efforts and programs to drive requests for customized PD offerings

Customized PD Programs for Teachers

Structure Offering to Maximize Impact

​

• Listen to the needs of the districts and sites and design programs to meet those needs, AND guide them to see bigger goals and intentions

​

• Build in multiple touch points and accountability if possible

​

• Try and upsell beyond a one-off PD, BUT take a one-off PD as it could build connections…

Customized PD is a type of technical assistance requested by a district or school that is developed to serve the specific needs of that district or site.

High quality professional learning that is transformative enough to impact students, requires 30-100 hours WITH guided implementation support AND accountability!

Link to: Examples and Resources

Customized PD Programs for Teachers

Resources for Baseline Assessments and Surveys

Consider asking for a baseline assessment or survey to get a better understanding of the current status, to identify needs and assets, and to more intentionally design around the needs of the community.

Customized PD is a type of technical assistance requested by a district or school that is developed to serve the specific needs of that district or site.

Recommended Tools for Getting Started!

Overview: a three-part publication developed for educators, which focuses on the imperative for environmental literacy, showcases voices from the field, and includes a roadmap for including environmental literacy in TK-12 classrooms.

• Designed to be self-guided for use by individual teachers or teaching departments
• Can also be used by Professional Learning providers to design customized programs for districts, schools, and departments

Link to: Toolkit and Webinar Series

Generating Demand for Customized PD

Build Relationships with Districts

12

Board of Education/Trustees

Superintendent

Human Resources

Business and Facilities & Operations

Ed Services

(Curriculum & Instruction)

Student Services

Site Level Administrators

Faculty and Staff

Students

Parents

Community Partners

Most Common Roles to Request Customized PD: District Curriculum (associate superintendents, curriculum directors and coordinators, TOSAs), Site Level Administrators, Department Heads, Teachers

Leveraging Libraries as Partners

Libraries (or similar learning hubs) can be utilized as an excellent resource for integrating sustainability and building up environmental literacy at a school site.

Audiences

• Classroom Libraries
• School Library Programs
• District Librarian Meetings
• County Public Libraries

​

Support

• Professional Learning
• Partnership on Programs
• Resources

Library Resource Page

It Is All About the Hustle!

Hustle (verb): To strive voraciously towards a goal with courage, confidence, and self-determination. Owning the ability to get out there and work it out until you find the opportunities you want in life.

​

Hustle (verb): To work hard every single day. To do things others wouldn’t do. To strive headstrong and hungrily towards a goal with a sense of joy and purpose because you love it.

Final

Reflections

​

Reflection Time

• What resonated with your context and situation at your COE?
• What seems possible within your sphere of influence?
• What questions do you have that you want to explore further, and who will you contact to get answers from or support from?

Resources for Continued Learning

​

Examples of Customized PD

​

CAELI COE Innovation Hub

Slide Deck: www.tinyurl.com/CAELI-COE-CustomizedPD