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"Public lands have tremendous
potential to contribute to education and quality of life in
our communities. If we can get young people thinking about
not only the future of their parks and forest but also the
future of their local communities, that's the beginning of
lifelong learning, and it's also cultivating stewardship."
Nora Mitchell, Director, Conservation Study Institute |
Photo: Barbara Slaiby |
A Common Vision
Today's students will become responsible citizens if
they understand the places in which they live, and if they have
educational opportunities based on real life issues that encourage
them to be stewards of their own communities.
Inspired by a common vision of students learning from and caring
for public lands,
Shelburne Farms
, the Conservation Study
Institute, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller
National Historical Park, Green
Mountain National Forest, the Northeast
Office of the National Wildlife Federation, and the Northern
Forest Center have joined efforts to create A Forest for
Every Classroom (FFEC).
FFEC is a professional development program for educators focused
on place-based education. Teachers who participate in FFEC develop
curriculum that foster student understanding of and appreciation
for the public lands in their communities. The teacher-developed
curricula integrate hands-on natural and cultural explorations
that address concepts in ecology, sense of place, stewardship,
and civics. At the heart of the FFEC program is the belief that
students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of "place"
are more eager to learn and be involved in the stewardship of
their communities and public lands.
Innovation Through Collaboration
FFEC's unique partnership of public and private organizations
is a model for how collaboration can increase the effectiveness
of organizations to serve communities, enhance educational outreach,
and protect public lands. An independent assessment of the FFEC
program reported that the strengths of the program include:
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Demonstrating best practices in place-based
education
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Cultivating an understanding of public lands
and the local community
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Offering diverse and balanced perspectives
about public lands issues
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Developing relationships with teachers through
sustained professional support
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Fostering connections between the school,
community, and resource specialists
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Enhancing the role of public and private organizations
as community resources
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Fostering students as active participants
in the care of public lands through service learning activities
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Photo: Barbara Slaiby |
Public Forums:
To create a program that was responsive to local communities and
the needs of teachers, FFEC partners solicited input from community
members, teachers, and forestry professionals on the concepts
and experiences that students should have in a curriculum about
forest stewardship. The ideas generated from focus group sessions
shaped the goals and structure of the FFEC program.
Teacher Workshops:
Following the public forums, the partners developed and launched
the first FFEC professional development program. A year-long series
of three 2-day workshops and a 5-day summer institute provided
educators with the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge,
and support they needed to create standards-based curriculum that
connect students to the public lands in their communities.
Examples of curriculum units:
Brief
Overview of Other Units
On-going Teachers Support and Program Refinement:
Based on lessons-learned from the pilot program, the FFEC program
has been refined and offered to new groups of teachers. Additionally,
graduates of FFEC programs are offered sustained professional
development opportunities through content and skill-based workshops,
as well as on-going support from the FFEC partners and the resource
specialist network.
Program and Partnership Evaluation:
FFEC and its partners are part of the Place-based Education
Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC), a regional effort to develop
best practices in place-based education. PEEC research contributes
to the enhancement of the member programs, and to the development
of evaluation techniques for place-based education. An initial
assessment of the FFEC program has yielded impressive results
and helpful insights. These insights will strengthen future program
activities, and will be shared with other organizations interested
in creating place-based education training programs. Click
here for the PEEC evaluation report for FFEC.
What's Next?
Sharing Our Successes: Drawing on the lessons-learned
from the FFEC model, the partners have developed a comprehensive
place-based education manual and training program that will be
disseminated throughout the National Park Service and U.S. Forest
Service, and to educators and communities across the country.
The manual, Principles and Best Practices of Place-based Education,
outlines the keys to successful place-based programs and aids
participants in developing partnerships between public land agencies,
non-profit organizations, teachers, and community members.
Future programs: FFEC is an evolving project
with many upcoming programs and resources on place-based education.
If you would like to be involved as a teacher, resource specialist,
or interested community, please let us know.
For more information, contact Pat Straughan at (802) 985-8686
x43, pstraughan@shelburnefarms.org
