A Forest for Every Classroom
Forest for Every Classroom teachers group J Haley
- Steve Glazer, Director of Poetics of Place and author. A Forest for Every Classroom (FFEC,) is an award-winning professional development program for K-12 teachers of all disciplines, offering stimulating, thought-provoking experiences designed to refresh your mind and passion for teaching! Across habitats and through the seasons, educators learn how to "read"--and teach--in the landscapes of Vermont from some of the best education and natural resource professionals in the state. They explore how using place-based learning and education for sustainability make the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards both more practical and meaningful. FFEC is based on an approach to teaching and learning called place-based education (PBE). PBE helps students learn about and connect to their place through real-world field experiences and on-going classroom work. At the heart of FFEC is the belief that students who are immersed in the interdisciplinary study of their place will be more eager to learn about and be involved in the stewardship of their communities and surrounding lands. "This program elevated my teaching to a whole new level. It was enormously educational and inspirational; and at the same time, lots of fun. One of the most unique and valuable features of FFEC is the opportunity for learning and networking with other teachers never ends. FFEC feels like a group of friends working together to fulfill their common passion for place-based education." After ten years teaching sixth grade in Pomfret, Vermont, I knew I could do better. I took to heart the adage, "It's not so important what the teacher does, what is important is what the student does."Still, while my teaching incorporated a host of "hands-on" units, the amount of time children were engaged in truly authentic learning was sporadic.
Students at the park J Haley As We Are Taught
Learn more about Forest for Every Classroom and how it was developed. |
Did You Know?
In the early 1860s Vermonter Frederick Billings, then living in California, purchased and sent photographs of Yosemite Valley to influential eastern friends to make the case for its preservation. You can see these photographs, and paintings of Yosemite, at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP.
Sample Curriculum: Caring for Our Forests
Sample Curriculum: The Mathematics of Forestry
Sample Curriculum: Forest Forays