Organization Reaches Students Through the Outdoors

Eagle Times Staff
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT — After the isolation of COVID-19 and amid gnawing concerns about climate change, kids need outdoor-based learning and connection more than ever, educators say.

That’s the motivation behind the Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative (UVTPC), a network of education professional development providers and practitioners who work together to advance high-quality, place-based and ecological education (PBEE), whether in schools, afterschool programs, childcare centers, homeschool families or other settings.

The event welcomes K-12 and early childhood educators, ecological education professional development providers and anyone interested in advancing equitable access to place-based ecology education.

“After a shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, students are experiencing increasing disconnect from the natural world around them,” said Andrew Deaett, a Vital Communities Project Manager who is one of the organizers of the event.

The UVTPC’s main annual event is its fall conference, a day of peer-led workshops, professional development and educator-to-educator connection. This year, the conference takes place Friday, Oct. 13, at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT.

It includes 12 workshops focusing on such topics as a microgreen-growing project by Woodstock Union High School’s CRAFT (Community and Climate Resilience through Agriculture, Forestry, and Technology) program; using favorite picture books as a springboard to outdoor learning for young children; garden-based activities to help young children with sensory integration challenges such as those common among neurologically diverse students; and seed-based activities that connect with math, science, art, social studies and language art.

PBEE expands the classroom walls by bringing learning experiences into the communities and ecosystems where students live. Practitioners prioritize learning opportunities that are student-centered, inquiry-based, outside in nature or the community, and focused on authentic problems, with improved academic, socio-emotional, and health benefits for students; teacher engagement and satisfaction; and strengthened community partnerships for schools.

“This summer has been marked by dense wildfire smoke filling the air, and catastrophic flooding across the region reminding us of the urgency presented by the climate crisis,” Deaett said. “Place-based ecology education is a powerful antidote, providing students with opportunities to learn, heal and become agents of change in their communities. We can do this work in partnership within and across school districts, alongside community partners and supported by the amazing professional development providers in our region.”

See the list of workshops and register to attend at vitalcommunities.org.