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Session to Discuss Innovative Course to Integrate Sustainability Concepts in the Classroom

February 16, 2012 - Green Education Foundation (GEF) has announced their participation as an exhibitor and presenter at the Green Schools National Conference February 27-29, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. This event is set to be the only national gathering of K-12 leaders and educators coming together to make their schools and districts green and healthy centers of academic excellence. This conference will be a ‘take notice’ event as the centerpiece of a national movement sending a strong, clear, message that green is the future of our schools.

In their breakout session on the morning of the 28th, GEF will be sharing the overwhelming success stories from their pilot professional development course, Sustainability Education Concepts and Teaching Methods, as well as providing a live tour of the course content to session attendees. The goal of the session will be to introduce a new generation of online learning that shapes sustainability as a natural and necessary component of any discipline or curriculum schedule. GEF hopes to provide the tools to inspire and motivate educators to integrate sustainability in their existing curriculum while still teaching to core standards and STEM topics.

In the fall 2011 pilot version, over 700 educators from around the world enrolled to explore basic sustainability concepts and methods for integrating those new concepts into their classrooms. Feedback from participants was exceedingly positive and has provided a springboard from which GEF Institute, a division of GEF, will launch two new online sustainability courses for educators, students, and adults in April.

Bryan Field, a physics, biology, STEM and Sustainability teacher from Conant High School in New Hampshire, shared his enthusiasm about the delivery and content of the online course: “My complements to the E-learning designer for an excellent integration of video and text and easy navigation. I am impressed with both the quality of the information and the effective and engaging use of technology used to convey the information.” Another educator noted, “I have never seen a course on Moodle as nice as this.”

Building on the success of the pilot course, all upcoming course offerings from GEF Institute will feature similar online, multi-format delivery methods and engaging, relevant content. One of the most innovative features of these courses are the video narrations interspersed throughout the text, creating a unique and engaging learning experience. Other features include pre and post unit assessments, lively discussion forums, and application based activities. By taking four online courses and an independent study course from the Institute, participants are eligible to earn a Sustainability Concepts Certification, furthering demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and bolstering credibility in the marketplace.

Presenters from GEF are Victoria Waters, CEO of GEF, and Ben Wheeler, author of the pilot course, Sustainability Education Concepts and Teaching Methods. Joining GEF at the conference are keynote speaker and Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan; President of Stonyfield Farms, Gary Hirshberg; and national environmental activist, Laura Turner Seydel, to name just a few.

Attendees of GEF’s session will receive discount coupons for online courses. During the conference, registration will be available for two courses: Introduction to Sustainability Concepts and Sustainable Water Systems. Conference attendees are encouraged to visit GEF’s table near the registration area to learn more and sign up for a raffle to win one of three Sustainability Concepts Certifications, valued at $1,250.

Session Details:

Title: Teaching Teachers: Sustainability Education Concepts and Teaching Methods
Location: 703, Convention Center
Time: Tuesday 2/28 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM

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About Green Education Foundation (GEF)

GEF is a non-profit organization committed to creating a sustainable future through education. Sustainability Education provides educators with the real-world applied learning models that connect science, technology, and math education with the broader human concerns of environmental, economic, and social systems. GEF provides curriculum and resources to K-12 students and teachers worldwide with the goal of challenging youth to think holistically and critically about global environmental concerns and solutions.

Become a member for free to gain full access to GEF’s comprehensive library of standards-based lessons and activities at www.greeneducationfoundation.org. Join the sustainability education conversation by following GEF on Twitter @greenedufdn and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenedufoundation.

About GEF Institute

GEF Institute, a division of the Green Education Foundation (GEF), is a virtual classroom established to meet increasing market demand for sustainability focused courses. The Institute builds on GEF's expertise in K-12 sustainability education and STEM concepts by offering affordable courses in sustainability to educators, students, and adults. In addition to individual online courses, the Institute offers a certificate in sustainability concepts. All of the Institute's courses are available for professional development and/or academic credit.

Download the Press Release PDF.