Annual Summer Institute

Summer Institute Reimagined: The Big Ideas of Sustainability

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Straight from the Source: Teacher Takeaways from Summer Institute Reimagined: The Big Ideas of Sustainability

THEME: The Big Ideas of Sustainability

Institute Overview: This 6-day (15 hour) online institute will focus on Education for Sustainability: an interdisciplinary learning lens for integrating the Big Ideas of Sustainability into your curriculum, campus and community.

Audience: K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Non-formal Educators

Full Group Virtual Learning and Facilitated Lesson Planning: Participant assignments are connected to project- and place-based learning; exploring sustainability as a dynamic system characterized by the interconnectedness of environment, equity and economy; identifying the skills, knowledge and values/attitudes that promote health and well-being of current and future generations.

Daily Schedule & Themes (Download Daily Schedule At-A-Glance)
July 7—Why Education for Sustainability?
July 8—Cultivating Earth Stewards
July 9— Big Ideas of Sustainability
July 14—Sustainable Economics & Systems Thinking
July 15—The Power of Place
July 16—The Ability to Make a Difference

Topics & Keynotes:

Dr. Bertie SimmonsKeynote Speaker

Karen BandaFurr High School Alumni

Susan Kaiser GreenlandKeynote Speaker

Kate RaworthKeynote Speaker

Environmental Justice: Dr. Bertie Simmons with Karen Banda

Dr. Bertie Simmons, life-long dedicated educator in the Houston Independent School District. Her career included experiences as a teacher, elementary school principal, assistant superintendent, district superintendent, and high school principal. This highly sought public speaker has received many professional awards that include HEB’s Best High School Principal in Texas award and KHOU’s Spirit of Texas award. Dr. Simmons will be joined by former student, Karen Banda, to lead a dialogue from experiencing and addressing environmental injustice. Karen graduated from Furr High School as the 2014 Valedictorian. While at Furr, she developed an interest in social justice and had the chance to research, study, and present to the Houston City Council the topic of Environmental Injustice/Racism during her junior year in high school. During her senior year at Smith College, Karen focused her academic research on education equity, writing two large research papers, and presented her last research paper—a paper that focused on education disparities in two local Houston-area schools—at the Smith College Collaborations, a day where students presented research papers to the local community and school. Karen graduated Cum Laude from Smith College in 2018. After graduation, Karen worked for a grant-funded program in Houston focused on providing legal assistance to Harris County residents affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Mindfulness / Social Emotional Learning: Susan Kaiser Greenland

Susan Kaiser Greenland, internationally recognized leader in teaching mindfulness and meditation to children, teens, parents and professionals. Through her books and the Inner Kids program, she played a foundational role in making mindfulness practices developmentally appropriate for young people and helped to pioneer activity-based mindfulness.

Understanding Sustainable Economics to build Resilient Equitable Communities: Kate Raworth

Kate Raworth, internationally renowned economist focused on making economics fit for the 21st century. Her book Doughnut Economics: Seven Says to Think Like a 21st Century Economist is an international bestseller that has been translated into 18 languages. She is co-founder of Doughnut Economics Action Lab, which works with change-makers to turn Doughnut Economics from a radical idea into transformative action. She teaches at Oxford University and Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

K-12 Education Sustainability Guest Speakers:

Brian Filitraut

Dr. Gail Duffy

Tara O’Gorman

Brian Filitraut, Director of Sustainability, Poly Prep Country Day School
Teaching sustainability through PBL and Integration of the UN SDGs

Brian Filitraut, Director of Sustainability at Poly Prep Country Day School, a N-12 institution located in Brooklyn, NY. Through an interactive experience that can be applied for in-person or online teaching and learning, this workshop will explore framing and creating curricular integration of sustainability using the UN SDGs. The 17 SDGs offer a rich resource and framework for cross-curricular integration and infusion of sustainability across subjects and grades. A focus on sustainability and the major challenges facing local communities and the world, offer ways to create authentic, interdisciplinary project based learning opportunities that engage students not only in the science behind the problem, but agency in creating solutions.

Brian has thirteen years of experience of extensive, hands-on instructional training, long-term project management and leadership, partnership development, and environmental research and analysis. Brian leads efforts to lower the school’s footprint on its two campuses by working with administration, operations, students, faculty, parents, and alumni. He incorporates these efforts into the curriculum and extracurricular activities through student-led initiatives and projects to equip the Poly Prep community to live healthier and more sustainable lives.

Dr. Gail Duffy, Assistant Superintendent for Administration & Instruction, Tarrytown UFSD, NY
How to Sustain yourself during these uncertain times.

Dr. Gail Duffy, Assistant Superintendent for Administration & Instruction, Tarrytown UFSD, NY. “How to Sustain yourself during these uncertain times.”. With over 24 years as an educator, Gail has worked as a special education teacher in the Bronx and White Plains as well as an elementary education teacher in White Plains. She has also served as an assistant coordinator of special education and assistant principal and principal in the Wappingers Central School District. Gail has been practicing Mindfulness for the past three years and is currently pursuing her Mindful Teacher certification from Mindful Schools.

Tara O’Gorman, 5th Grade Educator in Yonkers Public Schools, NY
Engaging students in authentic learning connected to place/community

Tara O’Gorman, 5th Grade Educator in Yonkers Public Schools. Tara is a National Geographic Certified Educator, an “Image, Sound & Story” Certified educator with the Jacob Burns Film Center, an EarthEcho International Fellow, photographer, videographer, story chaser, storyteller and CELF Educated. Tara will provide insight into empowering students as they learn to honor our coexistence with nature through incorporating CELFS Big Ideas of Sustainability, Place-Based Education, and their voices to craft visual stories of environmental and conservationist awareness. Using collaborative, interdisciplinary project-based units with nature found right outside the classroom to produce videos bringing much-needed equity to nature education across the curriculum.

Takeaways:

Gain knowledge of educating for sustainability from a community of learners and field experts
Redesign a lesson, unit or project implementation planner with the integration of the Big Ideas of Sustainability
Engage with various digital platforms to leverage student interactions for remote learning
Help students understand the causes and consequences of social equity through the lens of environmental justice
Explore a systems thinking approach to understanding the impact of COVID-19

Daily activities, coaching, and lesson planning toolkit accessible through the CELF Summer Institute Google Site

Defining Sustainability: Thinking about how sustainability has changed and what it means to you now.
Connecting the Big Ideas of Sustainability to your teaching practices and classroom/virtual lessons
CELF-facilitated lesson planning work time

Special Offer from Manhattanville College: Participants who complete this year’s Summer Institute: Big Ideas of Sustainability are eligible to receive a 50% tuition discount on the Education for Sustainability (EfS) Advanced Certificate offered through Manhattanville College School of Education.