Ecologists engage K-12 teachers in real ecology in college courses, teacher workshops, and research experiences for teachers (RET). Less common but equally promising is the engagement of teachers in research about ecology learning. This workshop will provide participants with first-hand experience in long-term collaborative engagement strategies for doing both from the Pathways to Environmental Science Literacy Project. Research with thousands of students at four LTER sites has produced compelling models of student learning (learning progressions) towards principle- and evidence-based reasoning in: 1) water movement and substances in water, 2) carbon cycling and ecosystems, 3) biodiversity and evolution, and 4) citizenship. Our knowledge and skills framework for effective teaching includes: science content and practices; student centered and responsive teaching strategies; and understanding student learning with formative assessments and learning progression models. During the workshop, we will explore successful professional development (PD) strategies for developing these sets of knowledge and skills.

Workshop participants will first act as learners, and then as teachers thinking about content-pedagogy-learning, then final as PD providers. Specifically they will: 1) engage in activities used successfully in workshops to help teachers develop their knowledge and skills in ecology and understanding student learning; 2) reflect on their experiences as learners and then as teachers; 3) explore ways to respond to student thinking about “big ideas” in environmental science; 4) learn about PD approaches and curriculum modules in each topic area; and 5) consider ways to incorporate these strategies and resources into their own PD with teachers.