K-12 Education

On Friday, October 16, 2009, over 200 Boston Public School teachers and Boston-based environmental education professionals gathered to celebrate, network and learn about the wide array of outdoor environmental learning opportunities available to students in Boston.  Superintendent Carol Johnson addressed the group with words of inspiration, thanking teachers and community partners for their hard work and innovative partnerships, and challenging all to continue in their efforts to enrich the lives of Boston Public School students.

With over 60 schools and 50 Environmental Education organizations represented at the gathering, participants had the opportunity to network with each other and visit more than 30 display tables showcasing the partnerships between schools and a diverse array of community partners, including institutions of higher education, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.  

Guest speakers from the network provided insights into Environmental Education from their unique perspectives.  Jose Masso, grandparent of a student at Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School in Mattapan and WBUR radio host of Con Salsa!, described how experiential learning nurtures creativity, community involvement and scientific curiosity - even among 2nd graders!  Harbor School 7th grade teacher Virginia McNally shared stories from her field experiences with students on the Boston Harbor Islands and Savin Hill in Dorchester, relating how she saw her reluctant students getting truly excited about learning and applying classroom concepts to real-world situations.  Nataka Crayton, President of the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury and a Village at Work, spoke to the continuum of environmental experiences available to young people, culminating in environmental employment opportunities, such as the community work that teens employed by UNLR completed this summer.

The event capped off a week (October 12-16) of teacher-led, hands-on outdoor learning experiences for students across Boston.  During this shortened week (Monday was a school holiday) which included lots of rain and a Nor'easter, teachers registered to bring nearly 1,500 Boston Public School students outdoors to learn.  

What did that outdoor learning look like?  Students all the way from Kindergarteners at the Philbrick, the Haley, the Edison and the Ellis up to high school students in AP Environmental Science at the TechBoston Academy were engaged in hands-on learning connected to the science curriculum.  Children and youth were planting spring bulbs and trees, sailing the harbor, collecting freshly laid eggs, exploring tide pools on the Islands, and lifting boulders in order to understand levers.

Students were also practicing writing skills through journaling, recording observations, and responding to thought provoking questions in the form of writing prompts.

As teachers and educators, we have seen the less tangible benefits of environmental education when friendships form, reluctant learners blossom, and self-confidence is strengthened on these field experiences.

In addition to getting outdoors to learn this week, teachers and environmental education partners participating in the Get Out and Learn! (GOAL) Initiative have engaged nearly 2400 BPS students in meaningful field experiences connected to the science curriculum.  Through the GOAL Initiative, BYEN is helping to develop and strengthen relationships between schools and community partners. GOAL supported field experiences are the result of collaborative planning that takes place between school teachers and environmental educators, and are then drawn upon back in the classroom to enrich science learning.  With close alignment to the science curriculum and an individual teacher’s learning objectives for his/her students, the field experiences become a support and a resource rather than an add-on or a distraction.