Reaching Teachers and Students Using Project

Learning Tree

Brenda Weiser, Ed.DEnvironmental Institute of HoustonUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake

What are we doing with energy education?

• Teacher workshops – preservice and inservice

• Using Project Learning Tree– Pre-K – 8 Activity Guide– Secondary Modules– Energy and Society Kit

What is PLT?

•A Comprehensive Environmental Education Program

•PreK - 12 Curriculum

•Partnerships - state and federal agencies, NGO’s (including API), Universities, others

•Implementation by volunteer network with state coordinators

•International Program

Project Learning Tree Goals

“Teaching students how to think, not what to think.”

Awareness

Knowledge

Challenge

ResponsibleAction

PreK-8 Guide

• Interdisciplinary

• Thematic

• Use of Storylines

• Classroom Friendly

• Aligned to National Standards and TEKS

• PreK-8 Guide Revisions – Reading Connections– Technology Connections– Differentiated Instruction

Project Learning

Tree’s Integrated

Energy Education Program

Funded by: American Petroleum Institute

Energy & Society Kit• Activity Guide• Energy & Me CD• Energy & Me

music and dance video

• Poster set: Where is the energy? and What powers the move?

• Aligned to TEKS

Energy & Me CD

Winner of Children’s Music Web Award and a Parents’ Choice Award

EIH Partners in Energy Education

•Newfield Exploration

•Offshore Energy Center

•Ocean Star

•Cy-Fair ISD

•Clear Creek ISD

•Aldine ISD

What Teachers Are Saying…

• Easily incorporated into existing curriculum

• Cross-curricula• Hands-on, minds-on• Correlated to education

standards• In line with education

reform

Recent Energy & Society Teacher

----Original Message-----From: ChandaSent: Wednesday, October 12, 2005 7:53 PMTo: 'Weiser, Brenda'Subject: RE: Energy & Society Kits

I used the kit on the following Monday after our workshop. My GT and Pre -AP Kids wouldn't let me alone about the music and songs. We did the energy chain. Good stuff. The other kids keep asking to play the songs again because they can't get them out of their heads. (Me,too!) So, thanks again to you for sharing the energy of the project, and of course to the artist, Billy B, who have turned my kids on to a whole new genre of singing and dancing and producing this kind of ENERGY for themselves! We are so kinetic.

Chanda @ Twain

Teachers Teach

Better and

Students Learn.

• Up to 30,000 educators a year

• EIH reaches 700 plus educators a year

• Half of users report using PLT at least once a month

• 60 percent come to workshops because another educator told them about PLT

PLT Works ...

How Can You Get Involved?

• Purchase E&S Kits for schools

• Support energy education

• Be a resource person at a workshop