Talking with Green Teachers

Green Teacher
Talking with Green Teachers

Talking with Green Teachers features discussions with environmental educators from around the globe. In each episode, we hear the human side of EE, while discussing some of the big questions facing this diverse branch of education.

  1. FEB 16

    Episode 61: A Two-Worlds Approach to nurturing empathy in young children

    With Claire Underwood of the University of Cincinnati’s Artlitt Center for Education, Research, & Sustainability and Children, Youth, Environments (CYE) Journal / What does empathy look like in young children? How can we nurture it? When do we just need to step back and let children sort through the complexities of the natural world? Claire Underwood recently participated in a Community of Practice centred on using a Two-Worlds Approach to develop an empathy model for young children. This work was rooted in Natural Curiosity’s four-branch framework of children’s environmental inquiry informed by Indigenous perspectives. In this fascinating discussion, Claire shares the findings from the CoP as well as stories from educators who have implemented the empathy model in their teaching. Guest: Claire Underwood is a Doctoral Student at the University of Cincinnati, where she is the Editorial Assistant for the Children, Youth, Environments (CYE) Journal and conducts research with the Artlitt Center for Education, Research, & Sustainability.  After more than a decade working in non-profit leadership and community organizing focusing on environmental and social justice, Claire returned to academia to earn her Master’s in Environmental Education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. There, her work focused on the impact of nature-based learning on children’s empathy development. Claire co-designed and co-facilitated a seven-month professional learning experience that supported 15 early childhood educators in deepening their empathy practices through intentional & respectful engagement with Indigenous peoples and perspectives.  Through her work, Claire seeks to support teachers, children, and their families in creating experiences that affirm children’s agency, support their connection to the Earth, and work meaningfully together toward a just and sustainable present and future. Learn more at https://www.clairecunderwood.com/. Read the All Relatives Share Empathy article here. *Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

    41 min
  2. 2023-11-03

    Episode 59: The lives of bees and pollinating wasps

    With Heather Holm of Pollination Press and www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com / Which common species of native bees can be readily observed in your community? Why do wasps often fly under the radar when it comes to their impact as pollinators? What are some quick and easy tips for observing bees and wasps? Heather devotes much of her time to observing, photographing, documenting, and attracting bees, wasps, and other pollinators. She has also published several books on these remarkable insects. We are learning more about bees and wasps all the time, and Heather is playing a major role in expanding our collective knowledge. She shares some of her insights and stories in this lively discussion. Guest: Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. She passionately informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Heather is the author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer, and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications. Click here for Heather’s expanded biography as well as links to her iNaturalist and social media pages. *Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila *Episode recorded in March 2023

    42 min
  3. 2023-08-30

    Episode 57: Regenerating habitat for native pollinators

    With Lorraine Johnson of Project Swallowtail and lorrainejohnson.ca / Why is the concept and practice of ‘regeneration’ such an important companion for ‘sustainability’? What opportunities and challenges exist for folks in urban areas who wish to restore native plants? How about in rural areas? Which questions and misconceptions about pollinators and native plants continuously arise? Lorraine Johnson has spent decades creating habitat for native pollinators, while writing numerous books on this important and joyous practice. She shares her insights, tips, and stories in this rich conversation… and gives a little love to those oft-misunderstood goldenrods!  Guest: Lorraine Johnson has been writing about native plants and habitat regeneration for 30 years, in popular books such as 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens; The New Ontario Naturalized Garden; Grow Wild!; and her most recent, co-authored with Sheila Colla, A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee. Lorraine is involved in many community organizations, such as Project Swallowtail, and has served on the Boards of the North American Native Plant Society, LEAF, Wild Ones, and other organizations. Her advocacy work includes efforts to reform grass and weeds bylaws in support of biodiversity. What unites her work is the need to reconcile with nature in a healthy relationship. Learn more at https://lorrainejohnson.ca/. *Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila *Episode recorded in March 2023

    41 min
  4. 2023-04-19

    Episode 56: Having richer and more meaningful conversations with children

    With Rebecca Rolland of Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Medical School What is “rich talk”? Why is the outdoors such an ideal setting for having meaningful conversations with children? How can we discuss with kids weighty topics like climate change without overwhelming them? Drawing on research and insights detailed in her book The Art of Talking with Children, Rebecca Rolland connects the dots to outdoor and environmental educators in this lively discussion that also touches on the importance of embracing moments of silence, the characteristics of a global citizen, engaging with people who have different perspectives, and meeting young learners where they’re at when it comes to temperament.    Guest: Rebecca Rolland is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. She also served as an oral and written language specialist in the Neurology Department of Boston Children’s Hospital. As a nationally certified speech-language pathologist, she has worked clinically with populations ranging from early childhood through high school and has provided teacher professional development. She has an Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, an M.A. in English from Boston University, and a B.A. in English from Yale. *Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila

    38 min
4.7
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Talking with Green Teachers features discussions with environmental educators from around the globe. In each episode, we hear the human side of EE, while discussing some of the big questions facing this diverse branch of education.

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