THE
CERTIFICATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
The Certificate
is a ten-semester credit offering. Participants are required to take
two credits in five areas. These areas and appropriate courses are listed
below.
Partnerships
Courses
Cost
Process
Areas and Course Offerings
Courses in the
Five Areas
PARTNERSHIPS:
The EE
Certificate showcases a partnership between CGEE and the Audubon Center
of the Northwoods. Staff at the Audubon offer many of the courses listed
in the various areas. For more information about the Audubon and opportunities
there, check out their website at: www.audubon-center.org.
Courses are also offered at many other sites including: Minnesota Arboretum,
the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Zoo.
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COURSES:
Most of
the courses are either one or two credits and are typically offered
weekends during the school year. The courses at the Audubon include
an overnight(s) at the Center. Lodging and meals are included in the
cost of the course.
CGEE believes
in experiential learning…you will be outside. Most course requirements
will include journaling of various observations, reflection, development
of teaching materials and communication with other course participants.
Some of the material and communication may occur online.
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COST:
Course
credits range from $179 to $195 per credit depending on course materials.PARTICIPANTS:
People who pursue the EE Certificate are K-12 teachers either in a formal
or informal school setting. This includes public and private school
teachers as well as naturalists in various park settings.
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PROCESS:
To begin
the work on the Certificate in Environmental Education, simply fill
out the Intent
to Participate form and e-mail back to the Center. Then begin
taking classes in the five areas.
To record
your courses, complete the Request
for EE Certificate form that lists the courses in each of
the areas. When you have finished all ten credits, send the form back
to the Center. The form will be checked against your transcript. You
will then receive a Certificate in the mail within 4 weeks. Click here
to see a copy of the certificate.
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AREAS
AND COURSE OFFERINGS
AREA
ONE: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FUNDAMENTS
Master
the five basic tenets of environmental education. Trace the history
of the environmental movement and consider its future. Examine key theories
behind environmental education and implement them in your work. Become
competent in proven environmental education teaching methods and generate
goals you wish to complete during your work in the certificate program.
AREA
TWO: EARTH SYSTEMS AND ECOLOGY
Increase
your understanding of environmental science content. Learn about the
functioning and form of the earth, its systems, and its inhabitants.
Get the content knowledge you need to effectively teach your students.
AREA
THREE: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Examine
current environmental issues and how your students can become active
in helping to solve them. Investigate case studies of several environmental
issues. Consider the wealth of community resources available to environmental
educators, and develop an action plan to deal directly with an issue
that interests you.
AREA
FOUR: SPECIAL TOPICS ELECTIVE
Examine
critical environmental topics at a regional, national, or global level.
Explore an area of personal interest and consider how it impacts your
work as an environmental educator. Choose from dozens of elective courses.
You may also transfer credits in this area.
AREA
FIVE: TEACHING METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Culminate
your work on the certificate by integrating elements of your previous
coursework. Explore advanced teaching methodologies. Complete and present
an in-depth project that demonstrates the successful completion of your
goals. Generate plans that you will carry into your work.
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COURSES
IN THE FIVE AREAS
Courses
are added every semester. Check the website for new courses.
AREA
1: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FUNDAMENTALS– Need 2 credits
Courses
available and when they are typically offered:
• Environmental
Education Basics: Taking Environmental Action (2 credits) Offered in
the Summer
• The Roots of Environmental Education
(3 credits) Online in the Fall
AREA
2: EARTH SYSTEMS AND ECOLOGY– Need 2 credits
Courses
available and when they are typically offered:
|
Fall
|
Winter/Spring
|
Summer
|
| Project
Wet and Wild (2 cr) |
Geology
of Minnesota (1 cr) |
Summer
Field Biology (2 cr) |
| Autumn
Biology ( 1 cr) |
Spring
Ecology (1 cr) |
Prairie
Ecology (1 cr) |
| Birds
of Prey (1 cr) |
Winter
Ecology (1 cr) |
Geology
of Twin Cities (1 cr) |
| Canoe
the Mississippi (2 cr) |
Natural
History of Rivers (1 cr) |
Field
Biology (1 cr) |
| Ecological
Systems (2 cr) |
Minnesota
Forests (2 cr) |
Minnesota
Biomes (3 cr) |
| Reading
the Landscape (1 cr) |
Aquatic
Systems (1 cr) |
|
|
Spring
Flora (1 cr) |
|
|
Birds
in the Classroom (1 cr) |
|
AREA
3: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES– Need two credits
Courses
available and when they are typically offered:
•
The Wolf: Issues and Actions (2 credits) - Spring
• Environmental Footprints – Online
(2 credits) - Spring
• Stories in the Rocks: Issues and
Actions (2 credits) - Fall
AREA
4: SPECIAL TOPICS ELECTIVES– Need two credits
•
Waters to the Sea – Online (1 credit) – every semester
• Creating a Multimedia Fieldtrip (1
credit) - Summer
• Earth Journaling (1-2 credits) –
Spring and Fall
• Woodland Indian Crafts (2 credits)
- Spring
• Wonders of Wetlands (1 credit) –
Fall
AREA
5: TEACHING METHODS FOR EE– Need two credits
Courses
available and when they are typically offered:
• Environmental Education for Teachers
– 2 credits - Summer
• Interdisciplinary Environmental Education
– 2 credits –Summer
• Environment as an Integrating Context-Online
– 3 credits – Spring
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