Resource Teachers-Teaching kids about natural resources
by Dawn Pape | Jun 27, 2022
1 read | 3 Comments
1 read | 3 Comments
Summary:
The Resource Teachers program is innovative because it turns often worksheets and videos "treading water" substitute teacher time into an engaging mini-field trip with a guest lecturer. Resource Teachers are encouraged to bring students outdoors to learn the concepts they are teaching.
Helps Teachers
1. lightens workloads preparing for a sub or filling in gaps in curriculum with a guest teacher
2. Eases guilt of missing a day and losing teaching time
3. Allows teachers to learn new ideas from Resource Teachers
Engages Students
4. Provides students with memorable, meaningful, enjoyable and educational activities
5. Makes students feel at ease having a guest teacher who is comfortable teaching the material
6. Provides a variety of avenues for students to achieve by employing multiple intelligences through engaging hands-on activities
7. Allows students to spend time outdoors in the fresh air and sunlight throughout all the seasons. Being in touch with nature has a measurable impact on healthy child development and their relationship to the environment as an adult
8. Provides a "field trip" with the bussing expense
9. Offers welcomed change of pace
Protects Our Community's Water and Natural Resources
10. Currently, children spend an alarming amount of time in front of screens. If we don't get kids outside and learn to appreciate the natural world, will they care to protect it in the future?
About You
About You
First Name
Dawn
Last Name
Pape
Country
United States, MN
City
Blaine
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Rice Creek Watershed District
Organization Website
http://www.resourceteachers.org
Your Idea
Name your idea
Resource Teachers-Teaching kids about natural resources
Describe how you would use $15,000 to help your community become aware of and address water issues in Minnesota.
Regular classroom teachers or non-traditional educators such as daycares, scouts and service organizations interested in incorporating or enhancing environmental education, can invite a guest “Resource Teacher” to come in and teach about natural resources as a substitute teacher or as a guest teacher.
How do you define your "community"?. How are water issues affecting your community?
In the community of the Rice Creek Watershed District, there are a number of pressures facing the waters such as: invasive species, pollutants in stormwater runoff, low lakes levels seemingly attributable to over-consumption of deep municipal wells, drainage issues. And this is just the tip of the ice berg.
Innovation
Describe how your idea is creative.
The Resource Teachers program is innovative because it turns often worksheets and videos "treading water" substitute teacher time into an engaging mini-field trip with a guest lecturer. Resource Teachers are encouraged to bring students outdoors to learn the concepts they are teaching.
Helps Teachers
1. lightens workloads preparing for a sub or filling in gaps in curriculum with a guest teacher
2. Eases guilt of missing a day and losing teaching time
3. Allows teachers to learn new ideas from Resource Teachers
Engages Students
4. Provides students with memorable, meaningful, enjoyable and educational activities
5. Makes students feel at ease having a guest teacher who is comfortable teaching the material
6. Provides a variety of avenues for students to achieve by employing multiple intelligences through engaging hands-on activities
7. Allows students to spend time outdoors in the fresh air and sunlight throughout all the seasons. Being in touch with nature has a measurable impact on healthy child development and their relationship to the environment as an adult
8. Provides a "field trip" with the bussing expense
9. Offers welcomed change of pace
Protects Our Community's Water and Natural Resources
10. Currently, children spend an alarming amount of time in front of screens. If we don't get kids outside and learn to appreciate the natural world, will they care to protect it in the future?
Impact
Describe how how you expect your idea to make a difference in your community.
Connecting kids to natural resources is the start of curing many societal ills. When kids are running around outside, we are combatting obesity. When kids are following the route stormwater takes and where it empties into a water body, we are connecting kids to the outside world. They will see that stormwater pollution problems connect to habitat loss, species diversity loss and so many other things. They can begin to see that when you study air quality it relates to water quality and that all things are truly connected. When kids are playing with leaves we are reducing the rampant "affluenza" that brainwashes even kids think their happiness relies on external toys. When kids know how to plug themselves into watching the clouds roll by and a bird in a feeder we are teaching children how to relax. Reducing stress is key to mental and physical health. Gardening with kids connects them to where their food comes from and reduces the food miles carbon footprint.
“In the end, we conserve what we love.
We love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught.” - Senegalese Poet Baba Dioum
Sustainability and Growth
Describe how your idea will "stick" in your community and how you think it could be repeated in other communities.
I am already implementing this program in Rice Creek Watershed District, but I currently am running out of funding and cannot fulfill all of the requests.
The model is very efficient. Teachers go online and book a Resource Teacher. There is very little staff time involved in running this program now that the website is functioning well. It would be very easy to "export" to other watershed district or school districts who would like to beef up their substitute teaching and/or reduce spending on bussing.
 | Melisa Bush said: concept is cool and I am going to use it in my project. Also issues were discussed very intelligently. AngelJackets about this Competition Entry. - 921 days ago read more > |
| Katina Petersen said: This idea is definitely outside of the box- in a great way! I wonder what other issue areas could benefit from this kind of program? about this Competition Entry. - 1778 days ago read more > |
| Christy Johnson said: I love the concept of getting children outside and learning! about this Competition Entry. - 1778 days ago read more > |
 | Dawn Pape updated this Competition Entry. - 1795 days ago |
 | Dawn Pape submitted this idea. - 1795 days ago |
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