Educator Community of Practice

We know people are doing amazing work to bring climate change education to their communities, and we want to create a space to co-learn, build skills, and deepen practices that increase climate action.Climate Generation, along with theMidwest Climate Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis and SERC, will bring together educators from K-12 schools and districts, non-formal learning institutions, higher education, and government agencies to continue the movement of climate change education in a community of learning and practice.

Jump to: Get Involved | Community Meetings | Team

This project seeks to:

  • Increase the frequency and depth to which participants are engaging with climate change professional development/learning.
  • Increase participants' understanding of climate change impacts in the Midwest.
  • Increase understanding of community responses to climate change impacts and adaptation projects already happening in the Midwest.
  • Build connections and relationships among participants.
  • Empower participants to take leadership within the ECOP.
  • Encourage and support participants to enact an action project or planning for future projects in their local contexts.

Get Involved

To establish this Community of Practice, the MCC and Climate Generation have put together a series of opportunities for you from October 2025- April 2026. Building on feedback from members, over the course of the school year, this year we are offering two program arcs: a series of Midwest-themed workshops and a facilitated collaborative working group.

TheMidwest-themed workshops are an opportunity to drop in and learn from an expert who will explore a relevant topic that offerspathways to teach, talk, and lead on Climate Change in the Midwest. This year's topics that explore pathways to educate on climate change in the Midwest are:

  • Communicating Resilience and Inspiring Action
  • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
  • Agriculture
  • Water Quality

The collaborative working group will convene a diverse group of Midwest climate change education champions from across sectors to connect and act to move climate change education forward in the Midwest. This group of people will gather once a month from October to March to connect across geographies and co-create a tangible, shareable product identified by the group that strengthens and expands climate education programs in the region.

Sign-up for Interest List»

Community Meetings

The Educator Community of Practice will have a handful of meetings throughout the year to support the goals above and individual interests. The best way to hear about these events and get recaps is to join the listserv by filling out the community sign up. We look forward to seeing you!

Midwest-themed Workshops

  • Midwest-Themed Workshop: The Power of We: How Inclusive Communication drives Climate Action | November 19th 4-5 pm CT
  • Midwest-Themed Workshop: Teaching Climate Change with Moose | December 3rd 5-6 pm CT
  • Midwest-Themed Workshop: Agriculture | February 2026 TBD
  • Midwest-Themed Workshop: Water Quality | March 2026 TBD

Collaborative Working Group

First, the collaborative working group had a productive kick-off meeting at the end of October! Feel free to check out our slides if you haven't had the chance yet. At the kickoff meeting, members identified 6 projects to work on in small groups over the next 4 months! We will meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month 2:30-3:30 PM CT, December- March. We know this time may not work for everyone. Following the meetings, we will send out recaps to those who registered so folks can participate asynchronously. The meetings will generally follow the format below:

  • Welcome and Introductions -10 minutes
  • Project worktime as identified by group members, breakout sessions -40 minutes
  • Conclusion & next steps -10 minutes

Whether you join all the working group meetings or just one, we are happy to have you join and contribute your expertise. You can check out the projects in our shared workspace here.

Register and add all the working group meetings to your calendar! Even if you can't join live, registering will ensure you get the follow-up recap with opportunities to participate asynchronously.

See Past Meetings »

Events in 2024/25:

Dive into last year's events, which featured speakers and working groups that explored four core themes throughout the year:

  • Sep. - Oct. 2024, Understanding and Observing Climate Change,
  • Nov. - Dec. 2024, Levers for Change
  • Jan. - Feb. 2024, Building Connection
  • Mar. - Apr. 2024, Educators as Change Makers and Champions

April Working Group Meeting

Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 530 pm-6 pm CT

This working group meeting will be a facilitated, discussion-based event geared toward supporting educators as they process the themes and ideas of March and April's theme: Educators as Champions and Changemakers. We will review and apply strategies featured in March's Teach Climate Network Workshop: Dispatches from the Future and:

  • Explore educators' unique connections and love for their communities to create a spark for climate education.
  • Identify how we can ignite students' imagination for creative and proactive solutions to climate change impacts.
  • Imagine how we can incorporate interdisciplinary practices into our teaching strategies.

See Program »

Dispatches from the Future

Wednesday, March 19th, 2025, 5 pm- 6 pm CT

Our discourse around climate change often sets students up for feeling that we are all doomed. Less discussed are the very real possibilities of brighter futures. In this workshop, explore a lesson sequence that uses critical examination of mentor texts, climate modeling, and creative writing to help students of all ages inhabit futures worth working for.

See Program »

February Working Group Meeting

Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 630 pm-8 pm CT

This working group meeting will be a facilitated, discussion-based event geared toward supporting educators as they process the themes and ideas featured in January's Teach Climate Network Workshop: Building Energy Detectives: Using your Building as an Energy Education Tool. Together we will:

  • Practice the attitudes and behaviors needed to catalyze and support local climate change education.
  • Identify pathways for connection to people, places, and resources needed to boost classroom curriculum.
  • Explore the value of situated learning in place to affect climate action.

See Program »

Building Energy Detectives: Using your Building as an Energy Education Tool

Wednesday, January 15th, 2025, 5 pm- 6 pm CT

Participants will explore student lessons, activities and programs that answer the anchor phenomenon: What energy actions can I take at school, at home, and in my community to create a more sustainable future? Learn how students can investigate energy and energy conservation through energy auditing that can result in a measurable reduction in your building's carbon footprint. Find out how your school can participate in a national school building energy conservation program.Participants will have access to free Google lessons that align with NGSS standards, follow a 5E format and include career and climate connections.

See Program »

December Working Group Meeting

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024, 630 pm- 8 pm CT

This working group meeting will be a facilitated, discussion-based event geared toward supporting educators as they process the themes and ideas of November and December's theme: Levers for Change. We will review and apply strategies featured in November's Teach Climate Network Workshop: No Interest, No Problem: Strategies to Engage Teens in Climate Action in their Communities. We're excited to:

  • Celebrate the practices you are already doing to advance climate action in education and identify growing edges.
  • Identify who and what exists in the education system as powerful levers for change.
  • Strategize opportunities for bridging community, classroom, and culture in learning experiences.

    See Program »

No Interest, No Problem: Strategies to Engage Teens in Climate Action in their Communities

Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, 5 pm- 6 pm CT

Meet students where they are in their understanding of climate change and empower them with a sense of agency and hope. Join high school science teacher Julie Ackerman as she shares several examples of how she successfully engaged teens in becoming change agentsâ€"sometimes without them even realizing it!

See Program »

October Working Group Meeting

Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 5 pm-630 pm CT

This working group meeting will be a facilitated, discussion-based event geared toward supporting educators as they process the themes and ideas featured in September's Teach Climate Network Workshop: Exploring Climate Change through Extreme Weather Phenomenon.

Together we:

  • Build a deeper understanding of Midwesterners perception of climate change and extreme weather,
  • Identify how climate adaptation work is happening related to extreme weather, and
  • Explore how extreme weather messaging can impact the effectiveness of climate change education and identify methods to incorporate new strategies into their work.

See Program »

Exploring Climate Change through Extreme Weather Phenomenon

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 5 pm-6 pm CT

Exploring climate change through the lens of phenomena, such as extreme weather events, allows educators and students to see directly the impacts, and possible solutions, to climate change on a regional level. Join Climate Generation educator Seth Spencer as we explore extreme weather events, how they are connected to climate change, and how to engage your students in finding potential solutions.

See Program »

Leadership Team

  • Heather Navarro, Director, Midwest Climate Collaborative
  • Danielle Hefferan, Regional Education Program Coordinator, Climate Generation
  • Lindsey Kirkland, Sr. Climate Change Education Manager, Climate Generation
  • John McDaris, Science Education Resource Center, Carleton College (Technical Support)

Contact Us

  • For MCC Educator Community of Practice program information contact Danielle Hefferan (Regional Education Program Coordinator, Climate Generation) at danielle@climategen.org
  • For general inquiries about the Midwest Climate Collaborative contact midwestclimatecollaborative@wustl.edu

 


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