Engaging STEM
Learning through the
Environment
“ENVIRONMENT-BASED EDUCATION” AND WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU
Introductions
Bryan Ehlers
Director, Office of Education and the Environment
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)
Gerald Lieberman, PhD.
State Education and Environment Roundtable
Will Parish
Founder and President
Ten Strands
Session Overview
Key Questions
 What
is environment-based education
(EBE)?
 What are California’s Environmental
Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs) and why
are they significant for the future of STEM?
 What opportunities and challenges do you
see for using the environment to connect
students to STEM learning?
“The Environment”
Broadly defined
 The
natural systems in which all human
activity is embedded
 The
air we breathe, the water we drink,
the food we eat
 The
context for our daily lives
 NOT
only pristine mountain meadows
The Environment and STEM
What does the environment have to offer?
 Intrinsically
context
engaging
 Meets
students “where
they’re at” in terms of
their daily lives
 Relevant,
real-world
issues of importance
Environment-Based Education (EBE)
What is it?
A
framework for instruction
 Focuses on standards-based educational
results
 Uses the environment and related issues as a
context for learning
*Based on Education and the Environment: Creating
Standards-Based Programs for Schools and District,
(Lieberman, 2013)
Environment-Based Education (EBE)
What is it not?
Not the same as “environmental education”
which focuses primarily on environmental literacy
and environmental issues – instead, EBE’s focus is
traditional academic content standards
 Not environmental advocacy – EBE encourages
students to think critically about the world around
them and arrive at their own conclusions based
on sound science and reasoning

Environment-Based Education (EBE)
Why use this approach?
 Research-based
model
Environment-Based Education (EBE)
Why use this approach?
(continued)
Higher scores on standardized measures of
academic achievement
 Increased student engagement and enthusiasm
for learning
 Reduced discipline and classroom management
problems
 Greater student pride and ownership in
accomplishments
 Environmental literacy will be essential to our
prosperity in the 21st century and beyond!

Environment-Based Education (EBE)
What can we accomplish with EBE?
Three core goals:
1.
Help students achieve success with
academic content standards
2.
Develop their understanding of interactions
between natural and human social systems
3.
Prepare students to be active members of a
civil society with the skills they need to identify
and resolve environmental challenges
Environment-Based Education (EBE)
How did the EBE shift begin?
The ball began rolling with 2003 California legislation:

Established core environmental big ideas for all K-12 students
California Environmental Principles and Concepts – EP&Cs

Required creation of a “model curriculum”
California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) Curriculum
(State Board of Education approved, 2010)

Requires future state-adopted curriculum to incorporate the
EP&Cs
i.e., follow the EEI model
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What are the EP&Cs?

Principle I – People Depend
on Natural Systems
The continuation and health
of individual human lives and
of human communities and
societies depend on the
health of the natural systems
that provide essential goods
and ecosystem services.
PRINCIPLE I
People Depend
On Natural
Systems
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What are the EP&Cs?

PRINCIPLE I
Principle II – People Influence
Natural Systems
The long-term functioning
and health of terrestrial,
freshwater, coastal and
marine ecosystems are
influenced by their
relationships with human
societies.
People Depend
On Natural
Systems
PRINCIPLE II
People Influence
Natural Systems
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What are the EP&Cs?

Principle III – Natural Systems
Change in Ways that People
Benefit from and Can
Influence
Natural systems proceed
through cycles that humans
depend upon, benefit from
and can alter.
PRINCIPLE I
People Depend
On Natural
Systems
PRINCIPLE II
People Influence
Natural Systems
PRINCIPLE III
Natural Systems
Change in Ways
that People Benefit
From and Can
Influence
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What are the EP&Cs?

Principle IV – There are no
Permanent or Impermeable
Boundaries that Prevent
Matter from Flowing Between
Systems
The exchange of matter
between natural systems and
human societies affects the
long-term functioning of
both.
PRINCIPLE I
People Depend
On Natural
Systems
PRINCIPLE II
People Influence
Natural Systems
PRINCIPLE IV
There are no Permanent
or Impermeable Boundaries
that Prevent Matter from
Flowing Between
Systems
PRINCIPLE III
Natural Systems
Change in Ways
that People Benefit
From and Can
Influence
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What are the EP&Cs?

Principle V – Decisions
Affecting Resources and
Natural Systems are Complex
and Involve Many Factors
Decisions affecting resources
and natural systems are
based on a wide range of
considerations and decisionsmaking processes.
PRINCIPLE I
People Depend
On Natural
Systems
PRINCIPLE II
People Influence
Natural Systems
PRINCIPLE IV
There are no Permanent
or Impermeable Boundaries
that Prevent Matter from
Flowing Between
Systems
PRINCIPLE III
Natural Systems
Change in Ways
that People Benefit
From and Can
Influence
PRINCIPLE V
Decisions Affecting
Resources and
Natural Systems are
Complex and
Involve Many
Factors
CA Environmental Principles & Concepts
What’s next?
 EEI
Curriculum uses EP&Cs
 Some organizations aware and aligning
materials and programming
 New K-12 science curriculum framework
will integrate EP&Cs with Next Generation
Science Standards
 By 2018-19 new science textbooks will
contain EP&Cs
Implications for NGSS Instruction
What will NGSS + EP&Cs look like?
 [Placeholder
for example of Jerry’s
framework material. Add additional slides
as necessary.]
EBE and STEM
Opportunities and Challenges
Discussion Prompts – From the standpoint of your organization or
sector:
 What does EBE have to offer STEM? What are the best
opportunities to use EBE to expand and/or improve STEM
learning for Californians?
 What are the biggest challenges to capitalizing on
opportunities to leverage EBE in support of STEM?
 How might these challenges be confronted and/or
overcome?
 What do you see as next steps for helping bring EBE to your
community of STEM stakeholders, and what support might you
need to achieve success?
EBE and STEM
Opportunities and Challenges
 What
does EBE have to offer STEM?
What are the best opportunities to
use EBE to expand and/or improve
STEM learning for Californians?
EBE and STEM
Opportunities and Challenges
 What
are the biggest challenges to
capitalizing on opportunities to
leverage EBE in support of STEM?
EBE and STEM
Opportunities and Challenges
 How
might these challenges be
confronted and/or overcome?
EBE and STEM
Opportunities and Challenges
 What
do you see as next steps for
helping bring EBE to your community
of STEM stakeholders, and what
support might you need to achieve
success?
EBE and STEM
 Discuss
findings
 Questions?
EBE and STEM
Wrap-up and Takeaways
 EBE
is a state policy initiative with growing
relevancy for STEM (e.g., EP&Cs in new
science textbooks by 2018-19)
 Many opportunities to capitalize on
environment as engaging context for
STEM learning
 No time like the present to begin
identifying and planning to confront and
overcome challenges
Thank you!
And please feel free to contact us
Bryan Ehlers
Director, Office of Education and the Environment
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle)
www.californiaeei.org
Gerald Lieberman, PhD.
State Education and Environment Roundtable
www.seer.org
Will Parish
Founder and President
Ten Strands
www.tenstrands.org