WHAT WE HEARD Thursday, December 11, 2014

Edmonton Regional Community of Practice December Meeting WHAT WE HEARD Thursday, December 11, 2014. 12:00 – 4:00pm Muttart Conservatory, City of Edmonton

Edmonton Regional Community of Practice October Meeting participants ACEE would like to thank the Edmonton Community Foundation for funding this initiative and the Muttart Conservatory for hosting the meeting.

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE BACKGROUND ACEE launched the Communities of Practice (CoP) program with topic specific groups in fall of 2012. The pillars of the program are:

1. Share – CoP members share their resources, knowledge and skills with others: as a result, CoP members become more efficient and effective. 2. Collaborate – CoP members collaborate on programs and projects that advance their work: they work together to overcome barriers, identify and remove program overlaps and gaps, create partnerships and synergies, and develop coordinated approaches to audiences and funders. 3. Celebrate – Success stories are shared and celebrated: all stakeholders are inspired and encouraged. 4. Influence – CoP members work to ensure that environmental education has a strong presence in curriculum and in practice within the formal education system. 5. Sustain – Communities of Practice in environmental education are valued, embraced, and sustained by the community.

The two central questions guiding this CoP are: • What do you need to advance your own programs? • What can we do together to advance environmental education in the Edmonton area?

DECEMBER 11TH MEETING

AGENDA • Welcome and Introductions • IDEA Gift Exchange • Environmental Literacy – Awareness to Action – presentation by Sharina Kennedy of Alberta ESRD • Collective Impact Model • Edmonton Regional CoP Inventory • Curriculum Update and preparing for the new curriculum • Upcoming Events/Sharing • Next meeting

Attendees A big THANKS to everyone who attended. It is nice to see a mix of new and returning folks attend the meetings. • Alberta Council for Environmental Education - Kathy Worobec • Alberta Environment and Sustainable Development – Sharina Kennedy, Joanne Barwise • Alberta Parks – Isabella Hodson, Miquelon Lake Provincial Park • City of Edmonton – Joy Lakhan, Forestry, Beautification and Environmental Mgt; Jade Dodd, Muttart Conservatory; Shannon Myers • City of Spruce Grove – Caitlin Van Gaal • City of St. Albert – Meghan Myers • Devonian Botanical Gardens – Emma Ausford • Edmonton Naturalization Group – Cherry Dodd • Edmonton Public Schools – Greg Wongda, Science Consultant • Evergreen Foundation – Kathy Goble and Claudia Bolli • Inside Education – Pamela Learmond, Crystal Lumsden • Jerlynn Rycroft • Kassandra Medeiros • Natural Connections – Trudy Harrold and husband • Strathcona County – Erin Wildeboer

With Regrets: • Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development – Karen Carle • Alberta Environment & Sustainable Development – Heather Robertson, Rob Harris, Glenn Gustafson • Strathcona County – Vanessa Higgins

IDEA GIFT EXCHANGE • Each person was asked to bring an idea of the most effective thing they’ve done to increase Albertans’ environmental literacy • Each person shared their idea in small groups and we placed the ideas on the environmental literacy tree. See the images below.

ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY – SHARINA KENNEDY, ALBERTA ESRD • Sharina presented some current research and work that the Alberta ESRD Education and Outreach group have gathered regarding environmental literacy and moving to action. • Environmental literacy is a broad definition and for a person to be environmentally literate they need all of the following components (Campaign for Environmental Literacy 2007 http://www.fundee.org/facts/envlit/components.htm) o Awareness – general awareness of the relationship between the environment and human life o Knowledge and understanding of human and natural systems and processes

o Attitudes of appreciation and concern for the environment o Skills – problem-solving and critical thinking o Action – capacity for personal and collective action • These are not necessarily a step by step approach beginning with awareness and ending with action – it provides an overview of all of the aspects of environmental literacy. • She provided examples for each component using Aquatic invasive species. • She also showed another model from the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) that showed environmentally responsible behaviour as the goal with knowledge, dispositions and competencies as the key factors to achieve this. http://www.naaee.net/sites/default/files/framework/DevFramewkAssessEnvLitOnlineEd.pdf Page 17 of the document • She also discussed that awareness and knowledge and the right attitudes do not always lead to action – it is complex and there are many factors – she used blood donation as an example – we all had the awareness, knowledge and attitudes but not all of us donate blood – why not? • This led into discussions about the social context (social norms) and knowing your audience • “Nature connectedness” can be a predictor of environmental behaviour (Nisbet et at. 2009) • Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) – Doug McKenzie-Mohr – see upcoming events for some workshops on CBSM – Erin Wildeboar of Strathcona County had a great example about implementing their organic waste program. Sharina mentioned that often numbers 1 to 2 are skipped. 1. Select desired behaviour(s) and target audience(s) 2. Identify barriers and benefits (know your audience) 3. Develop strategies 4. Pilot, evaluate and revise 5. Broad-scale implementation • To encourage the behaviour you want you need to reduce barriers and increase benefits • The group asked some great questions and there were some examples shared of programs and things that have worked and why

WORKING TOGETHER – COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL Kathy provided an overview of the Collective Impact Model. Collective Impact brings people/groups together, in a structured way, to achieve social change and it includes five components: • Common agenda – coming together to collectively define the problem and create a shared vision to solve it • Shared measurement – establishes shared measurement – agreeing to track progress in the same way, which allows for continuous improvement • Reinforcing activities – fosters mutually reinforcing activities – coordinating collective efforts to maximize the end result • Continuous communication – encourages continuous communication to build trust and relationships among participants • Strong backbone – it has a team dedicated to orchestrating the work of the group For more information check out: http://collectiveimpactforum.org/

Working in small groups, the following questions were answered: What do you like about collective impact? • Support and shared experiences • Knowing you’re not alone • Community • Shared resources and knowledge • Inter-disciplinary (across sectors) and different lenses • Multiple perspectives • Strength in numbers • More diverse audiences being reached • Grants more accessible – more eligibility • Human power – more hands • Positive gains from listening and learning from others • Pooling of resources • People united will never be divided • Depth of knowledge/skills • Filling gaps • Working with political constituency • Big problems are systemic so helps look at a larger system • Collaboration to solve a problem – deliberate • Many different minds for one focal point – connect the dots • Positive stories • Novel ideas to reach a broader audience What would be challenges for our group? • Work distribution – evenly and fairly – how? • Input distribution – those with bigger programs/more dollars have a bigger say – how make input equal? • Different methodologies and approaches • Having common goals/key messages with different groups – determining the common agenda • Inertia – lots of people, big, how get it going • Passions conflict • Different experiences • Slow – not as efficient? • Management harder to get on board – not involved • May not include everyone’s perspectives • Need good facilitation and convener • Egos – proprietary • Tunnel vision – narrow minds • Involves an emotional investment that will have both positive and negative aspects to it. Different emotional investments in common problems – need to include emotions too • We all enter the collective with our own agendas (can pursue our own messages to the detriment of the collective). • Not everyone works in the same way – how to accommodate and work together • It is the same group (converted folks) – need broader perspectives • Looking for folks with different audiences that have the same messaging (different vessels for same message)

• Directives can contract for people from different organizations (messaging) What would be our common problem and vision? • Stewardship as a foundation – that foundational BASE is critical to moving forward • Pre-awareness – how do you make people aware that they aren’t aware (marketing) • Develop critical thinking ability in people so they can solve their own problems • BELONGING – everyone wants to belong to different effects/outcomes • Bigger infrastructure with which we are working – what exists doesn’t allow for targeted message/action. Must agree on what we want to accomplish – impediments to putting into practice what we preach • How do we get people to move up the ladder of environmental literacy? Connection to nature • We want people to experience a belonging with nature to CARE about the environment and human CONNECTION to the environment • A connection to nature/sense of belonging/need for nature – leads to action • Strategy – lack of coordinated outreach in Capital region

INVENTORY OF PROGRAMS IN THE EDMONTON REGION Kathy provided a quick overview of how to add programs to the inventory and how to access the inventory. She thanked the 14 organizations that have listed their programs. This can be found on the Edmonton Regional CoP web site: http://abcee.org/cop/edmonton/#Inventory

CURRICULUM UPDATE Kathy provided an update on Alberta Education’s curriculum redesign process. • The four prototyping teams (Calgary Public, Edmonton Public, Edmonton Catholic, Black Gold) are wrapping up their work in January • Alberta Education will continue the work in four phases over the next two years • The new Minister is on board with the current direction ACEE has been working with the recommendations from the Education Task Force that created the “Curriculum for a Sustainable Future” document that includes key concepts, learning outcomes and teaching and learning resources. For a copy, contact Kathy at [email protected] There is much work to help teachers and organizations prepare for the new curriculum. ACEE will be convening a group to work on all of the recommendations. ACEE has outlined some steps that we think will be needed and asked the group to provide some input. Logic Model – Alberta students increase their energy and environmental literacy (Appendix One) General comments • Having energy in the title is confusing and separates the whole issue • Use the term sustainable futures as it encompasses all aspects including economic, society and environmental and includes energy • When we teach environmental literacy we have to touch on all of these aspects

1 – Increase the capacity of groups that deliver energy and environmental education • These groups do not deliver – they provide resources for teachers to deliver • Liked all of the outputs – no check marks beside the summit • Liked the last outcome – increase the capacity of groups…. • Add – Connecting teachers with nature – workshops to help teachers reconnect/connect with nature on a personal level • Add outcome – Increase teachers’ personal connection with nature

Table One comments – Some of the Alberta groups that provide resources/support for environmental education in K-12 • Remove Alberta Environment • Naturalist Program Office of the Environment, add City of Edmonton • Outward Bound – is this for schools? • Add Sustainable Food Edmonton – Little Green Thumbs and Urban Agriculture for high schools • Add individuals – speakers, experts • Separate this list into the givers (gov’t and NGOs) to those that they get things from (corporations).

Table Two comments – Meeting the imperatives of the new curriculum

• 1. Energy and environment seem to contradict one another – more emphasis on environment even if they are linked – strong agrees • 2. Liked • 3. Again use of energy and environment • 4. Liked • 5. Liked • 6. Liked - Use term sustainable education instead of outdoor – very important • 8. Remove the word energy • 9. Remove the word energy • 10. Very important and relevant • New one. With the evolving curriculum sites/groups need to be taught schooled in inquiry/project-based learning

2 – Engage the teacher professional development system • Liked the needs assessment • Liked compile what we offer • Liked Train the trainer • Add – engage ‘soon-to-be’ teachers (e.g Universities) – student teachers • Add – developing communication strategies teachers and experts/specialists • Add – tackle ‘gate keeper’ issue – information sent to school systems often fails to make it to teachers – stopped by administrators

3 – Support teacher professional learning to increase teachers’ competency with respect to energy and the environment • Liked Alberta Green Schools • BIG COMMENT – provide classroom resources and extension activities

IDEAS FOR NEXT MEETING • Kathy will include some topics for the next meeting in the survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/73X3DZL) • Mid-January to end of February were suggested timelines – Kathy will include these on the survey to get a better indication for dates • Location – not everyone agreed with doing an outdoor activity UPCOMING EVENTS/DEADLINES • Edmonton Christmas Bird Count – December 21st followed by a Potluck Supper 6:00pm at Strathcona Community Centre 10139 87 Ave http://www.edmontonchristmasbirdcount.ca/ • Miquelon Lake Snow Day – January 18th, 2015 – many free, family activities – 1 to 4pm as part of World Snow Day

• Community Based Social Marketing workshops for waste managers – Feb 10th Red Deer – 9:00 to 4:00 – RCA members $225; Potential members $275 https://www.recycle.ab.ca/workshops • If you wish to present your programs to teachers, contact Greg Wondga with Edmonton Public Schools. He’ll be offering a number of workshops in the New Year. [email protected] • Edmonton Resilience Festival – strengthen community resilience through skill-sharing workshops and other events – February 7 and 8 at the Boyle Street Plaza http://www.thelocalgood.ca/edmonton-resilience-festival/ • Miquelon Lake Family Day activities – Feb 15th – 1to 4pm – free family-friendly events • Both Miquelon Events may need more volunteers, if you are interested in volunteering – contact Isabella Hodson at [email protected] http://www.albertaparks.ca/miquelon-lake/information-facilities/park-contacts/miquelon-park- centre.aspx

NEXT MEETING Kathy will send out a Doodle in early January to set a date for the next meeting.

APPENDIX ONE

ACEE’s 2015 Plan to increase the energy literacy and environmental literacy of Alberta students

Background: about the Curriculum for a Sustainable Future • In early 2014, ACEE convened an Education Task Force that consisted of representatives of oil and gas corporations, environmental and educational non-profit organizations, and master teachers. • The ‘Task’ of this group was to provide input into Alberta Education’s Curriculum Redesign process, which seeks to create new curriculum for the 650,000 Alberta students in K-12. • In November 2014 the Task Force released Curriculum for a Sustainable Future: A proposal to increase energy literacy and environmental literacy in Alberta students. • Pages 13 to 21 of the document are of particular importance: they suggest seventeen key concepts and just over a hundred related student learning outcomes for Science, Social Studies, and Wellness that – if integrated into the new Program of Studies – would dramatically increase both the energy literacy and environmental literacy of Alberta students, helping them create a sustainable future for Alberta.

About this plan • The Task Force also made key recommendations on what the education community should do to implement this work: our plan shows what ACEE seeks to do to assist with implementation. • The impact we seek is to increase the energy literacy and environmental literacy of Alberta students. This plan uses a logic model format to show how ACEE will take three steps that are essential to creating this impact: 1. Increase the capacity of groups that are ‘content area experts,’ and deliver energy and environmental education. 2. Engage the Teacher Professional Development system. 3. Support teacher professional learning to increase teachers’ competency with respect to energy and environmental education.

Through this plan, we will leverage ACEE’s ability to create ‘connective tissue’ between Alberta teachers and the content area experts and their programs, ASSURING that Alberta’s teachers receive the support they need to learn about energy and environmental education, and related teaching resources – and then weave their learning into their work with students, making the curriculum come alive in their classrooms!

Impact: Alberta students increase their energy literacy and environmental literacy

ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS OUTCOMES what we do to create change deliverables that create the potential for change changes that occur as a result of this initiative 1. Increase the capacity of groups1 that deliver energy and environmental education:

• Needs assessment. Assess groups’ needs through an advisory • Online needs assessment Groups learn about best practices committee and on-line surveys. and document increased capacity 2 • ‘Meeting the Imperatives of the new curriculum’ • Develop ‘Meeting the imperatives of the new curriculum in and effectiveness to deliver their 3 guidebook Alberta;’ this is a guidebook that describes our program. programs and meet new

We’ll use this to guide all our capacity building. curriculum imperatives • Orientation to teacher professional learning: Build the • Series of train the trainer programs capacity of groups and master teachers on how to best support K-12 teachers, using a train the trainer model. Increase the capacity of groups to • Workshops and webinars. Deliver a series of workshops and • Series of workshop and webinars developed and deliver quality professional webinars to help groups (including those who write textbooks) presented to teachers and pre-service teachers learning to teachers to increase develop quality professional learning and teaching resources. environmental literacy and • Conference. Work with committee to develop the October energy literacy 2015 national Earth Matters conference on energy and environmental education (http://abcee.org/conference/) • 450 delegates attend the national Earth Matters • Organize for success, using a modified collective impact conference– and commit to action model. This will include a pre-conference event, an October 15, 2015 Provincial Summit: ‘Working collectively to advance • 200 delegates attend the 2015 Summit energy literacy and environmental literacy’ • Leadership Clinic. Work with planning team to create the November 2015 Cenovus Energy Environmental Education Leadership Clinic http://abcee.org/leadershipclinic), with the • 2015 Leadership Clinic theme of ‘weaving energy education into your program, and addressing the imperatives of the new curriculum.’

1 Table One lists the groups with whom we work 2 Alberta Education’s website has the 2013 Ministerial Order that legislates the teaching of ten cross-curricular competencies, describes what will change in the new curriculum, characterizes new teaching approaches such as inquiry learning, and presents findings and concepts related to learning and curriculum development. 3 Table Two describes our program and the topics that we’ll teach

2. Engage the Teacher Professional Development system

• Needs assessment. Assess teachers’ professional learning • On line needs assessment needs through an advisory committee and on-line surveys, and

develop a detailed strategy

• Compile ‘what we offer.’ Create a document/website that The individuals and organizations describes the rationale for energy and environmental • ‘What we Offer’ appears on Website that support teachers education, and lists the services available to deliver quality professional learning understand the rationale for energy and teaching and learning resources, and professional learning support environmental education, know • Build relationships with key players in the teacher professional the players, programs, and development system. Develop relationships with the Regional • Regular outreach to Regional Consortia and ATA PD services that are involved, and Consortia and key nodes of the ATA professional development Network develop the capacity and network (association instructors, professional strategies to provide the relevant development chairs, etc.) to explore ways in which they support to teachers they can support the work • The professional development system incorporates and • Engage the System. Work with Regional Consortia, ATA PD develops more programs and professional learning staff, instructors and facilitators, and master teachers to opportunities develop, incorporate and deliver programs and professional learning opportunities around the topics listed in Table Two. • Train the trainer. Build the capacity of regional consortium and • Series of train the trainer programs association instructors with respect to environmental and energy literacy, using a ‘train the trainer’ model

3. Support teacher professional learning to increase teachers’ competency with respect to energy and environmental education • Earth Matters conference (October 2015). Program will • Sessions for teachers at Earth Matters Conference 2015 include sessions on energy and environmental education, and promising practices and learning stories • Series of Alberta Green Schools programs delivered to Alberta Green Schools. Deliver Alberta Green Schools program • school divisions across the province Alberta teachers learn new and to over a dozen schools divisions: teachers’ learning includes exciting teaching and learning transformational leadership and inquiry learning. • Promising Practices and Learning Stories Document, resources and strategies; weave

• Share our Learning Stories. Gather learning stories and share Video, Website and Workshops new learning into their teaching promising practices in our work with twenty teachers who are plans; and increase their field-testing the learning outcomes in ‘Curriculum for a competence – and confidence - Sustainable Future’. Includes videos, website, and workshops vis-à-vis energy education and presentations. environmental education. • Workshops and Webinars. Energy and environmental • Over a hundred Workshop and Webinars education groups, ATA instructors, Regional Consortium

facilitators, and master teachers deliver over a hundred Beginning in 2015, Alberta professional learning workshops and webinars to pre-service students are engaged in high teachers in teacher preparation programs and classroom quality energy education and teachers. Some topics are listed in Table Two. environmental education; • Over fifty presentations at conventions and conferences • ATA Conventions and Specialist Council Conferences. Over develop the relevant awareness,

fifty workshops and sessions are delivered at ATA Conventions knowledge, and skills; and and various Specialist Council conferences (Science, Social dramatically increase their Studies, Outdoor Education, Wellness, etc.) across the province • Three hundred teachers receive support in their job energy literacy and • Embedded professional learning. Work collaboratively with embedded professional learning environmental literacy. school divisions and schools to enhance job embedded professional learning of teachers within their professional learning communities in the school (ie. act as experts, coaches • Teachers and groups receive annual Awards etc.) • Awards program. In partnership with the Alberta Emerald Foundation, highlight, reward, and support exemplary classroom and group practices within Alberta.

Table One: Some of the Alberta groups that deliver energy education and environmental education in Alberta (124 listed in our database)

Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Naturalist Program, Office of Environment, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute River Valley Programs Alberta Ecotrust Foundation City of Red Deer Alberta Electric System Operator Company of Adventurers Alberta Emerald Foundation ConocoPhillips Canada - Environmental Alberta Energy Quest Alberta Environment Council for Environmental Education (CEE) Alberta Environment and Sustainable Devon Canada Corporation Resource Development Devonian Botanic Garden, University of Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation Alberta (AIWC) ECO Canada Alberta Irrigation Projects Association EcoLiving Events Ltd. Alberta Lake Management Society Edmonton and Area Land Trust Alberta Parks (five parks list services) Encana Corporation Alberta Riparian Habitat Management EnergyTeachers.org Society ENMAX Corporation Alberta Science Literacy Association Evergreen Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Evergreen Theatre Alberta Tomorrow Foundation Foothills Research Institute Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Friends of Kananaskis Country Alberta WaterPortal Full Circle Adventures Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area Ghost River Rediscovery ATCO EnergySense Global, Environmental and Outdoor Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre Education Council Bash the Trash Environmental Arts Green Calgary Battle River Watershed Alliance Green Teacher Be The Change Earth Alliance Green Teacher Bow Valley WildSmart GreenLearning Canada Foundation BP A+ for Energy Helen Schuler Nature Centre Calgary Region Airshed Zone Honda Canada Foundation Calgary Science Network Hostelling International (HI) Calgary Zoo - Grounds for Change Program Inside Education Calgary Zoo - School Programs International Wind Energy Academy Canadian Parks And Wilderness Society, John Janzen Nature Centre Southern Alberta Chapter Jurassic Forest Canadian Wildlife Federation Let's Talk Science Carbon Environmental Boutique Liliana's Ecorations CAWST’s Youth Wavemakers Medicine River Wildlife Centre Centre for Energy Natureground.org Chris Fisher Outdoors In CINEFETE Outward Bound Canada City of Calgary - The Mayor's Environment Parks Canada in Schools Expo; Parks, Environmental and Education Parks Canada's Mountain World Heritage Initiatives; Waste & Recycling Services; Interpretive Theatre Water Services Powered by the People City of Edmonton Praxis: The Science and Technology Hotline City of Edmonton - Drainage Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada

Foundation The Canadian Mapping Corporation Project WET Foundation The Elements Society RiverWatch Institute of Alberta The Lung Association, Alberta & NWT Robert Bateman Get to Know Program The Organic Dayhome Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, The Otesha Project University of Calgary The Palisades Stewardship Education Centre Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology Jasper National Park Safe Drinking Water Foundation The Society of High Prairie Regional Science Alberta Foundation Environmental Action Committee Scientia Productions Utilities Consumer Advocate, Alberta Scientists in School Government Scouts Canada - Chinook Council Waskasoo Environmental Education Society Shell Canada – Canadian Geographic Waterlution - A Water Learning Experience Society, Environment and Energy Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Development Studies Foundation Society Southern Alberta Technology Council West Edmonton Mall Marine Life Programs Sprout Farms Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Edmonton Star EcoWorks WORMS AT WORK Sustainability Resources WP Puppet Theatre TD Bank Group Yellow Fish Road - Trout Unlimited Canada Telus World of Science Edmonton YMCA Camp Chief Hector

Table Two: Meeting the Imperatives of the New Curriculum

These ten topics that would be described in our guidebook, and form part of our capacity- building program for groups and for teachers:

1. Updates on the new curricular programs of study, including our proposed energy education and environmental education outcomes 2. The changing classroom: understanding new digital tools and technologies, and adapting your learning and teaching resources to fit how teachers teach and kids learn 3. New assessment strategies, and implications for energy and environmental education programs 4. Meeting teachers where they are at: how to support teacher professional learning 5. How to demonstrate that your energy education or environmental education program delivers on cross-curricular competencies (also known as ‘Twenty First Century Skills’) 6. How to connect to wellness education and other curriculum through outdoor education 7. Introduction to Inquiry learning and project-based learning –implications, and potential to advance energy and environmental education 8. Making the case for energy education and environmental education in the new curriculum 9. Energy and environmental education in the classroom: Best practices, exemplars, and promising learning stories 10. Transformational leadership: how teachers and administrators can transform their school to support environmental stewardship and sustainability