Approved Criteria I Workshops and Courses

Criteria I Workshops should help provide educators with the basic knowledge, skills and abilities needed to deliver high-quality environmental education.  These workshops are designed for the professional development of environmental educators who work in both non-formal and formal educational settings and who offer a wide range of programming for all grade levels and for adults.  Facilitators of Criteria I Workshops should model professional standards in the field of environmental education as defined by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).

The North American Association for Environmental Education's Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators are used as a framework for evaluationg workshops submitted for consideration for Criteria I status. 

The following list of workshops and courses has been reviewed and approved by the Environmental Education Certification Review Committee for completing Eligibility Criteria I: Instructional Workshops. Although approval of workshops does not hinge on a balanced presentation of alternative points of view, workshop sponsors should, in their presentations, promote informed, objective decision-making. Candidates for North Carolina Environmental Education Certification should consider a variety of experiences that will broaden their range as environmental educators.  The following workshops have been approved as meeting certification requirements:

List of Approved Criteria I Workshops and Courses:

Required Workshops:

Basics of Environmental Education
Office of Environmental Education, 919-733-0711

Methods of Teaching Environmental Education
Office of Environmental Education, 919-733-0711

***Upcoming Workshop - January 29 & 30 at Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, NC***
CANCELLED due to weather

***Upcoming Workshop - February 5 & 6 at Halifax Community College, Weldon, NC***
CANCELLED due to weather

***Upcoming Workshop - February 27 & 28 at UNC - Wilmington***

***Upcoming Workshop - March 3 & 4 at Agape Center for Environmental Education, Fuquay-Varina (near Raleigh), NC***

Workshop Electives:
Air Quality Workshops for Elementary, Middle and High School
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Donna Rogers (919) 541-5478

Aquatic Environmental Education Learning Experiences (EELE)
Division of Parks and Recreation
Sean Higgins, (919) 715-0047;  
Offer at the following parks: Lake Norman, Eno River, Goose Creek, Jones Lake, Lake James, Lake Waccamaw, Lumber River, New River, Singletary Lake, and South Mountains

Coastal Ecology Workshops
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Mike Dunn, (919) 733-7450

Coastal Explorations for the Class and Field
NC Coastal Reserve/NC National Estuarine Research Reserve
Jill Fegley, (252) 838-0885

Conserve Water
Division of Water Resources
Holly Denham (919) 715-5433

Earth and Environmental Science for Elementary Educators
Pisgah Forest Institute
Kevin Fischer, (828) 884-8229

Earth and Environmental Science for Middle and High School Educators
Pisgah Forest Institute
Kevin Fischer, (828) 884-8229

Earth Partnership for Schools
NC Botanical Garden
Grant Parkins, (919) 962-2887

Eco-Time
Duke Energy Corp.
Gene Vaughan (704) 875-5240

Environmental Education Learning Experience (EELE)
Division of Parks and Recreation
Sean Higgins (919) 715-0047

Enviro-Scope
Grades 3-8
Sally Dicharry (706) 782-2935

Far Traveler, Red Wolf Recovery Workshop
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Diane Hendry, (252) 473-1131

Feed the Bin
Wake County Solid Waste
Rebecca Dunston, (919) 856-2602

Flying Wild
Division of Conservation Education
N.C. Wildlife resources Commission
Tanya Poole
(828) 329-3472

Food, Land and People
NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation
Sandra Weitzel, (919) 791-4310

Forest Ecology
Pisgah Forest Institute
Kevin Fischer, (828) 884-8229

Ground Level Ozone - Advanced Air Quality
National Park Service
Susan Sachs, (828) 926-6251

Growing Up WILD
Division of Conservation Education
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
Tanya Poole
(828) 329-3472

Investigating Your Environment
NC Division of Forest Resources
Chris Carlson  (919) 857-4801, ext. 4819

It's Our Water, Division of Water Resources
Holly Denham (919) 715-5433

Leopold Education Project
Pheasants Forever, Inc.
Janine Kohn, (651) 209-4971

N.C. CATCH
Division of Conservation Education
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Tanya Poole
(828) 329-3472

Population Connection
Carol Bliese, (800) 767-1956

POW! The Planning of Wetlands
Environmental Concerns, Inc.
Sarah Toman, (410) 745-9620

Project GLOBE: Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment
UNC-CH, Patricia Shane, (919) 966-5922

Project Learning Tree
PreK-8, OR High School OR PreK-12
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Renee Strnad, (919) 515-5518, online calendar, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/plt  or
Jennifer Grantham, NC Forestry Association
(800) 231-7723, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/forest/plt

Project WET
Division of Water Resources
Holly Denham (919) 715-5433

Project WILD
Division of Conservation Education
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission
Tanya Poole
(828) 329-3472

Project WILD Aquatic
Division of Conservation Education
N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission,
Tanya Poole
(828) 329-3472

Sci Link GIS Workshop; Sci Link and Grandfather Mountain
NCSU
Harriet Stubbs, (919) 515-9483

Spring Mountain Ecology/Spring in the Mountains
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Mike Dunn, (919) 733-7450
    
Tropical Ecology Institute
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Mike Dunn, (919) 733-7450
              
UTOTES
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Mike Dunn, (919) 733-7450

WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands
Environmental Concern, Inc.
Sarah Toman, (410) 745-9620  
   
Course/workshop sponsors may submit workshops and courses for approval to the Certification Review Committee. For more information go to sponsor a workshop.


Required Workshops (Available January 1, 2009)
Basics of Environmental Education - Independent Study

This is an independent study and can be completed on your own time.  It is a prerequisite for taking the Methods of Teaching Environmental Education workshop, which is also a required course for NC EE Certification.  The Basics of EE consists of a group of articles that you will read and then answer the follow-up discussion questions. 

Participants are encouraged to complete the readings in the sequential order for full understanding.  Your completed answers to the discussion questions should be between 40-200 words per question.  Do not submit answers to the discussion questions until all 10 are completed. Please refer to the Basics of EE Checklist to make sure you have answered all questions adequately.

Links for the Basics of EE:
Articles

Download Adobe Reader for free in order to view the articles.

You can download the questions as a pdf or as a Word document

Questions (pdf)

Questions (Word)

Refer to the Basics of EE Checklist to make sure you have thoroughly answered all of the questions

Your answers should be sent as an attachment to Libby.Wilcox@ncdenr.govThe subject line should be your full name and Basics of EE.  Example:  John Doe – Basics of EE.  The Basics of EE counts as 10 hours in Criteria I; a Form B is not necessary.  You will be notified when your response has been accepted.

* If candidate can show coursework completion in this area, credit will be given and these workshops are then optional. Contact the Certification Program Manager for further information.



Methods of Teaching Environmental Education

***Upcoming Workshop - January 29 & 30 at Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, NC***
CANCELLED due to weather

***Upcoming Workshop - February 5 & 6 at Halifax Community College, Weldon, NC***
CANCELLED due to weather

***Upcoming Workshop - February 27 & 28 at UNC - Wilmington***

***Upcoming Workshop - March 3 & 4 at Agape Center for Environmental Education, Fuquay-Varina (near Raleigh), NC***