Expeditions in Education is a 501c3 nonprofit organization providing innovative science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) training programs for educators, students, and families. Programs provide unique virtual and in person STEM opportunities connecting students and educators to national and global real-world issues. With a “STEM for all” vision, trainings include a variety of virtual classroom field trips for students and educators and in person onsite educator trainings in National Parks across the nation. Goals and Program Impact 1. STEM for All Engaging STEM activities make a difference in student learning; building critical thinking and the ability to innovate and preparing young learners to apply school-based information to real-world situations. Many schools lack the reserves for students and educators to access meaningful STEM challenges and professional development opportunities. Expeditions in Education provides virtual and in person STEM trainings, with most programs being offered free of charge.
Expeditions in Education creates short films in National Parks across the country to bring the Park alive for students, families, and educators. Each film explores the Park and describes its history, place in the world, and impact on its surroundings. National Park sessions also include a STEM challenge connected to one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Goals. The UN global goals, such as no poverty, zero hunger, and education for all present an opportunity for students and educators to develop innovative solutions and change the world. 3. RELATIONSHIPS and CAPACITY BUILDING The “power up” of Expeditions in Education is in the opportunities for follow up and relationship building built into programs. Relationships between lead trainer Dacia Penley Jones (aka Dr. Drizzle) and educators, as well as relationships among educator cohort groups, are an integral part of Expeditions in Education programs. It is the ongoing conversations and emails, chats set up to touch base, and follow up activities for cohorts, which stretch single incident learning events into opportunities for long-term capacity building.
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I may not have realized it, but STEAM in the Park has been a dream of mine my entire life. As a young girl, I remember taking family camping trips every summer. I fished at the beach and in mountain streams, hiked trails, listened to ranger talks, watched the bears go through our coolers while I sat in our camper. My family would sit around the campfire singing, telling tall tales and roasting marshmallows. I learned so much from those moments in the wild.
My paw-paw was also a Park Superintendent, so spending time in National Parks has been a lifelong activity for me. As an adult my husband and I continued to spend summers in the mountains with my family. After our daughters were born we quickly introduced them to the great outdoors. We enjoyed countless camping trips playing in streams, fishing, hiking, eating s'mores and using nature to introduce a sense of wonder and curiosity by exploring and finding creative ways to solve problems. As a teacher I realized that getting students and teachers out of the classroom and introducing them to experiential learning could be life and career changing. For years I wondered: could we combine my lifelong experiences into an opportunity for educators to connect, collaborate, and create? Well, we proved that we could! From July 16th - 19th, 2021, the first STEAM in the PARK event was held at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park. Over 30 educators from 15 states came together to explore the great outdoors, sit around the campfire and listen to stories and sing songs, hike through the woods, explore tidal pools to learn more about the invasive green crab and come up with practical ways to eradicate them. We learned how to notice the small things in nature and capture them on paper. We connected literacy to nature and the parks and even used decorating cookies to show that it is possible to use fun activities to further our learning. These campers accepted the challenge to go back to their communities and become ambassadors of STEAM in the Park and Expeditions in Education and to create content for their students to help them realize and fulfill their dreams! This summer we are taking over 200 educators to 8 National Parks around the country. Follow us at #STEAMinthePARK to learn with us. So we are getting ready to ship out our first boxes for STEAM in the PARK. These boxes are heading to Niobrara and Bryce Canyon. I have been dreaming of this day since we returned from last year's STEAM in the PARK at Acadia. Little did we know that less than one year later, we would be planning to head out on not one, but EIGHT adventures around the country. I wanted to share our mission again because to be honest with you, there are tears happening today.
Our Mission and Passion: We know that outdoor experiences help students increase their understanding of natural and human communities which leads to a sense of place. Students can develop stronger environmental attitudes and have a deeper understanding of civic issues. We want to provide outdoor learning experiences to support educators so they can raise the next generation of responsible citizens who care about each other and the Earth. With STEAM in the PARK, we know that learning outside the classroom can help teachers create enthusiasm for learning, provide a real-world context and expose students to a range of STEM careers. Our goal is to integrate outdoor learning via the National Parks with Real World Problems utilizing tools such as the UN Global Goals. Thank you again for going on this journey with us. As you may have figured out, I love quotes and am very sentimental so I leave you with another of my favorites: "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." -John Muir |
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