OCCA Announces Free Professional Development Opportunity for Teachers 

COOPERSTOWN—Otsego County Conservation Association is offering educators a free workshop on incorporating local watershed studies into their curriculum. The workshop will take place on Saturday, February 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the A.J. Read Science Discovery Center on the SUNY Oneonta Campus. 

The “One Day Watershed” will introduce participants to the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. MWEEs are a learner-centered framework that focus on investigations into local environmental issues and lead to informed actions. In MWEEs, students are engaged in classroom and outdoor activities that build knowledge and skills through hands-on activities. Participants in the workshop will become familiar with the MWEE framework, and how to integrate it into their curricula. MWEEs promote environmental literacy and support New York State Science Learning Standards. 

According to Liz Brown, OCCA curriculum specialist, “MWEEs are an ideal way to integrate experiential learning into a classroom curriculum. Students become invested in their MWEE projects as they work with their teacher to research a local environmental issue, collect and synthesize data, and design an action project that will positively impact their community.” 

The workshop is suited for in-service and pre-service teachers, as well as non-formal educators. Participants should prepare to spend some time outdoors. Lunch will be provided, and all attendees will receive a packet containing worksheets, an educator’s guide, and some classroom materials.

For more information or to register for the workshop, visit https://www.occainfo.org/calendar/one-day-watershed-teacher-training, or call OCCA at (607) 547-4488.

This program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Bay Watershed Education and Training program and is co-sponsored by the A.J. Read Science Discovery Center.