Supporting Environmental and Sustainability Education in Ontario
Through Education Experts Workshop and National Roundtable on K-12
In April 2015, Urban Water TMU led an Education Experts Workshop, bringing together principals and teachers from Ontario school boards, personnel from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, professors from select Faculties of Education, and representatives from NGOs, and conservation authorities. The Workshop aimed to produce a plan to advance environmental education in Ontario schools with a special emphasis on urban water issues. Urban Water TMU members facilitated roundtable discussions to identify obstacles in the way of K-12 receiving sound environmental and water education.
See more in the Educations Experts’ Workshop: Implementation of the Bondar Report (2007) Whitepaper (below).
In June 2016, Urban Water TMU’s Lynda McCarthy (Great Lakes ecotoxicologist) and Michal Bardecki (watershed geographer) participated in the National Roundtable on Environmental and Sustainability Education in Pre-Service Teacher Education at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. The Roundtable brought together a network of educators and policy makers. Over two days, the Roundtable worked collaboratively to develop a strategic plan to strengthen environmental and sustainability education in the pre-service teacher curriculum.
See the Workshop Report (below).
Since this work, much has been done to move environmental and sustainability education forward by the Environmental & Sustainability Education
in Teacher Education Standing Committee (ESE-TE Committee) of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) (external link) . The ESE-TE Committee is dedicated to advancing and supporting the development of high quality ESE in Canada through research, policy, and professional development.
More here: http://www.eseinfacultiesofed.ca/about.html (external link)
The summary report of the roundtable and what it has accomplished.
This report highlights the four key points in the action plan which are to be implemented moving forward.